51黑料

ST. LOUIS 鈥� The new law putting 51黑料 police under state control also requires the city to budget more money for the department.

In response, city officials are set to charge the police department for city services.

The proposed police budget in the upcoming fiscal year is set to grow 11%, or about $21 million, according to budget documents. But the lion鈥檚 share, more than $16 million, is earmarked to pay the city back for the work other departments do repairing police vehicles, maintaining police stations, hiring officers and representing them in court.

City Budget Director Paul Payne, who prepared the budget proposal, told aldermen in a committee hearing last week that the additions are a way to track the true cost of the police department.

鈥淚t鈥檚 misleading to say, 鈥楾his is the cost of the police department,鈥� and only look at the police department,鈥� Payne said, 鈥渂ecause we also have all these other major costs.鈥�

But at least one supporter of the takeover 鈥� and the increased funding requirements 鈥� saw it as little more than a clever trick.

鈥淚t鈥檚 defunding the police by a shell game,鈥� said state Rep. Jim Murphy, a Republican from south 51黑料 County. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 supposed to be 鈥榖oots on the ground鈥� money.鈥�

When the police department was under a state-controlled board the first time, from the Civil War era to 2013, the department had its own legal unit, its own recruiters, its own maintenance staff and its own repair garage.

But when the city took control 12 years ago, those units were merged into the rest of the city bureaucracy. Police attorneys were still assigned to the police department, but they worked for the city鈥檚 law department. The same went for the mechanics, maintenance staff and recruiters.

Now, state lawmakers are reimposing state control, over the city鈥檚 objections, and requiring the city to spend 22% of its general revenue this year on the police department. That number grows to 25% in 2028.

And city officials, who have said the mandate could eventually require spending an extra $40 million per year on police, have said it鈥檚 only fair to count all the money spent supporting the department.

So they鈥檝e added the following line items to its budget:

• $5.6 million to the law department for city attorneys assigned to the department and to cover court judgments against it.
• $5.5 million to facilities management for police department building and grounds care.
• $4.8 million to equipment services for mechanics and repairs to police vehicles.
• $429,000 to the personnel department to cover hiring and recruitment costs.

The city鈥檚 Estimate Board, composed of the mayor, the comptroller and the aldermanic president, gave initial approval to the budget last month.聽

Police leaders did not make any objections at their budget hearing in front of aldermen Thursday.

David Daniels, the department鈥檚 finance chief, said he understood that the city has a tight budget for the upcoming year amid slow revenue growth and聽fears of a recession. The department, he said, had to operate within the constraints it is given.

Daniels said he had gotten some questions from people in the department about money for raises. But he said he had told them the same thing.

鈥淭here is no big bundle of extra money that the police department has as a result of state control,鈥� Daniels said. 鈥淎nd I鈥檓 only saying that because there鈥檚 an internal audience in the police department who thinks there鈥檚 a lot more money available. But there鈥檚 not.鈥�

The city approved two rounds of raises, in 2023 and earlier this year, amid a push to recover from the loss of hundreds of officers in the wake of pandemic-era protests against police, frustration with local politicians and a poaching effort by the higher-paying 51黑料 County department.

Police Chief Robert Tracy said Thursday that the raises, along with better relationships with prosecutors in the wake of former Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner鈥檚 departure, have helped slow attrition and bring officers back.

But near the end of Thursday鈥檚 aldermanic meeting, Daniels, a 24-year-veteran of the department, said aldermen needed to work on finding new revenue sources for the city.

A lot of positions are vacant in the police department and departments across the city because other employers pay more, he said.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 a problem,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t influences who we can hire and how long people stay, and it鈥檚 a shame when we turn into a training facility for other employers.鈥