2026-10-21 - Public Infrastructure & Utilities Committee
Summary
Based on auto-generated captions (about 1h48m; the first 11 minutes are mostly silence and the real session begins at 11:34). Names, ward numbers and figures may be misheard, and several aldermen are captioned inconsistently. Captions cover the whole meeting, with no recess or closed session.
Time on topic (from transcript timestamps; approximate, includes side talk):
| Topic | Minutes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Transportation Transition | 49 | 51% |
| St. Louis Works Street Improvement Fund (BB 78) | 24 | 25% |
| Street Condition Assessment Pilot | 7 | 7% |
| Sidewalk Repair Program Reform | 7 | 7% |
| Utility Work Coordination on Paved Streets | 5 | 5% |
| Neighborhood Traffic Calming System (BB 75) | 2 | 2% |
| Other business | 2 | 2% |
- Wednesday, October 21, 2026, Public Infrastructure and Utilities Committee, called to order at about 3:33 p.m. with Alderman Browning (9th Ward) as chair.
- Present: Alderwoman Boyd (13th Ward), Alderwoman Clark-Hubbard (captioned "Caracappa" in places), Vice Chair Sweitzer (1st Ward; spelling varies in the captions), Alderman DeVore (5th Ward) and Browning.
- Alderwoman Coaxum (8th Ward) was absent and excused.
- Adjourned by voice with no objection at about 1:46:52.
- The meeting was a single briefing: no board bills or resolutions were up for review.
Department of Transportation Transition
13:08-29:47, 32:11-42:00, 52:21-53:38, 1:08:40-1:19:05, 1:35:46-1:46:30
- The chair opened by noting voters approved the move from a streets department to a Department of Transportation (DOT) in November 2024 by almost 90 percent. Caitlyn Smith (policy advisor to the mayor) and Director Jackson (Streets Director) presented a first draft. Planner Scott Ogilvie and Rich Bradley (president of the Board of Public Service, BPS) were present for questions.
- Why: the streets department maintains, repairs and cleans streets (potholes, local resurfacing, refuse, towing, traffic). The DOT would also plan and manage the whole network for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers, with a five-year plan. The city has over 4,100 lane miles of streets; the Transportation and Mobility Plan, adopted November 2025, covers about 1,900 miles (arterials and secondaries).
- Draft mission: a safe, reliable and sustainable transportation network, with safety first. Presenters stressed that none of the organization chart is set in stone.
- Timeline as presented: pass the St. Louis Works bill next quarter; fund the first two to four DOT positions in the second quarter of 2027 (about three bureau chiefs to staff three new divisions); roughly three more positions to request for FY2028; full transition later. Bradley referred to July 1, 2029. The streets building is nearly full, so space would need to be created or a new building considered.
- Draft divisions: director's office, refuse, towing and maintenance, and a new planning, engineering and project delivery division (major projects, bridges, multimodal transit, sidewalk improvement and an ADA coordinator, traffic calming and quick build, and a public engagement team of two or three people). That planning and engineering work is now done through BPS.
- Cost and staffing: asked for a cost estimate, Jackson said a number is hard to give; few new hires are planned and most positions would be absorbed from BPS and planning. Bradley, whose department is about 67 percent staffed, expects to move about five transportation positions (chief bridge engineer, grant manager, federal compliance manager and a ward capital liaison) and said BPS will keep supporting grants and mentoring "until they say we're good to fly out of the nest", with no sudden hand-off. Federal grants already in progress stay with BPS.
- Jobs and pay: the chair asked for assurance that no existing streets positions are eliminated; Jackson said staff have been told this is an enhancement. The chief human resources officer is reviewing pay scales, and the chair said streets workers have been left behind in past pay reviews.
- Vice Chair Sweitzer asked how the DOT, BPS and planning would overlap (Jackson: "that's where the sausage is going to be made") and whether BPS keeps working with contractors (yes, likely). DeVore confirmed that planning and engineering would move from BPS into the DOT.
- Public comment: one 11th Ward resident asked how the draft chart includes public and disability voices; the chair pointed to the public engagement team and the ADA coordinator position, and Smith said whether the ADA coordinator belongs here or in the Office on the Disabled is still under discussion. An unnamed alderwoman said residents in her ward's pilot did not follow the changes and asked that outreach explain "where it was and where it's trying to be". Jackson offered to attend town halls and neighborhood meetings at any alderperson's request.
- Closing: the chair thanked the presenters and said the change must be "more than a name change". No vote was taken.
St. Louis Works Street Improvement Fund (BB 78)
29:47-30:46, 42:00-45:38, 46:44-47:36, 53:38-1:03:00, 1:06:28-1:08:40, 1:28:34-1:35:46
- The presenters listed funding as the first key gap: the St. Louis Works bill, possible ward capital reallocation, more parking revenue, a future gas tax (not now, given gas prices) and a rideshare tax that would need a change in state law.
- Vice Chair Sweitzer said the bill has been hard to move because of concerns about how the money is managed, and asked how trust would be built. Jackson and Smith said the DOT would recommend projects from condition data, St. Louis Works stays inside the annual budget process (DOT to the Complete Streets Committee, then the Capital Committee), and aldermen would still decide which projects to fund. Sweitzer said she was less willing to give up control when her ward has no assessment yet, and supported parking revenue and a gas tax as funding options.
- DeVore (5th Ward) went through the numbers with Smith: each ward received an equal $270,000 this year, which is about half of the roughly $6 million raised; the rest is split among the streets department (about one paving team of around six people), BPS (an engineer and equipment services positions) and forestry (about $250,000 a year, saved over two years for equipment). He said the pushback from aldermen comes down to distrust: funds expected for certain projects were not spent as hoped. Jackson answered that he responds to every request, and that a paved street can be left incomplete because the city is waiting on utility work.
- DeVore asked for a system that works no matter who the director or alderman is, and told a story of a former alderman choosing streets by how much coffee spilled while driving. Jackson and Smith said the answer is objective condition data, with a recommendation from professionals and the final decision with aldermen.
- Residential paving funding: Smith said it is mostly ward capital now and could become citywide if other funding bills pass. DeVore said aldermen must decide how much control they will cede to the DOT. The streets department's budget this year was given as about $46 million.
- Chair Browning argued for centralizing funding: aldermen who save ward capital for years risk losing the money if they are not re-elected, while a central department could provide matching funds for federal and state grants (he cited Lindell Boulevard and Chouteau redesigns). He asked that the condition data be made public, said St. Louis Works plus ward capital will not be enough, and urged colleagues to stay open to parking revenue. Jackson said the funding mechanism is the Board's decision and the DOT will administer what it is told to do.
Street Condition Assessment Pilot
45:38-46:44, 1:03:00-1:06:28, 1:19:05-1:21:40
- A pilot is producing street condition scores for two wards (the 6th and 13th, per the discussion), about 200 lane miles in total. Jackson said a contractor uses LiDAR, rates streets from 0 (needs reconstruction) to 100 (newly paved), reports the share of each ward below 40, 40 to 60 and 60 to 80, and can generate a five-year maintenance plan. The data could also support an asset inventory the chief operating officer is building.
- The city is talking to five more alderpersons and hopes to complete their assessments by February, for seven wards in all. Each assessment costs the ward about $10,000 regardless of ward size, paid by the alderperson during the pilot. Once the whole city is assessed, it would be reassessed at least every two years, and the DOT would later propose how to pay for it.
- Vice Chair Sweitzer, whose ward is not on the list, said that makes her less willing to hand over control; the chair asked that the data be public.
Sidewalk Repair Program Reform
30:46-32:11, 47:36-52:21, 1:29:04-1:29:57
- Smith called the 50/50 cost-share sidewalk program (created in the 1960s) broken and said there is broad agreement to move to a block-by-block approach run centrally; one common funding model is a property assessment, which at current spending levels would be roughly $20 to $40 per property. Open questions include commercial property and downtown vaulted sidewalks.
- Vice Chair Sweitzer asked to use her own sidewalk dollars to pay 100 percent instead of 50 percent, and said her ward has over $500,000 in sidewalk money available, and that she doubts the federal pandemic-relief sidewalk work shrank the backlog as promised. Jackson said leadership was put in place, over 600 of about 4,000 backlogged requests were cleared in five or six weeks (many were duplicates or ineligible), and contractors are expected by early 2027. Staff said aldermen can already pay the other half through ward capital, not St. Louis Works.
- DeVore said the city has a non-delegable duty to repair sidewalks in its right of way, so work should be done immediately whenever a resident offers to chip in. The chair described the same pattern of a backlog reappearing after he thought his ward was caught up.
Utility Work Coordination on Paved Streets
1:21:40-1:26:36
- The chair described a recently repaved stretch of Manchester through The Grove cut open within a week for a new building's utility connections, and improper concrete patches on King's Highway, which was paved with federal pandemic-relief funds. He said the city's utility coordination ordinance exists but is not always followed, and asked for a future meeting on how permits are issued and timed.
- Jackson said the mayor's "one dig" policy is meant to prevent this; three major utilities have shared their plans, with some others not yet, and focus is turning to 2027. The chair said Spire had left about 40 holes in two residential blocks in his ward without repaving and asked how the city can hold large utilities accountable, suggesting a block with that many cuts should be fully repaved.
Neighborhood Traffic Calming System (BB 75)
1:26:36-1:28:34
- The chair asked whether the DOT would do "quick build" traffic calming, temporary installations that improve safety quickly and test a design before it is made permanent. Jackson said yes and that a Gravois project requested by an alderwoman (name not caught) will see devices installed within a couple of weeks. The chair called Gravois one of the most dangerous roads in the city. BB 75, which passed in October, is cited as step one of the DOT effort.
Other business
11:34-13:08, 1:46:30-1:46:52
- Quorum established with five members present; minutes of October 14 approved 5 yes by roll call.
- No board bills or resolutions for review, no written testimony and no one signed up to testify in advance. No announcements; the motion to adjourn was moved, seconded and carried by voice.
Sources
Video
Transcript
These are auto-generated captions; names and numbers may be misheard.
Transcript
01:59Mhm.
03:54>> Mhm.
05:49>> Mhm.
09:39>> Mhm.
11:34>> Good afternoon. It is Wednesday, October
11:3721st. This is the public infrastructure
11:39and utilities committee meeting. It is
11:413:33 p.m. Madam Clerk, please call roll.
11:46>> Alderwoman Boyd.
11:49>> Present.
11:51>> Alderwoman Clark-Hubbard.
11:53>> Here.
11:54>> Vice Chair Sweitzer.
11:56>> Present.
11:57>> Alderman DeVore.
11:59>> Here.
12:00>> Alderwoman Coaxum and T'ouhy.
12:03Chair Browning.
12:05>> Present.
12:06>> Alderwoman Coaxum and T'ouhy.
12:09Five present, we have quorum.
12:12>> Thank you. With that, we'll move on to
12:14approval of the minutes. I'll accept a
12:15motion to approve the minutes from
12:17Wednesday, October 14th, 2026.
12:21>> So moved.
12:22>> Second.
12:23>> Moved by the alderman from the fifth,
12:24seconded by the alderwoman from the
12:26first. Madam Clerk, please call roll.
12:30>> Alderwoman Boyd.
12:38Alderwoman Clark-Hubbard.
12:39>> Present.
12:40I mean I I'm sorry. I.
12:42>> Thank you. Alderwoman Clark-Hubbard.
12:45>> I.
12:46>> Vice Chair Sweitzer.
12:47>> I.
12:48>> Alderman DeVore.
12:50>> I.
12:51>> Alderwoman Coaxum and T'ouhy.
12:53Chair Browning.
12:54>> I.
12:55>> Alderwoman Coaxum and T'ouhy.
12:58Five aye votes.
12:59>> Thank you. With that, the minutes are
13:01approved. We'll move on in the agenda.
13:03We have no board bills for review today,
13:05no resolutions for review. We have one
13:08item under committee discussions, which
13:10is item number one.
13:11Uh this will be an update on the
13:13transition to the Department of
13:14Transportation. We have uh Caitlyn Smith
13:17uh from the mayor's office and Director
13:20Jackson from the streets department uh
13:22here today. And uh before we get
13:25started, just going to say I'm very
13:26excited to hear this presentation. First
13:29update on this transition which voters
13:32approved in November of 2024 by almost
13:3590% on the ballot. Uh so this is clearly
13:38something that the city is ready for. We
13:40believe that this is crucial to keeping
13:42our residents, investors safe as they
13:45move about our city and making sure that
13:48everybody can get around our city no
13:49matter how they're choosing to get
13:50around. So with that, I'm Caitlyn Smith.
13:55You are recognized. I've I've already
13:57introduced you, but if you'd like to
13:58introduce yourself and uh get into this
14:01presentation of yours, uh
14:02you're now able to do so.
14:05>> Hello board. Um my name is Caitlyn
14:08Smith. I am the policy advisor to the
14:10mayor. We also have Director Jackson
14:12here. Uh he and I will be doing this
14:14presentation jointly and then after the
14:16presentation, we will also have Scott
14:18Ogilvie and then Rich Bradley um to
14:21answer questions. Um I'm going to get
14:24started. Um Director Jackson, do you
14:25want to introduce yourself?
