This time last year, Missouri took control of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and put it in the hands of a state-appointed Board of Police Commissioners — ending 13 years of local control that Missouri voters approved in 2012. Republican lawmakers, and even some Democrats, argued the change was necessary despite consistent year-over-year reductions in crime.
From overturning a vote of the people to outright ignoring crime statistics and trends, it was clear from the beginning that this was never about making St. Louis safer — it was about controlling urban areas that differ politically from the state.
The same legislation that created the Board of Police Commissioners also requires the city to allocate a minimum of 25% of its general revenue fund to the police department and bans elected officials from holding office if they interfere with the board’s work. That means local elected officials could be removed from office for attempting to hold the police board accountable.
Shortly after Gov. Mike Kehoe signed that bill into law, I sued Missouri to protect local decision-making and the city’s financial interests.
While that case moves through the legal process, the Board of Police Commissioners is making moves of its own. As the city’s budget division, department heads and local officials prepare for annual budget conversations, the police board proposed a staggering $250 million allocation from the city’s general revenue fund for the police department — pushing its request over the city’s proposal by nearly $50 million. With virtually no room for new spending this year, that would mean roughly $50 million less for crime prevention programs, tornado recovery, infrastructure repair and other services residents rely on.
If the Board of Police Commissioners fails to consider other resident priorities in the budget process — and if Missouri makes good on its promise to punish local officials for pushing back — the only option for the city will be to scale back other departments, which could put St. Louis on a path toward privatizing key services like trash pickup, water and street maintenance. Shifting essential services to the private sector — a view held by policymakers on the right who value small government — drives up costs for consumers and makes it even harder for people to afford daily life.
What’s more, at a time when effective policies, crime prevention and traditional law enforcement practices are working together to drive success, cutting funds for alternatives to policing would be a major setback for St. Louis. Thanks to Police Chief Robert Tracy’s leadership and the success of the city’s Office of Violence Prevention, crime has dropped. Last year alone, the overall crime rate in the city fell by 16%, and youth-involved shootings plummeted by 50% in 2023.
Budget decisions that affect any city department should never be made in a vacuum or without buy-in from city residents. Balancing our budget is more than staying within a defined spending ceiling. It is the responsibility of elected leaders — the people who are accountable to the public — to align city spending with residents’ priorities.
As president of the Board of Aldermen, I’ll continue to challenge Missouri’s overreach in court, and as a member of the Board of Estimate and Apportionment, I’ll vote no on any budget proposal beyond what state law requires because, in more ways than one, we simply can’t afford to give in.
Megan E. Green is president of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen.