SJR 21 - This constitutional amendment, if approved by the voters, would put a question on the ballot in the city of St. Louis asking whether the city charter should be amended to make the following changes:• Reduce the number of wards to four and the number of aldermen to eight with one member elected by each ward and the other four to be elected by the City of St. Louis at large;
• Provide the mayor with the authority to appoint, with the advice and consent of the board of aldermen, the collector of revenue, license collector, recorder of deeds, sheriff, and treasurer;
• Establish a public safety commission to manage, control and conduct the department of public safety.
Elections for the board of aldermen would include one in which the residents of the odd-numbered wards elect a member for a term of two years and residents of the even-numbered wards elect a member for a term of four years. Also, four members of the board would be elected by the city at large with two serving for a term of two years and two serving for four years. It would be determined by lot which members elected at large would serve for two years. Upon the expiration of the terms of all the members of the board of aldermen, their successors would serve four-year terms.
The public safety commission would include six members appointed by the mayor with the advice and consent of the board of aldermen. The commissioners would serve staggered six-year terms and be removable for cause. Each member must be a city resident for at least one year, no member could be an employee of the city or a contractor with the city, and no more than three members could be affiliated with the same political party.
If a majority of St. Louis city residents vote in favor of the question, the board of aldermen would have eight years to reduce its membership to eight and its wards to four. The charter amendments would take effect when such reductions have taken place. Such amendments could be changed the same way other provisions within the charter may be changed. Voters in St. Louis could not be asked the question more than once under the authority of the constitutional amendment.
MEGHAN LUECKE