14:27>> Sure.
14:27>> Okay.
14:30>> Good afternoon members of the board.
14:31Mis- um
14:33Chair, uh James Jackson, Streets
14:34Director, uh City of St. Louis.
14:38>> Great. I'll start off that um like
14:42Alderman Browning said, this was passed
14:44in November of 2024.
14:46Um and then when I joined the mayor's
14:49office about a year ago, um I was
14:52instructed to create a Department of
14:54Transportation um task force or
14:57transition task force as well as a TMP
15:00uh implementation task force. Um those
15:03on kind of both of them, we go a little
15:06back and forth between them,
15:08uh is Director Jackson, uh President
15:11Bradley, Chief Operating Officer Ben
15:13Johnson, Transportation Planner Scott
15:15Ogilvie, Bike and Ped Coordinator Kyle
15:18Nelson, and then me.
15:23Our agenda for today, we're going to
15:24talk about the streets department today.
15:27Why
15:29moving to a department of transportation
15:31really quickly. Then we'll go through
15:33our draft mission statement, the
15:36timeline we are looking at for the
15:38transition, some of the key areas that
15:40we're focusing on that we know need
15:42vision. The organization chart very
15:46early organization chart ideas.
15:49None of this is set in stone. This is
15:52our thoughts at this point for the
15:55department of transportation. Then we'll
15:57open up for questions.
15:59Next slide.
16:01So, we are moving from a street
16:04department to a department of
16:05transportation with the overall goal of
16:09moving currently with the street
16:11department with the current model of
16:13their job is to maintain, repair, and
16:16clean our streets.
16:18And we are moving to a more holistic
16:20approach of planning and managing the
16:22transportation network, thinking more
16:24holistically about pedestrians and
16:27bicyclists, and planning further out,
16:31having a five-year transportation plan.
16:34And I will now pass it over to
16:36Jackson to talk about this a bit.
16:37>> Great. Thank you, Caitlin.
16:39Again, buddy, good afternoon.
16:42What
16:43Ms. Smith is actually speaking to here
16:46in this transition is a more holistic
16:48approach
16:50to how the city actually manages its
16:52transportation activity.
16:55We want to be multimodal. You're going
16:57to see that in a number of different
16:58things that are happening right now.
16:59Just yesterday, we had a conversation
17:01with
17:03What is it? Bi-
17:05Bi-State. Talking about bus rapid
17:08transit. We're doing a lot of different
17:10things in this city, and it all needs to
17:12come under the same umbrella. Right now
17:14in our streets department, what we
17:16primarily do is we basically fill
17:20potholes and we do some local
17:23re-resurfacing.
17:24When you look at the city overall, we we
17:27have over 4,100 lane miles of streets.
17:29The Transportation and Mobility Plan,
17:31which was actually adopted back in
17:33November of 2025, did an excellent job.
17:36Scott Ogilvie and his crew over in
17:38planning put together an excellent plan
17:41based around safety, but it only speaks
17:43to about 1,900 miles of the city's total
17:464,100.
17:48The rest of those miles actually fall
17:50back to the Streets Department under the
17:52current pro- process. What we're doing
17:56here is we're bringing all of this under
17:58one umbrella, so that we have synergies,
18:00we have the ability to actually
18:03collaborate with the planning and the
18:05permitting and the right-of-way
18:07accessibility, as well as other ideas
18:11and activities that take place in the
18:13transportation realm, alongside
18:16pothole patching and yes, local
18:18resurfacing, which there will still be
18:20some. And what you're going to come to
18:22see as we have this discussion is of the
18:25total 4,100 miles, 1,900 miles of it has
18:29been planned
18:30very well. The other 1,900 we are still
18:33working to complete and the pilot
18:36program that we have underway is going
18:39to be the the mainstay in actually doing
18:42that, because it's going to provide you
18:44with information that you currently do
18:46not have about the condition of your
18:49streets in your wards.
18:51And we
18:53were very successful in a meeting that
18:55we had yesterday with the two pilot
18:57wards.
18:58They saw the
18:59results of the the the process.
19:03They want to actually move further into
19:06this. We're currently talking to another
19:09five, I believe, out of seven
19:11alderpersons who are interested in this
19:13and we're very comfortable with the idea
19:16that once you see exactly what it is
19:18that we'll be able to provide with to
19:20you and the data that we'll be able to
19:21provide to you, you'll be able to see
19:24how bringing that piece together along
19:26with the
19:28the uh
19:29transportation and mobility plan for the
19:321,900 miles will actually begin to
19:34create the synergies and most
19:36importantly for you
19:38the accountabilities uh within the
19:40department
19:41so that you can begin to hold the
19:43department as a whole accountable for
19:45the activities for which we are
19:47responsible by ordinance and resolution.
19:53Okay.
19:55And further to that, next slide.
19:57Just to give you an idea of what we're
19:59talking about, um
20:01could we go to the next slide, please?
20:04When you look at our current makeup, uh
20:06what you see here are four distinct uh
20:09divisions within the current uh city's
20:12uh street uh department. Uh those
20:15consist of towing
20:17uh refuse uh traffic and uh street
20:21maintenance.
20:22There is nothing in there at present
20:25about planning and or uh major street uh
20:29planning and or uh any of those other
20:32activities that you're going to see in
20:33the uh forthcoming slides and that is
20:36what uh
20:37bringing this department up to speed is
20:41going to be all about is putting all of
20:43those under the same umbrella so that we
20:45will be having one conversation about
20:48overall transportation citywide.
20:51Next slide.
20:56I'm not sure.
20:59>> Next slide.
21:00This here is our draft mission
21:02statement. I'll just read it out really
21:04quickly for those that are online to
21:06deliver a safe, reliable, and
21:08sustainable transportation network
21:09through strategic leadership, innovative
21:11planning, rigorous engineering, and
21:13year-round maintenance that connects our
21:15community, enhances quality of life. The
21:18two most important things that I see in
21:20this are first that safety is
21:23first. Safety is what is the primary
21:27goal, making sure that everyone is safe
21:29whether they're driving or biking or
21:31walking through our city. And then
21:33lastly, that this all connects at the
21:35end to the community the people that
21:38live here. It's about creating community
21:40so that people can walk outside their
21:42house and talk to neighbors and
21:44enhancing that daily quality of life.
21:47Next slide.
21:50Here is our general timeline of the
21:54transition.
21:55Right now, we're presenting to you guys
21:57and we have our first draft of an
21:59organizational structure.
22:01In the next quarter, we hope to pass the
22:04St. Louis Works Board Bill by Alderman
22:06Devoy.
22:07And then we already have passed, yay,
22:09we're already slightly there, the
22:11traffic calming board bill which was
22:13sponsored by Alderman Browning.
22:15And then in Q2 of 2027, this is the next
22:19fiscal year, the goal is to fund the
22:21first round of new Department of
22:23Transportation positions. This looks
22:25like two to four positions funding
22:28here that are would be like the overall
22:32planners of this department, thinking
22:34through, getting ready as we increase
22:37the personnel, um
22:39getting a little hands-on experience so
22:41we're not just like guessing on what
22:42needs to happen.
22:44As well as
22:46if you're going to be adding additional
22:49employees,
22:51you need space for that. Currently, the
22:53Streets Department is basically at
22:55capacity. There's like two open spots in
22:57the entire department, so that won't be
22:59enough space. So we would have to create
23:01additional space
23:03um in the building
23:05um
23:06that is the method we're thinking of
23:08right now. Another option would be
23:10building a new building. Um I'm going to
23:12have the uh Director Jackson talk a
23:14little bit about the bureau chiefs.
23:20>> Okay, folks. As far as the bureau chiefs
23:22are concerned, we're looking at uh for
23:24second quarter 2027
23:27um identifying at least three uh new
23:29hires that we will bring on board uh
23:31that will be key uh to actually staffing
23:35uh the three new divisions uh that
23:37you're going to see come up on the org
23:39chart here and brief moment. Can we move
23:42to the next slide?
23:43>> Yeah.
23:43>> Sure.
23:45>> I think it's this one.
23:46>> Okay.
23:47>> Oh, two more slides?
23:49>> Yeah.
23:51Okay. When you look at uh the
23:53composition of the department uh as the
23:56transportation
23:57department stands up, we're going to
23:59have uh the director's office uh out of
24:01which there are currently activities
24:02that will remain as well as some
24:05additional activities that will be
24:07assumed as a result of bringing on board
24:09uh the planning and major projects as
24:12well as uh other um but
24:15pedestrian type activities are
24:16concerned, we will continue to uh be
24:19responsible for the refuse as well as
24:21the maintenance local maintenance of the
24:23city streets and the towing operation.
24:26And then you will have uh the planning
24:28engineering and uh the uh project
24:31delivery um aspects uh as you see it
24:34there. And that's where we're going to
24:36be focusing on at
24:37>> Mr. Jackson, could you speak in the mic
24:39a little
24:40more for us?
24:40>> Uh yes, ma'am. Is that better?
24:43Okay, as I was referencing uh the final
24:46um
24:47division is uh that for planning
24:49engineering um project develop and
24:51delivery. Um that's where we're going to
24:54uh place the primary uh focus of our
24:58development on so that we can actually
25:00begin building that out. So, we're going
25:01to have about three positions that we're
25:03going to come to
25:06you as a body and ask you to approve for
25:092028.
25:13Yeah, FY2028.
25:15And they will begin actually fleshing
25:18out on what those divisions are going to
25:20look like. Could you move to the next
25:21slide, please?
25:28As you can see here,
25:30in the planning and engineering section,
25:33you've got
25:34major projects, bridge,
25:36multimodal transit,
25:39support for various number of activities
25:42that are identified here as well as what
25:44will be identified in the follow-on
25:47slide. And these are the kinds of
25:49activities that currently take place,
25:51but they take place outside of the realm
25:54of the streets department. What we will
25:56be doing is bringing them into the
25:58department so that we are
26:01in sync, if you will, with the activity
26:03that's going on as far as street-related
26:06maintenance and or planning is
26:07concerned. And as we begin to bring our
26:11recommendations as well as
26:14um
26:15project
26:16proposals to you, we'll be able to do it
26:19out of a more unified perspective as
26:21opposed to it coming from one portfolio
26:24and then you having to go back to
26:25streets and ask streets about its
26:27position or considerations. It'll all be
26:30coming out of the same department.
26:32Um then moving further, did they move to
26:35the next slide?
26:37Okay. Then going into major projects,
26:40you can see here
26:41where we even have to develop those
26:44major projects. When we talk about major
26:46projects, we're talking about those
26:47arterials and
26:49those secondaries, about 1,900 miles of
26:52streets,
26:53which again, the transportation and
26:54mobility plan did an excellent job of
26:56identifying when it was actually
26:59ratified back in 2025. And it is a
27:03living document, so it will be continued
27:05to be updated. But what this will do for
27:08us is as we identify those projects, we
27:10will be able to actually come back to
27:12you and say for instance there's
27:14something that you have a consideration
27:16of, you have one source or one point of
27:19contact that you can come back to and
27:21either through PIU or directly to the
27:24department, you can have that
27:26conversation.
27:28Next slide, please.
27:30Uh well, that concludes uh
27:33Did I skip one?
27:35Could you go back one, please?
27:40This one?
27:41Okay, and that is the
27:43multimodal transit. Okay, and yeah,
27:45again, based on meetings that we were
27:47having yesterday, uh this is going to be
27:49a key component uh to the city as well
27:52because it's also going to expand the
27:53responsibility across the board of what
27:56we currently are responsible for in
27:57terms of street maintenance, major
27:59projects in terms of street maintenance,
28:01um things like um winter maintenance
28:03operations, um which we were having
28:05discussions about yesterday, as well as
28:06even
28:07um local maintenance, pothole filling,
28:09and traffic
28:11traffic signal um
28:13uh concerns uh that we were talking
28:15about yesterday. These are the kinds of
28:17things that we will have internal to the
28:18department. And uh we'll be able to have
28:22direct line of sight on as we move into
28:25the department's full-fledged operation.
28:33>> Um I think it's back four three slides.
28:37Go back to the timeline real quick and
28:38I'll just hit the that one and then the
28:41slide after and then we'll be good.
28:43Perfect. So, um
28:45uh
28:47Director Jackson covered uh what the
28:48organizational chart will look at like
28:51um at the end. Um, but basically we'll
28:54be adding on some positions, you know,
28:56two to four in this next next year and
28:59then two to four the year after and then
29:00it'll officially transition and we'll
29:02add several more positions. Um
29:06doing this slow transition to bring
29:08along uh make sure that uh everyone in
29:10the streets department and uh
29:13any positions that are moving from one
29:15department to another are being
29:17integrated well and able to do this so
29:20that way we're not losing any projects
29:21throughout this. We're every year we're
29:23applying to um grants to the federal
29:26government for our streets and we don't
29:27want to like miss a year or two because
29:30of this transition.
