Mayor Tishaura O. Jones Votes to Recommend Board Bill 82 at  Board of Estimate and Apportionment

Today, Mayor Tishaura O. Jones voted at the Board of Estimate and Apportionment to recommend Board Bill 82 with minor changes, which directs $39 million to North St. Louis in the form of grants and other support as well as an American with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance plan to help make St. Louis more accessible for all. The unanimous passage comes after Comptroller Green raised questions about Board Bill 82 last week and following the Board’s approval of $86 million in capital improvements, which includes road paving, bridge repair, grass cutting and more. Both bills now head back to the Board of Aldermen.

“As the first mayor in decades to be born, raised, and still living in North St. Louis, I know how important it is we get these investments right to reverse decades of disinvestment in our neighborhoods,” said Mayor Tishaura O. Jones. “We want to make sure the money that goes to North City stays in North City. I was proud to work with Comptroller Green and Alderwoman Sharon Tyus to develop some simple recommendations to streamline this bill, and I was glad to see it move out of the Board on a unanimous vote.”

The remaining $249 million from the American Rescue Plan is heading to St. Louis in early summer. Mayor Jones has already highlighted a few of her key priorities for this next installment - including addressing vacant buildings, Direct Cash Assistance or a Guaranteed Basic Income pilot, early childhood education funding, support for the arts community, and more - and emphasized the need for an extensive community input. The administration will roll out a plan to solicit public feedback for this $249 million later this week.