[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6060944,"mediaKeyId","3287664-6b4fb2b0fed7913360908aab5475a3fe","parentId",3287664,"title","Parks and forestry urge hires, contractor funding to address tree removals, vacant‑lot maintenance","audioSeconds",673,"startMs",6923000,"endMs",7596000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3287664-6b4fb2b0fed7913360908aab5475a3fe&start=6923&end=7596","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3287664-6b4fb2b0fed7913360908aab5475a3fe/thumbnail_6923000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6060944/St-Louis-City/St-Louis-County/Missouri/Parks-and-forestry-urge-hires-contractor-funding-to-address-tree-removals-vacantlot-maintenance","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6060944-8dc3cd81fdcbd75b7b815265d2fbcf75/orig.mp4?Expires=1771167359&Signature=ATx5Nuvp5vNx1tj65wgh0VYq-rD-bZveJpj70SXPggcmlQx-kZFyPvAxAYt3RbH3J8y4x9BlMwBV6KIXzteIpM-UE9~I0KmB2OToWDwIJkaE0x5bYtLCr99XxVRQH7vyIc4dWzjtSQoxB3QzeG2tlhWoBtxiIa2WtQQV6jqAgSFDkX~pyUtOq9Cow8oY~4CCOTD279i6baL6ilfMy6AN8dAi3cnlR4mclwxT98YjABDoRS~vfIst1IRpAd22nsshnJuUWZNhX5yYaAW1RWq-q2zXuOVA3tgzfVeLNXzycd6GO3qv2ueWhTOQDse~zJATMvQJ2Mh~nH~PoIA98ucFyA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of St. Louis, MO","date","2025-05-12T21:23:22Z","article","The Parks, Recreation and Forestry leadership team told the Budget & Public Employees Committee on May 12 that staffing shortages are forcing the department to rely on contractors for mowing, vacant‑lot maintenance and hazardous‑tree removals, and that targeted hires and professional services funding would reduce backlog.

The department’s director summarized the division’s scope—110 city parks and roughly 3,200 park acres—and introduced commissioners who detailed staffing and program gaps. Parks Commissioner Kim Haegley said two permanent utility-worker positions were missing from her initial budget reconciliation but that the administration planned to restore them from another account. She asked the committee for funds to contract mowing for one large regional park (Carondelet Park) to allow city crews to focus on smaller neighborhood parks and event needs.

Forestry Commissioner Alan (Alan/Allen) Jankowski described recruiting and retention challenges for tree-trimmer positions and said the department is supplementing staff with contractors. He told the committee the forestry office requested expanded funding for per‑performance and professional services to increase vacant‑building and vacant‑lot rotations and to remove hazardous trees. Jankowski said capital money already allocated for tree removal (including an ongoing ash‑tree removal program) has paid for large removals; he estimated roughly that an additional $500,000 in contracted services could remove about 1,000 trees. He said the department’s current queue included thousands of trims and removals (Jankowski estimated several thousand work orders for removals and trims across the inventory).

Committee members pressed for specific priorities. Commissioners said the highest operational returns would come from (1) restoring tree-trimmer and equipment‑operator hires to run a debris program in‑house, (2) funding contractors to shorten vacant‑lot and vacant‑building cutting rotations, and (3) adding utility workers to maintain parks, trim grass and stage events. The department noted it had obtained some capital equipment (front loaders, roll‑offs and skid steers) but lacks trained operators to run that equipment without the requested hires.

On other items under the department umbrella, the committee heard that Soulard Market remains a near‑full vendor market and that approximately $2.4 million in capital work—tuckpointing, roofing, electrical, plumbing and exterior repairs—has been programmed to stabilize the market building over the next year; Brightside reported continued graffiti removal and neighborhood beautification activity and asked that a $60,000 CDA grant be applied to citywide graffiti eradication efforts.