29:31Uh BPS will continue to hold those
29:33grants through the entirety of the
29:35project and they've already committed to
29:37that. So, if they apply to a grant this
29:39year, even though it might take six
29:40years and so it's going in
29:42they'll make sure it goes all the way
29:43through.
29:45Next slide.
29:47Here are the key areas that we're
29:48focusing on that we know need a lot of
29:51revision. Um
29:53number one is funding. Um you can't fund
29:57all of these uh positions to do the
29:59engineering and planning um or the uh
30:03actual paving and um
30:05traffic calming onto the streets without
30:08additional funding. Um this looks like
30:10the St. Louis Works bill that has
30:12already been introduced. Uh potential of
30:15word capital reallocation, um more
30:18parking funds coming to the city. Um
30:21definitely not right now, um but in the
30:24future uh there's always we have as a
30:27city uh
30:28ability to do an additional gas tax. Um
30:32now is not the time for that with the
30:33price of gas and then another uh
30:37possibility is a ride share tax which
30:39would require a state uh change in state
30:41law because right now uh there's state
30:43law prohibiting any right share taxes.
30:46The other second big uh area is the
30:50sidewalk system. We all know 50/50
30:52system is broken. It was created in the
30:54'60s, which before that it was 100% the
30:59uh
30:59property owner's responsibility. And
31:01then we moved to 50/50, and now I think
31:03we're moving to a system where it needs
31:06to be happening by a more centralized
31:08force, because if
31:10the next-door neighbor
31:12doesn't have a repaired sidewalk, the
31:14entire block is inaccessible for someone
31:16who uses a mobility device. And um
31:20or just nicely walking down the street
31:23and trying to not twist our ankles.
31:25Um but there's still a lot of questions
31:28on that. Um overall, there seems to be
31:30agreement to move to away from 50/50
31:32system and to a block-by-block system,
31:34but there's a lot of questions on that.
31:36What does that funding structure look
31:37like? One of the most common right now
31:39across the cities uh in
31:42the United States is to do a uh property
31:46tax assessment. Uh in St. Louis, if it
31:48was current funding levels, it would be
31:50somewhere between 20 to 40 dollars per
31:52property. Um
31:54but
31:55when to do that? Um do you include
31:58commercial in that, or does commercial
31:59stay in the 50/50 program? Um do you
32:02include downtown, because downtown has
32:04vaulted sidewalks, so they're much more
32:05expensive, or having a separate fee for
32:08downtown that's more expensive? Lots of
32:11nitty-gritty questions to get into
32:12there. And then lastly, the important
32:15thing is that experts are the ones
32:17making the decisions, not political
32:19officials, not someone just randomly
32:22deciding. This goes through the
32:24neighborhood traffic calming board bill.
32:26This was step one. Um thank you again,
32:28Alderman Browning, for passing that
32:30board bill
32:31um to make sure that neighborhood
32:33traffic calming is happening by the
32:34experts. Experts are helping make the
32:36decisions on what the traffic calming
32:38looks like. We're not just putting in
32:39speed humps because that is the only
32:41mechanism we have. We have more
32:44opportunities.
32:45That looks like a map of transportation
32:48priorities. Right now, we have a draft
32:50of those transportation priorities, but
32:52that
32:53needs to go through the Complete Streets
32:55Committee and then to the Capital
32:56Committee. So, this is our first draft,
32:58but it's the first time we've had a
33:00draft of a map of what streets may be
33:04paved in the next 5-ish years in
33:08at least recent memory.
33:10And then lastly, making sure that as a
33:12city we are focusing on the most
33:14dangerous streets and intersections, not
33:18just what is decided in that moment
33:22for whatever reason. Right now, most of
33:23the funding is controlled by older
33:25people, so
33:26um
33:27there might be different reasons why
33:29streets are paved
33:31that might not have the priority on what
33:33is the most dangerous street. Okay.
33:36That is all. We can probably leave the
33:39presentation up because I'm sure there's
33:40going to be questions.
33:42But go ahead.
33:43Go ahead. Yeah.
33:44>> Um
33:46what what uh Ms. Smith was alluding to
33:48by the experts making the decisions, we
33:50want to be very clear.
33:52We don't know how often in the past we
33:54have made ourselves available to you to
33:56come out to your town halls, to come out
33:57to your neighborhood association
33:59meetings, but that is one of the things
34:01that we're responsible for and very
34:03willing to do
34:04is to come out to share with you the
34:06rationale and the reasoning behind the
34:07decision-making
34:09that is occurring as well as to provide
34:12you with sound data
34:14that supports the activity that we're
34:17recommending.
34:24>> Excellent. Well, thank you so much.
34:26There's a lot to chew on in this
34:28presentation
34:29and I think a lot of good things.
34:32My my initial reaction is just gratitude
34:35that
34:36the mayor's office and you Director
34:39Jackson who came on to our city
34:42relatively recently and we really
34:44appreciate your presence here because
34:46you came with experience from other
34:48cities and looking at this plan it shows
34:51that you came with extensive knowledge
34:53about how we can best make our systems
34:56work for our residents. I have a lot of
34:59questions but I'm going to go through my
35:01committee first to see what questions
35:03they have cuz I imagine they might have
35:05some as well. So we'll start with
35:07Alderwoman Boyd.
35:09>> No questions. Thank you Mr. Jackson.
35:13>> Alderwoman Caracappa.
35:17>> I don't have any questions. I just want
35:19to thank Director Jackson for being here
35:21for
35:22policy director Smith for all the work
35:24that she continues to do and I'm looking
35:27forward to getting through this
35:29this part of the process as we're going
35:30through this. If I have any questions
35:31I'll reach back out and I would I guess
35:34I do have one question for the people
35:35ask especially if they've seen this uh
35:38this
35:39this meeting rather.
35:41Is there an opportunity for you all to
35:42come out in community or should we just
35:44share this in community from here this
35:46way or do you have handouts?
35:48>> Yes ma'am. We we are willing to come out
35:51at your request.
35:54>> Okay and what's the good timeline for
35:55that? Would you like to wait till after
35:57the holidays or somebody requests during
36:00the end of the year before we
36:02break? What do you what do you think
36:03would be best for us to
36:05>> No ma'am. You're the elected. We're
36:07we're at your [laughter] request.
36:10You you requested it and we will find a
36:13schedule.
36:15>> Thank you Director Jackson.
36:16>> Yes ma'am.
36:17>> Thank you Mr. Jackson.
36:20>> Alderwoman Choycer.
36:21>> Thank you so much for coming out today
36:23and for these
36:24It is on. It is green. Can you hear me?
36:27Okay.
36:28Um
36:29thank you so much for coming out today
36:30and sharing this. This is obviously a
36:31tremendous amount of work to completely
36:34redesign an apartment, to start from
36:35scratch. Uh
36:37Okay. I think I'm may or may not be
36:39being heard.
36:40Thank you. Oh, there we go. Thank you,
36:42Chairman Browning. Um so, thank you
36:44again for coming. This is a big
36:45undertaking. Clearly, a lot of work has
36:47already gone
36:49I'm looking I'll start with the
36:51organizational chart. Um obviously, on
36:54the current organizational chart,
36:56there's a lot of on-the-ground workers
36:58mentioned. Um people who were doing
37:01utility work, people who were um
37:05uh operating equipment. And then those
37:06positions disappear on the
37:09on the further chart. Is that because
37:12you're assuming that those positions all
37:14move over, or are they not included?
37:17>> Uh no, ma'am. If you look at the the
37:19revised chart, uh they actually are
37:21absorbed. Uh for instance, the refuse is
37:23absorbed into the refuse division, uh
37:26the towing is absorbed into the towing
37:28division, the maintenance activity is uh
37:31actually that's where the traffic and
37:33current street maintenance is also
37:34absorbed into that division.
37:36>> So, all of those positions that are
37:37currently in the chart, which is over,
37:39and be part of this new chart as well.
37:42Okay.
37:42>> Yes, ma'am.
37:43>> Um I appreciate that. It wasn't clear to
37:45me that that was the plan, but obviously
37:47that would need to be um
37:50when terms of the overlap of what
37:53happens between
37:55uh
37:56the office of planning and urban design,
37:58or agency other, or the Board of Public
38:01Service and the Streets Department, um
38:04there's so much overlap in terms of the
38:06responsibilities, in terms of where the
38:09work happens. Uh but the the Department
38:12of Transportation is supposed to be kind
38:14of pulling those different threads and
38:16bringing things together. Um how is that
38:18planning process going, and how do you
38:20anticipate
38:22um
38:23uh
38:24the departments to be able to work
38:26together?
38:27>> Alderwoman, that's where the sausage is
38:29going to be made.
38:30>> Right.
38:30>> Uh right now as uh uh Ms. Smith shared
38:33with you, uh the Board of Public
38:35Services has agreed that those
38:36activities that they're currently
38:38undertaking and responsible for, they're
38:40going to maintain until such time as we
38:43get our legs underneath us uh as a
38:45department and continue to support us
38:48even as those uh positions and those
38:51sections are being filled in, uh they
38:54will be running right alongside us to
38:55ensure that we don't lose any
38:58uh potential federal or state funding,
39:01as well as uh to maintain
39:03uh a a a plan to move forward
39:09uh for approval by your body.
39:11>> Are there estimates of how much more
39:12this department will cost the city than
39:15the current streets department?
39:18>> That's going to be uh
39:20a hard number to actually come across.
39:22What we can share with you is they're
39:24going to be minimal um additional staff
39:28uh to come on board. When we say
39:30um in the second quarter of 2027, we're
39:32going to make a recommendation, we're
39:34only going to be looking at about three
39:35or four positions at that time. And the
39:38follow-on from that point, uh the
39:40subsequent fiscal year, will probably be
39:42another three or four positions. And
39:44then the majority of the positions are
39:46likely going to come from uh within the
39:48Board of Public Services, as well as the
39:51planning uh sections as well that will
39:53be absorbed into the department.
39:55>> Interesting.
39:56Um
39:58I I think that that's going to be an
40:00interesting process of just a lot of as
40:02your point, sausage being made, a lot of
40:04difficult conversations between the
40:06departments and figuring out who goes
40:08where and how that relationship works
40:10because there still will be overlap um
40:13in the work. Uh do you anticipate the
40:15Board of Public Service would continue
40:17being the
40:19the
40:20department that's working with the
40:22contractors or does that move here, too?
40:25Or would you anticipate less contractors
40:27coming in?
40:28>> Well, we believe that the Board of
40:29Public Services is going to always
40:30maintain a role when it comes down to
40:32contractors.
40:33Um as Ms. Smith has already done, uh she
40:37is going to be deeply involved with us
40:40as it comes down to uh what we're
40:42getting ready to set up now. Um we have
40:44not spoken to that openly or or too much
40:48at this point as we are still developing
40:51what it's going to look like as we move
40:53forward. Um but there definitely will
40:55have to be um some beginning discussions
41:00with all of these entities coming into a
41:03room and beginning to have the
41:04discussions. Myself, President Bradley,
41:08um
41:08um Mr. uh Ridley, we've already had
41:12several of these type discussions and
41:14discussions are going to become more
41:15frequent and more intense as we begin to
41:18identify what it is that we're actually
41:20going to need to be able to set up for.
41:22>> When you all talk about hiring a few
41:25positions next fiscal year, which
41:29>> Well, that that's part of what needs to
41:31happen in terms of the discussion over
41:32the next few months.
41:34Which will the Which of those positions
41:36do we actually need to identify and
41:37select? And if you look, uh just to give
41:41you a quick snapshot, if you look at the
41:42current um proposed org chart, you can
41:45pretty much get an idea of where we're
41:47trying to go because we have to plant
41:49the seed and in order to plant the seed,
41:51we have to uh start at the top of the
41:53organization.
41:54>> Interesting. And those folks would fall
41:56under the Streets Department now.
41:59>> Yes, ma'am.
41:59>> Okay. Um
42:01you know, there's a few few things that
42:04uh are on the funding slide and next
42:06step slide that of course, you know,
42:07immediately
42:09um
42:10stand out to me. One, I know we're
42:12talking about St. Louis Works uh funding
42:16and uh
42:18we've had some difficulty with that bill
42:19because there are so many concerns about
42:21how that funding is managed now. Um
42:25this would be a different department.
42:27There would be new people involved. Um
42:29but how would
42:31you build trust that that money will be
42:35managed differently or more
42:37accountability for the people who would
42:39be making the decision to
42:42get rid of some of our control over
42:44that.
42:45>> Excellent question. Thank you, ma'am. Uh
42:47it is about accountability.
42:49Once we begin uh putting in place uh the
42:53structure of the system, it is the
42:55system that will begin to dictate. We as
42:58professionals will not make those
43:00decisions uh as it pertains to the
43:02projects within your wards. We will
43:05identify the projects based on their
43:08conditions uh that we will be providing
43:11you through our our condition assessment
43:13that uh we're currently um attempting to
43:16get citywide. Right now, we have two of
43:18the wards. We're hopefully get another
43:20five here in the not-too-distant future,
43:22quite possibly by February. And then uh
43:25the remaining wards after that. Once we
43:28get this full condition assessment, that
43:31will tell us what our circumstances are.
