[{"_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",6060963,"mediaKeyId","3287660-c4bc25584a7ac3d5b630498add4f552c","parentId",3287660,"title","Police say FY26 'increase' stems from internal charges as state control takes effect","audioSeconds",6777,"startMs",4872000,"endMs",11649000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3287660-c4bc25584a7ac3d5b630498add4f552c&start=4872&end=11649","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3287660-c4bc25584a7ac3d5b630498add4f552c/thumbnail_4872000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6060963/St-Louis-City/St-Louis-County/Missouri/Police-say-FY26-increase-stems-from-internal-charges-as-state-control-takes-effect","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6060963-c3fdfe065fb44b1153649f1c9b8dae79/orig.mp4?Expires=1771156925&Signature=RG-BoaGx8AIR4YiDMQXqA0OMiGLJSEnmNDp3sqXUJhcboqbk0wKxMDY7hoWg3QE8lPYcktN2UeEWPVJMFQuJkxU5-QDEkasS3dmnZaSANIC-Aplx1B04VEDb3GwdV995iRyF8OgXJ~rEBP3OWjGgbuxXd74-xzOkfJlQ9ALRWsgncDiEVm2vuEYRRT7p28ZG9uAuVacgqVBcPULgea0FyO~dxcRYNsg9E83RJHxtdIqiyiKcGW~3b0jiNATdD7h8eRDXvedZqIHxqhNEEyKd02a3weh9HkXkQ-uGfJbewZ8qzp17fJkS5nSqtZHrx0-YTVxDBmYJloETEJbCudybeA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of St. Louis, MO","date","2025-05-13T18:11:36Z","article","St. Louis — Chief Robert J. Tracy and fiscal manager David Daniels presented the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s proposed FY26 baseline budget to the Board of Aldermen’s Budget and Public Employees Committee on May 8 and said the headline year‑over‑year increase is largely an accounting effect tied to state control and internal service charges.

\"House Bill 495 requires revenue matches,\" David Daniels said to explain the accounting. He told the committee the department’s total appears to rise toward $200 million from about $183 million the prior year because internal service fund charges that had not been previously billed to the police department are now on the department’s line‑item statement.

What was said and why it matters: Daniels listed several large internal charges included in the department’s FY26 materials: a Department of Personnel charge, a charge from the City Counselor’s office (which includes funds for claims), facilities management and equipment services (fleet maintenance). Those items, he said, together account for most of the apparent increase; \"there's not much in terms of new initiatives in this budget,\" Daniels said, noting the city’s revenue picture is essentially flat.

Key details and operational priorities

- Revenue-match timing under HB495: Daniels explained the HB495 revenue-match provisions are written on a calendar-year basis — 22% for the period ending Dec. 31, 2025, and 23% for Jan. 1–Dec. 31, 2026 — creating timing complexity with the city's fiscal year and complicating forecasts. The department and the budget office used a blended figure between the two percentages for internal planning.

- Internal service charges: Daniels cited what he described as several new allocations the department must cover, including personnel office charges, City Counselor billed claims and equipment services/fleet charges. He said those costs, combined with about $1 million in added revenue accounts, largely explain the jump in reported totals.

- Grants, asset forfeiture and capital: Daniels and Chief Tracy said the department planned a roughly $400,000 investment in academy facility improvements and noted a firing range project has funding in place, partly using asset forfeiture funds. Daniels said asset forfeiture will also be used for a planned PeopleSoft upgrade and for a ShotSpotter replacement (referred to in discussion as SoundThinking). The AG and police staff have reviewed the funding and project plans.

- Recruitment and staffing: Chief Tracy discussed recruitment progress and attrition. He reported 879 commissioned officers currently on the department's roster, with multiple academy classes in progress or planned (14 sworn in recently; 10 due to graduate in July; a potential 25–27 candidate class upcoming). He said the department has sworn back roughly 35 former officers in the last two years and continues to run a recruitment campaign and partnerships with local colleges and HBCUs.

