2026-10-01 - Health and Human Development Committee

00:02All right. Thank you so much. Good

00:04morning everyone. I want to welcome

00:06everyone to the Health and Human

00:07Development Committee meeting and I want

00:10to call it to order for April

00:13October the 1st

00:16at 9:04 a.m. Madame Clerk, would you

00:19please call the role?

00:20>> Alderwoman Ty

00:22>> present.

00:24>> Vice Chair Odenberg

00:26>> present.

00:28Alderwoman Keys. Alderwoman Sonier.

00:32Alderwoman Cox

00:34>> present.

00:35>> Chair Boyd present. Alerwoman Keys.

00:39Alderwoman Sonier. We have four present.

00:42We have a quum.

00:43>> Okay. Thank you so much. Uh, so I now

00:47ask for the approval of the minutes

00:52for the committee meeting on Thursday,

00:54July the third 30th, 2026.

00:59Thank you, Audible Keys.

01:01>> So moved. I'll make that motion.

01:03Alderwoman.

01:04>> Second.

01:04>> Thank you.

01:06>> Can I have a roll call, please? The

01:08motion was made by Alderman Odenberg and

01:10seconded by Alderwoman Oxto. Yes.

01:13Alderwoman

01:17Ty

01:19pass.

01:22>> Vice Chair Odenberg.

01:23>> Hi.

01:25>> Alderwoman Keys.

01:26>> I alderwoman Sonier.

01:30>> Alderwoman Cox Santo.

01:32>> Hi.

01:33>> Chair Boyd.

01:34>> Hi.

01:35>> Alderwoman Ty

01:36>> present.

01:40>> We have one present. Five I vote.

01:48>> Okay. So on that we'll uh I don't see

01:52otherwoman Sier. So we'll move to uh

01:58item number

02:00not number one item number one

02:03introduced by Alderwoman Sharon Tus.

02:07Awoman Tus you're on. Oh, there woman

02:11Sonier. I didn't see her.

02:15>> Morning.

02:16>> Good morning. I'm sorry. So, uh, your

02:21bill. I was going to do that so you

02:23could cuz it wouldn't take that long.

02:25And so, if you could introduce your bill

02:28and then do that, then we can have

02:30Alderwoman Sharon Tyus do her uh, bill

02:34if that would be okay with the

02:35committee.

02:37>> Yes, ma'am. That's fine by me.

02:38>> Okay. So item number one, board bill

02:42number 76 introduced by Alderwoman

02:45Sonier. Alderwoman Sonier, you're on.

02:49>> Thank you. Um I do have just a very

02:51small presentation. I sent it to the

02:53clerks, but I don't know because this is

02:55on Zoom. Should I share my screen with

02:56the presentation or do you all share it

02:58or how that works?

03:00>> You can share other woman. Okay.

03:37cuz she pull it up.

03:42I'm trying to One second.

03:49My first time doing it this way. One

03:51second.

03:52>> I'll go ahead and share my screen. There

03:54it is. She got it.

03:59>> Thank you.

04:01Okay. Um so board bill 76 um is

04:04codifying the office of sustainability.

04:07Um and this is just a brief overview

04:09overview and just a reminder that right

04:12now board bill 76 will codify the office

04:15under and place it under the planning

04:16and urban design agency. And right now

04:19um it exists by executive order number

04:2152 which was issued by Mayor Slay in

04:242015. Um and just the purpose of

04:26codifying the office of sustainability

04:29uh along with the director's role in

04:31city government anchors the city's new

04:33sustainability and climate plan and much

04:36of the other work that the

04:37sustainability office does. And just for

04:40a little context on what the office of

04:41sustainability does, um they've played a

04:44number of key roles across departments,

04:46giving technical assistance, policy

04:48advice, um helping to manage and pursue

04:51grants, tracking and reporting data, and

04:54engaging residents on resources, and

04:56providing education on climate and

04:58sustainability. And in 2025, the

05:01sustainability and climate plan was

05:03officially adopted into the city's

05:04comprehensive plan by the planning

05:07commission on October 8th. Um, and that

05:09is a five-year mo road map. And so,

05:11codifying this office gives that road

05:14map a permanent home under it. And the

05:16office of sustainability and director

05:18Russell were also incredibly helpful and

05:21critical um to the board bill 49. They

05:24assisted the planning commission um and

05:26planning staff and zoning staff with a

05:29lot of the metrics and information and

05:31data under there. And so as we proceed

05:33codifying this office just make sure

05:36that you know as we continue to have a

05:38future with everchanging and

05:40unprecedented climate events, we have an

05:43office that is official in our city um

05:45that is able to play a critical role

05:46within the our government and make sure

05:48that we have a response to supporting

05:50our city's climate needs and

05:52sustainability needs. Thank you. That's

05:55really my presentation and that is like

05:57the summary of all the things and so now

05:59madam chair I'm happy to take any

06:01questions from the committee. Oh and

06:03also sorry I have director Russell so um

06:06perhaps she can speak as well. She's

06:07here as well.

06:11>> So you have who? I'm trying to see who

06:13do you have

06:15>> director um Alicia Russell

06:20>> from the sustainability office.

06:22>> Yeah I don't see him.

06:23>> Let me move her over.

06:25Okay. Cuz I was like, I don't see him.

06:35>> There we go. I see her just pop up.

06:36Thank you, Madam Clerk.

06:38>> All right. Thank you.

06:40So, uh, could you please raise your

06:43right hand?

06:47Could you identify yourself, please? I'm

06:49sorry.

06:49>> Hi, good morning. My name is Alicia

06:51Russell, sustainability director for the

06:53city of St. Louis.

06:55>> Okay. Do you solemnly swear to tell the

06:57truth, the whole truth, so help you God?

07:00>> I do.

07:01>> All right. Thank you so much. I want to

07:02get all the formalities out of the way.

07:05And so, uh, uh, all woman Sonier, you

07:10can continue.

07:12>> Director Russell, you are my special

07:14guest speaker, so you don't have a time.

07:16So, just whatever you'd like to share

07:17with the committee, and then we'll

07:19probably take questions. Sure. Thank you

07:21so much, Alderwoman. Um, I really

07:23appreciate you bringing this, you know,

07:26up through the chain. Um, I was unaware

07:28that the office was not codified. So,

07:30this is an important and critical step.

07:32Um, the office, um, is within the

07:35planning and urban design agency, which

07:37is a great fit for sustainability work

07:39because we're often always looking

07:41forward tracking data and working with

07:44multiple departments. So, it's just

07:46really great to be able to be like

07:48official, so to speak, and continue the

07:50hard work that we've been doing.

07:56>> Thank you, director,

07:57>> and for all your work. You've been so

07:58helpful. I'm excited about a lot of the

08:00work you've done. I see you partner with

08:01a lot of folks. So, I'm definitely

08:02excited about codifying the office.

08:07Um, and with that, Madam Chair, if you

08:08want to take questions, I can take

08:09questions from the committee.

08:10>> Okay. At this time I ask any uh

08:13committee members if you have any

08:15questions.

08:17Do you have any questions

08:19for Audible Sonier?

08:31>> Okay. Alderman Odenberg, do you have any

08:33questions?

08:35>> Uh just a one. Do we know what's the

08:39what's the annual operating budget for

08:41the office of sustainability?

08:46>> So um our office is within the planning

08:49and urban design agency. So my office

08:51doesn't have a set budget itself but um

08:55I believe last year perhaps the PDA

08:58budget was maybe around $800,000

09:01I think. I'm not 100% sure, but it's

09:04shared amongst all the departments

09:06within the planning department itself.

09:08>> But your office is a line item or or

09:10your your salary is a line item within

09:13that overall budget. Okay. All right.

09:15>> That's correct.

09:17>> Okay.

09:18>> Any other questions?

09:19>> No further. None for me. Thank you.

09:21>> Okay. Thank you. And so, uh, Alderwoman

09:25Keys, do you have any questions?

09:28>> No questions. Thank you. Alderwoman

09:30Sonier, well, you probably don't have

09:32any questions.

09:34>> No questions.

09:37And Alderwoman Cox and Twe, do you have

09:39any questions?

09:41>> Thank you, Madam Chairwoman. Uh, just

09:43one question and appreciate you being

09:44on, Alicia, to to share a bit about your

09:46office and again, as you said, to get

09:48this important step codified. Can you

09:50just share some of the programming that

09:51the Office of Sustainability intends to

09:53work on?

09:54>> Sure. So, I mean, we're still continuing

09:56supporting, you know, work around data

09:58centers. There's a few other board bills

10:00like in the works right now. We're

10:02leading the recycling task force efforts

10:05on behalf um at the mayor's request. Um

10:08right now I'm actually at a recycling

10:10and waste conference downtown which is

10:12really exciting. Um we're also doing um

10:16switch together right now which is a

10:18group buying solar program for residents

10:20across the city in the metropolitan

10:22area. And then we've also worked with

10:25forestry um on different initiatives,

10:27you know, reviewing board bills and we

10:30also do a lot of work with the local

10:32organizations as well like uh Missouri

10:34Coalition for the Environment, Forest

10:36Relief, uh Renew Missouri among others.

10:40So I kind of run a range of programs,

10:42but I would say um just getting back

10:45back to focus after uh major data center

10:49work.

10:51>> Thank you. Well, thank you for sharing

10:52that that breath of projects that you're

10:54taking on and and some really important

10:55things in there. So, I appreciate you

10:56answering my question. No further

10:58question, Madam Chairwoman.

10:59>> Thank you. I don't have any questions. I

11:02just I just have a comment that I always

11:05say. Our city conveniently keeps certain

11:09departments under the wraps and nobody

11:12is aware of them. And I think this is

11:14one. And it may sound crazy or dumb, but

11:18I know about the planning, but I don't

11:20know about the other part. So, I think

11:24we need to be more transparent. And I

11:27hate using that word because that's just

11:30the click word of the year, but we need

11:33to be more transparent in letting

11:36elected officials and community know

11:39what these departments do and how they

11:41benefit our city. And so that that's

11:45what I'm asking. You know, I'm glad this

11:47is coming forward, but again, it's not a

11:52a item that everybody knows about. I put

11:55it that way. It's you the best kept

11:57secret. I put it that way. And so it's

12:00like certain people know this secret,

12:02but other people don't. So I appreciate

12:05her bringing this to us, but I just

12:08think that we need to just be more

12:10visible on this kind of stuff.

12:13And on that note, I have nothing else.

12:15Uh would you like to close, Alderwoman?

12:17So,

12:19>> thank you, Madam Chairwoman. Um and I

12:20would agree with you. I think there's a

12:22lot of education um around the

12:23sustainability office around

12:25sustainability period in our city. Um I

12:28think this is, you know, when I found

12:29out that it existed by executive order

12:31since Mayor Slay, um I was surprised by

12:33that because I wasn't aware that the

12:35office had existed quite that long. I

12:37thought that it had came under existence

12:38under uh Mayor Jones, the previous

12:40administration. So, you know, I

12:42definitely think and a part of codifying

12:43is I'm hoping that director Russell and

12:46her area can get more support to do more

12:48public engagement, to do more public

12:50education, um to share more about the

12:52information that they're doing. I know

12:54we have passed some grants and things

12:55that she's been able to do and help the

12:57city kind of lead in that way. But I

12:59definitely would support her office

13:01maybe being able to grow perhaps because

13:02she really is an office of one. um and

13:04just creating more opportunities because

13:06I think with climate change and just a

13:08lot of things that we see happening is

13:10going to be really important that we're

13:11proactive. Um I thank you all for the

13:13chance to present today. Director

13:15Russell, thank you for coming today. I'm

13:16excited about you know codifying it and

13:18I'm excited to take the challenge that

13:20we've gotten from the chairwoman which I

13:21think we're all about which is public

13:23education and making sure that people

13:24are aware of what the city is doing and

13:27what resources available to them and how

13:29we're kind of addressing some of the

13:30challenges that we know we're facing.

13:32And with that, I would just ask for the

13:34committee's considerable favor for

13:36passing board bill 76.

13:39>> Okay. Could we get a motion on that,

13:41please?

13:42>> I move that we pass board bill 76 with

13:44the due pass recommendation.

13:46>> Second.

13:49>> Could we get a roll call?

13:51>> Previous role.

13:53>> Okay. On top

13:56>> voted present on the previous role. Is

13:58that okay?

14:01Yeah. So, we probably need to do a roll

14:03call.

14:10>> Vice Chair Odenberg.

14:11>> Hi.

14:14>> Alderwoman Keys.

14:15>> Hi.

14:17>> Alderwoman Sonier.

14:19>> Hi.

14:20>> Awoman Cox Sanu.

14:22>> Hi.

14:24>> Chair chair Boyd.

14:26>> Hi.

14:28>> Alderwoman Ty. Um, I'm going to vote

14:30present and I want to bring to your

14:32attention that when somebody asks for

14:34previous role and the chair asked if

14:36there's any objection, if I don't

14:37object, I am agreeing to previous role.

14:40Okay. And I did hear you. So, I'll let

14:42you know that the chair was fine to go

14:45on without me voting.

14:48>> Okay. Thank you.

14:50>> Thank you, ma'am.

14:53Okay. So, we have voted your bill out.

14:55Congratulations, Ottawa Sonier. And so

14:59we hope to hear more from Miss Russell

15:02and get more information so our

15:04committee can take that information out

15:06to educate our community. Thank you so

15:08much.

15:10>> Thank you.

15:11>> And so next on our agenda is Autowoman

15:14Tus and she's presenting uh

15:19Okay. She's presenting board bill

15:22>> 126. resolution 126.

15:26And so, uh, madame clerk, could you

15:28please read the introduction?

15:42One second.

15:48Resolution

15:56number 126 introduced by Alderwoman

15:58Sharon Tyus now therefore be a resolve

16:01forestry parks and director of

16:02operations and the mayor should develop

16:04a plan that effectively cuts all the

16:06grass weeds and brush on the lots,

16:09properties, parks, tree lawns, medians,

16:12trim hedges, pick up trash and clean up

16:15after cutting all on the same day and

16:18any other grass by neighborhood so as to

16:20maintain neighborhood standards and not

16:23to endanger the the citizens that live

16:26in the community or to devalue the

16:28property of those communities or not to

16:31forget and leave trash in streets for

16:33weeks and months on end. This current

16:35practice of cutting grass is illegal

16:37under the city law and raises in and its

16:41impact on its impacts mostly properties

16:44in North St. Louis neighborhoods.

16:49Thank you. And so now I will turn it

16:52over to Alderwoman Sharon Tyus.

16:54Alderwoman Taius, uh, you're ready to

16:57present.

16:58>> Thank you, Madam Chair, members of the

17:00committee. Thank you for allowing me to

17:02bring resolution number 126 before you.

17:05I also want to thank uh Greg Hayes, who

17:08I guess I've worked with the longest.

17:10Um, some 20, 25, 30 years. we've been

17:13through different parts of his

17:15employment, but we've worked for a long

17:16time. Um, and he is director of uh of

17:19parks, recreation, and forestry. I want

17:21to thank Alan Jacowski uh who hears from

17:23me often who is the commissioner of of

17:25of uh forestry. And I want to thank I

17:28saw Mr. Johnson here someplace who's I

17:31believe the director of operations. I

17:33appreciate that. We needed them. But

17:35who's missing in this conversation

17:38because this a holistic conversation as

17:40I present this resolution is Mr. Shelton

17:43Anderson of LRA who has the most

17:46negative impact of anybody here on

17:49what's going on with the grass cutting

17:51and all the properties and that should

17:53be sitting here at this uh table so that

17:56we could talk about or uh around the

17:58table so we can talk about what we can

18:00do because if we subtract those six or

18:027,000 LRA properties we got a very

18:07different outlook about how to cut grass

18:10but we have to deal with that. I also

18:12wanted the health director there here

18:14who um I guess I don't know if we ever

18:16got a response but um we have people who

18:19this tall grass is uh affected their

18:22health and I want to have that

18:24conversation and also the uh uh Mr.

18:27Leavon Smart who as the acting

18:30commissioner neighborhood stabilization

18:32and especially civ citizen service

18:34because the the citizens that I have

18:37talked to this year about the tall grass

18:40which up until yesterday when they were

18:42out cutting on Kings Highway some of it

18:45was above my knee uh or more and some

18:48places I can take you where is up to my

18:51shoulders and other places I have a

18:53place that I haven't ever showed

18:55anybody. I have a house that has been sw

18:57I showed one person at Forester. He

18:59knows where it is. Um I have a house

19:01that's been swallowed by uh tall grass

19:03because we have never addressed this

19:05issue of cutting grass the way we did

19:08about snow. Um and I want to tell you

19:11that grass, snow, towing, trash,

19:15demolition of buildings are all very

19:18important parts of city services. And I

19:21have always gone along with trying to

19:23build up our

19:25uh employee base so that we had the

19:27people that could do it. I believe in

19:29that we should employ people as per the

19:31charter and get that done um that way.

19:35But um in these last few years I have

19:38come to be very very disappointed and um

19:42angry about the grass. So many people

19:46talk about uh the snow and the mayor did

19:49a pretty good job of coming in and

19:51addressing the snow. We had a snow

19:52problem. She did a A+ effort and I tell

19:54everybody that and I tell her and

19:56anybody else that about dealing with uh

19:59the uh tornado for a mayor who's just

20:02been in there one a month. She did an

20:05excellent job. She communicated. I

20:07talked to her a lot and we're still

20:09getting things done. But the grass is a

20:12problem that we have to resolve. And I

20:14think people don't in tend to think it's

20:16so important because most of the people

20:18sitting on this uh committee don't live

20:20in North St. Louis. And most of the LRA

20:23properties in the tall grass, many many

20:25parts of it is in North St. Louis. So

20:27whether you want to look at it or not,

20:30um people have kicked this thing kicked

20:31this thing down the road. Um, I think

20:34they have outrageous and I've told this,

20:36the director knows this and the

20:37commissioner knows that I've complained

20:39profusely about this uh this uh method

20:44they have of cutting grass in which they

20:46have so many uh weeks that they cut

20:49lots, so many weeks that they cut

20:51property, somebody else is uh uh doing

20:54trimming, somebody else is doing

20:56cleanup, somebody else is cutting parks.