43:33And more importantly, it will give us
43:35recommendations based on the conditions
43:37of those that we will be able to come to
43:39each of you as elected in your
43:41respective wards and say, "Here are the
43:44conditions of uh the streets within your
43:47wards. Here are the recommended uh
43:49maintenance level activities. And we
43:52won't control that funding. What we will
43:54control is our recommendation. And you
43:58will dictate or decide and tell us which
44:01projects you want to see happen within
44:03your wards. And based on the funding
44:05being available, we will schedule or
44:08program it and then execute on that and
44:10you will hold us accountable for that.
44:13>> Okay, but if St. Louis Works is moved
44:16out of our control, we would not be
44:18doing that except through Ward Capital.
44:20Do you mean within St. Louis Works
44:22that's how it will go as well?
44:24My understanding was that plan for St.
44:26Louis Works was to be more of an
44:27arterial fund.
44:28>> Yeah, um St. Louis Works will still stay
44:31under the annual budget process which
44:33there is uh
44:35it does come through the Board of
44:36Aldermen. St. Louis Works would first
44:37be, you know, the Department of
44:40Transportation making the recommendation
44:42to the um Complete Streets Committee.
44:45The Complete Streets Committee would
44:47make it to the Capital Committee which
44:50right now you sit on um and then the
44:52Capital Committee then make that final
44:55recommendation that goes into the
44:56budget. So, at those points is when
44:58there is a lot of opportunity for that
45:01feedback.
45:02>> Okay, but the plan would still be for
45:03St. Louis Works to be more arterial than
45:06not our residential.
45:08But for what you're talking about,
45:09Director Jackson, having I completely
45:11agree with you having that um audit of
45:13all of the streets in the ward and
45:15having the Streets Department,
45:16Department of Transportation be coming
45:18up with the maintenance plan as opposed
45:19to, you know,
45:21me
45:22coming up with the maintenance plan for
45:23my ward um is is the direction we need
45:26to go um and is definitely what I think
45:29all of us want um
45:32but we want when the money is
45:34allocated to those streets for them to
45:35get done and to get done in a timely
45:37way.
45:38>> Yes, ma'am.
45:38>> So, it's kind of a it's a combination of
45:40things um
45:42but for the next Ward Capital meeting,
45:44you're saying that seven out of the 14
45:47wards would be likely to have a
45:49list of streets based on actual
45:51conditions.
45:52>> Or actually underway. Right now we have
45:55two of the wards that actually have
45:57their condition assessment. Uh we just
45:59spoke with five uh within the last 24
46:01hours.
46:02>> Man, I am not on the list.
46:04>> [laughter]
46:05>> We we are in the process of trying to
46:07get them scheduled so that we can have
46:09their assessments conducted um by no
46:11later than February.
46:12>> Yeah.
46:13>> And that will give us a total of uh
46:15seven wards that have been assessed uh
46:18citywide.
46:19>> Yeah.
46:20Um
46:22Yeah, I mean, I I I think that for those
46:24of us who are not on the list, it is
46:28still on us and it makes me even less
46:30likely to want to give over any control
46:32of it because
46:34if I don't even have an assessment, if I
46:35don't even know what the streets
46:36department's going to do with my ward,
46:37why would I Why would I vote for that?
46:39Um so, that's that's disappointing. Um
46:43Okay.
46:44Uh
46:45the um other funding streams, parking,
46:49that's been something that we've talked
46:50about for so long with how parking money
46:52comes into the city of St. Louis. It's
46:53going to continue to be a a fight
46:56between the city of St. Louis and the
46:58and the treasurer's office um over who
47:00controls that fund. Um
47:02and, you know, with city of St. Louis
47:04getting money from that fund now, um
47:08parking rates probably need to be part
47:09of that conversation as well. Um
47:13Um gas tax, I think, is something that
47:15should absolutely be on the on the um
47:20that should absolutely be something
47:21something that the city is considering.
47:23Um and the rideshare tax, requiring an
47:26exchange to the state law, I would be
47:28interested to know what our state legis-
47:30delegation thinks about that and and
47:32working on that um outside of the city
47:34of St. Louis.
47:35Um
47:36for the sidewalk system, where we're at
47:38now,
47:39um
47:40you know, I would like to see every
47:41dollar of that I have allocated to
47:43sidewalks
47:45as part of a sidewalk. I
47:47don't frankly care if people are paying
47:4950% of it.
47:50I just want the money that we put
47:52forward from the city to to fix
47:53sidewalks. So, is there Is it um
47:57anything we could do now? Cuz right now
47:59what happens is
48:00if it's tree root damage, the city will
48:02pay for all of it. If it's not, the
48:04city, with the 50/50 program, requires
48:0650%. So,
48:08I would be interested in just and and
48:10maybe my this is like I need to talk to
48:12my colleagues about, but even just
48:14taking the money that we have available
48:15now and making it so I could pay for
48:17100%. I think it's a better system than
48:19we have um
48:21than a 50/50 program. Um especially
48:23when, you know, I know the first ward
48:25has over $500,000 of sidewalk money
48:28available, but not on the streets.
48:31Um
48:32so, you know, what kind of oversight um
48:34changes are happening to make that
48:36program work now? Um and is there
48:39anything that can be done to
48:42make sure that money is spent by this
48:44fiscal year?
48:46>> Well, Alderman uh the sentiment that you
48:48expressed right now is exactly uh the
48:50kind of conversations that are being had
48:52between ourselves
48:54uh in the sidewalk program management
48:56and yourselves as elected. Uh we're
48:59finding that many of you are electing to
49:01go ahead and pay for it to get it done.
49:04Um and that is accelerating our ability
49:07to eliminate this backlog.
49:09>> That's
49:10>> Uh once we actually finally put uh
49:12leadership in place in the program, we
49:15eliminated over 600 of the 4,000 uh
49:19backlogged um
49:21uh service requests within a matter of
49:24five or six
49:25>> weeks.
49:25>> Uh I I a lot of them were duplicates,
49:28um but what we found also were that a
49:30lot of them just were not eligible. And
49:33in those kind in those instances, we
49:34were able to have conversations with you
49:37all, and uh you all made wise decisions
49:40and said, "Hey, look, let's go ahead and
49:42if we can get these paid for and get
49:44them taken care of, let's do it." So,
49:45what we're waiting on right now is to
49:47get contractors in place so that by the
49:49beginning of 2027, we can actually start
49:52uh working these uh service requests
49:54now.
49:55>> Through the St. Louis Works program the
49:57Streets Department is unilaterally
49:58deciding that the funding can pay 100%.
50:02>> Um
50:05>> Um some of the aldermen are already have
50:08made that decision. Alderman Alderidge
50:09has already been
50:10>> But through ward capital, not through
50:12St. Louis Works.
50:13>> He's Yeah, he does it through ward
50:14capital.
50:15>> Which is a completely different legal
50:18funding setup.
50:19>> So, you could elect to do it through
50:22ward capital, not through.
50:23>> what I'd like to do is be able to use my
50:25St. Louis Works money for sidewalks and
50:27have the sidewalks get done, not have to
50:28have an outside contractor from Board of
50:30Public Service doing it.
50:33>> Yes, so um I know you already have both
50:36uh ward capital and St. Louis Works
50:38funds, so we can talk to the program
50:40manager and make sure that the St. Louis
50:43Works funds can go to the ones that can
50:45only be St. Louis Works and the ward
50:46capital funds stay open to be
50:48um for any of the ones that are 50/50,
50:51but you want to pay the other half.
50:55>> I think this is a longer conversation
50:56probably needing
50:58um
51:00both more public attention to and more
51:02aldermanic attention.
51:04Um you know, I'd be very interested in
51:06the report for the sidewalks that were
51:08done through the American Rescue Plan
51:10Act funds. Um
51:12you know, I think a lot of us were under
51:14the impression that that list should
51:16have gotten a lot smaller
51:18than the money that has been put through
51:19from American Rescue Plan Act funds um
51:22and I'm not seeing that reflected in the
51:24actual list of sidewalks that I'm
51:26getting and how much that is apparently
51:28still left over for my ward. So, that's
51:30very concerning.
51:32Um all right, I think I've taken enough
51:34time and I'll pass the the mic on. Thank
51:36you so much.
51:36>> Yes, ma'am.
51:38>> Alderman DeVore.
51:41We wanted to talk about sidewalks. We
51:43could take up the next hour about the
51:45fifth ward, but we won't go there.
51:48Uh I mean, there's no doubt the program
51:49is broke, and I would point out as the
51:52ever pessimistic lawyer that the city of
51:55St. Louis actually has a non-delegable
51:57duty to take care and repair
52:00the sidewalks within its its right of
52:02way. So, to the extent that we have any
52:06resident agreeing to chip in any amount
52:09of money to take care of a sidewalk,
52:11that work should be done
52:13immediately. Immediately.
52:17Uh but again, that's a conversation for
52:20another day.
52:21Um
52:23there was a There was a discussion about
52:26the
52:28uh the new category of planning,
52:29engineering, and project delivery. Just
52:32to make sure that I'm on the same page,
52:34who is now doing that work? Is that done
52:37through the Board of Public Service?
52:39>> Yes, sir, it is.
52:41>> Okay.
52:42And um the idea here uh is that after
52:46the reorganization or as part of the
52:48reorgan-
52:49uh those duties, those responsibilities
52:52would be brought within the Department
52:54of Transportation. Correct?
52:56>> That is correct.
52:57>> Okay. There was uh some discussion, I
53:00think both you and Ms. Smith both used
53:03the phrase of
53:05uh that that this transition is
53:07important because we want the experts
53:09making uh the decisions, and I
53:12understand that. I That That is
53:14something that is I've talked
53:16to folks about Board Bill 78 and its
53:19importance,
53:20uh I I think that's
53:22uh I I I I think that's paramount. Uh I
53:25mean, God knows whatever experience I
53:27have, I've never done any street
53:29engineering or sidewalk decisions or
53:32laid asphalt or any of that. So, that is
53:35a very welcome from from my perspective.
53:38Let's talk a moment about St. Louis
53:40Works.
53:41Um
53:42you know, obviously there's a certain
53:44portion of the the utility, the tax
53:48receipts that are split among Alders.
53:51Uh I I want to make sure for those
53:52members of the public that are watching
53:54this. And for that matter, my my fellow
53:56Alders.
53:58Um
53:59this past year for instance, there was
54:02an equal division 14 ways of $270,000.
54:07Correct?
54:09>> Um
54:10yes. Mr. Smith, I I can't speak to that.
54:13Uh
54:15>> Yes.
54:15>> Could you repeat that, sir?
54:16>> Sure.
54:17This year
54:19each Alder, each ward received an equal
54:22amount which was $270,000.
54:27>> Yes, that's correct.
54:27>> Correct. Now, uh that isn't the sum of
54:31St. Louis Works funds that were
54:33received, right?
54:36>> Correct. Um that's only about half of
54:38the St. Louis
54:39>> That's right.
54:40>> Right. So, to make sure that we all
54:41understand, the the the utility fees,
54:45the the taxes that were collected were
54:47actually a little over $6 million.
54:49Correct?
54:51>> That's correct.
54:52>> Okay. And then a portion of that is then
54:54divided equally among ward, right?
54:57>> Yes.
54:58>> Which would leave a little over $3
55:00million within the
55:03transportation fund.
55:05>> Um some of it also goes to BPS and to or
55:09street. But yes, the majority stays in
55:11the streets department.
55:12>> Correct. And and again, to make sure
55:15that we are all on the same page here.
55:17With with that $3 million or so dollars
55:21under the current setup,
55:23how is that generally allocated and for
55:27what purpose?
55:28>> Uh it's generally allocated to uh pay
55:31for positions within each department in
55:34the streets department. I can bring up
55:36things to make sure I don't mess
55:38anything up, but in the streets
55:39department, it pays for like one paving
55:41team, which is around six people, I
55:42believe. Um and then in the in BPS, it
55:46pays, I believe, for one of their
55:48engineers.
55:49And then it pays in their equipment
55:51services division for several positions.
55:54Um and then uh
55:56in forestry, it is a very small amount.
55:58It's around $250,000 a year. So, they
56:01typically save it over 2 years and then
56:04purchase equipment right now.
56:05>> So, the the funds that that other half,
56:08that 3-plus million dollars, split
56:10between the street department as well as
56:13BPS, correct?
56:15>> Yeah.
56:15>> And then within the street department,
56:16it is used to support a paving team,
56:19personnel, right?
56:20>> Correct.
56:21>> And then also forestry.
56:23>> Correct.
56:23>> And traditionally, forestry has used the
56:25money allocated to it for equipment
56:27purchases.
56:28>> Yes.
56:28>> Okay.