- Overtime and vacancies: The department's overtime picture remains significant: the FY26 budget shows an overtime allotment but the chief and Daniels warned historical overtime expenditures commonly outpace budgeted overtime because vacancies require backfilling with overtime. Daniels noted last year’s overtime spending in the general fund exceeded $15.3 million.

- Legal representation and transition: Chief Tracy said, after the governor signed the state-control order, he met with the Missouri attorney general's office and said the AG’s team told department leadership, \"you are our client,\" indicating the AG’s office will advise and in many cases handle legal work now being reviewed by state counsel while the city and attorney offices coordinate ongoing cases.

- Policy and enforcement topics: Committee members raised traffic safety, red‑light camera policy, and enforcement of reckless driving and ATV/dirt‑bike takeovers downtown. Chief Tracy described an ongoing enforcement strategy that includes targeted cruising details, towing, social‑media investigations of organized events and coordination with regional partners. He also said the department documents arrests and, when necessary, notifies federal immigration authorities; his stated policy is that the department \"does not enforce federal immigration laws\" but must document arrests and provide information when required.

Next steps and committee requests

Members asked for detailed line‑item explanations, including how internal service fund reallocations were calculated; Daniels said the budget office and the department would provide additional documentation. Tracy said the department will proceed with planned recruitment and academy scheduling while cooperating with the state transition and the incoming police board.

Ending

Committee members repeatedly asked for clearer, auditable breakdowns of the newly billed internal service charges and for documentation of planned capital and asset‑forfeiture projects; the department said it would provide additional detail to the committee and emphasized that state control had not created a pool of unencumbered new funds for local operations.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Budget and Public Employees Committee Meeting - May 8, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","St. Louis — Chief Robert J. Tracy and Fiscal Manager David Daniels presented the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s FY26 baseline budget on May 8 and said the apparent increase is driven mainly by internal service charges and accounting tied to House Bill 495 rather than a large surge of new recurring operating funds.","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},6060968,"St. Louis Fire Department warns staffing, equipment gaps as FY26 budget trimmed",3800,200000,4000000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3287660-c4bc25584a7ac3d5b630498add4f552c&start=200&end=4000","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3287660-c4bc25584a7ac3d5b630498add4f552c/thumbnail_200000.jpg","/articles/6060968/St-Louis-City/St-Louis-County/Missouri/St-Louis-Fire-Department-warns-staffing-equipment-gaps-as-FY26-budget-trimmed","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6060968-410066569f45fd85208c14b667724a7c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771156925&Signature=g~3GCaefAyyqN-79XTv4S23Tv5EaaxruswP6ohtOv~7FihYz2VuPefWdZJjZhsGQ2RFiym2X4jy8cUfJ71qt4XOlUENXBqGdxlljQJW0IunJZ06VUp-46xkoZctexcVryKx1FoB39Gls-qDs~ufvxVQQ4Fc-ZZf99HmCBVZ382Z2hb5~k6ns5O4ECznwlx0pEg0nE7Lui9l9av6B-MV1~632mlLHF3y9Ka-P9WUUWitK1tTBHLyx54G7Mi5ETEK4wUmtT3pGpy1oJZctpFoTOvWj0GUHnHNTPghxeydfUPU4u5eBxWxbPG5LNF6Dy8YWx9FCIq8tQqodRpuobY2ACw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","St. Louis — St. Louis Fire Department Chief Jackerson told the Board of Aldermen's Budget and Public Employees Committee on May 8 that the department’s FY26 request was cut and those reductions hit personnel-related and equipment line items.

\"The Saint Louis Fire Department is committed to the preservation of life property and the environment by effectively and efficiently meeting with the emerging public safety and welfare needs of our diverse community,\" Chief Jackerson said when he opened the department’s presentation.

