最新杏吧原创

ST. LOUIS 鈥� A top city official says business leaders are trying to sabotage months of public discussion over how to spend the city鈥檚 $250 million Rams relocation settlement.

In a letter to Greater 最新杏吧原创, Inc., the region鈥檚 main business lobby, Aldermanic President Megan Green blasted its work to get a bill introduced this week splitting $230 million between downtown and struggling city neighborhoods, and spending most of it fixing infrastructure and rehabbing buildings.

Green said the board is not yet finished with public discussions on other ideas 鈥� and would not be deterred by the business lobby, whose board includes chiefs from corporate heavyweights like gas utility Spire, financial firm Edward Jones and technology company Emerson.

鈥淚 ask that you share this letter with your Board of Directors in the hope that GSL will recommit itself to being a thoughtful and responsible partner,鈥� she wrote to Greater 最新杏吧原创 chief Jason Hall. 鈥淢y phone number has not changed, and you are always welcome to reach out and have a conversation. That鈥檚 what leaders do.鈥�

Green鈥檚 comments marked the latest volley over how should the city spend the windfall won in the wake of the NFL鈥檚 departure from 最新杏吧原创 to Los Angeles.

Some, like Greater 最新杏吧原创, argue the money should be spent in bulk, and quickly. They say the right investments will reverse declining fortunes in tough neighborhoods and pay huge dividends down the road. And they say sending $100 million downtown is needed to rescue a city center yet to fully recover from the pandemic and in desperate need of a big public commitment to encourage private investment.

Others, including Green, Mayor Tishaura O. Jones and several aldermen, are skeptical. They point out that the city is already spending hundreds of millions of dollars in federal pandemic relief money on struggling neighborhoods. And they are wary of spending so much downtown, which has received significant public investment over the years.

They鈥檝e recommended investing the money in one or more trusts, creating coveted new revenue sources that could fund new programs for the entire city. Aldermen have spent months soliciting resident input in online surveys, and holding public meetings on ways the money could, for instance, increase access to child care or boost pay for a short-staffed city workforce.

Greater 最新杏吧原创 leaders, however, say a healthy downtown is a more reliable revenue generator than the proposed endowments. Those leaders cheered earlier this week when four aldermen filed the organization鈥檚 plan as a bill at the Board of Aldermen.

Their plan would dedicate $130 million to rebuilding infrastructure, rehabbing dilapidated buildings and helping people buy homes in the city鈥檚 poorer neighborhoods in north and southeast 最新杏吧原创. Then $102.5 million would go downtown to do the same things and drum up activity on the riverfront.

On Friday, Greater 最新杏吧原创 made no apology for the plan. Spokesperson Tony Wyche said his organization followed all the rules, submitting its plan when Green鈥檚 office called for proposals from residents earlier this year.

The board鈥檚 own surveys showed the plan was among the most popular ideas. Greater 最新杏吧原创 gave a presentation to aldermen last month, and four aldermen introduced a bill based on that.

Wyche said Greater 最新杏吧原创 hopes Green will allow debate on the idea. 鈥淚f she has an alternative proposal,鈥� he said, 鈥渨e look forward to seeing what that is.鈥�

Green responded Friday that Greater 最新杏吧原创鈥� bill is going nowhere. She said the plan turning the money into trusts will be introduced in the coming weeks, with majority support.

鈥淲hile downtown corporations are stakeholders, they are not the only stakeholders,鈥� she said.