56:29Now,
56:31let's talk about
56:33uh the the funds that are today
56:36allocated to alders. If there is a
56:39pushback that that I have heard on a
56:41consistent basis, it tends to go
56:45it tends to be
56:48on a foundation of just frankly,
56:51and the alderwoman from the first was
56:53being very polite,
56:54but it but frankly, it goes to a matter
56:56of distrust.
56:59Uh the the idea being that conversations
57:01have happened,
57:03alders believe that funds were allocated
57:05for certain projects,
57:07those projects weren't done, the funds
57:09weren't
57:11uh I guess noted
57:14in the way the alder thought they were
57:15going to be noted. So, then the question
57:18is, why would I trust the street
57:20department, the Department of
57:22Transportation,
57:24to manage funds to make sure
57:27streets in my ward, the fifth ward, get
57:30get paved if I lose control over this
57:33$270,000.
57:36It ain't much, but it's something.
57:39So, Director Jackson, how do we answer
57:41that question? I mean, that's part of
57:43the funding.
57:45A small part of the funding. But, how do
57:47we answer that question of trust us?
57:51Why?
57:55>> Alderman DeVoe, thank you for answering
57:56for asking that question on behalf of
57:58the other members of the board.
58:00Uh the way we answer that is twofold.
58:02One, uh we understand that we are
58:04accountable.
58:05Um I believe since my coming on board,
58:08uh that is all that you have received
58:09from me is a level of accountability. Uh
58:13that is the expectation of the mayor.
58:14That is the expectation of the chief
58:16operating officer as it pertains to how
58:18I operate in my office.
58:20You send me a request, you're going to
58:22get a response back from me in a timely
58:24fashion. Uh part two to that answer
58:27[clears throat]
58:28is quite possibly uh there are many
58:31instances where communications are
58:33exchanged and they go back and they go
58:35forth. Um I have been personally engaged
58:39in one set of communiques wherein I have
58:43asked a question of my team because I
58:45know whenever I ask a question, they
58:47respond back to me. Um there have been
58:50some instances and I'll give you one
58:52good for example. Uh you get one street
58:55that's been paved. Uh it crosses two or
58:58three different wards. Well, two
59:01segments of those of the streets in the
59:03two wards have been paved. One segment
59:06hasn't. What has been communicated or I
59:09believe has been discussed is the reason
59:12that it hasn't is because of a potential
59:14conflict between us and the utility. In
59:17other words, we do not want to go in and
59:20pave that road and then have the utility
59:22come in and tear it back up. So, we're
59:24waiting the the of their work before we
59:26do it. Now,
59:28in those instances, what we do make
59:31every effort to do is to ensure that
59:33that communication gets back to you
59:35and that everyone understands that as
59:37soon as we get the opportunity to
59:39address that, we will.
59:41Uh unfortunately, there are instances
59:44where
59:45you know, it it's the sunsets on it and
59:47we don't see it. We too make mistakes,
59:50um but we make every attempt to recover.
59:53And from me uh to this board, my
59:57response is this. If you send me a
59:59request, you're going to get a response.
1:00:02It will not always be what you want to
1:00:03hear, but you're definitely going to be
1:00:05told where we are and what we can do to
1:00:07get you to where we need to.
1:00:09>> Yes, sir. It And to be clear, I
1:00:12completely agree. There hasn't been a
1:00:13time
1:00:15when I've reached out to you that you
1:00:16haven't promptly responded to me.
1:00:19Sometimes with what I wanted to hear and
1:00:21sometimes not. But I had the response.
1:00:24Now, having said that, to play devil's
1:00:26advocate,
1:00:28um you know, I I like to think that I'm
1:00:31keeping this particular chair warm,
1:00:33right? There was somebody before me. He
1:00:36sat in my chair for 22 years.
1:00:38I'm in the chair today, but I'm not
1:00:40going to be shoot. I'm not going to last
1:00:4122 years. I can tell everybody that. But
1:00:46it
1:00:47it as much as I trust you and my
1:00:50experiences with you have been
1:00:52wonderful.
1:00:53Don't we need to create a system that
1:00:56functions? So, it doesn't matter who the
1:00:59director is. It doesn't matter who the
1:01:01fifth ward alder is because we have a
1:01:03system in place and while people are
1:01:06important, we can always trust in the
1:01:07system. How How would you
1:01:11answer those alders that want to have
1:01:14information about system to make sure
1:01:18that under this new DOT arrangement
1:01:22that that that the work within their
1:01:25ward whether it is
1:01:28uh streets or sidewalks or trash pickup
1:01:31that it happens. What's the system we
1:01:33can count on?
1:01:35>> Uh Alderman DeVooght, I believe Ms.
1:01:36Smith spoke eloquently to uh how that
1:01:40process that we're developing right now
1:01:42is going to work to ensure that it is
1:01:46not a decision that we're making, it's a
1:01:48decision that
1:01:50uh a
1:01:51body of professionals is making and a
1:01:54recommendation as a result, which is
1:01:56coming forth, that you all will
1:01:58ultimately get to make the decision on.
1:02:00>> Yes. So, in in to that uh to answer
1:02:03that, sir, yes, there is a process being
1:02:05put in place.
1:02:05>> And I think that that's where Ms. Smith
1:02:08was talking in terms, and maybe you even
1:02:10said this as well,
1:02:11that that the rationale behind the
1:02:15entirety of this program
1:02:17is to set forth a system that is bound
1:02:20on sound objective data.
1:02:23>> Yes, sir.
1:02:24>> Correct?
1:02:25>> Correct.
1:02:25>> The the idea being and and uh
1:02:29Alderman Volmer told the story when it
1:02:31was time to to make decisions about what
1:02:33street to pave, he said, "DeVooght, what
1:02:35I do is I I pour a full cup of coffee
1:02:38and I start driving around." And and I
1:02:40see how you know how much coffee I spill
1:02:42when I'm driving down the street. But
1:02:44the whole purpose of this is so that
1:02:47we're we're not choosing which roads to
1:02:50to pave based on how much coffee we
1:02:52spill, rather it's based upon an
1:02:54objective study of the streets, right?
1:02:58>> Yes, sir.
1:02:59>> Okay.
1:03:00Now, I want to then follow up on
1:03:01something uh
1:03:03uh
1:03:04the Alderman Alderwoman Schweizer had to
1:03:06say.
1:03:07And it or ask about. And that is with
1:03:10respect to that that data.
1:03:13Um
1:03:15what is the plan?
1:03:17And it sounds like we know that um the
1:03:21the pilot is undergoing in the sixth and
1:03:23I believe the
1:03:2513th Alderwoman Boyd. I I think that's
1:03:27right.
1:03:28>> Correct.
1:03:28>> Um it sounds like there has been
1:03:30discussions with seven other Alders
1:03:33on on initiating that study. What is the
1:03:38planned layout for completing the
1:03:41objective study of every street in the
1:03:44city of St. Louis. What What's the
1:03:46timeline?
1:03:47>> Sir, the timeline is not based on what
1:03:51we'd like to see. We'd like to get it
1:03:52done as expeditiously as possible. Um
1:03:56right now we're working with the five
1:03:58Alders that we had discussions with
1:03:59yesterday so that we can begin their
1:04:02surveying by no later than February.
1:04:05Um well,
1:04:06correction. Uh begin their surveying as
1:04:09soon as possible to have the data by no
1:04:11later than February.
1:04:13If we can get the other Alders to come
1:04:16on board within that timeframe, as soon
1:04:19as they agree to come on board, we and
1:04:22to uh pay the fee for the assessment, we
1:04:25will then be in a position to go ahead
1:04:27and get the entire city assessed. Once
1:04:30we get that done, we will have a full
1:04:32set of data for the city and that will
1:04:34be our benchmark and from that point
1:04:37forward, we will begin assessing the
1:04:39city on at least a biennial basis so
1:04:42that we can assess the overall condition
1:04:44of the city streets and identify where
1:04:47we need to place our our emphasis in
1:04:49terms of efforts.
1:04:50>> And And that individual study is being
1:04:54done on a ward-by-ward basis, right?
1:04:56>> Currently, yes, sir.
1:04:58>> Uh Is there another plan other than
1:05:01ward-by-ward?
1:05:03>> Once we get all of the wards completed,
1:05:06then it will be citywide.
1:05:08And once it becomes citywide, then the
1:05:11entire city will become a will get
1:05:13assessed.
1:05:14>> And how would
1:05:16What is the plan to pay for the citywide
1:05:18assessment of streets?
1:05:20>> Currently, the way we're doing it is the
1:05:21ward that the alderman persons
1:05:23themselves are paying the fee to get the
1:05:25assessment done. Um
1:05:28and
1:05:29we are working in that vein simply
1:05:32because it is the pilot. Once uh we get
1:05:35the entire city assessed, then we will
1:05:38have to come back and look at how we do
1:05:40this now from an holistic perspective.
1:05:43Now that we have the entire city uh
1:05:45assessed, how will we pay for this uh on
1:05:48a biennial basis? But it will not be a
1:05:50decision that we will make. It will be a
1:05:52decision that we will recommend to the
1:05:54body.
1:05:57>> And And we talk about doing it today,
1:05:59that would be funded by each alder, and
1:06:02I believe the cost is $10,000 a pop,
1:06:06right?
1:06:06>> That is correct.
1:06:07>> And And it it it doesn't matter how
1:06:09large the ward is. For instance,
1:06:12the four neighborhood fifth ward is
1:06:15$10,000, and the
1:06:1812 neighborhood 14th ward is $10,000. Is
1:06:22that right?
1:06:22>> That is correct.
1:06:28>> Just to provide a little more
1:06:29perspective, and then I'll be quiet. Um
1:06:33with respect to the total budget today,
1:06:35and I should know this from
1:06:37my other work that I've done, and I just
1:06:39can't think of it. What What is the
1:06:40total budget of street department
1:06:43for for this particular fiscal year?
1:06:45>> For this fiscal year is 46
1:06:48>> Okay. So, we're we're looking for that
1:06:50number.
1:06:50>> 46 million, yes.
1:06:51>> 46 million. Okay.
1:06:55Um
1:06:57And then just two points of
1:06:58clarification, you mentioned 1,900 miles
1:07:01of streets.
1:07:04Is [clears throat] that Is that I don't
1:07:06I've never heard that before. We have
1:07:071,900 miles of streets in the city of
1:07:09St. Louis.
1:07:10>> No, sir. We all have over 4,100 lane
1:07:12miles of streets in the city of St.
1:07:14Louis.
1:07:15>> 4,100. And what is the 1,900 week?
1:07:18>> are your um
1:07:20your arterials and your secondaries,
1:07:22your primaries and your secondary.
1:07:24>> Okay.
1:07:24>> Those are the ones that are currently
1:07:26being reviewed and assessed through your
1:07:29transportation and mobility plan.
1:07:31>> And and so after this plan goes in place
1:07:34and and I realize this is under
1:07:36construction. How are we going to
1:07:39pay for the paving of residential
1:07:41streets?
1:07:43What's the plan there?
1:07:45What is that Is that on an individual
1:07:47ward capital basis?
1:07:49>> That is a a conversation that remains to
1:07:52be had, sir.
1:07:54>> Understood.
1:07:55Okay.
1:07:57Uh I appreciate your time. Thank you.
1:07:59>> I was just going to add a little bit
1:08:01more to that is I think right now with
1:08:03the current funding structure, it is
1:08:04mostly by the individual ward through
1:08:07ward capital, but if we're able to do
1:08:10some of this other funding um that's
1:08:12outlined on here, it could move to a
1:08:15citywide basis.
1:08:18But that's all dependent on several
1:08:19bills passing.
1:08:21>> It it it We've got to start knocking
1:08:23blocks down and we've got to start
1:08:27deciding how much we want to run our
1:08:30individual fiefdom and how much we are
1:08:33willing to seed some control to the
1:08:36Department of Transportation. Is that
1:08:38accurate?
1:08:39>> Yes.
1:08:40>> Thank you.
1:08:42Thank you, Director.
1:08:44>> Before I get to my questions, we do have
1:08:47Board of Public Service President Rich
1:08:51Bradley here and I just wanted to see if
1:08:53any members of the committee had any
1:08:54questions for him while he's here. I
1:08:56think he has to go in a second. So,
1:08:59just opening it back up to the committee
1:09:01to see if anyone has any questions for
1:09:04Mr. Bradley.
1:09:06Seeing none, Mr. Bradley, I'll I'll I'll
1:09:09ask you a a couple questions.
1:09:12Uh
1:09:13I understand you have to get going, so
1:09:14>> Good afternoon, committee. Rich Bradley,
1:09:16president of Board of Public Service.
