A St. Louis city spending plan presented Thursday would cut about $4 million from the St. Louis police budget and eliminate 98 vacant officer positions.
St. Louis Budget Plan Cuts $4 Million from Police, Eliminates 98 Vacant Officer Positions
The Board of Estimate and Apportionment voted 2-1 in favor of the cuts, with Mayor Tishaura Jones and Comptroller Darlene Green supporting the move and Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed opposed.
May 4, 2021
1 min to read
The Board of Estimate and Apportionment voted 2-1 in favor of the cuts, with Mayor Tishaura Jones and Comptroller Darlene Green supporting the move and Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed opposed.
The $1.15 billion plan now moves to aldermen for hearings and possible amendments before it’s set to go into effect July 1, the start of the new fiscal year, St. Louis Today reports.
The plan moves $4 million out of the police department’s $171 million budget to go toward affordable housing, homeless services, a victims’ support program and civil rights litigators. The police budget accounts for about 15% of total city spending.
The police cuts include more than $3 million in salary and benefits that was intended for six lieutenants, 25 sergeants and 67 police officers. Those positions have remained vacant for at least 12 years, Jones said during a news conference later Thursday.
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