20:58And so if you have a lot of vacant

21:01properties in your ward, which has

21:03nothing to do with people who live in

21:05the community and taking care of their

21:07property, your community always looks a

21:11mess or as Ni Nash would say, a hot

21:14mess. And it's very disillusional to

21:17people. And um I get all kind of mad

21:21emails every week. It's like, you're not

21:23doing enough. Why aren't you cutting

21:25this grass? Why aren't you doing that?

21:27And I hear that because the city is

21:29failing the community in cutting grass.

21:32And so now I'm to the point that we need

21:34to treat grass just like we did snow. If

21:37we have a rainy season, which this year

21:40we had a very rainy season. And I

21:44I uh took up for forestry the whole

21:47time. Every I took the whoopings, I took

21:49the yellings, I took the how come you

21:51not woman, we've never seen it like

21:53that. And I would say, well, you know,

21:55we've had a lot of rain. And we did, but

21:58I came to understand the frustration

22:00because people were pulling me out there

22:02to come next door to their houses and

22:05it's awful. And then I had older women

22:09that were calling me, black women

22:10saying, "Well, when citizen service is

22:12telling me when I call that I have to

22:14stop cutting the front yard because that

22:18makes the contractors that the city

22:19hires not cut the backyard cuz they see

22:23the front yard cut." And I think that's

22:26ridiculous.

22:28If somebody lives next to a house that's

22:30empty, the last thing you want to do is

22:32pull up and look at a front yard and

22:34you've cut your yard and then the front

22:36yard is uh 6 feet, 6 in, whatever, 8 in,

22:40not 6 in, 8 in, 12 in. Um, and that's

22:44not fair to people. That's not our

22:46answer to people to say that's okay. Go

22:49ahead and put up with this. Our answer

22:51is to tell our lazy contractors that if

22:54you don't get your verarian out of the

22:56car and um and find out if the backyard

22:59is cut, you get you get nothing. You do

23:02not get paid. If we're hiring

23:03contractors, then they should be doing

23:06their job. And if I hire them to cut the

23:08front and backyard and they pull up and

23:10the front yard is cut, then their

23:13responsibility is to get out the car and

23:15see if the backyard. It is not to tell

23:17our citizens, "Oh, well, don't cut the

23:19front yard." because I'm going to do it.

23:22I'm gonna cut that front yard and if I

23:24can get to the backyard, I'm going to

23:25cut the backyard, too, because I don't

23:27want to look at it. And it's depressing.

23:29And when you I wanted I've invited

23:32citizens um and I wanted you to hear

23:34just how upset they are. And a lot of

23:36citizens, they have asthma, so they say

23:38we can't or they have some allergic to

23:40weeds. We can't be in our own backyard.

23:42There's something wrong with this city

23:44who thinks that snow is more important

23:46than grass or towing. walk, towing,

23:49trash, demolition, it's all important.

23:52And the reason again I will say that we

23:54put this archaic idea of just less

23:59cutting sections is because it's in a

24:02part of city that doesn't affect the

24:03people who's making the decision because

24:05everybody I talked to and that would be

24:07on this thing um on this uh call the

24:12alderwoman from the 13th and the 11th we

24:15all know cuz we live in North St. Louis,

24:17that's not a good thing and that's not a

24:19good look. And so we ought to be driving

24:21this since we're the ones most affected

24:23and we represent the biggest population

24:24that is affected. I do not want you to

24:27cut and

24:31sort it out. I I think you say you got

24:34you got somebody who cuts lots, somebody

24:36who cuts um property, someone who does

24:39trimming, some another crew that does

24:41parks, another crew that does cleanup.

24:44Um, all of that is ridiculous. And it

24:47again, I don't want that. And I've been

24:49saying that before I became the 12th

24:50ward. Uh, I didn't really discover this

24:53until I became the first ward

24:55alderperson because when I first got

24:57elected, we didn't have this problem. We

24:59got grass. We had enough people who

25:01worked and I know we have a list of

25:03people in all these departments that

25:05we're sure on. And I blame that on

25:07Francis Slay because Francis Slay did

25:09not believe in city services. And I sat

25:12by him when he was an alderman. That's

25:13how long I've been here. Okay. And so he

25:15let the uh staff go down in all

25:19departments. And it's unfortunate. But

25:21now that we have to deal with this, we

25:23cannot continue to tell people, well, we

25:26don't have enough staff. I don't care. I

25:28don't care. And they don't care. They

25:30know that they pay their city taxes and

25:33they want to see some sort of solution

25:36to this. That does not mean that they

25:38have to sit next to tall grass. And that

25:42um answer about well yeah we cut it but

25:44yeah will it look good? That's not a

25:47good answer for me. And it's not a good

25:49answer because

25:51the reason why we set in our city

25:54ordinances that it could be no taller

25:56than 7 in. And that is ordinance number

25:5959860.

26:02No taller than seven inches is this. So

26:05they took aesthetics into being. Nobody

26:08wants to look at that. Nobody wants to

26:10look at that. Least of all me. I have a

26:12vacant house next to my house. My

26:14husband and I cut it. We the the senior

26:17guy that lived there was our friend and

26:18the family's fighting about it. We cut

26:20it. We have access to front and back and

26:22we do that. We cut the tree down from

26:24over our house. We do that because we

26:27can. But other people cannot get to the

26:29backyards or they cannot afford it or

26:32they elderly and we're not treating our

26:34citizens right. And it is depressing for

26:36me when I leave my house and I look at

26:39Kings Highway and I saw them out there

26:40yesterday cutting, but for weeks on end,

26:43I see high grass, tall grass. We're not

26:46doing the job. We're supposed to have

26:48the city looking good. We're running

26:50people out of the city of St. Louis.

26:53Middle income, upper income, the more

26:56money you get, the more that's I'm out

26:58of here cuz I don't want to do that.

26:59We're losing thousands of people. When I

27:02got elected, I want to say we had close

27:04to 400,000 people. That was in 1991. Now

27:08we have under 300,000 people. That

27:11doesn't mean we're doing it right. And

27:13the people who are leaving are the

27:14people who can. And a long time ago,

27:17Vince Sham, my first mayor that I served

27:19with so said that, you know, we can't

27:21just have one set of people. And he

27:23didn't say it that way. And he got in

27:24trouble. But what he meant is that we

27:27have to have all different socio

27:29economic people that live in our

27:30community. And if we're just a community

27:32of people who can't leave out of there,

27:35then we're in trouble. So one of the

27:37things that you have to do is to you

27:39have to cater to all groups of people.

27:41And I've always tried to do that in my

27:42community. And so I'm very upset and

27:45emotional because I want you to hear

27:47what I hear about this grass not being

27:49cut as and I um the former mayor I got

27:52on her immediately about not picking up

27:55trash. And I said, "Mayor Jones, if you

27:58don't pick up this trash, you're not

27:59going to get reelected again." What I'm

28:01going to tell this administration, you

28:03better get this grass because it is a a

28:06a a problem property kind of thing that

28:09is um it is exacerbated. It is

28:12emotional. It is draining. It is

28:15dehumanizing to have to live like this.

28:18And so I want you to know this why I'm

28:20here. And so I have always said just go

28:23to a neighborhood because I had the

28:26unfortunate incident with racial

28:28redistricting that they tore my small

28:30little neighborhood into four different

28:33wards. So they were cutting by wards

28:35then. So they would cut one part of my

28:37neighborhood and right across the street

28:39it was three corners that was in three

28:41different wards. And so they the city's

28:43process was to cut this ward and not

28:46this one and this one. So we always had

28:48it looking bad. It's horrible. Um so

28:51when I got my whole neighborhood back, I

28:54said, "Okay, maybe we can get our grass

28:56cut correctly now." Okay. And I do know

28:59we had a tornado, but we're not doing a

29:01good job. Any of you all who think this

29:03is good, it's not. Um, I took a pe some

29:06people on a tour cuz we're closing

29:08several streets and so we had the fire

29:10department, the police department and

29:12other people with us about these streets

29:14we're closing and so um and this was

29:17when Donald Williams was still working

29:19for uh board of public service and we

29:21went around this the neighborhood and so

29:23the two police officers and the fire

29:26department were white people that came

29:27with us and everybody else was black and

29:30they said to me older woman all of your

29:32neighborhoods have grass cl cut except

29:35for these lots here and these

29:37properties. What are these? And I said

29:38LRA properties cuz 99% of them are LR

29:42properties. And so when you make a thing

29:44that you're not going to cut it by four

29:46or five or 6 weeks, you're already

29:47violating the ordinance. It is not up to

29:50the city to have an ordinance and then

29:52violate it. And then we send a letter to

29:56people saying, "Hey, you're violating

29:58our ordinance." We have to set the

30:00example. We are not setting the example.

30:04We are not setting it. I get up every

30:06morning and my husband, we pick up

30:08trash. We clean Kings Highway. When

30:11people did not want to have the bus stop

30:13by their house in our neighborhood, we

30:15put it by ours so we could go up. The

30:18city cuts grass and the city workers do

30:20a pretty good job. Truth be told, it's

30:23your contractors that do a horrible job.

30:26I don't want you to hire contractors

30:28that cannot do the job. I'd rather hire

30:31more econ more city workers and other

30:33thing I want them to be full-time. We

30:36know that we need full-time workers. I

30:38know Greg Hayes does because before he

30:40was the director, he was the

30:42commissioner of forestry. We need this.

30:45I fought to get a Bush brush cutters

30:48from the former administration. We'll

30:50fight again. We need to have brush

30:52cutters so that when um people would

30:54normally be laid off and come back again

30:57in April or so, we need them to be

31:00working in October, November, December,

31:03January, February, whatever. We need to

31:06be getting in those backyards, cleaning

31:07out that brush, cutting them backyards,

31:10and making the people who live in North

31:12St. Louis know that they are a vital

31:14part of living in this city. I'm a vital

31:17part. I HAVE BEEN on the board of

31:19alderman since 1991. I have made $30,000

31:23with a law degree because I was so

31:25committed to my community. Easily gave

31:27up3 to $5 million I could have made in

31:29income. But I did that because I'm

31:32committed to my community. But I'm not

31:34committed to a city that thinks it's all

31:36right to let a certain part of the city

31:39look like they are in not a third world

31:41country, but a fifth world country. It

31:43has to be. It is ridiculous. And so

31:46sometimes you need people to tell you

31:47things are ridiculous. Um when the

31:50former administration got in, I was the

31:52chair of streets traffic and refuge. And

31:54I told all the gentlemen that came to a

31:55hearing, all three white gentlemen, do

31:57you look at yourselves? You've never had

31:59a black person be anything in the street

32:02department. There was nobody who was

32:04head of any of the uh the commissioners.

32:07And by the way, there wasn't a director.

32:09And I said, "This something is wrong

32:10with this." because you make these rules

32:12and they impact people, but there's

32:15nobody that looks like me to say, "Hey,

32:17that's a bad thing." or lives in my

32:18community. Because if a black person

32:20lives in South St. Louis, which I used

32:21to, I didn't know the problems of North

32:23St. Louis when I lived in Central

32:25Quarter or I lived in South St. Louis.

32:27But when I got to North St. Louis, I

32:28knew them. So, there are some white

32:30people who live in my community will

32:31make the same speech that I will I'm

32:34making now because they're so frustrated

32:36about it. And I'm frustrated because I

32:38hear people saying, "I think I'm going

32:39to have to move." And I don't think that

32:41people have to move. I think that we

32:43have to get it right. And if that means

32:45adding more money, that's what we need

32:47to do. And right here we have um the uh

32:50comproller sent us something saying we

32:52have extra money. I know that uh Mr.

32:56Hayes and Mr. Jenowski would love to

32:58have more employees. So I'm not putting

33:00that on them. But I am talking to you,

33:02Mr. Johnson and to the mayor and to

33:04other people to say hire some more

33:07people full-time and get them the

33:09equipment that they need. And both of

33:11them know I have been advocating for

33:12this for a long time. I wanted them here

33:15because I don't want I'm not throwing

33:16you under the bus. I'm saying that Mr.

33:18Jenowsky and Mr. Hayes operates under a

33:22flawed policy that comes from room 200

33:24and it needs to be changed. And they

33:26can't say what I can say cuz I say what

33:28the hell I want to say. Okay? And so I

33:31will say it and I've been saying it

33:32before this administration, so I don't

33:34blame them because they've had a lot on

33:36their plate, but we're not doing a good

33:38job. And I know it's rained, but what do

33:40we do when it extra snow comes along? We

33:43put money in the pot so that we can get

33:46that snow up because people raise hell

33:48about the snow. Okay? So we with trash,

33:51we need to put more money for trash. We

33:53can't just say, "Oh, that's just what it

33:55is." because I've now been back 13 years

33:57since I came back to the board and it

34:00has not gotten better, it's gotten

34:01progressively worse and that is why I

34:03have this resolution before us asking

34:06for us to have a honest talk and to look

34:08at how we can improve grass cutting so

34:11that we are within the laws. I would

34:13also like to bring to your attention

34:15that back in 19 what is it 2022 when we

34:19were still 28 uh alderman I introduced

34:23resolution 150 which is really about L

34:26and um required to uphold neighborhood

34:28standards they didn't let me get it off

34:31the floor before it was passed in bank

34:34all 28 alderman right from the floor

34:36those people who voted for that included

34:38Dan Gunther mayor cancer Cara Spencer

34:42the chair fair. All the people who were

34:44here, we voted for because it is a awful

34:47thing to have a certain group of people

34:49have to live like this. And so if I'm

34:51the person, I'm going to be very loud

34:53about it and talking about it cuz we're

34:55not doing the job. Okay? And then people

34:58when I was calling calling calling

34:59calling Citizen Service Bureau and we

35:02tested it. Citizen Service Bureau gets

35:04rid of your complaints. That's why I

35:06want them here. Somebody is going in and

35:08when our people are calling in, the next

35:10thing we know it's disappeared and

35:12they're kicking it down the line and

35:14they're saying, "Oh, that's Alan

35:16Jacowski or that's Greg Hayes." We found

35:19out no, it was the neighborhood

35:21improvement specialists that were doing

35:23it, a lot of it. And we Why are you

35:26doing that? It's not resolved. And the

35:28neighborhood improvement officers used

35:29to be called the mayor's aid because

35:31they are put out there by the mayors.

35:32They're not the alderman don't uh boss

35:34them. We also don't boss Alan Jakowski.

35:37We're not the boss of Greg Hayes. We're

35:39not the boss of anybody. I got one

35:40person I'm the boss of, and that is my

35:42legislative assistant, and I work with

35:44uh a secretary that has two other people

35:47with it. So, we're not the boss of uh

35:50city services, but we certainly are

35:52responsible for legislation that would

35:54make city services work better for us.

35:56When we had all the speeding going on,

35:59and we did for years in North St. Louis,

36:01and then it hit South St. and everybody

36:03was looking what to do and we did get

36:05some temporary speed humps, but then

36:07they came with the great idea of

36:08charging us $900 per application for

36:11speed humps and Mr. Gunther knows about

36:13this because I came and wrote a bill

36:16said, "Nope, we're not going to do

36:17that." And now the most used bill in the

36:20city of St. Louis is my speed hump bill.

36:22We can fix problems if we put our mind

36:25to it and we say this is not acceptable.

36:27We are not putting our mind to it

36:29because you not having enough fire under

36:31your feet. But I'm sending this to all

36:33neighborhoods, everybody saying this is

36:35enough. Okay. And I had soon as the the

36:38resolution hit the um the uh hit the uh

36:42web. I got a young man who's I'm

36:45hopefully he's on here who called me and

36:47said, "Oh, woman, I'm so glad you

36:48introduced this bit this resolution

36:50because me and my friends have been

36:51going to the bus stops and cutting

36:53around it." And the reason they're going

36:55to the bus stops is cuz the grass is so

36:58high around I mean traffic signals

37:01around stop signs um that I see people

37:04out trying to cut that back. It's

37:06horrible when you

37:09go to the bus stops and our kids just

37:12went back to the school. And I want to

37:13say Mr. Jenowski when I calls him he is

37:16really good at trying to reply to me. Um

37:19because when our kids go back to school,

37:21it makes no sense that the grass is

37:24taller than them. I had the unfortunate

37:26experience of having a child back when I

37:29came back in 2013, drugged into a vacant

37:32house in um my King in my Wells

37:34Goodfellow neighborhood. To this day,

37:36that child is alive cuz the police did a

37:39wonderful job. They called me, we sent

37:40out something. They went in those vacant

37:42houses. They went on those vacant lots.

37:44They found that child. She is thriving.

37:46Thank you to the St. Louis City Police

37:49Department, but that could have been a

37:51very different story. Um, we do not want

37:54that to be the story anymore. We don't

37:56want children drugged into tall weeds.

37:58We don't want people cutting the grass

38:00without picking up trash. I am looking

38:02for a city that services all parts of

38:04the city the same way they would want it

38:06serviced if the house was next door to

38:09them. That's how I try to teach all

38:11parts of my neighborhood. I was very

38:13fortunate when I got elected. I had a

38:15little neighborhood of four and a half

38:17neighborhoods and they voted and they

38:19were the highest voting Democratic ward

38:21in the city and they were one of the two

38:23or three highest voting wars and it now

38:25I got 14 neighborhoods. I can't give the

38:28same service but I try as hard as I can.