Ending: Commissioners asked the committee to prioritize hires for tree trimmers, heavy‑equipment operators and utility workers and to consider targeted professional‑services funding to reduce long maintenance cycles and backlogs; they agreed to provide the committee with detailed counts of pending removals, trimming workloads and contractor estimates for additional work.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Budget and Public Employees Committee May 12 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Parks, Recreation and Forestry leaders told the budget committee they need more staff and contractor funding to manage vacant‑lot cutting, hazardous-tree removals and park maintenance; forestry asked for equipment plus trained operators and said capital funds will pay for many large tree removals.","taxTitle","St. Louis City, St. Louis County, Missouri","taxId",2587,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6060949,"Neighborhood stabilization, Citizen Service Bureau warn staffing shortfalls are slowing service response",1928,3237000,5165000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3287664-6b4fb2b0fed7913360908aab5475a3fe&start=3237&end=5165","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3287664-6b4fb2b0fed7913360908aab5475a3fe/thumbnail_3237000.jpg","/articles/6060949/St-Louis-City/St-Louis-County/Missouri/Neighborhood-stabilization-Citizen-Service-Bureau-warn-staffing-shortfalls-are-slowing-service-response","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6060949-c3e941638dc6ab74951510c3ab0b1f5e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771167359&Signature=dbEDTMY41Qguf5evBQYFEEXcmae6uab0czyP6q4vT9NToHFINtwBCyKb77l2c0IOTYt6ta968xxvfObnnfM3fIGXr1Kvl9enTYh3gcTDH9s3EzBfZqi0UO0LVpg0HBIZhhPfuUJ489puZZPZ7mZflFPRuKY2t~GfGFu-H-LjWgJqXS3H1s9Ze6Zzq7TunQKvWolPQ9AMFM6ROV6A2kFwDjm58yoH3lBxR5yfOSL2f2nnt0cdvEA4nw8Vfzv92k3GPinAKO2DJwmDHY66wXttGHopsh~6buh-5LLMx9mWUaVi7fJNhpCyYxXzbACd-xe-qm8I~O5qJNZJxgHTd6eCfA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Acting Director Karen Clifford of the Neighborhood Stabilization Division told the Board of Aldermen budget committee on May 12 that call volume and service requests to the Citizen Service Bureau have risen about 20% this year and that the department needs additional staff to keep response times from slipping.

“Our mission is to empower residents to sustain a quality environment within their neighborhood through effectively and efficiently registering and routing city services,” Clifford said. She described the Citizen Service Bureau as the city’s “first line of contact” for issues ranging from refuse pickup to snow and ice removal, and she asked the committee to restore or add customer service supervisor positions so staff can coach and monitor CSB agents during high-volume periods.

Clifford gave a staffing snapshot: the Neighborhood Stabilization team is structured with an executive director, three NIS supervisors, 18 active NISs and three vacancies; the CSB includes one CSR‑2, six CSR‑1s and one CSR‑1 vacancy (plus two per‑performance positions). She said the division requested a general-fund total of $3,616,111 for FY2026 and the proposed budget shown to the committee reduced that to $3,375,853; she called particular attention to a request for an additional CSR‑2 (a quasi-supervisory customer-service role) that she said could be funded by moving an existing secretary position into the CSR series.

Clifford and committee members also described a process problem that contributes to repeat calls: different departments apply different rules for when to “close” a service request. She said some departments mark a request closed after an initial inspection or after mailing a violation notice, while residents expect the ticket to remain open until the full remedy — such as a completed repair or trash pickup — is carried out. Clifford said staff are meeting with city operations and IT to standardize closing rules and improve tracking.

Committee members asked for specific cost estimates for proposed changes, and Clifford agreed to provide a calculation for the cost of providing take‑home vehicles for Neighborhood Improvement Specialists and a staffing-cost breakdown that would allow the committee to consider shifting existing funds to restore a utility worker complement and to fund the CSR‑2 supervisor request.

