Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Ram Settlement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board approves $255 million RAM settlement package for tornado recovery and water upgrades
Summary
The Board of Aldermen perfected a measure allocating about $255 million of RAM settlement funds across tornado recovery, north‑side neighborhood plans, downtown revitalization and water infrastructure; members adopted reporting and MWBE provisions but repeatedly clashed over small‑business grant eligibility and the share for north‑side recovery.
The St. Louis Board of Aldermen on Thursday perfected an ordinance to allocate roughly $255 million from RAM settlement proceeds toward tornado recovery, water infrastructure, neighborhood revitalization and downtown projects.
President Green described three goals for board bill 22: accelerate funding for tornado recovery, shore up the city’s water infrastructure and assemble a capital structure able to attract matching philanthropic and federal funds. The ordinance directs funds into several main buckets: a North St. Louis and Tornado Recovery Fund (more than $120 million, including about $78 million for housing stabilization and repair and $7 million for resident support), an infrastructure fund with $40 million earmarked for water capital, $30 million for street and sidewalk work, and a $55 million downtown implementation bucket focused on catalytic capital and riverfront activation.
The measure prompted extensive floor amendments and debate. Alderman from the fourth proposed several amendments to curtail or reconfigure small‑business grants and to convert implementation grants into loan‑style products; those amendments failed on roll calls. Supporters of the bill, and the HUD committee that reported it out, argued that small businesses—many of them in the North City tornado zone—need grant and working‑capital support because the federal Small Business Administration loan program does not meet the needs of businesses without current cash flow.
The board adopted two procedural and accountability changes during floor action. First, members approved an amendment requiring measurable performance metrics and quarterly public reporting on deployments and outcomes for the tornado‑recovery funds. Second, the council adopted a transparency and inclusion amendment (amendment 15) that requires administrators to report quarterly on MWBE (minority‑ and women‑owned business) and local contracting outcomes, and requires implementation consistent with prevailing‑wage and non‑discrimination requirements.
Roll calls: the motion to perfect board bill 22 as amended passed (12 ayes, 3 nays). Members said the ordinance is not the final step: the administration will need to coordinate with state and federal partners on demolition and larger recovery grants, and with philanthropic partners to match dollars.
Key quotes
“We are currently in a crisis that requires every source of funding available,” President Green said as he walked the body through the bill’s aims.
“We should not leave small businesses out,” a HUDs committee backer said in defense of the small‑business grant provisions.
Ending
The board’s action establishes the city’s spending priorities with more detailed reporting and MWBE safeguards. Implementation will hinge on detailed program rules, which aldermen said must be public and accompanied by ongoing oversight.
(See the meeting timeline for the list of fund buckets, eligible uses and the adopted reporting and MWBE requirements.)