38:30It makes no sense that we've merged this

38:32city and now people can't get the same

38:34level of service. The people who used to

38:36have me resent that. I want you to know

38:38because I can't give them the same

38:40service but I try. I know that you all

38:42are dealing with a lot less citizens,

38:45which is less a less tax base, but if we

38:48cannot do it, then I'm gonna have to

38:49support

38:51letting private entity do it cuz we

38:53cannot keep telling the citizens that we

38:55can't make this happen. So, this is a

38:57long presentation. Um, and I wanted it

39:00to be because I want you to understand

39:01how important grass cutting is. And so

39:04at this point I would uh um just ask you

39:08um I I have some questions I want to ask

39:09of the people who got here and I see

39:11that there's a presentation so I would

39:13like to stop and um I'm sorry Madam

39:16Chair I'm just very emotional about this

39:18issue because I just

39:19>> I know I know I was like

39:22>> I just can't I cannot believe that we

39:24can't cut grass. Okay. Right. So I at

39:26this point I would like to stop and let

39:28the uh people who came um make their

39:31presentations and answer questions. Um

39:33so thank you so much for letting me

39:35present this before the committee and I

39:36know you know it because we've had a

39:38conversation about it many times.

39:40>> Right.

39:41And so pe so for the people that's have

39:44their hands to speak after they do the

39:46present the people do the presentation

39:49because uh we have department heads and

39:52stuff that do they do have a

39:54presentation for forestry and I

39:57appreciate all of them coming to the

39:58table. I said I have the whole gang here

40:01today. So I feel honored that everybody

40:03is here and are taking this seriously

40:06that woman Taius is bringing to our

40:08attention. And so you all will be able

40:11to ask questions or speak. But what we

40:14we have rules with our health and human

40:16development. We know people are

40:18passionate and we know people are

40:20concerned. But we ask people to make

40:22sure that you're respectful to our city

40:24employees and that you express yourself,

40:28but you don't do not be disrespectful or

40:31attack in any way. The clerk will move

40:34you over when you're able to uh ask the

40:36questions. And so I'll move forward to

40:40see who is doing the presentation.

40:46>> Yeah.

40:47>> Alderwoman, I believe that's me.

40:49>> Okay.

40:50>> I think is going to bring

40:54you mind if I just from the mayor's

40:56office if I um introduce Commissioner

40:58Janowski here with just a couple opening

41:00comments.

41:01>> Okay. Now, do I need to swear them in

41:04because they're city employees or

41:06>> uh I don't swear in city employees.

41:09>> Okay. All right.

41:10>> Employees don't have to.

41:12>> Okay. All right. Now, you all may move

41:14and look at the first picture. All

41:16right.

41:16>> And Chair Chairwoman Boyd, it's it's

41:19Greg Hayes. If uh if I have the

41:20opportunity, I I'll let I won't jump in

41:23when Allan's presenting, but I would

41:25like to make a few comments if I'm so

41:27allowed.

41:28>> Okay. Thank you, Mr. Hayes. So, we

41:31appreciate you.

41:33Okay, you're on, Mr. Allen.

41:38>> Okay, Ben, did you want to say any a few

41:40words?

41:40>> Yes, if I'm permitted to by the

41:42chairwoman.

41:44>> Yes.

41:44>> Okay. Thank you. Um, Chairwoman Boyd,

41:47thank you, Alderwoman Tus, for the uh

41:49presentation. I do want to assure you

41:52from Mayor Spencer's administration that

41:56uh we agree with your level of concern.

41:58We agree that regardless of where you

42:01live in the city of St. Louis, you

42:03should have uh the city the same city

42:06services that you deserve to have a

42:08place uh that provides dignity that you

42:11can be proud of. Uh and and that's

42:14exactly what uh we're pursuing. you

42:16know, you saw that uh with the ref with

42:18our efforts in refues and um you know,

42:22we're going to present to you today

42:23about our improvements on mowing, which

42:26we still have a ways to go, but I want

42:28to assure you we've taken that very

42:30seriously. Uh but for example, on

42:33refugees, I personally spent a lot of

42:35time on this in the beginning of my time

42:37here last summer, spending a lot of time

42:40in the refuge department, ri riding the

42:42routes in the trucks in North St. Louis

42:44with our operators. And if you look at

42:47our city stat metrics uh from the first

42:50quarter and the second quarter uh of

42:53this year, you're going to see

42:54significant improvements

42:57uh across the city and we have it broken

42:59down by route. So I think um the results

43:02show that that focused effort like you

43:04said when we put our minds to it, when

43:06we work together, we can improve city

43:08services. And do we want to see um you

43:12know better um debris removal? Uh there

43:15are some you know we still have too much

43:16illegal dumping but in terms of

43:18collections we have significantly

43:20improved from anywhere from 50 to 60% of

43:23the time getting your collections done

43:25every week uh to 95% in the first and

43:28second quarter. It's going to dip a

43:30little bit in this third third quarter

43:31to about 85% of the time. That's not

43:33good enough. But we are being very

43:35transparent about what we've done. The

43:37the ways in which uh we've invested time

43:41uh energy and leadership capital in

43:43improving operations and refues. We and

43:47as you pointed out, we did the same

43:48thing with the streets department when

43:50it comes to snow removal. And in the

43:52spring, uh we turned our attention and

43:55really focused in on the mowing because

43:57we recognize that we're not where we

43:59need to be. We recognize the frustration

44:01that you expressed on behalf of the

44:03community over where things stand, over

44:05the way their neighborhoods look. We um

44:08put $2 million more in the FY27 budget

44:13for uh increasing our capacity because

44:16we knew that the budget wasn't enough.

44:18So, we did invest capital taxpayer

44:20dollars into that to make sure we could

44:22address it. Uh, we worked closely with

44:24the Department of Personnel in the

44:26spring to do focused recruiting for our

44:29utility workers. I worked closely with

44:32Commissioner Janowski and Director Hayes

44:33on their budget proposal. We obviously

44:36have every department um has gaps in

44:39their funding and we had, you know, we

44:41work very closely on, okay, what what

44:43can we do to improve despite the fact

44:45that we can't give you everything you

44:46need. So, we did add brush clearing

44:49equipment this year. we added an analyst

44:52position in FY27. So, we took seriously

44:56uh the mandate to improve and investing

44:59strategically

45:00uh in this year's budget. And then in

45:02terms of operations, you're going to

45:04hear a little bit about this in this

45:06presentation. We spent significant uh

45:08time and energy from the mayor's office

45:10working with uh the department and the

45:12division of forestry uh to improve how

45:15they operationally manage these lots.

45:17And you're going to hear about that.

45:18We've developed um a new way to track

45:22them to have a better handle on what

45:24we've missed, why we've missed it, what

45:26the contractors have we gotten done to

45:28hold ourselves accountable, to hold them

45:30accountable, and also to be transparent.

45:32So, I just want to assure you how

45:33seriously we take this and um I hope

45:36that shines through today from

45:37Commissioner Janowsky's presentation and

45:39I'm and I welcome questions uh at the

45:41end or throughout. So, over to you,

45:43Alan.

45:46Thank you, uh, director. Um, Alan

45:50Jinowski, Commissioner of Forestry.

45:53What I'm going to go through is kind of

45:55how we sit, forestry sits today and kind

45:57of some improvements, uh, moving

45:59forward. So, um, Caitlyn, if you could

46:03advance this slide. So, the cut list, as

46:06we said today, the cut list, um, every

46:09winter we get, uh, we send out a, uh,

46:12ordinance letter to all our vacant

46:14properties and all the all, uh,

46:18properties. There's 21,000 properties

46:20that are on our cut list. So, we send

46:23those letters out to everyone and

46:27just to signify that, hey, if you're out

46:30of out of compliance with ordinance, as

46:33the alderman stated, 7 in or higher,

46:36then we can go onto your property and

46:38cut that cut that property. So, it gives

46:40us uh rights to be on your property um

46:44and cut the grass. So, like I said,

46:46there's 21,000 properties on our vacant

46:49lots. we cut those on average six times

46:52a year and vacant buildings we do three

46:55times a year. Um that's kind of on

46:59average what we've been doing this year.

47:01Hopefully we'll get a fourth rotation on

47:02our on our uh vacant buildings as we

47:05just started that and we still have a

47:07month to go.

47:10The other properties that come up

47:12throughout the year um people call in to

47:14CSB. we will uh send out an inspector if

47:18the property is in violation. Um then

47:21we'll decide what you know look and see

47:23if it's occupied. If it's if it's a

47:26vacant property then we'll just add it

47:27to our list right away. If it's a

47:29occupied property then um we'll send out

47:33a violation letter and then we'll go

47:35reinspect in 10 days and then we add

47:38that to our to our cut list. So it won't

47:41be cut immediately but it's just added

47:43to our rotation list. So whenever we're

47:46in that ward, we'll cut that property

47:48again.

47:50We can advance um forestry uh rotations.

47:56Uh kind I kind of mentioned this

47:57earlier. Um vacant buildings we'll do uh

48:01we'll do three times a year. Vacant

48:03vacant lots six times a year. And what

48:05the rotation means is we'll start in one

48:08section of the city and we rotate

48:11through that ward. Then we'll slide to

48:14the next ward and cut all the

48:16properties. And then we'll go through

48:18all 14 wards before we start over again.

48:22Uh why do we do this? For efficiency, so

48:25we're not just driving around putting

48:27out fires everywhere. Um and and so that

48:32everybody gets uh their properties cut

48:35throughout the city. So we're not just

48:37staying in one ward or another are just

48:40because more people complained about

48:42this property then we send more

48:44resources to that property. So all the

48:47properties get cut that are on our on

48:49our rotation

48:54challenges that we are having and we uh

48:57everybody we have every we know it's not

49:00perfect out there. Uh, W 2, as you can

49:03see here,

49:05W 2 has or 12, sorry, uh, 3,57

49:10properties in there. Uh, this is, I

49:12believe this is our second rotation. We

49:15cut 2,54

49:19properties. So, why did we why did we

49:23not cut all the properties? So, when we

49:26get there, maybe a neighbor has cut it,

49:29maybe a church group has cut it, uh

49:32maybe the homeowner cut it, or uh or

49:35there's a lot of debris, heavy brush uh

49:38in the backyard, maybe uh our contractor

49:41can't cut that brush down. So, uh that's

49:45a uh so that property won't get cut and

49:48then we'll move on. Um if there's a uh a

49:52lot of miscuts, uh that's something

49:55we're kind of working on. Uh right now,

49:59uh previously we tracked all the

50:02properties we cut. So what happened with

50:05those other thousand properties there?

50:08That's something forestry never tracked.

50:10We just tracked what we cut. And to go

50:12back and say, you know, that there was

50:15brush everywhere, we didn't track all

50:17that information. So that's something

50:19we're kind of hoping to move forward on

50:21and you'll see in the in the slides

50:23ahead.

50:24The next row uh next slide is the third

50:28rotation. If we look at the same ward,

50:30we cut 2100 properties at this time. So

50:34you can see we cut 100 more properties

50:36in ward 12 uh on our second rotation.

50:41the first rotation uh we usually cut a

50:44whole lot less because uh it maybe in

50:48the early spring we start usually April

50:5015th so whatever ward we start there

50:53maybe the grass isn't up as high so we

50:56typically see lower cut rates on our

50:59first rotation and then second and third

51:02we we start kind of seeing uh the amount

51:05of properties that we're out there

51:06cutting. So, um I believe on that we cut

51:11um it was like 60 to 80% of the lots

51:15were mowed um in the high vacancy wards.

51:19And you can see some of the other wards

51:21to the left there. Some of our southern

51:23wards were we don't have a whole lot of

51:25properties in what is that ward uh six.

51:28There's only 31 properties on our list.

51:30So, it's a lot easier to cut through

51:33those wards. And then as we get into

51:36um North City, we slow down as there's

51:39so many properties in in those wards.

51:44Next uh forestry improvements. What

51:46we're what we're uh working on now and

51:50throughout the winter to

51:54have a better product uh next mowing

51:57season. um

52:00if the property was mowed. Okay. Trying

52:02to find figure out why that property

52:05wasn't wasn't mowed. We're we're showing

52:07up as missed properties. Um we send a

52:12team out with uh with paper

52:15sheets right now and we're trying to get

52:17everybody logged in. We had problem with

52:19our connection with our tablets, but

52:22we're working on on that to make sure

52:25our our our for our foremen have tablets

52:29out there and and have the correct data

52:33and so we can grab that data and get it

52:36to our employees that are out there

52:38cutting. And we also introduced this

52:41Geommo map. So this this map can work

52:44off a line.

52:47So, we don't have to have that

52:48connectivity. Uh, we just started that

52:51in early September. Um, again, going in

52:56and looking at, okay, why was the

52:58property skipped? Why didn't we cut it?

53:01And make notes in there. And if it's a

53:04lot of brush on that property, then

53:06we'll send it immediately to street

53:08department. street department has uh a

53:10lot of the bigger loaders and then they

53:12can put it on their work list and get

53:15those get that brush kind of tackled. As

53:18of 9:29, as you can see at the bottom

53:20there, uh we've already enlisted 400 uh

53:24properties and log those in. So, we're

53:27working with our with our foreman out

53:29there um to get them used to those

53:32tablets and and and adding that data to

53:35there so we have a a better idea

53:39of what is truly happening out there.

53:43Next slide.

53:45Uh how I the geomo map. Um again, okay,

53:51how quickly we're looking we're mowing

53:53the lots, how many lots were skipped. uh

53:57what are hot spots out there? So,

53:59grabbing all this data and then we can

54:02make educated decisions. Do we need to

54:04add more resources to for forestry? Uh

54:07do we consider hiring more employees? Uh

54:11do we need to hire more contractors? And

54:14so, this is what we're hoping this

54:16Geommo map can do is give us more

54:20complete data instead of just forestry

54:22saying, "Hey, we cut these. We didn't

54:24cut these." what truly is happening out

54:27there in in in our streets.

54:30Next slide. Slide, please.

54:37Another

54:39another uh um I guess improvement we

54:42were looking at is kind of we were

54:44thinking about how refu is running

54:47through the city and we kind of looked

54:49at ourselves and and determine, okay,

54:53how do we tackle these these lots and

54:56and properties? Is it is it by

55:00neighborhoods? Is it by wards? How can

55:03we create this map that shows that we

55:07can run our tractors down streets that

55:10aren't one-way streets and have barriers

55:13where the then the tractor has to drive

55:15all the way around just to get to the

55:16property across the main thoroughfare?

55:19How do we how do we more efficiently run

55:22through the city? So, we're kind of

55:24we're looking at um programs that will

55:27help us put in all these properties and

55:31print out a route that makes sense, that

55:34will save us time and uh give us

55:37opportunities to cut more grass. So,

55:40we're still in the early phases with

55:41that, but um we're we're hoping to kind

55:44of finalize that this this winter and

55:47then um put that out uh next season.

55:52And then also,

55:55how do we show with our geo map, okay,

56:00properties that were cut, properties

56:02that were skipped, you know, and and and

56:04then the public could grab this map and

56:08show in real time, okay, here's here's

56:10where forestry is working. Uh, I know

56:13the cut sheet we put out a lot of times

56:17it gives us uh it gives us kind of an

56:19idea, you know, what time we entered uh

56:23a ward, but it it could be if it takes

56:25us a month, month and a half to get

56:26through that ward, we're just in that

56:28ward. It doesn't show you exactly what

56:30streets were in that ward. So, it'll

56:32help our NSOs, it'll help our our uh

56:35alderman kind of look at, okay, you guys

56:38already went through the northern

56:40section of this neighborhood or wherever

56:43and this property was missed. So, the

56:47NSOs's, everybody can kind of help

56:49forestry on on cleaning up how we we

56:53work through neighborhoods and making

56:55sure we jump on those ones that were

56:58skipped. Okay. Why were they skipped?

57:00Are they not on our rotation? Is it

57:02privately owned owned lot? Did we send a

57:05letter and we're just waiting for that

57:08for that um reinspection?

57:11So, the more data data we have, the more

57:15um educated our our work staff can be.

57:21We're also working on fines and fees.

57:23Our fees um for Oh, yeah. Sorry. uh our

57:30our fees have been $108 for uh at least

57:3515 years and we're updating that to if

57:40we have to bring a Bobcat on there that

57:42and it has one of those forestry heads

57:44and we're shredding all that brush. if

57:46we have to bring a loader on there and

57:50grab a bunch of mattresses and uh maybe

57:52a cabinet and get that off of the

57:55property and then we send um a tractor

57:58to mow it. Okay, that's that cost the

58:01city a lot of money and and we expend a

58:04lot of resources. So truly getting that

58:07on our again getting that on our tablets

58:10so that the um the foreman can check

58:13off. Okay, two hours for a loader, two

58:15hours for um a a basically uh five

58:20laborers out there and we can bill

58:23accordingly and and find those find

58:26those individuals or or that would uh

58:28that would be a fee that true fees that

58:31when we're out there on the property

58:33working that we charge the individuals.

58:36Fines is a new thing with our new

58:38ordinance out there that even though

58:42forestry doesn't come work on that

58:44property now we can take these

58:46properties that are chronic violators

58:49and again alderman uh NSOs would

58:52probably know more than than forestry

58:54what those properties are in each

58:56neighborhood and can we get those

58:58properties on a chronic list and we we

59:01can charge them up to $100 a day uh

59:04these private owners ers to tackle those

59:07uh get them to maintain their own

59:10property instead of just waiting for

59:11forestry to come and we cut the property

59:14and then we pay the bill. No big deal.

59:17But now we can find them $100 a day. Um,

59:22and we're working on that and and that's

59:25just kind of we we had a couple of

59:27working um working sessions uh last a

59:32couple months ago and so that's

59:33something we'd like to fine-tune and

59:35really push out for the future.

59:40And I believe Kaylin that's it. So, uh I

59:43know I can speak for forestry crews.

59:47They're out there. Um, I hope no one

59:50gets mad at those individuals that are

59:52out there working every day. They they

59:54take their job serious. They They're out

59:56there working as hard as they can. And

59:59uh the more equipment we we can give

1:00:02them to kind of shred some of that brush

1:00:04that's out there on those fence lines

1:00:07and and tackle that tackle that brush is

1:00:11a major concern. and and with the help

1:00:14of the street department now, I think

1:00:16we're uh we're heading in the right

1:00:17direction. So, Greg, I don't know if you

1:00:20had a couple comments before we

1:00:23>> Sure. Sure. Unless someone wants to

1:00:25interject, I'd be happy to make a few

1:00:27comments.