1:09:17So, the one thing I I do want to say,
1:09:20whether you have a question about it or
1:09:22not, is
1:09:23you know, we're going to transition to
1:09:25this transportation department. And my
1:09:27department does all the transportation
1:09:30work today for major capital. And so, I
1:09:33don't want anyone to think that on July
1:09:361st of '29, we're going to back a dump
1:09:38truck up and dump all the paperwork on
1:09:40the transportation department, cuz that
1:09:43is not what we as team players do. So, I
1:09:46am giving you my assurance, as I have to
1:09:50Kate, the mayor, and Director Jackson,
1:09:53that we will continue to support this
1:09:56transportation department. Uh we will
1:09:58continue doing all our grant work, will
1:10:01continue to mentor them, we will assist
1:10:03them, help them, get them whatever they
1:10:05need
1:10:06until they say
1:10:08we're good to fly out of the nest. So, I
1:10:10don't want anybody to think that this is
1:10:12going to be a cut, a break, we're going
1:10:14to lose anything. We have a great track
1:10:16record of doing all this.
1:10:18We're teammates, we're all the same
1:10:20city, we're going to make that happen.
1:10:23>> Thank you for that. I that actually keys
1:10:25into my question, which is that
1:10:28currently we have a diffuse
1:10:31transportation system in the city, where
1:10:33we have the responsibilities that touch
1:10:35our transportation network under several
1:10:37different departments. I I'm going to
1:10:39list a few of them. We have the Office
1:10:42on
1:10:43on the Disabled, we have the Planning
1:10:46Department and positions there, we have
1:10:49the Streets Department, and then we have
1:10:51BPS, and I'll also throw in the Office
1:10:54of Sustainability. They touch some of
1:10:56that well. and then um I even think that
1:10:59sometimes forestry kind of affects
1:11:01streets. I know that forestry and
1:11:03streets sometimes disagree with each
1:11:05other. They They have different feelings
1:11:07about street trees.
1:11:09Um I'm a fan of street trees for the
1:11:11record. Uh so, I I'm curious as we move
1:11:15towards this DOT,
1:11:18there's going to be an effort to, as
1:11:19Director Jackson said, put this all
1:11:21under one umbrella. But, BPS is our
1:11:26engineering department for many city
1:11:28purposes, not just
1:11:29transportation-related things, but all
1:11:31sorts of things.
1:11:32Uh is the thought to move some of these
1:11:35positions from BPS over into the
1:11:37Department of Transportation?
1:11:40>> Yeah, so
1:11:41we right now, roughly, are at about 67%
1:11:46staffing in BPS.
1:11:48I don't think we need to go into the
1:11:50difficulties of hiring people and all
1:11:52that today.
1:11:53But, what I my thought my plan would be
1:11:56in conversation is is people or
1:11:58positions, really more importantly, that
1:12:02specifically
1:12:03do transportation work in BPS would
1:12:07move. For example, my chief bridge
1:12:09engineering position would move over to
1:12:11streets, or transportation, rather. My
1:12:14um grant manager
1:12:16would move over to transportation. The
1:12:19compliance manager who handles all the
1:12:21DBE compliance on federal grants to
1:12:24transportation, a work capital liaison.
1:12:26So, right now I'm thinking around five
1:12:28or so positions.
1:12:30Um
1:12:31I don't have
1:12:32all that many to give away, but I'm
1:12:35going to do whatever I can to support
1:12:37that. Keep in mind, we still have to do
1:12:39everything else. So, uh although we're
1:12:42doing everything we can now,
1:12:44uh we will do everything else a little
1:12:47better uh in the future. So, there are a
1:12:49lot of things that, you know, we need to
1:12:51really concentrate on and um
1:12:54particularly with this $131 million of
1:12:57ARPA funding that we just went through.
1:13:00We were really tested to see what we
1:13:04could do and
1:13:06I'm very proud of staff for all they
1:13:07did, but we need to concentrate on all
1:13:10the very very small details, get off
1:13:12everything.
1:13:14>> Thank you. I I really appreciate that
1:13:15answer and and you feel you're going to
1:13:17get that ARPA money all out the door
1:13:19before
1:13:20>> I think you've been doing an excellent
1:13:21job of spending it down and what I love
1:13:23about when BPS spends ARPA money is that
1:13:26it's money that we can see.
1:13:28We see that result out on our streets
1:13:30and I think our residents have really
1:13:32been appreciating the I'll just throw
1:13:34out there the upgrades in the the
1:13:35maintenance upgrades of King's Highway
1:13:38which runs through my ward.
1:13:40I have gotten so many resident
1:13:42compliments on the work there. They feel
1:13:44much safer crossing the street into
1:13:46Forest Park now.
1:13:47They feel like they are actually being
1:13:50prioritized as residents of this city
1:13:52and while we will always struggle, we
1:13:55can't completely design reckless driving
1:13:58out of our streets,
1:14:00it has been a lot safer for people and
1:14:03now we just need the enforcement angle
1:14:05to really round that out which is not
1:14:07your department, but um I I just want to
1:14:10say thank you for the work that's gone
1:14:12into that. I know it's been a lot of
1:14:13staff hours to
1:14:15um when when the city falls into
1:14:17hundreds of millions of dollars, it does
1:14:19not mean that we fall into hundreds of
1:14:21employees to do that work and so it's
1:14:23been a major lift to get that money out
1:14:26the door by the deadlines.
1:14:29And I think it's really really
1:14:32um
1:14:34we we we owe a lot of thanks to the
1:14:35department to being able to get that out
1:14:37the door and make a real tangible
1:14:39difference in people's lives.
1:14:41That's all I have for you
1:14:43President Bradley, but I want to just
1:14:46again say thank you for coming today and
1:14:48and sharing your thoughts with us.
1:14:50>> Thank you very much.
1:14:52>> Uh,
1:14:53other questions I have, I'll just start
1:14:55out by again expressing gratitude. I
1:14:57think that
1:14:59when we passed the Department of
1:15:01Transportation transition, we left a lot
1:15:04of it up to future decisions to be made.
1:15:07We wanted to leave the flexibility
1:15:09because part of the problem with writing
1:15:11something in the charter means that it
1:15:12becomes very rigid and you cannot change
1:15:15it and adapt it as new needs come up.
1:15:18So, we left a lot of the DOT open to
1:15:22laying out by ordinance. And also, a big
1:15:26part of that is going to be what the
1:15:27executive branch of our government, with
1:15:29mayor's office and the departments that
1:15:30fall under the mayor's office, decide to
1:15:33do.
1:15:34It appears to me that you're taking full
1:15:35advantage of this DOT transition to make
1:15:39sure that it's not just a change of name
1:15:41of the streets department, but a
1:15:43substantive
1:15:44uh,
1:15:46a substantive transition over to
1:15:48something that it that people are going
1:15:50to see and feel on our streets from
1:15:53everywhere from their safety to the
1:15:54maintenance of those streets.
1:15:56Uh,
1:15:57we've talked a little bit about uh, the
1:16:00safety aspects that are going to be
1:16:02introduced into this. I'm really
1:16:04encouraged by some of the bits I'm
1:16:06seeing here. One question I did have
1:16:08about positions is
1:16:11I want to make sure that, um,
1:16:14we give assurance to the employees that
1:16:16do all this excellent work under the
1:16:18streets department right now. We're not
1:16:20looking to eliminate any positions in
1:16:23this transition. Is that correct?
1:16:24>> No, sir, Mr. Chairman. We've already
1:16:26started the conversations with those
1:16:28team members to reassure them that this
1:16:30is not an effort to remove or replace.
1:16:34This is an enhancement.
1:16:36>> That that's right, cuz every single
1:16:37thing that the streets department does
1:16:39right now will still need to be done
1:16:41underneath this Department of
1:16:42Transportation, but we'd like to see
1:16:44some of these things done even better
1:16:46and and get the department even more
1:16:48support so that they can deliver these
1:16:50excellent results for our residents.
1:16:53Uh so, I I do want to give that
1:16:55assurance because I I think whenever
1:16:57there's talk of transition, people start
1:16:59to think, "Well, maybe my job's at
1:17:01risk." and I don't want to feel that
1:17:02way. I think it's important they
1:17:04understand that their position is
1:17:05appreciated right now and needed in the
1:17:07future.
1:17:08Um
1:17:10when we're looking at filling some of
1:17:11these vacant positions, if you look at
1:17:13that uh current org chart that you put
1:17:15out, there's a lot of vacant positions
1:17:17in the department. Uh is there thought
1:17:20about looking at the pay scale of some
1:17:23of these positions to make sure that we
1:17:25can recruit and retain uh expert
1:17:28employees. If we're going to hand this
1:17:29to the experts, I want to be able to
1:17:31attract the experts
1:17:33come work for our city. So, is there
1:17:34going to be an examination of the pay
1:17:36scale?
1:17:36>> Yes, sir. In fact, our chief human
1:17:38resources officer has
1:17:40been active I'm sorry, has been actively
1:17:42involved in act that activity, not just
1:17:45uh with the standing up of the
1:17:46Transportation Department, but across
1:17:48the board uh so that we can become uh
1:17:51competitive uh with our external uh with
1:17:54other external agencies against whom
1:17:56we're competing uh for the talent that
1:17:59exists out there.
1:18:01>> That's great to hear. Um I think that
1:18:03when we look at
1:18:05uh the upgrades or the updates we're
1:18:07making to some of the positions around
1:18:09the city, uh the Streets Department has
1:18:11unfortunately been left behind in many
1:18:13of those uh examinations. And so, many
1:18:16of our workers do not make competitive
1:18:18wages right now. And it's uh especially
1:18:20important to me that they do because
1:18:22their work is critical and we we ought
1:18:24to show them that with what we pay them.
1:18:26>> Thank you for recognizing that, Mr.
1:18:28Chair.
1:18:28>> Of course. And uh as as a member of the
1:18:30Budget Committee, I'm also going to be
1:18:31looking out for that as well. I think
1:18:33it's very important that we recognize
1:18:34the
1:18:35uh just what our employees contribute to
1:18:37us.
1:18:38Um
1:18:40I looking through the the different uh
1:18:43the different things in this
1:18:44presentation,
1:18:45uh we talked a little bit about
1:18:47maintenance and you talked about um
1:18:50an analysis that's being done in certain
1:18:52wards on the conditions of the streets
1:18:55and that's going to help guide us in the
1:18:57future. Uh could you speak a little more
1:18:59to what those pilots are that you're
1:19:00doing right now? What does that consist
1:19:02of and what kind of information is being
1:19:04gathered?
1:19:05>> Uh well, what it consists of is is uh we
1:19:09have a group that's out uh they're using
1:19:11uh LiDAR technology.
1:19:13And they're actually going out and
1:19:14they're um not only uh capturing data on
1:19:17the streets, but they also have the
1:19:19ability to capture
1:19:21um other uh assets or infrastructure
1:19:24assets uh that's in the right-of-way
1:19:26curbs, um
1:19:28storm water inlets, signs,
1:19:31uh and to store this data. And um
1:19:35if at some point we desire that we want
1:19:36to utilize this data to actually do an
1:19:39asset inventory right now, uh the chief
1:19:41operating officer has a major project
1:19:44underway within the city to identify an
1:19:46asset inventory uh system. Um if uh
1:19:50there is a desire to actually uh utilize
1:19:54this data, uh we can actually purchase
1:19:56this data from them as well. But right
1:19:58now what they're doing, their primary
1:19:59purpose with us and for us is to assess
1:20:02our city streets to give us a condition
1:20:05indices based on a range from zero
1:20:08meaning needing to be completely
1:20:09reconstructed to 100 meaning newly
1:20:12paved. And to give us a percentage range
1:20:16um of the condition of those streets in
1:20:18each area. For instance, for the two
1:20:21wards that have been done,
1:20:22uh they have gone in and they've shared
1:20:25with them um what percentage of their
1:20:28roadways have actually fallen below a 40
1:20:32PCI, which means it is in desperate need
1:20:35of some major
1:20:37maintenance activity.
1:20:39What percentage is between 60 and 40?
1:20:42What percentage is between 80 and 60? So
1:20:46that they have an idea of what the
1:20:49current assessment is of all of their
1:20:52streets in their wards. Um there was a
1:20:56breakdown of total of about 200 streets
1:20:58or 200 uh lane miles that were done
1:21:01between the two wards. Uh I believe one
1:21:03ward consisted of about 140 lane miles.
1:21:07Um I'm sorry, 130. Uh the other ward
1:21:10consisted of about uh 73 or so. Um but
1:21:14each one of them were able to get the
1:21:16complete assessment of each of their
1:21:19streets and to be told where their major
1:21:23needs were. And uh the system also has
1:21:26the ability to design a 5-year
1:21:29maintenance plan to share with them what
1:21:32the recommendation is uh for each one of
1:21:34those areas to help them make decisions
1:21:37on how to utilize the funding available
1:21:39to them.
1:21:40>> I think that maintenance plan that you
1:21:42just mentioned is key to all of this. Uh
1:21:45the
1:21:46ability for us to coordinate with
1:21:48utility companies, for instance, depends
1:21:50on a maintenance plan
1:21:52uh because it it it only happens that
1:21:55someone comes and and excavates into a
1:21:57freshly paved street when there was no
1:22:00coordination ahead of time and the
1:22:01utility did not know that street was
1:22:04about to be paved. Um I'd love to, and
1:22:07this is probably again another longer
1:22:09conversation, I'd love to at some point
1:22:11sit down with you and understand the
1:22:13permit process that we currently follow.
