ST. LOUIS • A plan to expand the St. Louis Port Authority — and in the process help fund a Major League Soccer stadium — is among key issues facing city aldermen as they gather Monday for the final meeting of their 2018-2019 session.
Officials in Mayor Lyda Krewson’s administration were contacting aldermen last week to line up support for the measure.
“As we do with all the board bills, there are calls being made,” said Otis Williams, executive director of the St. Louis Development Corp.
But a timing crunch caused by months of delay has created a higher vote-getting hill than usual to climb.
The bill itself needs simple majority approval — 15 votes on the 29-seat Board of Aldermen. But there’s no time left to adhere to an aldermanic rule that the measure be voted on at two separate meetings.
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For that rule to be suspended, two-thirds of the aldermen present will have to agree.
“That is a very tall task,” Aldermanic President Lewis Reed said Friday. “A lot of work has to be done.”
The St. Louis Port Authority wants to expand its boundaries from just the 19 miles of Mississippi River front to the entire city limits. Other Missouri port authorities, which have broad authority to buy and sell real estate and issue bonds, have borders that stretch well beyond their river frontage.
The bill would expand the authority’s jurisdiction from 19 miles of Mississippi River frontage to the entire city, including the proposed soccer stadium site near Union Station.
The authority can issue bonds, contract for services and buy real estate. City officials have identified a 1 percent sales tax that the authority can levy as part of a 3 percent stadium-only tax that would help fund the $250 million stadium proposal.
Williams said although he and other administration officials hope the bill passes Monday, “it’s not the end of the world” for the soccer stadium plan if it doesn’t.
He said the measure could be reintroduced when the board opens its 2019-2020 session on Tuesday and go through the legislative process again.
Moreover, he said, there are alternatives to the 1 percent port authority sales tax that could be explored by the city and the group seeking an MLS franchise here.
“The ownership group and the city only offered this up as one alternative,” he said. “There are other vehicles that can be created.”
Representatives of the prospective ownership group could not be reached for comment. MLS owners are scheduled to meet in Los Angeles on Thursday. The league is considering adding one expansion team; MLS Commissioner St. Louis and , Calif., as leading contenders.
Some aldermanic critics say they worry that the measure would cede to the port agency aldermanic authority citywide over powers such as eminent domain.
To address that concern, supporters modified the bill to require advance approval by the Board of Aldermen of any move by the port agency to use eminent domain to acquire property and to abate property taxes.
“It can’t decide totally on its own,” Krewson said Thursday, referring to the change.
Opponents, however, contend that the provision wouldn’t be binding because state law gives local port authorities the power to use eminent domain on their own.
“Essentially it would be giving an unelected board these same powers that we (as aldermen) have right now,” said Alderman Heather Navarro of the 28th Ward. “I don’t know who’s going to be in leadership in 10, 15 or 20 years.”
Williams disputed that concern. “That would truly be a slap in the face to elected officials,” he said of the idea that the port agency would ever ignore the provision. “I just don’t see that happening.”
Krewson noted that some aldermen also have raised concerns over an ongoing controversy in St. Louis County over the county’s port authority, which already operates countywide.
“I wish we could put that totally aside,” she said. “I don’t think it’s related.”
The controversy in the county concerns the awarding of contracts to some of County Executive Steve Stenger’s political donors.
