ST. LOUIS 鈥 Mayor Tishaura O. Jones on Friday vetoed a plan to modernize language in the century-old city charter, citing constitutional concerns about the way it was written.
But she allowed three other proposed amendments to go to voters on the November ballot, despite her concerns.
The modernization bill was recommended by a citizen-led Charter Commission and passed by the Board of Aldermen. It was aimed at nixing things like references to agencies that no longer exist and the widespread use of male pronouns to describe top jobs 鈥 including mayor, aldermanic president and comptroller, all of which are now held by women.
But the text of the bill only includes specific instructions for renaming the board and its aldermen as the City Council and city councilpersons. The rest of the changes are contained in an attached exhibit, and the power to make them is delegated to the city attorney鈥檚 office.
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Jones said the board can鈥檛 do that.
鈥淥ur state constitution and Charter require the legislation authorizing such ballot proposals to contain the specific changes to be made,鈥 she wrote in her veto letter.
Jones said she would work with the board to fix the plan for a future ballot.
The mayor鈥檚 decision follows months of deliberations on plans to overhaul the charter, which spells out the basic rules and responsibilities of municipal government. Aldermen and a citizen-led Charter Commission have discussed and debated big, sweeping changes, including the elimination of the city鈥檚 unusual, three-headed executive branch.
The furthest-reaching ideas were largely discarded months ago in the face of opposition from Jones and Comptroller Darlene Green, the latter of whom would have had her power reduced or eliminated under some proposals.
Jones has concerns about the three proposals she allowed to go to the ballot, all without her signature, spokesperson Conner Kerrigan said:
- A plan to let aldermen make additions to the budget 鈥 power currently reserved for the Estimate Board the mayor chairs 鈥 could lead to more earmarks and harm the city鈥檚 credit rating.
- A plan to rename the Streets Department as the Department of Transportation and broaden its mission to caring for pedestrians and cyclists does not increase funding for streets or transportation, Kerrigan wrote in an email.
- And a plan to lift the $500 cap on fines for vacant buildings, aimed at giving the city a bigger stick in dealing with negligent property owners, needed more public input, Kerrigan said.
But Jones was in a bit of a bind on those measures. Each passed the board with a veto-proof majority.
The three plans join another proposal, which would add a special fee on short-term rentals, on the Nov. 5 ballot. Charter changes require 60% approval to pass.
View life in 蜜芽传媒 through the Post-Dispatch photographers' lenses. Edited by Jenna Jones.
