Aldermen perfect policy to buy and demolish seven flood‑prone homes in Ellendale tied to state HMGP funding

Board bill 43, an ordinance establishing a policy to govern the purchase and demolition of seven flood-prone properties in the Ellendale neighborhood under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), was perfected by the St. Louis Board of Aldermen on Oct. 10.

Sponsor Alderman Narayan said the bill is a companion to board bill 74, which the board had just perfected on the consent calendar. Board bill 74, as described in the meeting materials, authorizes the City Emergency Management Agency to accept HMGP funding from the Missouri Emergency Management Agency (CEMA) in the amount of $697,678.87, appropriates those funds and a required city match, and authorizes contracts and documents to expend funds to the extent received.

Narayan told the board the item had been placed on the regular calendar earlier while awaiting the funding piece and that the companion funding authorization (board bill 74) now allows the city to move forward to help residents in the flood-affected area. The perfection motion for board bill 43 carried on voice vote.

The ordinance text, as read into the record, ties the purchase and demolition policy to requirements of the HMGP funding awarded by CEMA and contains a severability clause. The board did not vote on any specific property acquisitions during the Oct. 10 meeting; the perfection establishes the policy that will guide those actions if and when funding is expended and projects move forward.