1:00:30Thank you. Um, thank you for the

1:00:32resolution. I wanted to hit a a couple

1:00:36points of that. Uh, you have had you

1:00:39have had countless conversations

1:00:41directly. I can't speak for who else you

1:00:43spoke to. You've had countless

1:00:45conversations with me over the years

1:00:47pleading or at least saying you were in

1:00:50support of forestry getting more

1:00:51permanent staff. So, I've always

1:00:54appreciated that. And I believe you've

1:00:55asked me, could we use more permanent

1:00:58staff? The answer is yes. Vested

1:01:01employees with a vested interest and no

1:01:03disrespect to contractors, but that

1:01:05would be our preference, but money

1:01:07doesn't grow on trees either. Uh, no pun

1:01:09intended. So Alan, I appreciate you

1:01:11mentioning the process improvements

1:01:13through citystat through the mayor's

1:01:14office. The couple I won't re reiterate,

1:01:18excuse me, what you said, but the

1:01:20mapping perhaps routing will we can see

1:01:23some improvements with that next April.

1:01:26Um, and that's very important. We've

1:01:28looked at cutting by neighborhoods.

1:01:30We've looked at cutting by districts.

1:01:33We've looked at cutting by wards. Wards

1:01:36have typically won out as you know

1:01:38Alderwoman over the years. Um and that's

1:01:41been our managerial operational choice.

1:01:44Most things are identifiable by wards.

1:01:46We know right now how many vacant

1:01:48buildings and vacant lots are in your

1:01:50ward and the other 13 wards. Um a lot of

1:01:53funding is based upon wards etc etc. So

1:01:57that is the approach we have taken and

1:01:59that's what we've been doing now. Um uh

1:02:02going back to the resolution

1:02:05forestry, it was mentioned district

1:02:07debris. I inherited that program and

1:02:10kept it going. It was an actual budgeted

1:02:12section. Started out about $600,000 a

1:02:15year. Got up at its peak, maybe $800,000

1:02:19a year. That was 21 staff members. Sorry

1:02:22for the phone. 21 staff members and all

1:02:25the related heavy equipment. Please know

1:02:28that that district debris removal

1:02:31program was transferred to the street

1:02:33department in the fall of 2018. So with

1:02:36the exception of a couple bobcats,

1:02:38forestry has been out of the debris and

1:02:41and brush removal business for about

1:02:43eight years now. That was a welloiled,

1:02:45if I do say so myself, that was a

1:02:47welloiled machine in forestry for a

1:02:49couple decades. We tracked tonnage by

1:02:52debris, general debris, and we separated

1:02:55tires because tires were the scorn of

1:02:57many aldermen over the years. We tracked

1:03:00u start and end dates by ward and we

1:03:03looked at trends yeartoear of where the

1:03:05illegally dumped debris would be and Mr.

1:03:08Johnson mentioned illegal dumping

1:03:09earlier. So, we tracked all those things

1:03:12with district debris, but we don't have

1:03:13that program anymore. It went to the

1:03:15street department. Um, forestry does

1:03:17start their annual grass cutting

1:03:19typically the first or second week of

1:03:20April. Not a lot of legit cuts to bill

1:03:23people in April because the grass hasn't

1:03:25popped yet, but we do go till the end of

1:03:27September for years. In the last few

1:03:29years, we've gone till the end of

1:03:31October. Um, we do agree as Mr. Johnson

1:03:35and Allen said as well, the product out

1:03:37there is not a quality product that it

1:03:39should be. We have 21,000 vacant

1:03:42properties. Citizens should not live by

1:03:44high grass. These are aesthetic issues

1:03:47and they're actually safety issues as

1:03:49you've identified. Allan and I have been

1:03:52to I don't know maybe hundreds of

1:03:54meetings at night community ward

1:03:56neighborhood meetings. We're up on the

1:03:59stage taking the hits. That's our job.

1:04:02And but we agree with the folks that

1:04:03really care about their neighborhood. So

1:04:05we're up there. We go to those meetings.

1:04:07You you've invited us and we go to

1:04:09probably 95% of them. We agree with

1:04:12those concerns. Um, Allan for years,

1:04:16this year was an anomaly. I credit the

1:04:19administration, the the Department of

1:04:21Personnel working with us. Allen needs a

1:04:24minimum of 80 limited term utility

1:04:26workers to just do scratch the surface,

1:04:28the bare minimum out there with 21,000.

1:04:31He typically gets about 30 employees.

1:04:35That is what we get. This year, I think

1:04:37he went in excess of 50 limited terms.

1:04:41Unheard of. It was terrific. But what we

1:04:43don't get in limited terms, we have

1:04:46filled the void with contractual

1:04:49services. Decision made three or four

1:04:51years ago, maybe we have four

1:04:53contractors. Um, we'd rather have

1:04:56permanent staff, but we had to adjust

1:04:58and pivot and do what we need to do to

1:05:00fill the void. These aren't extra folks,

1:05:02they're fill the gap folks. Um, so we

1:05:06have been doing that as you noted. A

1:05:08couple final comments. I have never,

1:05:11with all due respect, I have never heard

1:05:12of CSV staff members telling citizens

1:05:15not to cut the front cut the front

1:05:17because a contractor won't do the rear,

1:05:19but I will not I will not challenge

1:05:22anyone that those comments haven't been

1:05:24made. I just have not heard them myself.

1:05:26Um, I cannot speak for LRA. I know they

1:05:29had ARPA contractors. I I I would highly

1:05:34part of your resolve

1:05:36in your resolution mentioned LRA if we

1:05:40gave citizens it's not my decision or my

1:05:42authority if we gave citizens the right

1:05:45to go back to Moda O and cut properties

1:05:48next door with the possible subsequent

1:05:50advantage of acquiring them. I've always

1:05:53been a fan of it candidly. uh the less

1:05:56we want to do more with less properties,

1:05:59not less with more properties. Our

1:06:03forestry volume property goes up every

1:06:05year. Our staff remains static and not

1:06:09sufficient. But again, efforts have been

1:06:11made and unprecedented with the new

1:06:14administration with what we're trying to

1:06:15accomplish. And um the other the last

1:06:18thing in regard to hiring we heard in a

1:06:22report that 60 to 65% of forestry and

1:06:26parks potential candidates for utility

1:06:28worker fail drug tests. Okay. It's a

1:06:31fact from the personnel department. This

1:06:34year we made an unprecedented decision

1:06:36to hire individuals who have failed

1:06:39marijuana tests. We felt it we just had

1:06:42to try it. I wouldn't say it's been

1:06:44successful, but we need to add staff.

1:06:47So, we did do that. And I don't think

1:06:50Allan can correct me. I don't think

1:06:52there's been a lot hired in that

1:06:54fashion, but uh certainly no no hardcore

1:06:58drug uh positive result test folks were

1:07:01hired. They would not be and we wouldn't

1:07:02allow it. So, we agree that we need to

1:07:06do better. We got process improvements

1:07:08in place and we're doing the best job we

1:07:11can. And I always say if you see

1:07:12somebody sleeping in a truck, give us a

1:07:14call. I never get those calls. If we

1:07:16have people driving around aimlessly in

1:07:19the city, give Allen and I a call. We'll

1:07:21address it immediately. The fact is

1:07:24things need to be done better. And as

1:07:26you see in those two photographs, that's

1:07:28a perfect example of a special project

1:07:31with forestry doing some clear cutting

1:07:33that we did for years, taking fence

1:07:35lines down to create efficiencies to

1:07:38make vacant buildings next to each other

1:07:40into one vacant lot for more efficiency.

1:07:44So that are those are my comments and

1:07:47again I appreciate everyone on the call

1:07:49and your uh insight and your concerns.

1:08:14Okay. Chairwoman Boyd had to um she has

1:08:19a you know some things going on with her

1:08:20health and so she's had to depart and

1:08:23Alderman Oldenberg who's the vice chair

1:08:24of the committee also had to depart. So

1:08:26I will be uh chairing the committee

1:08:29moving forward. Thank you for that

1:08:31commentary Mr. Hayes. Um, was there any

1:08:34other directors that wanted to speak or

1:08:36talk or would we like to go back to the

1:08:38committee at this point?

1:08:42>> Mr. Jakowski, I know you're here. I'm

1:08:44not sure if there's something you want

1:08:45to add or if there's any other staff

1:08:47from the department or the mayor's

1:08:48office directly that would like to

1:08:49speak.

1:08:52>> Son, we're uh ready to take any we'll

1:08:55pass it back to the committee and ready

1:08:56to take any questions.

1:08:58>> Okay. Thank you so much. Um, honorable

1:09:01Tus, is there anything that you want to

1:09:03say specifically before I begin to go

1:09:05through the committee? You also would be

1:09:07first for any questions or commentary,

1:09:09so you may proceed.

1:09:15I think you're on mute, woman.

1:09:23You still on mute.

1:09:31Thank you. I'm sorry I unmuted.

1:09:33>> Thank you.

1:09:34>> I heard the word efficiency so many

1:09:36times. It's not funny. And my phone blew

1:09:38up with the people who are out there

1:09:40waiting to talk because if it was just

1:09:43efficiency, that would be one thing.

1:09:45It's

1:09:47I'm unmuted now, Sterling. Okay. But

1:09:50aesthetics means a lot to people. Okay.

1:09:53That's why they're out and all of their

1:09:55properties are cut. If they were trying

1:09:57to be efficient, they would just say,

1:09:59"Okay, we're going to do just like the

1:10:01city." Except for the city doesn't let

1:10:03them do what the city is doing. So

1:10:07efficiency is not the answer to me. That

1:10:09is the problem right there is that you

1:10:11did not hear me say earlier, aesthetics.

1:10:15It is depressing when everybody in my

1:10:17neighborhood has their grass cut, but on

1:10:19the corner of King's Highway, it is up

1:10:22to my knees because the trimmers have

1:10:24not come back. and because your method

1:10:26doesn't work in my community. Now, maybe

1:10:29it'll work someplace else, but I think

1:10:31that you need to be looking and

1:10:33listening to autowoman from the 12th,

1:10:3513th, and 11th cuz we represent all

1:10:37those wards where you say it. And that

1:10:39is where you got a high amount of people

1:10:42where you have to cut the grass. You got

1:10:43high property, a lot of properties, you

1:10:45got a lot of lots. So, that's not

1:10:47working in my community. And it's

1:10:49depressing my community. After we had

1:10:51the um the tornado, one of the things

1:10:55that we worked really well on uh I mean

1:10:57in the first day, this is what I always

1:10:59tell the mayor. She called me and she's

1:11:00like, "Where are you older woman?" She

1:11:02got Kings Highway clean in about five or

1:11:06six hours. That meant everything to my

1:11:09community. Okay. Then we cleaned up

1:11:11Marcus, which is a secondary street, and

1:11:13we cleaned up uh

1:11:17Okay. So when you're leaving this tall

1:11:20grass and you're talking about, oh,

1:11:21we're doing efficiency, you're not

1:11:23listening to the trauma that's on my

1:11:25community cuz you're not doing

1:11:27aesthetics and you're not following the

1:11:29law. And what I'm telling you, you the

1:11:31city does not have the right to have

1:11:33laws that you enforce against other

1:11:35people and you don't do. So that's not a

1:11:37good answer to me. Okay. Um, one of the

1:11:40things by me being the chair of refuge

1:11:42and been on streets for 20some years, I

1:11:44know that they had uh districts that

1:11:47they cut in. Um, on North St. Louis,

1:11:49they had one, two, three, four

1:11:50districts. And in South St. Louis, they

1:11:52had one, two, three, four districts. We

1:11:54need to look at districts, but within

1:11:56those districts, we need to do

1:11:58neighborhoods. And I'll give you a prime

1:12:00example. Alderwoman Boyd and I represent

1:12:03Ben. It makes no sense for you to come

1:12:06to Ben and to cut the 13th ward and

1:12:08right across the street is the 12th ward

1:12:11and you don't cut it. So if you cut a

1:12:13neighborhoods, you will get a efficient

1:12:15way of everything being cut. And if you

1:12:18cut everything, parks, trimming,

1:12:20everything, then if you miss something,

1:12:22it will stick out. When you do the

1:12:24haphazard way of cutting, oh, I'm going

1:12:26to cut the lots here and now I'm going

1:12:28to cut the properties here. And I've had

1:12:30a lot of examples in which you cut a lot

1:12:33and right next to it is a property that

1:12:36you did not cut. That's ridiculous to

1:12:38me. I really resent that Sherman Park um

1:12:42you guys you I don't know if you still

1:12:44have your equipment there. You had your

1:12:45equipment to cut. You would cut Sherman

1:12:47Park beautifully. But the streets Paul

1:12:50uh Cope Brilliant and another street was

1:12:52right ab budding it. And the I have the

1:12:55pictures that I've sent to you guys. the

1:12:56grass is up to here and you didn't cut

1:12:59it. So, it doesn't make any sense. Send

1:13:01the forestry workers over there to cut

1:13:03in the neighborhood. We're not making

1:13:06good sense for the people who live

1:13:07there. And it's very res they resent

1:13:10when they see the parks cut, but right

1:13:12next to their house, they have

1:13:14environmental things. I haven't even

1:13:15talked about the environmental racism

1:13:17report that WashU put out. But I'm

1:13:19saying that you I I understand what

1:13:21you're saying and I'm saying this needs

1:13:23to be changed. It has to be changed. We

1:13:26need to have a conversation with LRA. We

1:13:29need to have a conversation with a round

1:13:31table so that when you're saying, well,

1:13:33hey, we're doing this, then we need to

1:13:35have a conversation to say, but this is

1:13:37not working. So, um, aesthetics,

1:13:40aesthetics, aesthetics. If you keep

1:13:42telling me efficiency, that's not going

1:13:44to work. And the other thing is

1:13:45trimmers. We do not can we get slate to

1:13:49do trimming? Can we get

1:13:52We need trimmers. They need to be out

1:13:54there all the time because that makes

1:13:56the neighborhood look worse when you do

1:13:58not trim the tree lines and things and

1:14:01it's up high and it's making it

1:14:03dangerous and and it make it dirty

1:14:05looking. I I can't even stress that just

1:14:08doesn't work. Okay, so that's not okay

1:14:10for me and I'm not going to be quiet

1:14:12about it. And my community that's on

1:14:14here are texting me saying but they're

1:14:16not listening. If I got to cut my grass

1:14:19to 7 in then that's what the city ought

1:14:21to be doing. Thank you. I have no

1:14:23further comments.

1:14:30>> Thank you, Alderman Tyus. Um, at this

1:14:33point,

1:14:33>> I think Mr. Hayes has a hand.

1:14:34>> Oh, okay. Go ahead, Director Hayes.

1:14:37>> Thank you, Alderwoman. Uh, yes,

1:14:39Alderwoman. Thank you for your comments

1:14:40about aesthetics. I completely agree.

1:14:42Aesthetics are folks in in all

1:14:45neighborhoods deserve quality of life

1:14:47issues being addressed. In terms of I'll

1:14:50address a couple of your points. um we

1:14:52are not married towards I said that's

1:14:55the most common management tool or

1:14:57management path we've taken but again

1:15:00working with citystat and some of the

1:15:02technology that we have now that we

1:15:05didn't have in prior years we can look

1:15:06at mapping to see if it is by

1:15:08neighborhood if it is by district um it

1:15:12may be a a silly analogy but if we start

1:15:17and this is this is definitely a

1:15:19continuing conversation based upon your

1:15:20resolution ution comments. If we start

1:15:23109 parks

1:15:26and 21,000 vacant properties at the same

1:15:30starting it it let's say it's a foot

1:15:32race and you and and you start the race.

1:15:36Parks are typically cut on a 14 day

1:15:40rotation absent inclement weather. We

1:15:43can be in some of these wards on vacant

1:15:47buildings that have a high volume count

1:15:49of buildings for six to seven weeks. So

1:15:53I I agree starting out at the same time

1:15:56and not and having a beautiful park cut

1:15:58like Sherman on Kings Iowa and Dr. King

1:16:00and then the surrounding streets not

1:16:02looking like that park. We can look at

1:16:05that more closely, but it's almost like

1:16:07once you start the race, the timing of

1:16:10some of these things, they never seem to

1:16:13match up. But ideally, they should and

1:16:15would, but excuse me, ideally they

1:16:18should. The other thing with trimming,

1:16:20when Allen has egg tractors, an egg

1:16:22tractor, we have typically 20 on the

1:16:25street. Those utility workers, a good

1:16:29one, a good operator should do Allan,

1:16:32you can correct me, maybe 18 vacant lot

1:16:36cuts a day. 3,000 square foot. I believe

1:16:38the average square foot of city lots is

1:16:41about 5,000, but that's always been a um

1:16:44a scale to look at. So, where I'm going

1:16:47with that is we cannot have egg tractor

1:16:50operators

1:16:52with a string trimmer on their back or

1:16:54on the back of the egg tractor get off

1:16:56that tractor and trim the the tree lawn

1:16:59or parkway and the fire hydrant, etc.

1:17:02That would be ideal, but I contend

1:17:04that's very efficient inefficient with a

1:17:06lot of commissioners before me probably

1:17:08agreeing. So, we have trim crews that

1:17:11follow those egg tractors and try to

1:17:13stay up. Are they perfect? Absolutely

1:17:16not. And a lot of times when we do

1:17:18blitzes or some hot issues so to speak

1:17:22where we try to help an elected official

1:17:24such as yourself because you're getting

1:17:26a lot of heat and we have something that

1:17:28really is a high priority. They're they

1:17:30can be pulled off rotation which is not

1:17:32ideal but it helps a situation at hand

1:17:36that is a pressing situation so

1:17:39everybody's happy so to speak. We try to

1:17:41avoid that. But you, everyone knows we

1:17:43do that based upon need. But that's not

1:17:46another crew that we have available.

1:17:48They're being pulled off to do that job.

