Part of the urgency driving Jones’ demand for speedy passage seemed to ease when the federal government extended the moratorium on evictions until July 31. On June 30, before the aldermen had taken up the mayor’s proposal, the estimate board voted 2-1 to endorse her plan, over Reed’s strong objection.
Reed said aldermen needed time, pointing out the mayor waited to present her plan until her advisory board had completed its work. “We are moving as swiftly as we can,” he said. After Jones declared that further public hearings on the plan were unnecessary, Reed told her she couldn’t “do the job of the Board of Aldermen.” Jones snapped back, “You can’t do the job of the mayor either, honey.”
Two weeks later, it was a similar story.
On July 13, in a marathon, 12-hour session, aldermen approved their $168 million spending plan, one that included a version of Jones’ $500 cash assistance plan and Reed’s requests to restore funding for police overtime and add an ambitious economic development plan for four blighted corridors in north St. Louis
It’s that north side plan that’s turned into the latest roadblock. Jones, citing an opinion by the interim city counselor, said it doesn’t comply with U.S. Treasury guidelines because it doesn’t appear to be explicitly tied to providing pandemic aid. She and Green have refused to take up the bill unless it is amended.
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Originally Appeared Here