BOA considers two bills to offer tornado relief to residents impacted by tornado

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - Two bills before the Board of Aldermen are intended to help residents dealing with damage from the May 16 tornado.

Both bills, sponsored by Aldermen Rasheen Aldridge and Alderwoman Pamela Boyd, will be discussed in special sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday.

One of the proposals would expand the city’s impacted tenants fund, created last session, to include victims of natural disaster. The fund offers financial to renters forced to move because of damage or condemnation at their homes.

The other bill would allow the city to reduce assessed values on damaged homes, lowering the tax burden of homeowners.

“We’re moving very quickly and hope to have this done by the weekend,” Aldridge said.

Moving forward, Aldridge said that the board may soon start discussing ways to offer further financial for impacted neighborhoods, including reallocating ARPA funds and using funds from the Rams settlement.

But utilizing ARPA money may come with legal hurdles, he said, since the federal government had required the funds to be allocated by the end of 2024.

He said discussions on state and federal disaster relief would impact those discussions.

“It’s still too early to know what the federal government is doing or the state government. It’s up to us to be proactive,” Aldridge said.

The $300 million dollar Rams settlement may present a more immediate source of funds, but alderman Michael Browning, whose ward covers the areas damaged in the Central West End, said there may be better ways to find funding.

The money would only cover a small part of the estimated $1.5 billion in damages reported from the tornado so far.

“This is too large for any city to handle by itself,” Browning said. “I’m disappointed to see the federal government stepping back from its role in disasters. It should be stepping up.”

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