County Council Chairwoman Rita Heard Days and her unwavering loyalty to fellow council member Tim Fitch have been directly challenged under his lawsuit against the County, where Fitch contends that his service on the County Council is not “public service” under the County’s retirement ordinance. Fitch filed his suit last week, arguing that he should be able to access the $254,000 pension he earned through the St. Louis County Police Department. But Fitch’s arguments will undoubtedly impact his strongest Council ally, Chairwoman Days, who ran for County office in order to accrue the remaining handful of months required for her county pension (earned while working as the Democratic director for the County Board of Elections prior to her termination by disgraced former County Executive and fellow Jane Dueker client Steve Stenger). If Fitch is successful in his legal argument, the legal implication would negate Days’ time accrued during her service on the County Council, leaving Days’ just several months short of her required service time in order to unlock her pension.
If Fitch is successful in his legal argument, the legal implication would negate Days’ time accrued during her service on the County Council…
The County’s Bipartisan Reapportionment Commission members’ lawsuit against the County Board of Elections went to trial on Feb. 1, where the Board of Elections has been accused by two sets of Plaintiffs of failing to timely select a new redrawn district map. The two competing groups of plaintiffs – one comprised of Democratic members of the Commission and the other representing Republican interests – have both argued that the Board missed the deadline for the final map and the County Charter does not allow for that deadline to be extended. Democratic members of the Commission are advocating for their proposed map to be adopted; Republican members plus County Council Chairwoman Days and council members Fitch, Mark Harder, and Ernie Trakas want the Republicans’ map to be selected. This is the fifth decade in a row where an agreement has not been reached and a federal judge has had to draw the new County district lines. A decision had not yet been rendered at the time of this writing.
Winter Storm Landon freezes relations between City, homeless advocates
Lack of progress at the St. Louis Board of Aldermen and legal red-tape delays in allocating federal COVID relief funds have severely hampered the City’s ability to fully meet the needs of the unhoused population following the recent snowfall and below-freezing temperatures. Other alderpersons have joined efforts to block pop-up and 24/7 shelters from opening in their wards, including Aldermen James Page (D-5), Jack Coatar (D-7), and Jeffrey Boyd (D-22). Blocking shelters in their wards also meant blocking the warming buses that shuttle persons from downtown to shelters throughout the city, further undermining efforts to relocate persons to warm, safe spaces.
Before Christmas, Mayor Tishaura Jones’ Administration announced that the City had received nearly $50 million in Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) to construct, renovate, and preserve nearly 600 units for low-income households, mostly in North City. Although the City has an additional $8 million funds to allocate for an emergency shelter, intentional encampments, and rapid rehousing, officials have stated that the proposals they have received for these programs have not met all of the requirements under the federal funding. With the Board of Aldermen stalled on allocating City assistance for the unhoused – especially on Alderwoman Christine Ingrassia’s (D-6) Board Bill 150 – community organizations and volunteers have stepped up to fill the need where the City has not been able to do so.
“DHS appreciates community members who have come together to help protect our unhoused neighbors and agree that root causes must be addressed to create true systemic change,” Director of Human Services Dr. Yusef Scoggin told the Eye. “We will continue to provide available supplies and consistently share updates with the community as we work to expand our resources and services.”
Scoggin credited funding received through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) for DHS’ ability to open a total of 607 beds, including 125 overflow beds – more than the city had available pre-pandemic. “The COVID-19 pandemic continues to strain shelter space and availability, and DHS is working as quickly as possible to expand resources and services, including opening a Safe Haven,” Scoggin said. He stated that DHS is working to reopen the bidding process for a 24/7 shelter and to provide support for community organizations seeking federal ARPA funding.
City targets derelict property owners after firefighter’s death
Following the death of St. Louis City fire fighter Benjamin Polson, the City of St. Louis is targeting negligent property owners who have allowed their historic buildings to decay. Polson and another firefighter were buried when the roof of a derelict building collapsed onto them. He was the first firefighter in nearly two decades to die from injuries sustained in the line of duty. In the wake of Polson’s death, St. Louis Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson announced the creation of a database of vacant buildings in the City, so fire fighters responding to a call know what they’re facing. The database will include conditions of and around the building, including missing walls, leaning chimneys, decayed floors, and more. Most of the City’s approximate 6,000 vacant buildings are owned by the City itself, under the Land Reutilization Authority (LRA). The second-highest derelict property owner in St. Louis is Paul McKee and his Northside Regeneration corporation.
A recent report indicated that the City’s Preservation Board may consider reviving a little-known 2014 ordinance called “demolition by neglect,” which allows the Cultural Resources Office (CRO) director to initiate a hearing before the Preservation Board for buildings undergoing “demolition by neglect.” The Preservation Board then votes to pass the CRO director’s complaint to the Building Commissioner’s office, which ultimately can make emergency repairs to stabilize a building and bill the negligent property owner for the work by adding the costs to real estate taxes. The goal of the “demolition by neglect” ordinance is to create a process – due process – to force absentee property owners to either take better care of their historic houses and buildings or sell them to someone who will.
Working hand-in-hand with these efforts, the St. Louis Development Corp. committee voted to authorize joint venture Beyond the Bridge to distribute a $15 million seed fund, aiming to boost rehabs and new constructions in North City. Beyond the Bridge includes Park Central Development, a historically Central Corridor-focused corporation; IFF, a community development financial institution; and Smith NMTC Associates, LLC, a local consulting firm that specializes in New Market Tax Credits and has helped to create a plan to finance single-family affordable housing.