Ending: Clifford said the division will supply requested cost estimates and a list of boardable positions and vacancies so the committee can consider reallocated funds or targeted amendments during the budget process.","Acting director Karen Clifford and NIS/CSB staff told the committee that increased service requests, vacancies and inconsistent interdepartmental follow-up are straining the city's 311 system and neighborhood improvement work; they asked for staff additions and operational changes.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6060954,"Civilian Oversight commissioner warns budget cuts will slow complaint investigations amid state takeover",896,213000,1109000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3287664-6b4fb2b0fed7913360908aab5475a3fe&start=213&end=1109","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3287664-6b4fb2b0fed7913360908aab5475a3fe/thumbnail_213000.jpg","/articles/6060954/St-Louis-City/St-Louis-County/Missouri/Civilian-Oversight-commissioner-warns-budget-cuts-will-slow-complaint-investigations-amid-state-takeover","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6060954-bd0d73c96668b49e5d59790a40dec771/orig.mp4?Expires=1771167359&Signature=cLAIRspYgYYQYE5RFfvUBKnWtV4WWbJZKI64~f2I6VafQKYwpea8RZDAX4ms-7OV-Wvn34wt2z1V53t3zwOmqwCL4vMDJp-npJiJc9QNQmJFRpoYYhWe8uMGNscMOJOXIpT7uM6oY~E4vX7ncuLQ2n0nrwe7jXhZj9-poRKOIy1a0jwiMT5qdZSf4-AdfwqR7PYoCzgtd7rNJLYnYqbfMq9Vx5WFHNBZp630tL~KClOn81U2nq-o43KfHV~Cg42bjf094Ajt2l~10r2cYKqJOMnf0II3E1pxHz4NsNNtdNNoB18owEOZJ2iAmswyVj-8H6nRFx2Qv3FyCjq4tWpAjA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Civilian Oversight Board Commissioner Dr. Barbara Milen told the St. Louis Board of Aldermen Budget & Public Employees Committee on May 12 that proposed reductions in the division’s FY2026 budget will slow its ability to investigate complaints and to do community outreach.

The division, Milen said, is charged under state law with receiving and investigating public complaints about the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and detention facilities and “promoting transparency, fairness, and public accountability through impartial and independent professional standards and inquiries and investigations.” She cited RSMo § 590.6532 and City Ordinance 71,749 as the division’s statutory authorities.

Milen framed the immediate impact of the proposed budget cutbacks in staffing and contracted services. “We requested independent legal counsel and funding to maintain investigator positions and a client services coordinator,” she said. She told the committee the FY2026 proposal removes two legal investigator positions and eliminates a client-service role that the division uses to support surviving families and manage community outreach.

Louisa Lyles, a legal investigator with the division, told the committee the office is carrying a backlog of 753 complaints across detention and police matters. Lyles gave year-by-year complaint tallies for police complaints: 155 in 2021, 126 in 2022, 181 in 2023 and 197 in 2024, and she said the office had about 75 complaints so far in 2025. For detention-facility complaints she reported 26 in 2022, 35 in 2023 and 33 in 2024.

The division also asked the committee to restore funds for an independent legal counsel contract (Milen described a $75,000 budget request) and for access to an investigative case-management system the staff called “Regis,” which Milen said would cost about $10,000. Milen said access to case-management software would improve investigative capacity and recordkeeping.

Committee members questioned how state actions affecting the police would change the division’s role. Milen said the office has adjusted its work plan to align with categories identified by the state but that the division still plans to pursue community engagement as a separate document and to continue monthly coordination meetings with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the city justice center.

Milen and Lyles described operational barriers that have slowed investigations, including limits on board member access to detention facilities, training delays for newly appointed board members and staffing constraints. Lyles said the division has not been able to present cases to the boards while many members completed orientation; she said the boards were due to begin hearing cases the following month.

Several aldermen pressed for clarification of outcomes previously reached by the division. Lyles described differences between the division’s findings and internal affairs reports she receives and said the division sometimes finds additional violations when it reviews the same material. She described an ongoing practice in which the office reviews internal affairs investigations, examines camera footage and medical and police reports, and then generates its own findings for board consideration.

The committee did not take a vote on any COB-specific budget line during the hearing. Members and the commissioner discussed follow-up items — including written documentation of the division’s pending caseload, requested software access, and the precise dollar amounts the division seeks for independent counsel — and Milen said she would provide additional details to the committee for further consideration.

Ending: The division asked the committee to restore investigator and client-service positions, fund independent legal counsel and approve access to an investigative case-management system. Commissioners and staff said they would provide documentation of complaint counts, the software request and the program’s staffing needs to assist the committee’s budget decisions.","The Division of Civilian Oversight told the St. Louis Board of Aldermen budget committee that proposed cuts to its FY2026 budget and eliminated investigator and client-service positions would slow investigations and reduce community engagement just as state actions are reshaping police oversight.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Parks and forestry urge hires, contractor funding to address tree removals, vacant‑lot maintenance

Neighborhood stabilization, Citizen Service Bureau warn staffing shortfalls are slowing service response

Civilian Oversight commissioner warns budget cuts will slow complaint investigations amid state takeover