JEFFERSON CITY • Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has rejected a request by a state agency to move some workers out of downtown St. Louis because of concerns about crime.
With Parson set to unveil his spending blueprint on Wednesday, a spokesman told the Post-Dispatch he will not be asking for $61,000 to help relocate seven Department of Revenue attorneys out of a state-owned building at Seventh and Pine streets to a new office in Clayton.
“That request is not going to be in our budget,†spokesman Steele Shippy said Monday.
Shippy said the move is not a priority at a time when the state budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1 is expected to be tight.
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The request by the department, first reported Friday by the Post-Dispatch, had set off alarm bells for downtown boosters and elected officials who represent the area.
According to budget documents reviewed by the newspaper, the agency wanted the money to move out of the Wainwright State Office Building in the heart of downtown to an office in Clayton.
“Employees are increasingly concerned about their safety while walking to the parking garage and the MetroLink Station,†the document said.
St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson expressed concern about the request, which comes at a time when downtown is seeing “tremendous investment.†State Rep. Bruce Franks, a Democrat who represents downtown, called the request “crazy†and vowed to fight it if it was included in the budget forwarded by Parson.
Missy Kelley, president of the Partnership for Downtown St. Louis said the state should work toward solving crime and perception problems in downtown, rather than moving people out.
On Monday, Kelley said the governor’s decision was not a surprise.
“It would be a pretty significant statement for the governor to support an exit from the economic engine of the region without following up with a plan to address the concerns,†Kelley said.
The agency’s attorneys cover cases in the St. Louis area and many of the surrounding counties. They handle impaired driving cases and other driver licensing cases along with administrative alcohol hearings, and motor vehicle titles and related issues.
Until 2012, the workers were in Clayton within two blocks of the county courthouse. But they moved to the historic St. Louis office building at 111 Seventh Street, which is owned by the state, because of an increase in Clayton area rent.
Even before Parson said he would reject the request, it appeared as if the department was backing off using crime as the primary reason for moving.
In a statement Friday, the department said it also was considering issues like parking, commute times and the number of cases they handle in other counties.
But, as Shippy said, “That request was never approved by the governor’s office.â€
In 2018, showed two homicides occurred in the downtown area, compared to none in 2017.
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