The fire department requested $75,154,741 for fiscal year 2026; the proposed budget returned to the committee showed roughly $71.0 million. Chief Jackerson said most of the request overage is personnel-related and that the department’s workload remains large: he said the department logs about \"59,000 incidents\" and \"on an average, the fire department handles about a hundred thousand responses per year,\" while EMS handles about 56,000 emergency responses.

Why this matters: the department says EMS demand and a national paramedic shortage are pressing. Chief Jackerson said the department currently staffs 12 ambulances and would like to increase that number, describing EMS personnel as \"overworked.\" He reported a paramedic class of 14 students due to graduate in two weeks and said the department plans additional recruit classes, but noted ongoing shortfalls at officer ranks because promotions have been frozen by litigation.

Key budget cuts and program notes

- Protective clothing: Chief Jackerson told the committee the protective-clothing line item (listed on department materials at $521,518) was reduced by $175,000. He said the department spends about $10,000 per recruit to outfit personal protective equipment and SCBAs, and emphasized that firefighters each carry two full sets of turnout gear because \"of all the cancer that's been involved with the firefighters recently.\" The chief warned the cut would complicate outfitting incoming recruits.

- Ground Emergency Medical Transportation (GEMT): The department expects about $7,926,000 from GEMT — a Medicaid reimbursement program — and described the funding as important to pay for training, equipment and EMS operations. \"It’s basically a Medicaid reimbursement,\" Chief Jackerson said.

- Marine operations: the river- and marine-equipment line tied to Riverfront Gaming remained about $30,000 annually, the chief said, and he described that as far short of need. He gave the example of the department’s largest fireboat, Marine Unit 6 (Stan Musio), which is in dry dock for engine repairs with an estimated bill of about $80,000.

- Software and data systems: the department requested a new enterprise package (IA ProSuite implementation) to integrate incident reporting, equipment maintenance and professional standards work; that line was reduced by about $30,000 in the proposed budget. Chief Jackerson said the software would help the department coordinate dispatch, complaints, budgets and hotspot analysis.

- Vacancies and promotions: the chief said the department’s table of organization is for 586 firefighters plus medics, dispatchers and support staff, but that officer-level vacancies remain high after a promotions freeze imposed as part of a court-related settlement and subsequent administrative decisions. He described the freeze as \"in court right now\" and said it has disrupted continuity and the department’s ability to promote deputy chiefs, battalion chiefs and captains.

Operational pressures and overtime

Committee members pressed the chief on how overtime and leave policies affect operations. Chief Jackerson called the city’s additional six weeks of paid family medical leave \"devastating\" to overtime budgets for 24-hour firefighters and offered department-level data: \"We average 3,687 hours per month of paid family medical leave ... That's five firefighters every day they call in using this additional benefit. That's five overtime every day.\" He said the department is discussing changing the rule so the extra weeks would be available only after employees exhaust accrued leave.

Recruitment, training and equipment lifecycle

The chief described active recruitment and training: multiple academy classes are in progress or planned, with an 18‑week initial academy plus additional training and EMT certification before firefighters become full city employees. He also discussed local paramedic partnerships, mentioning Forest Park Community College and an in-department paramedic program started with outside partners.

He said fleet funding is being staggered and listed vehicles on order: multiple pumpers, hook-and-ladders and 10 ambulances expected to begin delivery starting in June. The chief also flagged maintenance capacity: the department relies on the city’s equipment services and noted a shortage of fleet mechanics has left the reserve fleet thin.

Drug testing and hiring

Chief Jackerson said the department is reexamining its drug-testing policy for cannabis at hiring, noting other local employers have removed THC from initial screens. He described a practice change proposal: remove THC from the initial pre-employment drug screen but maintain strict testing standards for employees once on the job.

Questions and next steps

Board members asked the chief for more granular figures and the fire department offered to deliver the full annual report for FY25 to committee members within about a week. Chief Jackerson also said the department will invite aldermen to a fire training day at the department’s training facility at Jefferson and Cass so elected officials can see operations and training firsthand.

