Warning that a proposed increase in the police department’s budget could force layoffs and cuts to city services, the St. Louis Board of Aldermen last week adopted a resolution opposing the spending plan under the city’s return to state control.
Resolution 258, introduced by 14th Ward Alderman Rasheen Aldridge, is a nonbinding measure urging the state-appointed Board of Police Commissioners to reconsider its proposed budget increase and negotiate with city leaders over police funding.
The full board approved the resolution after a public hearing before the Board of Aldermen Public Safety Committee, where city officials and residents raised concerns about the city’s finances.
Board of Aldermen President Megan Green said the debate over police funding and state oversight is only beginning.
“Today is the first day of public conversations on this, not the end,” Green said.
Proposed police budget sparks concern
The dispute centers on a proposal from the Board of Police Commissioners to increase funding for the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department from about $146 million to more than $200 million.
State law requires the city to devote a minimum share of its general revenue to police funding. City officials say the increase could force cuts elsewhere in the budget.
Last month, Mayor Cara Spencer warned the plan could lead to layoffs and reductions in city services.
“The budget certified by the Police Board today is wildly out of sync with what the City of St. Louis can afford to do without crippling other departments, cutting services like trash pickup, park maintenance and fixing our roads,” Spencer said.
“If the Board of Police Commissioners does not change the budget they certified today, they will force the city to look at mass layoffs in other departments to compensate for the cost,” she added.
Aldridge said Resolution 258 signals that the city expects accountability from the state-appointed police board.
“This is not anti-police,” Aldridge said. “This is about fiscal responsibility and making sure the city can meet all of its obligations.”
Residents weigh in
Nearly 100 residents attended the hearing last week. Some wore sweatshirts reading “Invest in Communities,” while others held signs criticizing the state’s renewed control of the police department.
One speaker who identified himself as a lifelong resident and business owner urged aldermen to resist the spending plan.
“This bloated budget is a punishment orchestrated by Jefferson City and proposed by unelected, out-of-touch prominent business owners who stand to gain and profit from a police department flush with cash,” he said.
Crime trends part of debate
The debate comes as crime has declined in St. Louis. City data presented in year-end public safety briefings show overall crime dropped about 16% last year, while homicides fell to their lowest level in more than a decade, according to the mayor’s office and the city’s Office of Violence Prevention.
Some city leaders say those trends reflect investments in violence prevention and community initiatives.
Return to state control
The conflict stems from legislation passed last year returning the St. Louis police department to state control.
In March 2025, Gov. Mike Kehoe signed a bill that reversed a 2012 voter-approved measure that had placed the department under local authority.
Supporters argued that state oversight could improve public safety and police morale.
“This is about supporting public safety and solving a public safety crisis in the St. Louis region that’s affecting the entire state,” said state Rep. Brad Christ of St. Louis County, who sponsored the bill.
Opponents, including former Mayor Tishaura O. Jones and other city leaders, argued the change would reduce local accountability and shift power to an unelected board.
Lawsuits challenge the law
On her final day in office, Jones joined Green in filing a lawsuit challenging parts of the law, including provisions allowing elected officials to be removed from office for interfering with the police board and requiring the city to devote a set percentage of its general revenue to police funding.
U.S. District Judge Matthew Schelp dismissed the case, citing jurisdictional issues and previous rulings limiting the city’s ability to sue the state.
Separate lawsuits filed by Green, Jamala Rogers of the Organization for Black Struggle and activist Mike Milton remain active. Represented by ArchCity Defenders, they argue the law singles out St. Louis and violates the Missouri Constitution’s Hancock Amendment, which limits unfunded mandates.
Green and Rogers said the city’s decision not to join those lawsuits weakened the legal challenge.
“It would have been much easier if city resources were dedicated to this and not just community attorneys doing this because they care about the issue,” Green said.
“We’re definitely disappointed,” Rogers added. “We thought it would have been strengthened if all three lawsuits had moved forward.”
Budget decisions still ahead
Despite the dispute, city officials emphasized that the police board does not have final authority over the city’s budget.
Green said the Board of Estimate and Apportionment — composed of the mayor, the president of the Board of Aldermen and the comptroller — will play a central role in drafting the city’s spending plan.
“I want to make it clear that the authority over this lies with the Board of Estimate and Apportionment,” Green said.
Aldridge warned that legislation under consideration in Jefferson City could expand the police board’s authority.
“They want full control,” he said.
The city’s proposed budget is expected to be introduced in mid-April, followed by hearings before the Board of Aldermen.
“We’re already meeting the requirements that we’re supposed to meet,” Aldridge said. “They’re saying that’s not enough. They want more and more and more. At some point, we have to say no.”
Sylvester Brown Jr. is the Deaconess Foundation Community Advocacy Fellow.