1:17:51So, it's not a perfect world. But I

1:17:53agree with your trimming comments. I've

1:17:55always said to Allen and other folks,

1:17:58nothing worse than a lot cut. Certainly

1:18:00doesn't look like a golf course, but we

1:18:02take it out of violation and you got two

1:18:04foot high weeds in the tree. We'd like a

1:18:07complete product. And I agree with your

1:18:10comments definitely about aesthetics. It

1:18:13It tears Allen and I up, not to be uh

1:18:16dramatic, tears us up to drive through

1:18:18neighborhoods and look to our left and

1:18:20right at times.

1:18:22I want I said I didn't have anything

1:18:24else, but I want to say we do have a

1:18:27group of people that live in our

1:18:28communities

1:18:34are ready to cut those L properties.

1:18:36I've always said to you all. So, if we

1:18:39can, and that's why I want LR here, and

1:18:41uh Mr. Shelton didn't want to uh um

1:18:43come, but I'm not going to ask for this

1:18:45to be passed out. I want him to come and

1:18:47have this conversation. I'll have it at

1:18:49a round table with you, Allan, Ben, but

1:18:54there's a group of people would be glad

1:18:56to cut the properties next door. That

1:18:59would take So, think if you get 500

1:19:01people or a thousand people that says,

1:19:03"I'll cut the property next door."

1:19:06Now all of a sudden you're not cutting

1:19:07those properties and they're already

1:19:08taking care of their properties. So

1:19:10either you pay them or you let them put

1:19:12a lean on the LRA property. We're

1:19:14getting properties cut. I don't want to

1:19:16look at how we've always done things. I

1:19:18am uh of an age that I usually like

1:19:21things settled, but I guess I'm part of

1:19:23the rebel still because I want to change

1:19:25this. I don't want us to be doing it

1:19:27because it's not working. Okay.

1:19:30>> We'll we'll take any help we can get.

1:19:34Gatewood Garden Cemetery Graoy 32 acres

1:19:38of very tedious handwork around and we

1:19:42try to treat it with reverence of course

1:19:44it's a cemetery LRA handed us that and

1:19:47no disrespect we had this we had the

1:19:49equipment handed it to us 30 years ago

1:19:52we we were cutting it with a regimented

1:19:55discipline program and an alternative

1:19:57sentencing program they'd come in in

1:20:00vans folks trying to work off their

1:20:01sentences talk about a welloiled

1:20:04machine. That was all done with no cost

1:20:08labor by the state of Missouri. They

1:20:10disbanded that years ago. We drive by

1:20:13and now it came back to forestry years

1:20:16ago and we have our contractor Midwest

1:20:18Scapes do it and it cost the city money,

1:20:21but we'll take any partners in

1:20:23neighborhoods anywhere to help us.

1:20:29>> Thank you. And I know that we mentioned

1:20:31that we have some folks here to speak

1:20:32and I know they've been waiting. So if

1:20:36um I'd like to transition to public

1:20:38testimony.

1:20:42Um and so the way we'll do this for

1:20:44those who are logged in um you want to

1:20:46make sure you raise your hand. I see

1:20:47some folks already have your hand

1:20:48raised. Madame clerk will move you over.

1:20:51Um and just make sure you state your

1:20:53name, your ward, and then you have three

1:20:56minutes to proceed with your commentary.

1:21:05Okay, I'm moving them over.

1:21:07>> Okay, thank you.

1:21:47And madam clerk, if you want to just if

1:21:49you have one person moved over, you can

1:21:50go ahead and begin to let them test test

1:21:52testify while we while you move the

1:21:54others over.

1:21:57>> Okay. Um

1:22:08is my first speaker with second and here

1:22:10as I see it James Trust.

1:22:15>> Yes. Can you hear me?

1:22:18>> Yes, we can hear you.

1:22:20>> Okay. Hi, my name is uh James Trust.

1:22:22Good morning everybody.

1:22:23>> Good morning. If you could just hold

1:22:24your right hand up.

1:22:25>> Okay. and promise that what you're about

1:22:27to say is the truth, the whole truth,

1:22:28and nothing but

1:22:30>> Yes.

1:22:31>> Thank you. And your name, your word of

1:22:33residence, and you may proceed.

1:22:35>> Uh my name is James Truss, and my ward

1:22:38of residence is ward 11.

1:22:41Um I'm the founder of uh end prisonism

1:22:44organization and I would like to first

1:22:46thank you all for this um for this

1:22:48platform and I thanks for I give thanks

1:22:50for um everybody coming together to get

1:22:52this problem solved. I would especially

1:22:55like to thank uh older woman Taius. I

1:22:59love her resolution. I love the tone in

1:23:01it. I love her passion about it and even

1:23:04how long she took speaking. I love all

1:23:06of that because it's representative of

1:23:08the people. Um the high grass, the grass

1:23:12not being cut. Listen on I stay right

1:23:15around the corner from Carter and Pope

1:23:17and it's it's terrible. Um the grass,

1:23:21like we've got a we have a um a clinic

1:23:24that hasn't been used in years. The

1:23:26grass doesn't get cut. The FSD building,

1:23:29the grass get cuts every so often right

1:23:31there. And that's on the corner of

1:23:32Carter and Pope. And it's embarrassing,

1:23:36you know, when family comes down and

1:23:38sees our um our neighborhoods. It's also

1:23:40embarrassing when we go out of town and

1:23:42take my kids out of town and they say,

1:23:44"This doesn't look like St. Louis." And

1:23:45they're not see saying it in a good way.

1:23:48But also, aside from the gas, I mean the

1:23:51grass, I would like to extend it to the

1:23:53litter and the debris on the streets. I

1:23:56actually have pictures that I brought

1:23:58with me, and if I'm ever allowed to um

1:24:00share my uh share my screen with you all

1:24:02at the end of this, I'd love to. But the

1:24:04trash is terrible around here. And what

1:24:07I did was I um I've adopted, me and my

1:24:11organization, we've adopted 20 bus stops

1:24:14throughout the city. Ward 11, Ward 14,

1:24:17um Ward 12. And what and what we do is

1:24:20go to these bus stops and clean up

1:24:21litter, pick up litter. Um we've

1:24:24partnered with Metro. We put uh we put

1:24:26trash cans, blue trash cans on these bus

1:24:29stops and we pick up the litter. But

1:24:30what has happened was that going to

1:24:32these bus stops. It extends to the

1:24:35entire block because there's no point of

1:24:37cleaning up the bus stop and the entire

1:24:38block looks bad.

1:24:40It's terrible what this litter what this

1:24:42litter has done um done to the city. It

1:24:44it it makes it look very bad. And um as

1:24:47part of um the resolution 126 that

1:24:50caught my attention was the proposal to

1:24:51allow um contractors or neighborhood

1:24:54organizations or people like myself to

1:24:57um to work with the city in order to

1:25:00pick up the litter. Um I I really hope

1:25:02that we can push that forward because

1:25:06we've got the desire to do it. We just

1:25:08need the resources. And I'm not talking

1:25:10about just resources, just trash cans

1:25:11and things like that. We need to be able

1:25:12to um pay people and be paid to doing it

1:25:15because the desire is there, but I want

1:25:16to extend this throughout the entire

1:25:18city because the litter is terrible.

1:25:19It's everywhere. And again, I do have

1:25:22pictures about it. And um and uh and

1:25:25that's just pretty much my uh my comment

1:25:27on all of this. Again, thank you for

1:25:29autowoman Tus for uh her time and

1:25:32putting putting the thought and passion

1:25:34into this. I'm one person that live here

1:25:37and I pick up litter on my own um with

1:25:40my organization and the people that help

1:25:41me and u

1:25:44>> excuse me

1:25:45>> that's your time.

1:25:46>> Okay.

1:25:47>> Just you can you can wrap up your

1:25:48thoughts though if you have a final

1:25:49sentence you can wrap up.

1:25:51>> Yeah. Um and my final thing is just

1:25:53allow the people um a gateway to help

1:25:58you know. Um and again thank you.

1:26:00>> Thank you Mr. Tress. Our next speaker is

1:26:04Pamela Emir.

1:26:08>> Good morning everyone.

1:26:10Um,

1:26:11>> may you raise your right hand.

1:26:12>> My name Oh, my right hand.

1:26:14>> Thank you. I know you probably said what

1:26:15you're about to say is the whole truth

1:26:17and nothing but

1:26:18>> Yes.

1:26:19>> Thank you. Just your name, your ward,

1:26:21and you may proceed.

1:26:22>> My name is Pamela Emer. I'm sixth

1:26:25seventh ward resident

1:26:28and I have seen a lot of stuff that need

1:26:30to be taken care of within this area.

1:26:34But the dangerous thing is it's allowing

1:26:37people with criminal minds to dispose a

1:26:40body behind the tall weeds and grass and

1:26:43that's why they continue to do it

1:26:45because it's not being properly taken

1:26:47care of. And if they see that they

1:26:50cannot hide the body and kill a person,

1:26:53it will allow them not to do the dangers

1:26:57that they are doing. But since they

1:26:59don't take care of the property, they're

1:27:01allowed to store and throw things and

1:27:03all type of things behind these in these

1:27:06lots where the grass is 6 feet tall.

1:27:12And that's my biggest concern because

1:27:15the property is not being taken care of.

1:27:22>> Thank you.

1:27:31>> Our next speaker is Miss Denise Chisum

1:27:33Butler.

1:27:35Uh good morning everyone. Um

1:27:39uh and thank you alderwoman uh Taius uh

1:27:41for uh providing this uh bill6.

1:27:47>> Thank you. Miss Denise, can you raise

1:27:48your right hand?

1:27:50And you promise that what you're about

1:27:51to say is the truth, the whole truth and

1:27:53nothing but

1:27:55>> yes.

1:27:56>> Thank you. You may proceed. I'm just

1:27:58your name and your ward and you may

1:27:59proceed.

1:28:01>> And my name is Denise Chisum Butler. I'm

1:28:03a member of the 12th war, a resident of

1:28:06the 12th war.

1:28:08Um, and I am really ecstatic that this

1:28:12has come up. Um, and I'll start with

1:28:14saying I made a joke once uh to all to

1:28:17the older woman and she didn't think it

1:28:19was funny when I said I was coming up

1:28:22Marcus and I was looking for Howard

1:28:24Roland and Bubba to jump out because it

1:28:27looked like I was in the scene from the

1:28:28in the heat of the night back in the

1:28:30country because the weeds and everything

1:28:32was so grown overgrown. But also I want

1:28:36to take a moment and uh the intersection

1:28:38of Dr. King and Yuclet where a 26 year

1:28:41old war student was killed in a

1:28:43accident.

1:28:45>> Going by there one day, the grass was so

1:28:48tall that I saw like some five and six

1:28:52year olds. The grass was taller than

1:28:54them. They were standing there waiting

1:28:55on the bus. I wanted to take a picture

1:28:58of them because they either had to stand

1:29:00behind those uh in that little part of

1:29:04the walkway that they could behind those

1:29:06tall weeds or in the street and only

1:29:10because of I didn't want to do it out of

1:29:12respect because they were children. It

1:29:14it it just was a sight to see. So, and

1:29:18if anyone wants to know someone that was

1:29:21told that if they cut the front because

1:29:23I literally as a senior I can't cut the

1:29:26grass but I pay to get the two lots and

1:29:28uh buildings cut around me. I I have to

1:29:31pay someone. But on the corner of Ucllet

1:29:35and Highland, the couple that stays

1:29:37there, they were cutting a lot and they

1:29:39were told that. So, uh if you want, you

1:29:43can speak to she's the block captain

1:29:44over there. She was told that to keep

1:29:47cutting it that she in order to get it

1:29:49cut, she had to stop cutting it, get the

1:29:51back cut and all that. So, I'll I'll

1:29:53leave it there. Thank you so much

1:29:55everyone for your time.

1:29:57>> Thank you, Miss Denise.

1:30:00>> Our next speaker is Asia. And Asia,

1:30:04could you give me your last name,

1:30:05please?

1:30:19Okay, we're going to go to the next

1:30:20person. Um, the next speaker would be

1:30:23Rosalyn.

1:30:33The next speaker would be

1:30:35>> good. Good morning. I'm Rosalyn Jackson.

1:30:38>> Okay, you have three minutes.

1:30:43I'm I'm waiting to be sworn in and that

1:30:45what usually happens.

1:30:46>> Um, Miss Rosen, are you able to cut your

1:30:48camera away?

1:30:50>> Okay, let's see.

1:30:52Let's see.

1:30:55Yeah. Hi.

1:30:56>> Thank you. Hello. I like your glasses.

1:30:59>> Thank you.

1:30:59>> You're welcome. Do you promise that what

1:31:01you're about to say is the truth, the

1:31:02whole truth, and nothing but?

1:31:04>> It will certainly be. Yes.

1:31:06>> Thank you. Just state your word of

1:31:07residency and may proceed.

1:31:09>> Good morning. I am Rosalyn Jackson from

1:31:11the uh 14th ward uh the elevated 14th

1:31:15ward Laura Keys and I am uh presently a

1:31:2033

1:31:22year long resident of uh St. Louis city

1:31:26particularly on the north side and I

1:31:29live in the 4500 block of Clarence. I

1:31:31serve on uh as a block captain but also

1:31:34as the treasure of the citizens of

1:31:36Oallen Park neighborhood association and

1:31:39me and um two other seniors well four

1:31:43now cut the grass in our neighborhoods.

1:31:46I've been cutting grass in uh in the

1:31:49neighborhood 4500 block of Clarence for

1:31:52about seven years. I've actually sent a

1:31:54letter to the mayor and hopefully it

1:31:58went further to the um forestry

1:32:00department and whoever else is

1:32:02responsible for hiring contractors. And

1:32:04our and our position is that hire the

1:32:06neighborhood associations that are

1:32:09bonafideed neighborhood associations as

1:32:12you hire the contractors. Hire us to cut

1:32:14the grass that we've been cutting. We

1:32:17cut it. And last year when we had the

1:32:19tornado, a lot of our residents were

1:32:21very excited over the fact that even

1:32:23though we had buildings that were half

1:32:25demolished, totally demolished, we still

1:32:28had uh beautiful grass and that was

1:32:31maintained by citizens that are seniors.

1:32:35And some of them are not seniors that do

1:32:37other cutting in other parts of our

1:32:39community. But the majority of us that

1:32:41are cutting grass for free, our own gas

1:32:44money, our own lawn machines,

1:32:48everything is on our pocket, out of our

1:32:52pocket and our labor. And at 72 years

1:32:55old, I cut grass and I cut a lot of

1:32:58grass and none of the lots belong to me.

1:33:02So, it would it would to me behoove the

1:33:04city to pay those neighborhood

1:33:06associations

1:33:08>> to uh be able to hire residents in their

1:33:12community that are cutting grass because

1:33:15we have seen some of the private

1:33:16contractors that you all hire and not to

1:33:19take everything away from them.

1:33:20Sometimes they do good jobs. A lot of

1:33:23times they don't and all they need to do

1:33:26is snap a picture and say that they did

1:33:29it. And most of the time, quite often,

1:33:31they come behind us after we've cut the

1:33:34grass and snap a picture and say that

1:33:36they cut it. And they get paid. We

1:33:38don't. And we know a lot of community

1:33:41members that are willing to work that

1:33:43are actually are already working. Why

1:33:46not pay the neighborhood associations

1:33:47that are um able to pay residents to cut

1:33:51grass? I spent already over 300, really

1:33:54500 this summer. lawnmowers that broke

1:33:57had to get them fixed in order to

1:33:59continue to cut grass. And I would

1:34:01appreciate if you all would strongly

1:34:03consider hiring the neighbors, the

1:34:06residents, and the neighborhood

1:34:07associations and allow us to keep our

1:34:10neighborhood and assist you all with

1:34:13maintaining a beautiful neighborhood for

1:34:15us. Thank you.

1:34:19>> The next speaker is

1:34:23Medina Brown.

1:34:32Yes.

1:34:35>> Can you see me?

1:34:36>> Yes. Can you bring your camera down a

1:34:38little bit? There you go. Thank you.

1:34:40>> You have three minutes

1:34:42in.

1:34:43>> And do you

1:34:43>> Okay, I got my hand.

1:34:45>> Thank you. And do you promise that what

1:34:46you're about to say is the truth, the

1:34:47whole truth, and nothing but.

1:34:49>> Yes.

1:34:50>> Thank you. Just please state your name,

1:34:52word of residence, and you may proceed.

1:34:54Okay. Medina Brown and I'm in Ward 12

1:34:56and I want to thank all the woman Sharon

1:34:59Titus for bringing this board uh this up

1:35:02to us. I am a longtime resident. I've

1:35:04been living in here. I'm 72 years old

1:35:06and I've been living on West Bell for

1:35:08years. My grandmother generations. So,

1:35:11I'm a very participant person in my

1:35:14neighborhood. And I I we just had I just

1:35:17cleaned up trash on our block down

1:35:19Sarah. I I go and do that maybe once a

1:35:22week. I even had my grandbaby out there.

1:35:24Little kids come and ask could they help

1:35:26clean up trash is everywhere. I even had

1:35:28to go to Miss Cannon to get Sarah and

1:35:31Cook cut because the the grass was so

1:35:34tall you couldn't even see the stop

1:35:35sign. Children out there trying to catch

1:35:37the bus. We even got our own lawnmower

1:35:40where we cut different areas on our

1:35:42street. And I go out there and I see how

1:35:45they cut it. And then also the thing

1:35:48about the trash cans, we have trash cans

1:35:51everywhere. So, I pick up a lot of trash

1:35:53and then uh the whole point of of my

1:35:55issue is we had a 5k run and we had to

1:35:59go out our organization had to cut all

1:36:01them lots just for the people to have to

1:36:03come through. They compliment and they

1:36:05thought the city did it but we let them

1:36:06know that we did it. And then we also

1:36:09had a little boy that came up missing

1:36:11because of the grass and we found him.

