St. Louis City committee hears mixed public testimony on bill to lower petition threshold for shelters

The St. Louis City Housing, Urban Development and Zoning Committee on Thursday heard public testimony both for and against Board Bill 2-27, a proposal that supporters said would reduce the neighborhood petition threshold and make it easier to open shelters, and that opponents said risks diluting neighborhood voices.

Supporters urged the committee to make it easier to site shelters and other services for people who are unhoused. "This is the opportunity to be bold," said Marty Jo Murray, who identified himself as a fifth senate district committeeman and former Seventh Ward committeeman and a board member at Peter and Paul Community Services. Murray said shelters in his Soulard neighborhood had not harmed property values and that effective service providers would be a community benefit.

Dr. Ashje Creek, a Fox Park resident, described living in a shelter as a child and argued that Missouri’s divestment from mental-health and substance-use services since the early 2000s has increased demand for city-based supports. "If people are coming here for help, let’s help them," Dr. Creek said, urging the committee to support the bill so potential shelters can more easily get a hearing.

Business- and neighborhood-focused speakers offered both support and concerns. Kavy, co-director of the Saint Louis Art Place Initiative and a 7th Ward property owner, backed the bill and questioned whether the plat-and-petition process consistently produces meaningful community dialogue, saying in-person engagement often yields better results. By contrast, Dawn Smith Popiulski, a Ward 9 resident, said she opposed the bill’s petition percentage and warned it could set a precedent; she cited experience with annexation petitions that required higher thresholds and urged caution.

Donna Aga, president of the Southampton Neighborhood Association (Ward 5), urged the committee to revise the bill’s definition of "neighborhood organization," saying the draft language is drawn from a section of state statute she said is no longer effective and that it would exclude many neighborhood groups that are not registered Missouri nonprofits. She asked the committee to consider removing the word "regular" before "member meetings" to increase flexibility for neighborhood participation.

The clerk reported the committee had received 31 written submissions in support of Board Bill 2-27 and 28 in opposition. The committee did not take a formal vote on the bill; the chair said the item will be on "perfection" at the full board meeting Friday at 10 a.m., giving members and residents another opportunity to weigh in.

Procedural business: the committee approved minutes for March 26 and March 28 by voice roll call (recorded as three "aye" votes during the committee session) and adjourned after a motion that carried on a five-vote roll call.

What happens next: Board Bill 2-27 will appear on the full St. Louis City Board docket for perfection on Friday; committee members and staff said they will forward emailed testimony to all members ahead of that meeting.