Charter Commission lists governance proposals

After months of public comment and meeting of working groups, the St. Louis City Charter Commission has released its draft proposal of amendments.

“We care deeply about incorporating changes and making updates that are reflective of St. Louis City as it is right now,” said Briana Bobo, the commission’s chair. “Also, providing enough freedom to be malleable to how St. Louis can grow into the future.”

The original charter was created in 1914 to function as the city’s constitution and roadmap for running its government.

St. Louis Alderman Rasheen Aldridge introduced a bill of his own in May proposing a change to the charter that would give the board the ability to increase the city’s budget.

The proposal would also eliminate the Board of Estimate and Apportionment, remove comptroller as an elected office and instead shift the responsibilities to a newly created finance department under the mayor’s office, and give the Board of Aldermen an independent legal department.

Further amendments would establish the Office of the Public Advocate. The office, which would be led by a citywide elected official, would answer complaints about city services.

Bobo said the Public Advocate could be “Someone [residents] can go to with questions.”

She said the office would have “guardrails up that would protect against potential conflicts of interest or some of the things that we have seen play out in the last three to five years.”

The nine-member commission was established last April following a vote from residents. Bobo said public comments and working groups “zeroed in on a common thread of improving transparency and efficiency.”

The proposed changes include:

E&A “Heavy” Reform: Abolish the Board of Estimate and Apportionment, eliminate the Office of Comptroller as an elected office and reassign the Comptroller’s responsibilities to a newly created Director of Finance under Mayoral authority, alter the city’s budget process empowering the Board of Aldermen to increase the budget.
Standalone Public Advocate: Newly create an Office of Public Advocate led by an elected public advocate – even if E&A “Heavy” Reform does not advance – that responds to complaints regarding city services and is supported by a legal department with subpoena power that is separate and independent from the City Counselor’s Office;
Standalone Board of Aldermen Enhanced Budget Authority: Empower the Council with authority to increase budgetary amounts even if E&A “Heavy” Reform does not advance;
Department of Transportation: Newly create a Department of Transportation;
Mayoral Appointments: Newly allow the mayor to directly appoint the police chief, fire chief and personnel director as well as identify other mayoral appointments of department heads in Article VIII;
Revamp City Voting: Change the timing of general municipal elections from April to November of even years and primaries to August, increase the notice requirements, expand permitted publications of election notices, lower the threshold for signatures on initiatives petitions, newly require approval voting for all county offices except the circuit attorney, and rename the “Board of Aldermen” to the “City Council.
Modernize Charter Language: Make specific, global changes to charter language to convert pronouns to titles of offices, update methods of advertisement, remove obsolete language, reflect modern titles of offices and officers, and provide for compensation to be set by ordinance.