1:22:16Um MoDOT has a 5-year maintenance plan
1:22:19and has been long planning to pave Route
1:22:22100 as it goes through the city.
1:22:24Uh Manchester through The Grove was
1:22:26recently paved and there are now three
1:22:29metal plates on Manchester and two
1:22:31recently patched areas on the freshly
1:22:34paved street. One of those cuts was done
1:22:36a week after it was paved. I wanted to
1:22:39scream. It was so infuriating cuz the
1:22:42neighborhood, the city, everyone who
1:22:43travels that road has been waiting for
1:22:45that road to be repaved and already it
1:22:47is damaged.
1:22:48>> Mhm.
1:22:48>> And I think that when I looked at the
1:22:51what the situation that caused it was,
1:22:53it was a construction of a new building
1:22:55which we're grateful to have. Um but it
1:22:58makes me wonder why they could not have
1:23:01gotten that work done, you know, in the
1:23:03weeks preceding the pave paving instead
1:23:05of the weeks after
1:23:07>> Exactly.
1:23:07>> uh the paving. And so I'd love to
1:23:08understand how those permits are granted
1:23:11and how much time people have to
1:23:13complete that work because what I
1:23:15suspect is that those permits were
1:23:17granted a long time ago and the work
1:23:19just happened to
1:23:21occur right after it was paved much to
1:23:24everyone's disappointment.
1:23:25>> Mhm.
1:23:26>> Uh so I'd love to understand that
1:23:28because I think it's
1:23:29uh we have a a good utility coordination
1:23:31ordinance that we worked on with utility
1:23:33companies uh and yet I've seen a lot of
1:23:36examples of those not being followed.
1:23:38There are also cuts in King's Highway
1:23:40which was paved with ARPA money. Uh and
1:23:42they're improperly repaired as well.
1:23:45They've got concrete patches instead of
1:23:46the asphalt uh covered patches which
1:23:49they're supposed to have. So um I'd stop
1:23:51and take a picture but it's it's King's
1:23:53Highway and I can't. Uh
1:23:55and I don't often walk on King's Highway
1:23:57for obvious reasons. So it's it's
1:24:00something that I think we need to circle
1:24:02back on and again I I think this might
1:24:04be a future meeting that we have uh and
1:24:06we invite to this committee to continue
1:24:07to work on that
1:24:08>> Sure.
1:24:09>> um because I think
1:24:11with a proper paving plan
1:24:13and with proper coordination we should
1:24:16be able to pave our streets and keep
1:24:19them in nice condition longer if we're
1:24:22able to do true coordination with the
1:24:25utilities.
1:24:26>> And Mr. Chair, I might add, that's one
1:24:28of the reasons why the mayor's one dig
1:24:30policy is as important as it is for us
1:24:32right now, and we're pressing our
1:24:34utilities to ensure that they get us
1:24:36that information. Um
1:24:38interestingly, um we've got three of the
1:24:41major utilities that have provided us
1:24:43their information so that we can ensure
1:24:45the absence of conflict, uh but we're
1:24:47nearing the end of the construction
1:24:49season for 2026. So, now we're going to
1:24:51begin focusing on 2027, getting that
1:24:54information in. Uh we know who the
1:24:56utilities are that we currently have. Uh
1:24:59there are some that did not get their
1:25:01that information into us, and we suspect
1:25:03uh that one, if not uh a couple of those
1:25:06utilities, were the ones that caused uh
1:25:09the the roadway to be um
1:25:12unnecessarily interrupted after it was
1:25:14repaved.
1:25:16>> Thank you. Yeah, I I appreciate that,
1:25:17and I know I understand this is going to
1:25:19be a work in progress. We're going to
1:25:21continue to work on this until we can
1:25:23make sure that it's better in the
1:25:24future. Um
1:25:25I I would also love to circle up with
1:25:27you at another time about um backing up
1:25:30aldermen when they challenge the utility
1:25:31companies on, for instance, Spire, our
1:25:34our one of our favorite uh carving up
1:25:36our street companies.
1:25:38Uh recently just absolutely destroyed
1:25:40two streets in my ward. 40 holes on the
1:25:43street at the residential blocks. I've
1:25:46emailed them saying you're responsible
1:25:47for paving that per our ordinance, and I
1:25:50have not gotten a reply yet, and I'm
1:25:52trying to figure out how we can use the
1:25:54muscle of the city to
1:25:56really hold these giant companies
1:25:58accountable. Uh I know that they don't
1:26:01want to to expend that money, but I feel
1:26:03like if you put more than 40 holes into
1:26:05a single block of a street, you should
1:26:07have to repave that whole block. That's
1:26:09>> Absolutely, sir.
1:26:10>> excessive. Um but these are all things
1:26:13that I'm hoping and and looking forward
1:26:15to seeing the Department of
1:26:17Transportation be able to address
1:26:18better. Uh we When we maintain our
1:26:21streets better and we do it according to
1:26:22a plan and do it according to an
1:26:24assessment of condition, there's a set
1:26:26number of streets in our city. So,
1:26:28there's no reason we can't have complete
1:26:30ownership of those streets and make sure
1:26:33that we are maintaining them to the best
1:26:35of our ability.
1:26:36And then the other part I'm looking
1:26:37forward to this is I noticed that there
1:26:39are designated positions in
1:26:42uh
1:26:43in these
1:26:45organization charts uh to address things
1:26:48like
1:26:49traffic calming and
1:26:53is that quick build that I see in here?
1:26:56Uh I'm just trying to get people that
1:26:59know what quick build is excited. Um so,
1:27:01quick build refers to
1:27:03uh
1:27:04temporary installation of traffic
1:27:06calming that can be done very, very
1:27:09quickly in order to improve safety
1:27:11without having to get an engineer to
1:27:14design concrete and do a bunch of other
1:27:16things. Uh it's also a good way of
1:27:18testing a
1:27:20method of traffic calming before a
1:27:21permanent installation might go in. Uh
1:27:24is this something that we're looking for
1:27:26the new department to be able to do?
1:27:28>> It is, sir. Uh in fact, we're
1:27:30uh feverishly working to try to get a
1:27:32project done that we were working with
1:27:34uh Alderwoman um
1:27:36Um I forget her name, but it's on
1:27:40Gravois. We had been working since July
1:27:42to try to get this project in and then
1:27:45it happened to be one of those quick
1:27:46build projects and um
1:27:48uh our traffic engineer just got
1:27:50frustrated and he brought it to my
1:27:52table, at which point in time we see
1:27:54it's happened. So, within the next
1:27:55couple of weeks, uh we'll actually be
1:27:57installing those devices
1:28:00uh per the Alderwoman's request.
1:28:02>> That that's so good to hear. Gravois is
1:28:04I think the the probably one of the
1:28:07biggest candidates for uh necessary
1:28:09life-saving uh quick build because um
1:28:13it's we we tend to lose
1:28:16uh lives or or have injuries on that uh
1:28:18every few weeks and it's it's just a
1:28:21dangerous dangerous road.
1:28:23Um
1:28:23that's what I'm most excited about is is
1:28:25really uh the focus on the most
1:28:28dangerous places of our city
1:28:30uh and addressing those first. Um
1:28:34when I'm when we're talking about
1:28:35funding mechanisms, uh
1:28:38there's been some talk about the
1:28:40distrust that exists right now. Uh I
1:28:43think that comes down to real examples
1:28:45that many of us, myself included, have
1:28:48encountered. Uh for instance, the
1:28:49sidewalks.
1:28:51I too was told
1:28:53that with American Rescue Plan Act money
1:28:55plus my fully funding the replacement of
1:28:58sidewalks in the ward, that I was all
1:29:00caught up. But then the next year I
1:29:03received info that there was an
1:29:04outstanding and it was like in the
1:29:06hundreds of thousands of dollars and I
1:29:07thought, "How is that possible?" Uh
1:29:10because I just cleared the list. And now
1:29:13it's it's it's all big again. Um so I'm
1:29:15I'm wondering,
1:29:17you know,
1:29:19I think moving to a sidewalk system that
1:29:21is looking at things block by block, not
1:29:24saying we're going to replace whole
1:29:25blocks at once, I'm assuming, or that
1:29:26we're going to look at a block and say,
1:29:28"There are four address addresses on
1:29:30this block that need to be repaired in
1:29:32order to make this an accessible
1:29:33sidewalk. We're going to go ahead and
1:29:35get all four at this time so that this
1:29:37whole block will be accessible."
1:29:39Um
1:29:40and that there's talk of that being uh
1:29:42funded through a potential property tax
1:29:45assessment uh or that's how I think
1:29:48Denver does it. Uh and, you know, that's
1:29:51again a conversation that we're going to
1:29:53have to look at what other cities do and
1:29:55figure out what works best for St.
1:29:56Louis. So I understand some of those are
1:29:57still ongoing conversations.
1:29:59>> Yes, sir.
1:29:59>> Uh but my question about funding is more
1:30:01of a broader question.
1:30:03And that is
1:30:05we've talked about the need centralize
1:30:08funding within this department instead
1:30:10of having the the 14 different fiefdoms
1:30:14of the wards, the balkanization of our
1:30:16city and and the maintenance of our
1:30:18roads. We're talking about centralizing
1:30:20funding into this department so that it
1:30:23can fund what is
1:30:26what is needing repair right now, what
1:30:28is in worse condition
1:30:30according to those assessments that
1:30:32you're making via these pilots right now
1:30:33and and soon we'll have that data for
1:30:35the whole city.
1:30:36Uh
1:30:37would you say that the goal of the
1:30:39Department of Transportation can only be
1:30:41achieved through that centralization of
1:30:43funding rather than continuing to have
1:30:47decisions made on a ward-by-ward basis?
1:30:50>> Uh Mr. Chair, I
1:30:52that is a question uh that I believe is
1:30:56beyond my ability to actually
1:30:59um
1:31:02give you an opinion on. What I can share
1:31:04with you is this.
1:31:06You will have good information
1:31:08uh so that you and your uh fellow board
1:31:12members will be in a position to
1:31:13actually um discuss by and between and
1:31:18with each other to make those decisions
1:31:20as it comes forward uh from the
1:31:22committee
1:31:23uh to decide on where to best utilize
1:31:27the those funds and you will know what
1:31:29the circumstances or the conditions are
1:31:31in your respective wards so that you can
1:31:33have those discussions. We can promise
1:31:36you that.
1:31:37How it will be uh
1:31:40carried out, um
1:31:42the mechanism itself, we won't control
1:31:45that. We don't control that. We are um
1:31:49administrators.
1:31:51You tell us what it is that we need to
1:31:52get done and we will do it.
1:31:56>> So
1:31:58I I guess my question comes back to um
1:32:01this this matter of centralization
1:32:02because there's another benefit that
1:32:04comes from centralization which I I
1:32:06heard that um grant manager position is
1:32:09going to be moved into the Department of
1:32:10Transportation.
1:32:11>> That's right.
1:32:12>> Part of the thing that we struggle with
1:32:13right now is that aldermen will save
1:32:15four years.
1:32:17Like for several years we'll save up
1:32:19ward capital to do a major project. And
1:32:23if we get unelected
1:32:25in that time, that money can go to waste
1:32:27and get re-budgeted and that that
1:32:29project never happens. It's actually a a
1:32:32big fear of mine. I've got exciting
1:32:33projects in in in play right now the
1:32:36redesign of of Lindell Boulevard,
1:32:38redesign of Chouteau
1:32:40in my ward and I would I would hate that
1:32:43if something were to happen to me
1:32:45whether I get unelected or I get hit by
1:32:46a bus that those projects might not
1:32:48happen because the next person might not
1:32:50prioritize that funding.
1:32:52But if the funding is centralized within
1:32:54a department it would be able to provide
1:32:56the matching funds for grants that would
1:32:59then be able to
1:33:00not only make these projects happen but
1:33:03maybe maybe even make them happen
1:33:05faster.
1:33:06Uh and certainly be able to give uh
1:33:09granting agencies like the federal or
1:33:11state governments assurance that we
1:33:13would have the matching funds available
1:33:14instead of depending on um the
1:33:17fickleness of an elected official and
1:33:19who might happen to be sitting in that
1:33:21office at that time. So I think there
1:33:23are advantages to be brought by the
1:33:25centralization and I would agree agree
1:33:27with what Alderwoman Rice has said about
1:33:29this is the direction we need to be
1:33:30moving.
1:33:32Uh but I do think we have a lot of trust
1:33:33to build in that meantime and part of
1:33:36that trust I'm glad to hear you say is
1:33:38going to come from good data.
1:33:40And that way when we have good data
1:33:42about our streets, we're going to be
1:33:44able to transparently show people, "Hey,
1:33:47we assessed all the streets in the ward.