1:36:14Thank God to the police department and

1:36:15our community that helped find this

1:36:17little boy. snatched him, put him in the

1:36:20bacon lot because all this grass that

1:36:22that hadn't been cut. So, I would

1:36:24appreciate it. All this talking, we out

1:36:27here doing the work. I want to see the

1:36:29the work and not the talk. And I thank

1:36:32you, Ottoman Titus. I thank y'all for

1:36:33giving me the opportunity to talk. I am

1:36:35very a participant in my neighborhood. I

1:36:38don't talk. I walk. I clean up my

1:36:41neighborhood. And I want it to be done

1:36:43the same way with the city workers and

1:36:45everybody doing this talk. come down

1:36:47here live and get a chance then you'll

1:36:48see how it feel living in all the weeds.

1:36:51Thank you.

1:36:55The next speaker is Annie Dunlap.

1:37:15Miss Dunet, could you turn on your

1:37:17microphone and your camera, please?

1:37:22Okay, I'll go to I'll come back to her.

1:37:23The next speaker is Miss Amber Cole.

1:37:32>> Hello.

1:37:33>> Hi, Miss Cole. Can you cut your camera

1:37:35on? I'm trying. I thought it would.

1:37:39>> There you go.

1:37:40>> Hi.

1:37:41>> Um, and do you promise that what you're

1:37:43about to say is the truth, the whole

1:37:44truth, and nothing but?

1:37:46>> Yes, ma'am.

1:37:47>> Thank you. Just state your uh name and

1:37:49your board of residents, and you may

1:37:51proceed.

1:37:52>> Thank you. I'm Miss Amber Cole. I'm in

1:37:54uh assigned to the um 11th ward. Also,

1:37:59I'm the committee woman over here in the

1:38:0111th ward as well as been a resident of

1:38:05St. Louis city all my life and I raised

1:38:08my children here and my grandchildren.

1:38:11Uh, I'd like to thank alder woman uh

1:38:13Sharon Tyus and I like to almost

1:38:16nominate her nominate her for the

1:38:19people's older woman because one thing I

1:38:22can say she going to stand up and she

1:38:24going to stand up herself and so I

1:38:26appreciate you miss uh Sharon Tyus she

1:38:29is the voice just like Paul in the

1:38:32wilderness

1:38:34you know repent somebody needs to repent

1:38:37on how they're doing uh the north

1:38:39corridor and what we've been having to

1:38:42obtain. Um, I agree with Miss Roslin. I

1:38:46serve with her on the citizens of Old

1:38:49Allen Park Neighborhood Association. And

1:38:53myself, I get tired of asking people,

1:38:56one thing I can see, let me jump back.

1:38:58Mr. Allen and uh, Mr. uh, what's his

1:39:02name?

1:39:04uh over parts they have they they know

1:39:07I'm a holler so I guess they kind of Mr.

1:39:11Greg will address my issues because I'm

1:39:14going to line it out with pictures and

1:39:16everything but I shouldn't have to do

1:39:17that. If you go down to the uh uh fair

1:39:21and I think pinro and lee area it's two

1:39:25blocks over there that's lined with it

1:39:28look like it's never been cut. We got a

1:39:31um a school over there. We keep on

1:39:33giving people property and not holding

1:39:36them accountable for it. Um I also would

1:39:39like Thank you for the bill. I totally

1:39:41support this bill. I think it's 120

1:39:45bill, not the resolution. I totally

1:39:48support them. I don't understand about

1:39:50when Greg, Mr. Greg said something about

1:39:52the cemetery. Why do we still own that?

1:39:55I haven't got that anyway because I know

1:39:58it's somebody that might want to cut uh

1:40:01utilize that. I thank Sharon for uh

1:40:04Sharon uh all the woman sharing because

1:40:07people you cannot silence her um for as

1:40:11even over at the home of G Phillip. You

1:40:14want to silence her for that and she

1:40:17wasn't there but you not you know you're

1:40:19not cutting grass like you supposed to.

1:40:22this got I would like to see a task

1:40:25force with residents that's involved

1:40:28about the task force and I want things

1:40:30to be implemented not just said you but

1:40:34implemented and one more thing before I

1:40:37let you go it's appalling that you

1:40:40saying that you cut grass six time six

1:40:43times out of a year and three when I'm

1:40:47cutting my grass 27 times a year two

1:40:52every two weeks I have to cut my grass.

1:40:55So can you imagine let's look at that

1:40:57can you imagine what you are looking at

1:41:00now right we have grass totally I have

1:41:04never seen grass like this

1:41:06>> miss cold that's

1:41:07>> thank you and I appreciate all that

1:41:09you're saying and what what you're doing

1:41:12committee

1:41:16>> okay the next speaker is Helen

1:41:29Okay. So, I'm going to go to back to

1:41:31Miss Annie Dunlap,

1:41:38Calvin Burke,

1:41:50I am here.

1:41:52>> Okay. Could you please turn your camera

1:41:53on?

1:41:55>> Can you hear me?

1:41:57>> We can hear you. But let me turn your

1:41:58camera on, please.

1:41:59>> Let me see how to do that.

1:42:08Some reason it's not coming on.

1:42:15Um, it looks

1:42:19uh I think we could see you for a

1:42:20second, but it was a black screen. It

1:42:22looks like you're not in any light. You

1:42:24do have to have your camera on in order

1:42:27to testify.

1:42:29>> Okay, let me see if I can get it on.

1:42:31>> My camera is

1:42:32>> Okay, while he's trying to get his

1:42:33camera on, I'll go over to

1:42:36>> Miss Tammy Holmes.

1:42:38>> I don't know. Tyron,

1:42:43>> we're gonna proceed to the next person

1:42:45and we'll come back. Mr. Burke,

1:42:54can you help me get this Zoom camera on?

1:42:57>> Mr. Burke, can you mute yourself?

1:43:05>> Thank you. I'm muted. You can go to the

1:43:07next one.

1:43:10I think you said Miss Tammy Holmes.

1:43:12>> Yes.

1:43:12>> Hello. Can you guys hear me?

1:43:16Okay. Miss

1:43:17>> D. We're going to go to Miss Holmes.

1:43:18We'll come back to you.

1:43:20>> Well, good morning. Can you hear me?

1:43:24>> Hello.

1:43:26>> I can hear you, Miss Holmes. Do you

1:43:27promise that what you're about to say is

1:43:28the truth, the whole truth, and nothing

1:43:29but?

1:43:30>> Yes.

1:43:31>> Thank you. Your name, your award, and

1:43:33residency, and may proceed.

1:43:35>> Um, yes. Um, Tammy Holmes. Um, I'm in

1:43:38the 4,300 block of West Bell Place. I'm

1:43:40part of Ward 12. Um, I'd like to uh

1:43:44thank uh Alderman uh Alderwoman Sharon

1:43:46Ty for this invite and um informing us

1:43:50about this issue. Um but um listening

1:43:53everybody um I noticed uh one thing that

1:43:56I've seen and especially since the

1:43:57tornado um I don't know if they were

1:43:59some of them were contractors and I know

1:44:01some of them were city workers but um

1:44:03sometimes when requests are put in um

1:44:07you know they may come through and they

1:44:10may uh assess but not necessarily do the

1:44:13work like somebody um I think that was

1:44:15Miss Roslin mentioned that um I just

1:44:18asked for a request for a tree to be cut

1:44:20down in front of my home because it's

1:44:23growing up out of the ground and it's

1:44:25destroying the sidewalk. And some trucks

1:44:28came by. I was working from home that

1:44:30day, but they didn't even come across

1:44:32the street to assess the problem. They

1:44:34just looked from a distance and I guess

1:44:35from their side of the street, it looked

1:44:37okay. And then they got back in the

1:44:39truck. They just, you know, one stood

1:44:41outside his truck from the door, just

1:44:43looked, got back in and left. I've seen

1:44:46them come in the alley. It's uh close to

1:44:48the church on the end of the block. It's

1:44:50a bunch of trees back there that look

1:44:52like a forest that really need to be cut

1:44:53down because there's a path through

1:44:55there that's basically that could be

1:44:57like a pest harbage. Uh a place where

1:45:00some bodies can be found that need to be

1:45:02dealt with. And again, somebody's came

1:45:05out. I've seen them assess it, but no

1:45:07one's never come back to do any cutting.

1:45:10So, I think as other residents have

1:45:12mentioned, this is a problem. And if you

1:45:15want to cut down, like you said, on

1:45:16crime, not only crime and bodies being

1:45:19found, but also pest harbage because we

1:45:22do have wildlife and and and moving in

1:45:25um due to new development uh being uh

1:45:28brought up around the community. So, I

1:45:30think these are things that uh need to

1:45:33be uh thought about um and concerns that

1:45:37need to be enacted on for the residents

1:45:39uh in our ward. Thank you.

1:45:45So, Miss Dunlap, you're next.

1:45:48>> Good morning. My name is Annie Dunlap. I

1:45:51am from Yes. Yes. Let's put you in

1:45:52first. One second. You promise if you

1:45:55can raise your right hand.

1:45:57Thank you. And do you promise that what

1:45:58you're about to say is the truth, the

1:45:59whole truth, and nothing but

1:46:01>> I do.

1:46:02>> Thank you. Your ward, your name, and you

1:46:04may proceed.

1:46:05>> Good morning. My name is Annie Dunlap. I

1:46:07am from the 12th ward. Um, I am out in

1:46:11the community at least three to four

1:46:13times a week from St. Louis Avenue,

1:46:15Kings Highway, Kings Highway all the way

1:46:18down to Lexon. I am in the media

1:46:21cleaning up trash on Kings Highway. And

1:46:24this is a routine for me to do at least

1:46:26three to four times a week. And usually

1:46:29after I clean uh trash, uh, parks will

1:46:32come out and they make cut on the

1:46:34Monday. But I already been out there

1:46:36doing all the cleanup, which I don't

1:46:37mind doing it. But one thing I I do

1:46:40notice that they do uh parks and

1:46:42forestry what whenever they're cutting

1:46:44the grass, they cut the grass like Miss

1:46:47Ta said, and then I asked them, I said,

1:46:49"You all not going to trim?" I have a

1:46:52lot of footage of the work, how horrible

1:46:54it looks. The m the weekend before a

1:46:57holiday weekend, we look terrible. I can

1:47:00only clean from St. Avenue to uh Lex on

1:47:04Kings Highway. But if they do it, it's

1:47:06not about how many times you can really

1:47:08cut it. It's about the quality of the

1:47:10services as well. If they do a good trim

1:47:14before they cut and make it real nice,

1:47:16the grass cutting will last a little

1:47:18longer. If they do a better job at what

1:47:20they're doing as well, not just coming

1:47:23out to run through with the tractor real

1:47:25quick and then you want to charge the

1:47:26owner and it look the mess. So, you're

1:47:28not doing us any services by increasing

1:47:31the price to the owner. If your workers

1:47:34and contractors are not going to do a

1:47:36good job. If you do a good job cutting

1:47:38and trim and getting up the trash, it'll

1:47:41last long. I promise you it will. I have

1:47:43a lot of properties in the city and I do

1:47:45a thorough job cutting. I can skip a

1:47:47week and it still look good. You have to

1:47:49do it uh the team has to do a better job

1:47:52at cutting the grass, trimming it around

1:47:55the same time. It's like getting off the

1:47:58highway at 70 and uh Union is all it's

1:48:02always high. They just seem to think

1:48:04that that's not important. When we have

1:48:05visitors coming in getting off the

1:48:07highway, it look a mess. It it it's real

1:48:10trashing to look a mess. I can only do

1:48:12so much. And I'm begging and I thank I

1:48:14thank Miss Ty for what she's doing. I

1:48:17even thought about going to the social

1:48:19media and posting all of this, but I'm

1:48:21thinking that we can get it done. We

1:48:23don't want to look bad in North City.

1:48:25So, we're asking for you all to support

1:48:27that bill that uh Sharon Tai is is um

1:48:31you know submitting. So, we she's

1:48:33passionate about what she do and she's

1:48:35doing a good job with what she I call

1:48:37her all the time and talk about the

1:48:38trash, the grass, all of that. So, um I

1:48:42do support her 100%. I'm I'm not just

1:48:45talking. I'm out there working. I even

1:48:47clean some of the alleys. I got

1:48:48properties everywhere in this ward and

1:48:52I'm out there cleaning. I'll clean the

1:48:53whole alley just to make my property

1:48:55look good. So, and I'm I'm also

1:48:58relocating people from different states

1:49:01back into our community. And that's why

1:49:03I work so hard because I'm bringing them

1:49:05back into our community from Texas. They

1:49:08relocating everywhere. We have really

1:49:10good people in our community. But they

1:49:12they talk about leaving because of the

1:49:14trash, the filth, the grass. you keep

1:49:16the grass to a minimal and do a good

1:49:18job. It just the tree trimming alone

1:49:21could make it look nice.

1:49:23>> Done that. Bless your time.

1:49:27>> Our next speaker, Mr. Calvin Burks.

1:49:34>> I can hear you.

1:49:36>> My name is Calvin Burks and I'm the

1:49:39senior service coordinator for

1:49:41employment.

1:49:42>> Mr. back together in

1:49:44>> if you just raise your right hand.

1:49:47And do you promise what you're about to

1:49:49say is the truth, the whole truth, and

1:49:50nothing but.

1:49:52>> Yes, I do.

1:49:53>> Thank you. You may proceed. And don't

1:49:55forget to state your word of residents.

1:49:57>> Once again, my name is Calvin Burks. I'm

1:49:59the senior service coordinator for

1:50:01Employment Connection where I service

1:50:0480some seniors throughout the city of

1:50:06St. Louis. About 70 of them are on the

1:50:09north side and effective yesterday they

1:50:12all lost that grass and snow removal

1:50:14coverage that we have been provided for

1:50:16close to five years. That means that

1:50:19close to 70s something properties owned

1:50:22by 70s something seniors between the age

1:50:25of 95 and 62 will be left unckempt

1:50:29because these people are unable to cut

1:50:31their grass and there's going to be a

1:50:34void and they're not also they're not

1:50:36going to get snow removal when it

1:50:37starts. Now we have a crew of volunteers

1:50:40that's going to try to cut the people

1:50:42that's over 90. It's about seven or

1:50:45eight people, but those people need

1:50:47their services restored or some program

1:50:50to service these seniors. Most of them,

1:50:52like I said, are on the north side. And

1:50:55I've discussed this with Ottoman Sharon

1:50:57Tyus and other people. And I'm just

1:51:00hoping that there's some resolution,

1:51:01some money available that can help these

1:51:04seniors. That's all I have to say.

1:51:11>> His ward is the 12th ward. He didn't say

1:51:13it.

1:51:15>> Okay. Thank you.

1:51:17Uh our next speaker, we're going to go

1:51:20back to Asia.

1:51:29Um Helen,

1:51:41could you turn your camera on, please?

1:51:48Okay, Mr. Walter Collie.

1:52:01Can you hear me?

1:52:04I can hear you, but I can't.

1:52:06All right. You see me now?

1:52:08>> Yes.

1:52:09>> All right. Ready to be sworn in. Okay.

1:52:12You can't be driving. You have to pull

1:52:14over.

1:52:15>> Okay. About to Give me a second. I'm

1:52:18about to get off the highway now.

1:52:20>> We're going to go to the next speaker.

1:52:22And Miss Roslin, you can um you those

1:52:26folks who you've called on twice that

1:52:28haven't answered, you can take them off

1:52:29the panelist list and we can move over

1:52:31some other attendees.

1:52:32>> Okay. So, the other it's two it's three

1:52:34people with their hand but two people

1:52:35with their hand raised. Every time I try

1:52:37to promote them, they decline. Oh,

1:52:40>> okay. Um,

1:52:42I would say maybe we'll try one more

1:52:44time here.

1:52:46>> Miss Asia,

1:52:51Miss Helen.

1:52:57Okay. And then on the attendee side, I'm

1:52:58seeing a

1:52:59>> Okay. So, we have one person who's going

1:53:00to join.

1:53:01>> Okay.

1:53:02>> As a panelist, Miss Rolanda.

1:53:05Okay.

1:53:21Okay, we have Mr.

1:53:24Miss Randa and uh Mr. Collie.

1:53:30>> Okay, Miss Randa, can you catch your

1:53:31camera on?

1:53:32>> Um I thought it was on.

1:53:34>> It's on.

1:53:35>> Okay. Yes, I can see you now.

1:53:37Uh, J, raise your right hand.

1:53:39>> Yes.

1:53:40>> And do you promise that what you're

1:53:41about to say is the truth, the whole

1:53:42truth, and nothing but?

1:53:44>> Absolutely. Yes.

1:53:46>> Thank you. Please state your name, where

1:53:47the residence, and you may proceed.

1:53:49>> My name is Rolanda Cruz, and I am a

1:53:51resident of Ward 12. Um, good morning,

1:53:54chair, and uh members of the Health and

1:53:56Human Development Community uh

1:53:58committee, I'm sorry. Um, I kind of want

1:54:00to speak to res resolution 126 as well.

1:54:02Cutting the grass is just not enough.

1:54:04Um, when a city crew cuts grass but

1:54:06leaves behind the weeds along the

1:54:08fences, the overgrown brush, trash,

1:54:10debris, grass clippings, and vegetation

1:54:13covering the sidewalks and curves,

1:54:15residents do not see a completed job.

1:54:17They see a neighborhood that looks

1:54:19neglected. I left out that I'm also the

1:54:21vice president of ROA, which is the

1:54:23revitalization of Baiton. And so, I'm

1:54:25truly speaking to Baiton, but it it's

1:54:27it's a whole ward issue for Ward 12. Um,

1:54:31our residents deserve better in Baiten.

