St. Louis Police say state control, internal-service charges reshape FY26 budget; staffing and overtime remain central concerns

Chief Robert J. Tracy and fiscal manager David Daniels presented the Saint Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s FY26 budget to the Budget & Public Employees Committee on May 8, saying the apparent budget increase mainly reflects internal service charges and calendar-year revenue-match language in state law rather than a large new operating windfall.

Key points up front: the department’s FY26 budget is presented at roughly $200 million, an increase from about $183 million the prior year largely because of new internal service fund charges billed from other city departments (legal services, facilities management, fleet/equipment services). Daniels said the real operating increase is modest once those internal recharges and revenue-match timing are considered.

Why it matters: the department faces persistent vacancies, heavy overtime, and legal-cost exposure; the committee and department discussed the effect of state control (House Bill 495) on funding, who will provide legal defense and how revenue-match percentages will be applied across calendar years.

Daniels, fiscal manager for the department, said “what we’re presenting is a really a baseline budget,” and explained the larger headline number reflects service charges…