Ending

Committee members voiced support for outfitting recruits and for protecting EMS capacity, and they requested the department’s detailed annual report and follow-up on the protective-clothing shortfall and GEMT assumptions. Chief Jackerson said the report would be available to the committee soon and reiterated the department’s staffing and equipment priorities.","Fire Chief Jackerson told the Board of Aldermen's Budget Committee the department faces a paramedic shortage, cuts to protective clothing and software funding, rising marine repair costs and officer-level vacancies tied to a promotions freeze as it seeks to maintain EMS and fire coverage under a reduced FY26 allotment.",{"_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},6060959,"Board of Aldermen trims FY26 operating requests, plans records digitization",290,4950000,5240000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3287660-c4bc25584a7ac3d5b630498add4f552c&start=4950&end=5240","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3287660-c4bc25584a7ac3d5b630498add4f552c/thumbnail_4950000.jpg","/articles/6060959/St-Louis-City/St-Louis-County/Missouri/Board-of-Aldermen-trims-FY26-operating-requests-plans-records-digitization","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6060959-3719d267af7c24aa25807a08510f2772/orig.mp4?Expires=1771156925&Signature=DPpNvDRqrbUz8GmAEnLSTQq5geeDJiT~0pfFcD71-ZMZq6rClDOa72DtO-RnchenQWHMNmNfGwPgnYDs08HLgEcbVgdYnIS98P-4WDQcZ~KUK4TXyp167Db3KeV~ast7JzmvL6WwC3eUXSmmL8Vq7vJDu8ceiHeNOqx1ukrnQrE64KxzDBK3HDurtkK013swMtWVn0buRaIWLj90qeHwQUXQjrZmlHAEpqsv180FoUjkfbCXhsxPRxczqIAco83EU-EqD-KORNgkoFJvb-3IlW-sFQXLg97o2QAAHdPHoUglMpJZoKfuo05DkPI9pk2nZmS7Phfi0FKNKDzROgpD~Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","St. Louis — Board of Aldermen President presented the board’s FY26 operating budget to the Budget and Public Employees Committee on May 8, describing a modest overall reduction and a focus on personnel and constituent services.

The President said the board’s proposed FY26 budget totals $5,493,651, down from an adopted FY25 figure of $5,608,537. \"The largest segment of the budget is personnel services,\" the president said, and noted the board staff will receive the 3% pay increase that other city employees received.

Why it matters: the Board of Aldermen executes the city’s legislative functions and staff support is central to constituent services. The president highlighted completed and planned investments that reduce recurring operating costs, including a meeting-management system that will go live in the coming weeks and a partnership with the Missouri Secretary of State’s local records program to digitize and publish historical board records.

Budget highlights

- Personnel: The board’s personnel services are budgeted at $5,141,335 for FY26, a slight increase driven by salary adjustments.

- Materials and contractual services: The budget reduces materials and supplies from $126,000 in FY25 to $38,000 in FY26 and cuts certain professional service lines that historically funded mailings and ad-hoc projects.

- Technology and space improvements: The board selected meeting‑management software in a prior cycle and expects to complete implementation in the coming weeks; staff also approved new workstations and flooring for Room 230 during the summer break.

- Records digitization: The president said the board will partner with the Missouri Secretary of State’s local records program to digitize legislative records that have been in storage for decades.

Ending

President and staff offered to answer committee questions, and committee members praised the personnel-focused approach. The personnel committee and budget division will continue to coordinate on the board’s FY26 final allocation.","Board President presented a slightly reduced FY26 operating budget emphasizing personnel services, an upcoming meeting-management software rollout and a partnership to digitize historical legislative records with the Missouri Secretary of State.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Police say FY26 'increase' stems from internal charges as state control takes effect

St. Louis Fire Department warns staffing, equipment gaps as FY26 budget trimmed

Board of Aldermen trims FY26 operating requests, plans records digitization