The City of St. Louis Takes Steps to Update Charter for First Time in Over 100 Years
The City of St. Louis is making strides towards modernizing its charter, which has not been updated since its adoption in 1914. A nine-member committee has recently approved several proposals that aim to improve the city’s governance and services.
One of the key proposals is the establishment of an Office of the Public Advocate, which will serve as a voice for the citizens and hold the government accountable. The committee also plans to change the timing of general municipal elections and give the Board of Aldermen more authority in the budget process.
In addition, the committee has proposed merging city departments to form a Department of Transportation and updating the language in the charter to reflect modern times.
These proposals will now be presented to the Board of Aldermen, where corresponding legislation will be introduced and referred to the Legislation and Rules Committee. This committee will work on finalizing the proposals and language for the November ballot.
The public will have the opportunity to participate in this year-long process through the committee meetings, with the first one scheduled for Tuesday, July 23rd at 2:00 p.m. The Board of Aldermen has also scheduled additional meetings on August 8th and 16th to pass charter-related legislation and meet the Board of Election’s deadline to place items on the November 2024 ballot.
To continue the thorough work done by the Charter Commission, the Board of Aldermen plans to establish a Special Committee on City of St. Louis Charter Revisions. This committee will include members from the Board of Aldermen, appointees from the Board of Estimate & Apportionment, and members of the existing Charter Commission. Their goal will be to review all of the recommendations made by the inaugural Charter Commission and engage the public on which ones should be further considered for long-term implementation.
The Special Committee on City of St. Louis Charter Revisions will begin its work when the Board of Aldermen resumes its regularly scheduled meetings in September. This marks a significant step towards updating the city’s charter for the first time in over 100 years.
