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Board approves $255 million RAM settlement plan for tornado recovery, water upgrades and downtown projects with reporting requirements
Summary
The board perfected Board Bill 22 to allocate about $255 million from the RAM settlement across tornado recovery, water infrastructure, downtown neighborhood implementation and vacancy reduction; members adopted amendments requiring performance metrics and local/MWBE reporting after debate about small‑business grant oversight.
The St. Louis Board of Aldermen perfected Board Bill 22 as amended, a legislative package authorizing roughly $255 million in RAM settlement funds for tornado recovery, North St. Louis neighborhood plans, citywide infrastructure (including water), downtown redevelopment and vacancy‑reduction efforts.
President Green described three goals for the measure: direct immediate funding to tornado recovery, ensure the Water Division has funding to protect drinking‑water infrastructure, and assemble a capital plan that can attract state, federal and philanthropic matching funds. He told the board the allocation includes large, named buckets: roughly $120+ million in the North St. Louis/tornado recovery fund (including $78 million for housing stabilization and home repair and $7 million for resident supports), $40 million dedicated to water infrastructure, $30 million for street/sidewalk/traffic calming and $55 million for downtown neighborhood plan implementation with smaller subaccounts for downtown activation and retail support.
The measure drew vigorous floor debate. An alderman from the fourth proposed amendments to remove small‑business grant eligibility and to convert some neighborhood grants to loans; those amendment efforts failed on roll call. Members raised objections based on past problems administering similar programs through SLDC and ARPA funds; proponents said the administration has added stronger vetting, recipient performance standards and conflict‑of‑interest screening and that the bill included new transparency measures. One amendment (adopted) requires development and public reporting of metrics within months of the ordinance to measure outcomes, with annual reports to relevant committees until funds are expended. Another amendment (adopted) added reporting requirements to track MWBE, WBE and local firm participation and prevailing wage/non‑discrimination compliance in projects funded by the ordinance.
Key vote actions recorded in the transcript: the board adopted amendment number two (metrics) on a roll call reported as 14 aye; a later roll call to perfect and adopt the bill as amended was reported as carried (perfection recorded with 12 aye and 3 no on the transcript). Supporters said the funding packages were designed after community engagement and that some sums will be used as matching funds to unlock larger state and federal capital investments; opponents urged more guarantees for direct neighborhood spending and stronger guardrails. Supporters repeatedly cited the urgency of replenishing the Office of Recovery and the Water Division, both described as short on funds.
What happens next: the ordinance was perfected as amended; several amendments require public reporting and metrics that will be delivered to committees and posted publicly, providing ongoing opportunities for board oversight.
Allocations summarized on the floor (rounded from sponsor remarks): the North St. Louis/tornado recovery fund (approximately $120–$130 million total across housing, neighborhood plan implementation and resident support), $40 million for water infrastructure, $30 million for streets/sidewalks/traffic calming and $55 million for downtown neighborhood plan implementation (including capital and small‑business/retail assistance).