1:54:33We have been working hard to strengthen

1:54:35our neighborhood. Um, our residents are

1:54:37cleaning the blocks, maintaining their

1:54:38homes, organizing cleanups. They're

1:54:41attracting investment, supporting

1:54:42businesses, and trying to restore pride

1:54:44in our community. The city's maintenance

1:54:46system should reinforce that work, not

1:54:48make us feel like we are fighting the

1:54:51same battle over and over. So, one of

1:54:53the questions that I do have is what is

1:54:55the city's definition of an actual

1:54:56completed job? If we cut the grass,

1:54:58believe the trash, we have we really

1:55:00maintained the property. If we mow

1:55:02around illegal dumping instead of

1:55:04removing it or we even addressing a

1:55:06problem. If residents make simple

1:55:08service requests to multiple departments

1:55:11for the same property, is that system

1:55:13effective? Because that's a job all in

1:55:14itself. Uh we need a neighborhood based

1:55:17approach where grass cutting, trimming,

1:55:19brush removal, litter, debris and

1:55:21removal, and cleanups are coordinated,

1:55:23not really treated as unrelated issues.

1:55:25I feel like we need more accountability.

1:55:27residents should be able to know how

1:55:30often these properties or situ or these

1:55:33parcels will be maintained. Um what

1:55:36standard must the crews meet? Uh who's

1:55:38responsible for it? Who do we actually

1:55:40contact and get some type of resolution

1:55:42because we send out we we're reaching

1:55:44our NIS coordinators and there's usually

1:55:48just a lot of runaround with this. um

1:55:51Ward 12, Baiten, and other

1:55:52neighborhoods. We need to really figure

1:55:54out how we're going to receive

1:55:56consistent service. This is more about

1:55:59just is it's more than just the grass

1:56:02cutting. I'll say that the physical

1:56:04conditions of our neighborhoods

1:56:05communicate something. It affects how

1:56:06our residents feel about their

1:56:08community. if it affects how visitors

1:56:10perceive us and whether people believe

1:56:12investment is happen happening.

1:56:15We are asking residents to take

1:56:17responsibility for their properties and

1:56:18their blocks. But is it reasonable for

1:56:21residents to expect the city to bring

1:56:22that same level of responsibility to the

1:56:24properties and the public spaces under

1:56:26its care? Maintenance in our areas is

1:56:28not just about cutting the grass. It

1:56:30means that we need to get the job

1:56:32completed. Ward 12 is working. Our

1:56:34residents are working. Our neighborhood

1:56:36organizations are working. and we need a

1:56:38city system that's going to support us

1:56:40and work alongside of us. And just one

1:56:42last thing, um will neighborhood

1:56:44associations such as ROA,

1:56:47will we have a formal opportunity to

1:56:50identify problem properties and

1:56:51participate in developing neighborhood

1:56:53maintenance plans before this is

1:56:55implemented? And thank you for my time.

1:57:03Okay, I find

1:57:06the next speaker is Michael Bungie.

1:57:30I'm ready to take my oath.

1:57:36>> Do you promise that what you're about to

1:57:38say is the truth, the whole truth, and

1:57:40nothing but

1:57:41>> yes.

1:57:42>> Thank you. Please state your name, board

1:57:44of residence, and you may proceed.

1:57:47>> Yes. Michael J. Von Gell, 12th W

1:57:50president, Van Vvener CDC. I'm not going

1:57:52to belabor what have already been a lot

1:57:55of points. uh made I am a strong

1:57:59supporter of the forestry department. I

1:58:02certainly appreciate our ward alderwoman

1:58:05uh Sharon Tyus for bringing this issue

1:58:08uh to the forefront. Um I'm just going

1:58:11to address a couple of points quickly

1:58:13and be done. Uh Vanvener CDC last year

1:58:16went ahead and bought its own John Deere

1:58:19S130

1:58:20uh tractor mower to cut vacant lots uh

1:58:24LRA lots in the neighborhood Van Venner

1:58:27neighborhood. Um we're in pretty good

1:58:30shape probably based uh in comparison to

1:58:34other neighborhoods.

1:58:35However, we've had some glitches. uh

1:58:39we've dedicated to mowing certain lots

1:58:41and then we'll have a contractor

1:58:44apparently come in and cut the lot

1:58:46before it was needed to be recut. Um and

1:58:50so we show up and then we don't need to

1:58:53cut it. We have to turn around and go

1:58:55back home. So, I think we need to work

1:58:57better on who's doing what in our

1:59:00neighborhoods so we can do our part uh

1:59:03to help the the city out to help the

1:59:06Department of Forestry out. Uh the other

1:59:09thing is is I know that Alderwoman Tyus

1:59:12brought up or someone did about CSB

1:59:15reports uh disappearing.

1:59:18We've had a problem with this previously

1:59:20and not just isolated in instances

1:59:24uh that were brought up several years

1:59:26ago. So there are CSB requests that are

1:59:29filed that for some reason are allowed

1:59:31to be disappeared uh from the system. I

1:59:35also have a resident here in the 4,300

1:59:38block of Page that was told by CSB not

1:59:42to cut the front lot or the entire

1:59:46they'll pass it by thinking that it is

1:59:48mowed. We went ahead and mowed the front

1:59:51lot because we don't want people driving

1:59:53through our neighborhood thinking this

1:59:55is who we are as people that we don't

1:59:56keep our our lawns tidy. So, I certainly

2:00:00do think that we need some better

2:00:03communication

2:00:05uh with the forestry department and that

2:00:07by and large equally could be my fault.

2:00:10Maybe there was something I was supposed

2:00:12to do I didn't know to do. Uh, so I'll

2:00:15do a reach out to Commissioner Janowski

2:00:17and find out what I should have done in

2:00:20regards to our lots being mowed by us so

2:00:24that the city could move on to mow

2:00:28uh other lots further north of us. And

2:00:32again, I just want to thank everybody

2:00:34across the board, every department for

2:00:36their hard work. We do the work, so we

2:00:39know what you're up against. And we just

2:00:41greatly appreciate you. Thank you,

2:00:50>> Mr. Collie. I'm sorry. You go ahead and

2:00:53speak now.

2:00:56>> Thank you, Mr. Can you raise your right

2:00:58hand?

2:01:00>> Do you promise that what you're about to

2:01:01say is the truth, the whole truth, and

2:01:03nothing but?

2:01:04>> Yes.

2:01:05>> Thank you. You may proceed to state your

2:01:07name, your word of residence.

2:01:09>> Okay. Well, my name is Walter Kie. I

2:01:12live in the 12th ward um actually off uh

2:01:15on on Hammet Place. Uh and I want to

2:01:18thank uh my alder woman uh Sharon Tyus

2:01:21for her dedication

2:01:24uh her commitment and just presenting

2:01:26this resolution because it's definitely

2:01:28much needed. Uh yes, I know a lot has

2:01:31happened since May of last year. We

2:01:33would uh warn uh uh a neighborhood that

2:01:36was impacted by the tornado. So much so

2:01:39that uh just probably me and about three

2:01:42others on the end close to the uh

2:01:45funeral home are are remaining. Some of

2:01:47our uh uh my neighbors had to actually

2:01:50have their properties torn down and some

2:01:52of them are are still abandoned. Um, I

2:01:57have uh uh reached out to I think it's

2:02:00the Citizen Service Bureau and made

2:02:02complaints

2:02:03uh uh and they said that those

2:02:06complaints are documented and they're

2:02:08going to um look into getting uh those

2:02:11properties uh maintained. And when when

2:02:14I say maintain um similar to a lot of

2:02:16the concerns many of the individuals

2:02:18have addressed now those properties you

2:02:22talking about grass and weeds and even

2:02:24trees that are just overgrown and it

2:02:27presents a a true eyes sore uh and I

2:02:30know it brings our property value in our

2:02:33neighborhood uh uh down. Um um I have

2:02:38been I actually uh written letters to

2:02:42the property to my left across the

2:02:43street and to my right and told them I

2:02:46would even cut your grass. I I um moved

2:02:49into the city back into the city uh when

2:02:52I bought this property uh on 2023. I

2:02:56have been maintaining my property and

2:02:59the lot next door to it since then. Um,

2:03:02and I I almost was just more so

2:03:06encouraged and had to maintain that lot

2:03:08because when I moved into that lot, what

2:03:10I'm six feet tall and everything over

2:03:12there was taller than me. Now it's down

2:03:14to the ground. It's almost golf coursed

2:03:20over there, there was tires, debris,

2:03:22needles, and many other things that we

2:03:24discovered furniture in that debris. Uh

2:03:27but now it's uh it's maintained and I I

2:03:31uh echo many of the other um panelists

2:03:34calling in. We we need a task force. Uh

2:03:37I know we got the state neighborhood

2:03:39stabilization uh uh uh officers and and

2:03:42things such as that, but we need a task

2:03:44force almost like we we have um what do

2:03:47they call it? Block block units

2:03:52crew, you know. Uh uh again, like I

2:03:54said, I do have a service. I do. I'm out

2:03:57today. I'm going about to cut one yard.

2:03:59I I get paid to cut one and then I'm

2:04:00going to do two of them just because it

2:04:02needs to be done. And I think as a

2:04:05citizen of the of the city and um just

2:04:10doing my part, I wanted to continue to

2:04:11do that. and whatever I can do and

2:04:13whatever uh uh stabilizations or you

2:04:16guys can suggest task force that we can

2:04:18put together to keep cuz I'm hearing

2:04:20that a lot of people like myself, I'm 56

2:04:23years old and many of the people that

2:04:24are maintaining these areas are my age

2:04:27and and above. If we can figure out a

2:04:30way just to just to continue to maintain

2:04:33and bring

2:04:34>> Mr. Con that's your time.

2:04:35>> Okay. Okay. Thank you.

2:04:38Our

2:04:40next speaker is

2:04:44Dr.

2:04:47Aurelo.

2:04:55>> Good morning, honorable members of the

2:04:57St. Louis uh board of aldermen. My name

2:05:00is Dr. Marillo.

2:05:01>> Can you raise your right hand so I can

2:05:03get you sworn in?

2:05:04>> Yes.

2:05:05>> Thank you. Do you promise that what

2:05:07you're about to say is the truth, the

2:05:08whole truth, and nothing but?

2:05:10>> I do.

2:05:11>> Excellent. Please uh state your word of

2:05:14residence and you may proceed.

2:05:16>> Ward 12.

2:05:20>> Um good morning again. Um I have lived

2:05:23in this city in this ward since January

2:05:27of 2024.

2:05:30And it became readily apparent to me as

2:05:34a new uh resident of the city now that

2:05:38we have failed leadership in the form of

2:05:41our ward 12 alder person. Um this issue

2:05:47of

2:05:49uh grass and weeds not being mowed and

2:05:54not being maintained has been going on

2:05:56for many years. I've spoken to my

2:05:59neighbors in I live in the area of North

2:06:03Kings Highway Boulevard and West

2:06:05Florescent

2:06:08and I've spoken to my neighbors and they

2:06:10said this is a common occurrence and the

2:06:13reason why is because we have a failed

2:06:15leader that is representing us and this

2:06:18person has been there for the longest

2:06:21time and has allowed these problems to

2:06:23fester and now because this person is

2:06:27being brought up on whatever they've

2:06:31decided to address the issue. Well,

2:06:34that's a red herring. The problem is

2:06:38leadership in this ward. We need a new

2:06:40uh alder person and I will be voting for

2:06:43a new person this coming uh spring

2:06:48because we need new leadership, not

2:06:49failed leadership.

2:06:52And um specifically if you go down any

2:06:55street in Ward 12, you will find weeds

2:06:59and grass really high. I have constantly

2:07:03reported this to the citizens uh bureau

2:07:06and uh and there is one now that the

2:07:10weeds are going up

2:07:13uh almost to the top of the first floor

2:07:16of an apartment building on one of these

2:07:19streets. and you just go on any of these

2:07:22random streets and you'll see it. And so

2:07:25the problem is I'm not sure if the

2:07:28problem can be solved by having a task

2:07:30force, but I'm pretty sure the problem

2:07:32can be solved by removing

2:07:35uh Ward 12 alderwoman Sharon Ty from

2:07:38office. Thank you so much.

2:07:46Okay, that I believe was the final

2:07:51speaker. Now, there are some on the

2:07:53other side with their hands raised and I

2:07:55try to move them over. They decline. So,

2:07:58okay. So, for those of you with your

2:08:00hand raised, she's going to try one more

2:08:01time. Uh, you should see something that

2:08:04pops up and you have to accept the

2:08:05invitation for her to move you over to a

2:08:07panelist. Um, so we can try one more

2:08:10time. Now, there are some who have

2:08:12already spoken who has their hand raised

2:08:14as well. So, I'm not going to I'm not

2:08:16going to move them over, but the ones

2:08:18who have not spoken, I will try to

2:08:20promote them again.

2:08:21>> Correct. And if you've already spoken,

2:08:23um you can share additional testimony

2:08:25via email, but for the sake of time, and

2:08:27folks who haven't spoken yet, we won't

2:08:28be doing repeat testimony.

2:08:36Okay, Miss Helen, you can turn your

2:08:37camera on now.

2:08:46Okay, Miss Helen, I can see you. Um, can

2:08:48you raise your

2:08:51>> Yes. I'm sitting in my car. I had to

2:08:53come out here to get going. I'm so

2:08:54sorry.

2:08:55>> No, that's okay. Um, can you raise your

2:08:57right hand?

2:08:58>> Oh, my right hand. Yes. I'm sorry.

2:09:00>> And do you promise that what you're

2:09:01about to say is the truth, the whole

2:09:03truth, and nothing but?

2:09:04>> I do. I promise.

2:09:06>> Thank you. And then you can state your

2:09:08full name, your award of residence, and

2:09:09you may proceed.

2:09:12>> Lane, I'm over here. I always say Ashlin

2:09:15and Shreve. So the ward would be Oh,

2:09:19Lord, help me. What is my ward?

2:09:23I'm in Ward 12.

2:09:25>> Okay.

2:09:26>> Yes. Yes. Forgive me. I had cataract

2:09:28surgery yesterday, but that's no excuse.

2:09:31>> Nobody healthy.

2:09:33>> I first want to give a shout out to the

2:09:35panel. uh not the panel but to Allan,

2:09:40Greg, Mr. Johnson, Alderwoman, Tyus,

2:09:46just thanking you guys. And Allan, last

2:09:50year you came in my alley right here on

2:09:53Ashlin and Shrief and I just salute you

2:09:57how together we were able to get things

2:10:00done with the help of other people.

2:10:03However, we talk about respect. Uh,

2:10:06Chairwoman Boyd said to be respectful,

2:10:09watch what we say, and be considered.

2:10:12And I agree.

2:10:15July, August of this year, there was

2:10:17property at 4734

2:10:20Ashland Avenue. The grass had grown

2:10:2510 feet. We have children front and

2:10:28back. Mind you, we've been cutting the

2:10:30front.

2:10:32So I put in with the uh uh citizen

2:10:36service bureau waited 3 4 weeks a month

2:10:39nothing. I went down to forestry with

2:10:42these very pictures

2:10:45to show them very mannerable and I've

2:10:49been in this neighborhood for 40 years.

2:10:52I've never been talked to so bad in my

2:10:55life. And when I left there it was a

2:10:58girl named Christy. I had the pictures

2:11:01in my phone. She just said, "Oh, this

2:11:03doesn't look bad." So, a gentleman next

2:11:05to her. He said, "Ma'am, forward me the

2:11:09pictures." He gave me an email address.

2:11:11I can't remember it, but I waited three

2:11:14weeks. Nothing was done.

2:11:18Went to Karen Clifford, the

2:11:20stabilization people, Jordan Simon. They

2:11:23said they were going to reach out to

2:11:25you. Nothing was done

2:11:28a month ago, four weeks, which I have

2:11:31the be before and after pictures.

2:11:35I took I took upon myself to get this

2:11:38grass cut because you see I empty trash.

2:11:42No, I'm not a fool. I don't try to be

2:11:43out there at night, but you don't know

2:11:46who's in that alley and you couldn't

2:11:48see. So, I had all that taken care of.

2:11:52And I'm not bragging that, you know, uh,

2:11:54big me, little me, little I, however

2:11:57they say it, but these are some of the I

2:12:00was so hurt that this lady talked to me

2:12:02like that. And then they readily

2:12:05escorted me out a side door when I was

2:12:08trying to, you know, find out what was

2:12:12the reason for that.

2:12:16What was the reason for that? And

2:12:18speaking on contractors,

2:12:22he came over. You guys did whoever hired

2:12:24him. They barely cut the lots on Greer

2:12:2947 uh9 east of this alley on Greer and

2:12:36so I took pictures of that time.

2:12:39>> Okay. Well, I'm trying to say thank you.

2:12:43I'm trying to say that we need to do

2:12:45more and uh I'm glad I did get a chance

2:12:48to speak.

2:12:51Oh Lord, I had so much to say, but I

2:12:54thank you.

2:12:56>> And we thank you. Um we thank everyone

2:12:58who was able to testify today and share

2:13:00your thoughts.

2:13:00>> We still have we have two more people.

2:13:02>> Oh, okay.

2:13:03>> Okay. We have uh Althia Harris.

2:13:11Miss Harris, could you turn your camera

2:13:12on? While we're waiting for her, we'll

2:13:15go ahead and get Dominica Hart.

2:13:21>> Lord, help me.

2:13:24>> Miss Helen, if you don't mind muting

2:13:26yourself.

2:13:27>> Oh, I'm sorry. Yes, ma'am.

2:13:29>> Thank you.

2:13:30>> Mhm.

2:13:40Okay. Are we there yet? No.

2:13:46>> Miss Harris, can you turn your camera

2:13:47on, please?

2:13:49>> I I got it.

2:13:51Okay. Gotcha. I'm sorry. I was driving.

2:13:54I had to pull over.

2:13:56>> Thank you, Miss Harris. Um, can you

2:13:57raise your right hand

2:14:00and promise that what you're about to

2:14:01say is the truth, the whole truth, and

2:14:03nothing but.

2:14:05>> I do.

2:14:06>> Thank you. And just state your word of

2:14:08residency. You may proceed.

