After nearly five hours of deliberation in a special session meeting, the St. Louis Board of Aldermen voted 17-10 on Tuesday, December 15 to give initial approval to a revised NFL stadium bill.
The revised bill – a floor substitute that was introduced Tuesday morning by Alderman Jack Coatar (Ward 7) – takes the stadium costs from $1 billion up to $1.11 billion. The NFL will shoulder an additional $100 million, making its total commitment $300 million, according to the revised proposal.
During committee hearings, an amendment was passed – with the leadership of aldermanic President Lewis Reed and 21st Ward Alderman Antonio French – that increased the project’s minority participation goals, as well as put in place penalties for contractors who do not abide by them. The revised bill also includes an increase in the amount that the general contractor must pay for a third-party monitor from $400,000 to $1 million.
French voted in favor of the bill on Tuesday.
“I know how to count votes,” French said, implying the bill would have passed without him. “And so what I have chosen to do over the last few weeks is to use my time and resources to make the best possible bill.”
The comments at the meeting mainly came from aldermen who spoke against the bill.
Coatar, one of the bill’s sponsors, emailed the new bill to the aldermen at 11 p.m. on Monday. Several aldermen said it was irresponsible to vote on a bill that most of them had not had a chance to fully review.
Alderman Thomas Villa (Ward 11) said he only saw the bill at 5 a.m. that morning. He said if his lawyer had told him that he had to sign something he had only received that morning, “I would find another lawyer.” Coatar is a lawyer.
Opposing aldermen said that their constituents are against building the stadium, especially without a public vote. Many said the city could not afford to build the stadium without support from St. Louis County.
“We got a lot of other needs,” said Alderman Scott Ogilvie (Ward 24). “We can’t do it by ourselves.”
During committee hearings, several aldermen had objected that the bill did not include requirements about the team’s lease payments to maintain the facility. The revised bill states that the team must pay at least $1.5 million with a 3 percent raise annually for the stadium’s preservation.
Ogilvie said that it’s good some terms were included, but they are “awfully low.” The Vikings in Minneapolis pay $10 million a year, he said, and the Edward Jones Dome at minimum costs $4 million to maintain.
Opposing aldermen also disputed the city’s actual costs. In committee hearings, Mayor Francis G. Slay’s representative testified that the city’s contribution would be $150 million – an adjusted figure using the expected changes in market value. Without those adjustments, the revised bill showed that the city would be making more than $400 million in payments to the Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority (RSA).
Ogilvie pointed out to Alderwoman Tammika Hubbard, who represents the 5th Ward and who sponsored the bill, that the state’s proposed fixed rate is $12 million over 35 years, totaling $420 million. The city is making the exact same payments as the state, he said, and with the Edwards Dome, the state paid twice as much as the city.
“You can play mathematician,” Hubbard said to Ogilvie.
“Well, someone should play mathematician,” he responded. “Some people will argue that that’s $150 million. Others will argue that it’s $420 million. We are matching the state dollar for dollar. It could be a worse deal.”
St. Louis Public Radio reported that the Missouri Development Finance Board also voted 9-1 Tuesday to grant a $3 million line of credit to the RSA to help leverage the deal.
On Wednesday, the Board of Estimate and Apportionment – comprised of Slay, Reed and Comptroller Darlene Green – voted 2-1 to approve the stadium bill. Green said she voted against the bill because it doesn’t guarantee that the city will keep any minimum game-day revenues necessary to cover its debt service payments. It also doesn’t cap any future costs on the stadium, she said.
The aldermen will likely take a final vote on the bill on Friday.
