Aldermen approve $3.67 million in ARPA reappropriations after debate over North City, home repairs and water funding

A majority of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen Housing, Urban Development and Zoning Committee voted Tuesday to pass Board Bill 43, a package of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) reappropriations that adjusts where leftover ARPA balances will be spent before federal deadlines.

The package, as amended in committee, increases the bill total to about $3.67 million and moves several previously unspent contracts into uses officials said are ready to expend before ARPA deadlines. Key reallocations included $2,378,649.62 allocated under the ARPA revenue‑loss provision to the Water Division, $688,436.98 redirected to expand food assistance contracts, and $573,312 returned from three North City commercial corridor awards that failed to close by the May 29 deadline.

Why it matters: The reappropriation bill aims to prevent federal funds from being returned to the Treasury by channeling small leftover balances and stalled awards into projects the administration says can spend the money on time. Opponents warned the transfers risk moving money away from North City and tornado‑impacted home‑repair needs and called for greater coordination before shifting funds.

Department briefings: Departments and subrecipients outlined individual underspends that fed the bill. Tara Rec, director of operations for the Medical Examiner's Office, said $22,533.37 remained from a $100,000 allocation after some projects completed with lower costs and one embalming table purchase was not executed. Greg Faber, commissioner of emergency management (SEMA), reported $34,888.26 in deobligated funds; Sean Dason, director of public safety, said the CentralSquare computer‑aided dispatch (CAD) contract ended with a $30,489.44 remainder. The Department of Human Services explained multiple small balances and proposed adding $688,436.98 to existing food assistance contracts to serve households in the tornado‑impacted zone.

Contested choices: The most contested elements were the North City commercial corridors funds and questions about healthy home‑repair balances. Laura Alexander of the St. Louis Development Corporation said $573,312 tied to three businesses was returned after those deals failed to close by deadline. Several aldermen — including Alderman Aldridge and Vice Chair Sonier — argued the administration should prioritize keeping North City or tornado‑zone money in place or exhaust other options to move funds to active home‑repair contracts. Officials and counsel explained ARPA rules allowing money to be added only to existing ARPA contracts with the same purpose (or moved under allowable revenue‑replacement rules), and noted many legacy home‑repair awards are property‑specific contracts that cannot simply be enlarged to cover other homes.

An official from CDA, Matt Mo, described much of CDA’s list as housekeeping—small administrative balances or completed projects dating to 2022—and said two live programs had consensual adjustments (an early childhood education award and a neighborhood beautification award) where partial funds were reclaimed after recipient consultation.

Amendments and vote: The committee moved a series of nine amendments to adjust line items and add authorizations for department directors to expend reappropriated funds. One amendment formally allocated $688,436.98 to food assistance contracts (GA Foods, Hosco North Sarah Food Hub) to prioritize tornado‑affected households. Another amendment applied $2,378,649.62 to water via ARPA's revenue replacement category. The bill passed the committee on a recorded vote of five in favor and one opposed.

What the committee asked for next: Several aldermen requested more time and better coordination between the administration and legislative offices on future reappropriations, urging that remaining ARPA balances be reviewed holistically and that, where possible, funds tied to North City and tornado recovery be kept for those purposes. Officials said additional cleanup bills are possible in October as the city approaches a September closeout window to ensure Oracle/finance entries are completed by the federal deadline of Dec. 31, 2026.

The committee’s passage sends the amended Board Bill 43 to the full Board of Aldermen with a due‑pass recommendation; members indicated they will continue monitoring spending timelines and expect further cleanup legislation this fall if projects miss expenditure deadlines.