1:33:48These are the ones that are in the worst
1:33:50condition." Um because right now
1:33:53I'm sure all my colleagues can identify
1:33:56with this. We get residents who will
1:33:58say, "When's my When's my street going
1:34:00to get paved?" And you'll go out and
1:34:01you'll look at their street and you're
1:34:02like, "This doesn't need to be paved."
1:34:05But how do you tell them that when, you
1:34:07know, we're not the experts on this and,
1:34:10you know, I usually try to point to
1:34:11another street in my ward and say, "Go
1:34:12Go look at this other street. It's It's
1:34:14in worse condition than yours.
1:34:15Unfortunately, you know, it's got to be
1:34:17a priority and uh before we can get to
1:34:19yours."
1:34:21But I hope that when we gather this
1:34:23data, my wish would be for it to be made
1:34:25public as well as not just be provided
1:34:27to all others so that everyone can
1:34:29understand the parts of our city that
1:34:32need the most maintenance and so that we
1:34:34can understand where the dollars are
1:34:35being directed and have faith in the
1:34:37system that the places that are in most
1:34:40need of investment are going to receive
1:34:42that investment. And I think for my
1:34:44colleagues, especially my colleagues in
1:34:46the north with the very large wards, uh
1:34:49with lots and lots of streets, would
1:34:51really appreciate that level of
1:34:52transparency. And uh also
1:34:56having the public be able to see that
1:34:57would get people to understand our
1:35:00struggle in maintaining that that that
1:35:03um infrastructure.
1:35:05Uh the last thing I'll I'll say is that
1:35:08Saint Louis Works money,
1:35:10ward capital money, even with those
1:35:12sources combined, that is not enough
1:35:14money
1:35:15to maintain all of our streets in our
1:35:18city.
1:35:19And so other funding sources are going
1:35:21to be needed and I think looking at
1:35:23parking, for instance, is essential.
1:35:26That money should go back into repairing
1:35:28our streets.
1:35:29Uh
1:35:30but figuring out how we can best fund
1:35:33these sources is going to be a real
1:35:34struggle, and I'd encourage my
1:35:36colleagues to keep an open mind about
1:35:39how we do this because we cannot
1:35:41continue doing things the same way and
1:35:43expect a different and better result.
1:35:46Uh so I really appreciate your time
1:35:48today, Director Jackson. I really I your
1:35:50time, uh
1:35:52Caitlin, and uh I
1:35:54will just see if my colleagues have any
1:35:56more questions. Um
1:35:59if not, uh we do want to hear from the
1:36:01public uh if they have any comments. So,
1:36:04uh we'll at this time uh go to public
1:36:06testimony to see if any uh reactions to
1:36:08the presentation or any thoughts on it.
1:36:10>> If I may, Mr. Chair, uh before I uh
1:36:13relinquish to Michael, just want to
1:36:15uh I want to say to Ms. uh Smith, thank
1:36:18you so much. She has really shepherded
1:36:21uh and brought us to this point. There
1:36:23are a number of different things that
1:36:25are
1:36:26city right
1:36:27uh
1:36:27that streets is heavily involved in.
1:36:30And she has really brought us,
1:36:33particularly with this project, uh to
1:36:36the point where we are so that we could
1:36:38have this informed conversation. And I
1:36:40really just wanted to publicly
1:36:42acknowledge the professionalism and her
1:36:45ability to bring this to the table and
1:36:47to have this discussion with you today.
1:36:50>> That That's very kind of you, Director
1:36:52Jackson. I completely agree. She's an
1:36:53essential team member.
1:36:56Uh Madam Clerk, do we have anyone signed
1:36:58up to testify?
1:36:59>> We have none.
1:37:02>> Just going to throw this out there to
1:37:03any members of the audience, does anyone
1:37:04have any comments to any reactions to to
1:37:07what we heard today?
1:37:11If you'd come up to the microphone,
1:37:14we'd be happy to hear from you. If you
1:37:16could just introduce yourself and what
1:37:17ward you're from you live in.
1:37:20>> My name is James Stringfellow.
1:37:23I reside in the 11th Ward.
1:37:26I would like to see that uh
1:37:31the the
1:37:32new
1:37:35design again.
1:37:36Can you put that screen Can you put that
1:37:38up?
1:37:40>> The slide for the the new department
1:37:42structure?
1:37:43>> Yes.
1:37:45>> Give us a second.
1:37:47>> And now, um
1:37:49in order to get
1:37:51federal funding,
1:37:53probably in order to get
1:37:55state funding for some of the streets,
1:38:00we're going to need
1:38:02involvement from the public,
1:38:05from the people that live in the
1:38:07community.
1:38:09Uh
1:38:10I I don't see any of that. I don't see
1:38:13where that uh
1:38:14uh
1:38:16disability people, people who are
1:38:18rolling around in
1:38:20wheelchairs,
1:38:22blind people. Uh
1:38:25those are important aspects to have
1:38:29and whenever we start talking about uh a
1:38:32new department. Uh that's that's not the
1:38:35one, though.
1:38:36>> You know what slide you
1:38:38>> it's the design, the top and then the
1:38:42different departments.
1:38:47>> And specifically, if you go to the
1:38:49>> organizational chart
1:38:50>> the draft DOT org chart multimodal
1:38:53transit and small-scale project team.
1:38:55We might be able to point to one of the
1:38:57positions that you're talking about.
1:39:00>> Okay, um
1:39:02so now
1:39:05who who feeds in to
1:39:10I see the design there now. Does all of
1:39:13those directors the traffic, refuse, do
1:39:17they feed into your s-
1:39:20you the di- director?
1:39:23Okay? Now,
1:39:25are they of equal value or the directors
1:39:29going to make the final decision? And
1:39:31where does Where are the
1:39:34the experts at that's going to
1:39:37make the final help make the final
1:39:39decision? Where Where are they at in the
1:39:41in that design?
1:39:43>> So, just the way we normally do public
1:39:45testimony, you can ask questions, but we
1:39:47don't do a question and answer.
1:39:49So, if that's your question, I I will
1:39:51relay that, but we we appreciate that
1:39:54question. I think if you switch to the
1:39:56next slide,
1:39:58um
1:40:07Okay, so on this slide, one thing I
1:40:10noticed is that under on the far left,
1:40:12under support team, there is a position
1:40:15or an office for public engagement. Uh
1:40:18perhaps uh the director or Ms. Smith,
1:40:22you could share a little more about what
1:40:24that uh
1:40:26what that team is designed to do. Uh
1:40:30or I also heard you talk about um coming
1:40:34out to the communities and and really
1:40:36talking to people about what they'd like
1:40:38to see, um but uh can you speak to the
1:40:42public engagement aspect of this
1:40:44department?
1:40:45>> Yeah, um obviously this is all very
1:40:48preliminary right now. We're looking at
1:40:51a potential three-person team for public
1:40:53engagement, um two to three-person team.
1:40:56We're also um when it comes to
1:40:58accessibility, um under sidewalks,
1:41:01there's thought on should the ADA
1:41:03coordinator does that position
1:41:05um does it make sense for it to live
1:41:07under sidewalks here? Does it make sense
1:41:10for it to stay in the office of the
1:41:11disabled? So, those discussions are
1:41:13ongoing.
1:41:15>> Okay, and that that was what I was going
1:41:17to say in the next slide, uh
1:41:19there is a position under the sidewalk
1:41:21improvement and project delivery team of
1:41:23an ADA coordinator.
1:41:25>> Yes, correct.
1:41:26>> And and that is part of again our
1:41:28diffuse structure in that we currently
1:41:30have an office on the disabled at our
1:41:32city. Excellent people in that office.
1:41:34Shout out to David Newberger and his
1:41:36team.
1:41:38Uh we really appreciate I checking with
1:41:40them often on different projects that
1:41:42we're working on and we really
1:41:43appreciate their expertise that they
1:41:45bring. Uh but we also are looking to
1:41:48include those aspects in this new
1:41:50department to make sure that uh we're
1:41:53not just designing streets that are
1:41:55walkable, but that they're also
1:41:58navigable by anybody using any kind of
1:42:00mobility device.
1:42:02Um it's a it's a personal belief of mine
1:42:04that when you design streets uh for uh
1:42:07the most vulnerable person out there
1:42:09that you make it safer for everybody out
1:42:11there. And so this is a crucial part of
1:42:14our transportation network. And uh when
1:42:17you when you walk a city that's well
1:42:18designed for people who are you know,
1:42:21using a wheelchair or, you know, using
1:42:23crutches or pushing a stroller,
1:42:25uh if the city works for them, it's
1:42:26going to work well for everybody.
1:42:29Uh so,
1:42:30I do think that there's there's some
1:42:32good uh addressing of public engagement
1:42:34and uh accessibility uh that it that it
1:42:37will be included in this um new
1:42:39department.
1:42:41Uh
1:42:41with that, uh if if we don't have any
1:42:43other public comment, we'll go ahead and
1:42:45close this community discussion. I want
1:42:47to thank everybody for their time today
1:42:49uh and uh thank you again to uh Caitlin
1:42:52Smith and uh Director James Jackson. We
1:42:55really appreciate this update on uh this
1:42:58transition to the Department of
1:42:59Transportation. As I said at the
1:43:01beginning, almost 90% of people in the
1:43:04city voted for this. And when you have
1:43:07that strong of support, you know
1:43:09something needs to be done. And uh we
1:43:12really look forward to this creating a
1:43:14better result for our residents and the
1:43:16people who visit our city. Uh we we are
1:43:19tired of seeing the tragedies on our
1:43:20streets. We're tired of seeing
1:43:22uh the carnage that occurs. But we are
1:43:25excited that we are taking this
1:43:27seriously and I again want to offer my
1:43:30thanks to the mayor's office for not
1:43:32just making this a name change, but
1:43:34really making this
1:43:35something that we can feel
1:43:37out on our streets and our sidewalks and
1:43:40really will improve the quality of life
1:43:43for our residents.
1:43:45This is all very good information we
1:43:46received today.
1:43:47With that, we'll go ahead and move on.
1:43:51Does any was there any written testimony
1:43:53today, Madam Clerk?
1:43:54>> We have none.
1:43:55>> Does any member of the committee have
1:43:57any announcements?
1:44:00>> I don't have an announcement, but Mr.
1:44:02Chair, I'd like to make a comment.
1:44:04>> Oh, yes, go ahead, Alderwoman.
1:44:07>> But, the comment that I have, I mean
1:44:11people, we have to understand as a city,
1:44:14we've always been back in the 1900s and
1:44:17I see they're trying to bring it up.
1:44:20But, as the gentleman has said, Mr.
1:44:23Stringfellow, I think and I've learned
1:44:27from what from the pilot that they're
1:44:29doing in my ward, the residents are not
1:44:31understanding the changes and what's
1:44:34going on.
1:44:35And so, I heard Alderwoman Clark Hubbard
1:44:38say, you know, for him to come speak,
1:44:41but when we did the survey and we were
1:44:43talking to the residents,
1:44:46they weren't grasping to understand the
1:44:49changes that's going on and so, I think
1:44:54people have to understand when you're
1:44:56talking to different groups of
1:44:58residents,
1:44:59you have to talk to a point for them to
1:45:02break it down to know how these changes
1:45:05are going to impact them.
1:45:07And so, I just really would appreciate
1:45:10it
1:45:11is when you do come and you talk to to
1:45:13our residents,
1:45:15you explain it to where it was and where
1:45:17it's trying to be and I think that was
1:45:19the struggle because when the people
1:45:22came to ask the questions and do the
1:45:24survey, we literally had to go from the
1:45:26beginning and come back to say this is
1:45:29what we're trying to do. And then when
1:45:31they ask questions, they still were
1:45:33answering questions that wasn't even
1:45:35related to what we were trying to get
1:45:37the answers to.
1:45:39So, I think it's the education piece for
1:45:41our residents in the city.
1:45:43And then in in my community, a lot of
1:45:46those our residents were never involved
1:45:49in those kind of decisions and
1:45:51understanding how processes go with the
1:45:54government. So, I'm just asking you all
1:45:58that's good you're trying to change the
1:46:00dynamics and bring the city up to to
1:46:03upgrade,
1:46:05but you need to make sure that you're
1:46:07explaining to the residents what the
1:46:09process was and what the process will be
1:46:12in the future. Thank you.
1:46:15>> Thank you, Alderwoman. And I I would
1:46:17agree that education is going to be a
1:46:18key component as we move forward. And
1:46:21that's really what this meeting was
1:46:23about today is trying to make sure what
1:46:25people understood
1:46:26what this plan looks like and that we
1:46:28are taking this very seriously because
1:46:31we care about the result for them.
1:46:33Uh with that, uh I will excuse uh the
1:46:37Alderwoman from the eighth's absence
1:46:39or necessary absence. And uh with that,
1:46:42I will take a motion to adjourn.
1:46:45>> So moved.
1:46:46>> I'll second that motion.
1:46:48>> Madam here.
1:46:51>> And hearing no objection to previous
1:46:52roll, we are adjourned.
1:47:35>> Mhm.