2:14:10>> Okay. My ward is 12 um stay in the 4900

2:14:15block of Highland and representing 194

2:14:21Block unit. I'm not going to go over

2:14:23the, you know, the problems and

2:14:25situations. The grass is over

2:14:28>> Miss Harris, you can't be driving. Are

2:14:29you driving?

2:14:32>> I am. Okay. Can I put my phone down?

2:14:35>> No, ma'am. You can't operate a vehicle

2:14:37and testify virtually. Um, so you can

2:14:41>> I'm sorry. I thought that you had said

2:14:43you pulled over in the beginning of your

2:14:44testimony.

2:14:46>> You know, I have, but I started driving.

2:14:47I don't like the area where I was at the

2:14:49moment. Okay, this one's better

2:14:52here.

2:14:57Okay, I am no longer driving.

2:15:00>> Okay, you can.

2:15:02>> Okay, so we won't go over, you know,

2:15:04problems, but we do have to come up with

2:15:06some creative solutions to the

2:15:08situation. Block units are really

2:15:10helping because we're doing a lot of

2:15:12cleanups in our area, especially the

2:15:15Kingsway East area that's there. But I

2:15:18do like the thing about maybe looking

2:15:20back at the LAS and also looking at the

2:15:24length of the grass because in order

2:15:27because what we found out was that the

2:15:30grass on a lot was not being cut because

2:15:33my husband and I and another lady at the

2:15:35other end because there's an empty lot

2:15:37on Kings Highway in Highland and a lot

2:15:39on Uklit in Highland that if we cut it

2:15:43that when they would come by they

2:15:45wouldn't touch it because it wasn't over

2:15:47seven inches.

2:15:487 in is kind of tall. We don't have the

2:15:50big lawnmowers. So, if we have to let it

2:15:52grow to 7 in and try to wait to see if

2:15:55somebody's going to cut it, that, you

2:15:57know, that's not going to work. So, and

2:15:59then again, we can't be reimbursed or no

2:16:01money goes to our neighborhood

2:16:02association or to the block unit for

2:16:04doing that. So while we're you know the

2:16:07resolution is there we have to come

2:16:09together and come up with creative ideas

2:16:12on how to address this problem along

2:16:15with uh compensating the people in the

2:16:18neighborhood that's actually doing this

2:16:21because you know I don't want grass

2:16:23that's 7 in and at one time we let it

2:16:25grow all the way up to 2 feet and it

2:16:27still hadn't been cut and they tell you

2:16:30that oh they miss you they'll get you

2:16:32next time. So you know that is not you

2:16:34know that's not going to work.

2:16:37So simply you know you know ma mainly

2:16:41that's it. The resolution has to be

2:16:42passed. We have to look at it. We don't

2:16:45need, I guess, maybe a task force to see

2:16:47what creative ideas that we can come up

2:16:49with to make sure that the lots in our

2:16:51area are maintained and even lowering

2:16:55how tall the grass has got to be before

2:16:58it's, you know, there's something that

2:17:00the city can do to make sure that it's

2:17:02cut.

2:17:04So, that's all I have to say and thank

2:17:06you for your time.

2:17:09>> Thank you.

2:17:11Um, our final speaker.

2:17:17We have another one. Uh, well, the next

2:17:19speaker is Dominica Harden.

2:17:22I'm moving someone else over.

2:17:28Miss Harden, could you please turn your

2:17:29camera on?

2:17:47Okay. User

2:17:49149154,

2:17:52>> could you please turn on your camera and

2:17:55your mic?

2:17:56>> Yep. All right.

2:17:58>> Okay. Can we have your have your name,

2:17:59please?

2:18:00>> I'm Sterling Miller. from the

2:18:02committeeman for the 12th ward and the

2:18:05uh husband of the alder woman.

2:18:11>> Thank you.

2:18:11>> So I've heard her speak.

2:18:15>> Thank you. Do you promise that what

2:18:16you're about to say is the truth, the

2:18:18whole truth, and nothing but

2:18:21>> I do.

2:18:21>> Thank you. You may proceed.

2:18:23>> Yeah. And um I've heard my wife I've

2:18:26been on the phone where she's spo spoken

2:18:28with Allan and Greg many a year many a

2:18:32time over the years. So I appreciate

2:18:35their efforts. Um I was in when you guys

2:18:38did your presentation. I had to step out

2:18:40for a few minutes but I really didn't I

2:18:45mean I I like what you're doing on the

2:18:47geo works and trying to get that out to

2:18:49the public geo mo rather. Um, but I

2:18:53really didn't hear anything

2:18:56that really said that it was going to be

2:18:58better next year. And I heard uh the

2:19:00previous speaker talking about a task

2:19:02force. I do think something like that

2:19:05needs to happen with citizens involved.

2:19:09Um because we need to look at the amount

2:19:11of money it costs to cut lots, what you

2:19:15guys pay, what the private sector pays,

2:19:20what different cities pay per acre or

2:19:24per lot or per square foot so that the

2:19:28citizens can understand what we're

2:19:31investing and are we investing our money

2:19:34reasonably.

2:19:36Um, so those kind of comparisons would

2:19:38be helpful. Um, because you know, trying

2:19:42to get to 80 employees, if you ever got

2:19:44to 80 contract workers, Allan, I think

2:19:48cuz we've never we haven't gotten there

2:19:49in years, it'd be outstanding,

2:19:53but maybe there's I mean, it would make

2:19:55a noticeable difference. If we're only

2:19:56working with 50

2:19:58and if we could go to 80, it would make

2:20:01a considerable difference. But I don't

2:20:03see a plan where we're going to get to

2:20:0480 from our discussion. Um, and and

2:20:09that's why I think we need to be working

2:20:11at cuz we need more people and

2:20:13definitely the L. So when you talked

2:20:16before, Greg and Allen, was LRA included

2:20:20in those 21,000 lots?

2:20:23>> Yes, sir.

2:20:26>> Okay. Okay. All right. That's all lots.

2:20:28Okay. All right. But but that's what I

2:20:32had to say. I just think we need the

2:20:34comparison of what we're spending, what

2:20:36other people are spending, cuz if we and

2:20:39our cost when we contract out, are these

2:20:42contractors taking pictures of what they

2:20:45do and forwarding those to you?

2:20:49Because we're we're we have a lot of

2:20:51back backyards and I hear from citizens

2:20:54too that are not cut and what you said

2:20:57about the reasons they're not cut.

2:20:59There's a fence. And what I heard that

2:21:02was not so subtle from Greg is that you

2:21:06really want the brush cutting back in

2:21:10forestry that you're really hamstrung

2:21:13when we have to make that pass off from

2:21:15foresty to streets. That's a no man's

2:21:18land when you say that. And so I would

2:21:22really support that and I hope my our

2:21:25elected officials would support forestry

2:21:27having their own brush cutting because

2:21:29it's a fine line between it's a tall

2:21:31weed and a brush.

2:21:32>> That's the meal of that

2:21:33>> to have to pass that off

2:21:36>> is is a a big deal. So um that's my

2:21:40comment and uh I hope it gets better and

2:21:43I'm I'm looking forward to it.

2:21:46>> Thank you Mr. Miller.

2:21:50Um, and thank you to everyone who came

2:21:51to testify today.

2:21:53>> Okay, we have one more person. I'm

2:21:55sorry. Bonita, Miss Bonita Jones is our

2:21:59final person.

2:22:00>> Okay,

2:22:02excuse me. I'm getting a text from a

2:22:04Denise Heron saying she's been on since

2:22:079:00 trying to get in.

2:22:10>> I'm sorry, what's her name?

2:22:12>> Denise. H E R R O N.

2:22:17I I see a Denise, but her hand is not

2:22:18raised.

2:22:19>> Her hand is not raised.

2:22:22>> Oh,

2:22:23>> that's why you're not getting called on.

2:22:25Raise your hand.

2:22:30>> Okay, Madam Clerk, make sure we're clear

2:22:32on who these two speakers are because we

2:22:34are going to wrap this up and close it.

2:22:36>> Just make sure we're clear that these

2:22:38will be the last two speakers because we

2:22:39are going to end public testimony after

2:22:41these two speakers. I I try I'm trying

2:22:43to promote Denise Herren over.

2:22:53We can proceed with the other person

2:22:55while you work on that.

2:22:56>> Okay. Miss Miss Herren declined to be

2:22:58promoted to a panelist.

2:23:00>> Okay.

2:23:02>> So, Miss Bonita Jones.

2:23:06>> Yes, I'm here.

2:23:08>> Thank you, Miss Jones. Can you raise

2:23:09your right hand?

2:23:12And do you promise that what you're

2:23:13about to say is the truth, the whole

2:23:14truth, and nothing but

2:23:17>> Yes.

2:23:18>> Thank you. Just state your word of

2:23:20residence and you may proceed.

2:23:23My water resident is 12 the 12th ward

2:23:26and uh I heard that everybody is on here

2:23:28speaking their mind and I figure I would

2:23:31speak my mind. Also, uh I'm also

2:23:33president of the citywide board in St.

2:23:36Louis. I was a former St. was um housing

2:23:39authority commissioner.

2:23:41Now I just want to say I'm voting for

2:23:45Sharon Tyrus and um

2:23:48just to uh comment on how she is and how

2:23:52she work in our community. She has

2:23:55helped us tremendously. Every time I

2:23:58call her um she answered and she works

2:24:02with me very well.

2:24:04um this is not the first time that she's

2:24:06talked about um the grass and um the um

2:24:11solution uh for that situation. So like

2:24:15I said, everyone is talking about uh and

2:24:17speaking their mind, so I'm speaking

2:24:19mine. We do need to get some more grass

2:24:21and um um grass and trees and all of

2:24:27that together. So um that was it. Just

2:24:31want to make sure that we get a solution

2:24:34to this and move forward, not move

2:24:37backwards.

2:24:39Thank you.

2:24:43>> Thank you,

2:24:45Madam Clerk. Was that the final speaker?

2:24:48>> That was the final speaker. Yes.

2:24:50>> Excellent. Um, I believe the only

2:24:53committee members left are myself and

2:24:55Aldwoman Cox and Twi besides Audible

2:24:58Matias.

2:25:01Uh so I will just go back through rest

2:25:02quickly and then we'll go back to the

2:25:04older woman to do her closing. Um so

2:25:07Alderoman Cox is is there anything you

2:25:09want to share or any questions you have?

2:25:14>> Thank you. Alderwoman Tanya is my camera

2:25:17on

2:25:18>> No.

2:25:20>> I turned on my video. I apologize.

2:25:36Okay, I'm having a challenge getting my

2:25:38video back on, alderwoman. Um, but what

2:25:40I will say is I I don't really have any

2:25:41questions. I do want to thank the

2:25:42alderwoman from the 12 for bringing this

2:25:44legislation forward and also for, uh,

2:25:46creating this platform for our city

2:25:48officials. Um, uh, Commissioner

2:25:51Janowski, Commissioner Hayes, um, uh,

2:25:54and the other officials that spoke

2:25:55today. appreciate you all being willing

2:25:57to make a presentation um and share some

2:26:00feedback with the residents and I also

2:26:01want to thank every resident that came

2:26:03out to testify today um and give their

2:26:05thoughts on what's going on on this very

2:26:06important issue. So, thank you all.

2:26:09>> Thank you, Alderwoman. Um you know, I

2:26:12don't have much commentary to add

2:26:14either. I definitely want to thank all

2:26:16the members of the public who came out

2:26:17to join us today. I hope we will, you

2:26:20know, see you at future conversations. I

2:26:21think kind of part of the reason that we

2:26:23have some of the laps that we have is

2:26:24sometimes we get excited in the moment

2:26:26and everyone rallies around it, but

2:26:28we're not necessarily consistently

2:26:29sticking with it. So, I hope this is

2:26:30something that the committee can

2:26:32continue to explore and can continue to

2:26:34create a platform for this conversation.

2:26:36Uh, I always try to do my best to

2:26:38express my appreciation to forestry. I

2:26:40know you guys have more than 20,000

2:26:42vacant properties uh that you're

2:26:43responsible for and that you're at about

2:26:4560% of your seasonal crew uh and still,

2:26:48you know, are just to maintain the

2:26:50backlog, especially with the tornado and

2:26:53a full mowing session at the same time.

2:26:55So, um thank you to forestry for being

2:26:57here. Thank you for responding to the

2:26:59residents. Um Colonial Johnson is not

2:27:01here anymore, but I appreciate him and

2:27:03his team. I think seeing city stat has

2:27:05been great so that there's facts and

2:27:07data to support uh you know what is

2:27:09going on and the lapse of services and

2:27:11we can get to what those gaps are and uh

2:27:13addressing them. I think it's um you

2:27:16know very important that we do

2:27:17everything that we can because I think

2:27:18as other women of 12 is saying you know

2:27:20we know that there are still some great

2:27:22lapses in services. We know that

2:27:24services are not necessarily received

2:27:25the same depending on where you are um

2:27:27in the city. And so you know I don't

2:27:29necessarily have any questions. I just

2:27:31appreciate everyone for coming to the

2:27:33table and I hope that we can maintain

2:27:35the momentum. And with that um I will go

2:27:38to autowoman Tus for a closing.

2:27:42>> Um my madame acting chair, I said at the

2:27:45beginning that I was not going to close

2:27:47because we still have three other people

2:27:49that need to come to the table and that

2:27:51is Sheldon an Shelton Anderson of LRA,

2:27:54the biggest land holder in the city of

2:27:57vacant properties. Uh we want the health

2:27:59director to come and we want the

2:28:01neighbor uh uh let's see uh Leavon Smart

2:28:05the acting commissioner uh of uh ND to

2:28:08come. So what I would like to do is for

2:28:10this uh resolution to be held to give

2:28:12them a time when they can come to renew

2:28:15this uh hearing and then to have a a

2:28:18frank conversation about what we do with

2:28:20this LR property. Is there something we

2:28:22can do to let citizens cut L property?

2:28:25Um, we want to ask I want to talk to uh

2:28:29Citizen Service Bureau because I have

2:28:31gotten so many people that have told me

2:28:34uh they told me don't cut the front. I

2:28:35think that's totally ridiculous. I'm

2:28:37going to cut the front yard if it's next

2:28:39to me. I'm not going to leave it. Um, so

2:28:41we need to ask why that is happening.

2:28:42Also, I've gotten many conversations had

2:28:45many conversations with people who tell

2:28:47me they closed my uh my complaint out.

2:28:52You just talked to my husband. He's one

2:28:54of those people. He said, "Look, I just

2:28:55put this on Sunday and it's closed out

2:28:57on Monday." That's not acceptable. If

2:29:00we're going to find a solution, it's not

2:29:02just going to be with forestry. It's

2:29:04going to be with the uh mayor's office,

2:29:07forestry, uh citizen service, the health

2:29:10department. Um cuz it's trauma when

2:29:13you're living next to all of this. Um

2:29:15you've never seen people so happy. when

2:29:17I'm able to intercede and get some grass

2:29:20cut, they call me crying because some of

2:29:23them have lived next door to a vacant

2:29:24property um for years and years and this

2:29:28is the first time they've seen the

2:29:30backyard cut. So, I want this to be

2:29:32something thorough. I would like to uh

2:29:34correct the person who came on and then

2:29:36left, Marilyn Murl, and I know she lives

2:29:38in the Mark Twain um neighborhood. I

2:29:41have been working on um uh anything

2:29:43about cutting grass for the last 13

2:29:46years. something back. Uh, and Greg

2:29:48Hayes knows that because as I said

2:29:49before, he was the uh, forestry

2:29:51commissioner and I actually rode my

2:29:53award and I would be out saying, "Hey,

2:29:54you didn't cut this." and popping

2:29:56pictures and sending pictures in. And so

2:29:59I will continue to pursue this avenue

2:30:01because it's important. Um, I thought we

2:30:03were going to be able to get a handle on

2:30:05it earlier this year and I did, like I

2:30:07said, I I uh was in support of force,

2:30:11but also took up for them and said we

2:30:12got a lot of rain, but at this point, we

2:30:14got to look at a different way to do it.

2:30:16And so, I'm I'm not asking for the

2:30:18resolution to be passed out. I'm asking

2:30:19for it to be held and then for us to be

2:30:21able to uh pick it back up when we know

2:30:23when those other three people can come

2:30:25and we can continue this conversation

2:30:27because it's holistic. It is not just

2:30:29one part. It's a a a piece of the pie,

2:30:32but we need all of the pie. And I want

2:30:33to thank everyone who came out. And I

2:30:35want to especially thank Alan Jeff

2:30:37Takowski, who I talked to often, and uh

2:30:39director uh Greg Hayes, who I also

2:30:42called and and I support them. And I

2:30:45hope that come what comes out of this is

2:30:47we hire some more full-time people for

2:30:49them because that will make a

2:30:50difference. And I want to say even

2:30:52though we didn't address it, it also

2:30:53would help for because they also cut

2:30:55trees. And so a lot of South St. Louis

2:30:58had the problem of the trees. I'm one of

2:31:01the few North St. Louis wards. I've

2:31:02planted about 9,000 trees cuz I'm a tree

2:31:04hugger. But we also need to be able to

2:31:06uh to uh trim our trees back. So, if we

2:31:10have more staff, we can do other things.

2:31:12It's not just cutting grass. Forestry

2:31:14does a lot of wonder

2:31:25says he needs from me. I'll always put

2:31:27that money.

2:31:37>> Um, I think you froze.

2:31:40>> Yeah.

2:31:43>> Resolution B.

2:31:46>> Okay. Um, per the request of the

2:31:48sponsor, we will place it on place the

2:31:52place the resolution on hold for now.

2:31:55Um,

2:32:01>> okay. Madame Clerk, do we have any

2:32:03written testimony?

2:32:05>> We have none.

2:32:06>> Thank you. Uh, do we have any

2:32:08announcements from any committee

2:32:09members?

2:32:15Okay, seeing none, um, I make a motion

2:32:18to adjurnn.

2:32:20>> Second.

2:32:23And are we okay with previous role?

2:32:25>> Previous role.

2:32:28>> All right. Thank you. We are journed.

2:32:30>> Thank you folks.