St. Louis Board of Aldermen: Roles and Responsibilities

The St. Louis Board of Aldermen serves as the legislative branch of St. Louis City government, holding authority over ordinances, the municipal budget, and the regulatory framework that governs daily life within city limits. Understanding the Board's composition, powers, and procedural limits matters for anyone seeking to influence local policy, track public spending, or navigate land use decisions. This page covers how the Board is structured, how legislation moves through it, the scenarios where aldermanic action is most consequential, and the hard boundaries that separate Board authority from executive and judicial functions.

Definition and scope

The Board of Aldermen is a 28-member legislative body established by the St. Louis City Charter. Each member represents one of the city's geographic wards, with ward boundaries drawn following each decennial census through the redistricting process. A President of the Board of Aldermen is elected citywide and serves as the body's presiding officer, giving the Board 28 district members plus that at-large leadership position.

The Board's authority is geographically bounded to the independent city of St. Louis — a jurisdiction that has operated separately from St. Louis County since the 1876 divorce under Missouri's constitution. This separation is a foundational feature of St. Louis's city-county structure; the Board of Aldermen has no jurisdiction over any of the 88 municipalities within St. Louis County, over unincorporated county areas, or over Illinois counties in the metropolitan statistical area. Legislation passed by the Board applies only within the approximately 66 square miles of the city itself.

Scope limitations:
- Does not cover St. Louis County government or its municipalities
- Does not apply to Metro East Illinois communities (Madison, St. Clair, or Monroe counties)
- Does not govern regional authorities such as the Metropolitan Sewer District or Bi-State Development Agency, which have separate enabling legislation
- Does not exercise authority over Missouri state law or St. Louis City's circuit or municipal courts

How it works

The Board operates through a committee structure, full-board sessions, and a defined legislative calendar. All proposed ordinances — whether introduced by an individual alderperson, the Mayor's Office, or a city department — must pass through at least one standing committee before reaching a floor vote.

The standard legislative pathway has 5 stages:

  1. Introduction — An alderperson or the administration introduces a bill by title; it receives a number and is assigned to committee.
  2. Committee review — The relevant committee holds hearings, takes public testimony, and may amend the bill. Committees can recommend passage, amendment, or tabling.
  3. First reading — The bill is read by title on the full Board floor.
  4. Second reading and vote — The Board debates and votes; a simple majority of members present is required for most ordinances, though charter amendments and certain fiscal measures require a supermajority.
  5. Mayoral action — The Mayor may sign, veto, or allow the bill to become law without signature. The Board can override a veto with a two-thirds vote of the full membership (19 of 28 members).

Budget authority represents one of the Board's most significant powers. The city budget must pass the Board of Aldermen, and appropriations bills originate in the Board of Estimate and Apportionment — a three-member body comprising the Mayor, Comptroller, and Board President — before moving to the full Board for approval. This structure means the Board President simultaneously sits on the executive budget-shaping body and presides over the legislative body that approves it.

All Board meetings are subject to Missouri's Sunshine Law (Missouri Revised Statutes Chapter 610), which requires open meetings, public notice, and accessible records. Citizens may track proceedings through public records requests or observe sessions directly under open meetings rules.

Common scenarios

Aldermanic action becomes most visible in four recurring situations:

Zoning and land use changes — Any rezoning of property within city limits requires a Board ordinance. Developers seeking variances, tax increment financing approvals, or community improvement district designations must work through the ward alderperson whose district contains the affected parcel and ultimately secure full Board approval. Rezonings are also reviewed by the St. Louis Zoning Code framework and the City Plan Commission before reaching the Board.

Annual budget adoption — Each fiscal year, the Board must pass appropriations legislation. Alderpersons negotiate line items, propose amendments, and vote on the final budget that funds the St. Louis Police Department, Fire Department, Health Department, and all other city agencies.

Special taxing and financing districts — The Board establishes and authorizes special taxing districts, port authority actions (St. Louis Port Authority), and Land Bank dispositions. Each requires an enabling ordinance.

Charter and governance changes — Proposed amendments to the city charter go through the Board before appearing on the ballot. The charter amendment process requires Board approval to place measures before voters, making the Board a gatekeeper for structural governance changes.

Decision boundaries

The Board of Aldermen exercises legislative power, not executive or judicial power. This boundary matters in practice:

What the Board can do:
- Pass, amend, or repeal city ordinances
- Appropriate and restrict city funds
- Confirm or reject certain mayoral appointments (per charter provisions)
- Conduct oversight hearings of city departments
- Establish or dissolve city boards, commissions, and special districts within its statutory authority

What the Board cannot do:
- Administer or implement legislation — that authority belongs to the Mayor and city departments under the city government structure
- Adjudicate violations of city ordinances — that authority rests with the Municipal Court and Circuit Court
- Unilaterally amend the city charter — charter changes require voter ratification following a Board referral
- Override Missouri state law or federal statutes — local ordinances that conflict with state law are preempted under Missouri's constitutional framework

The distinction between aldermanic and mayoral authority closely parallels the separation seen in state and federal government: the Board sets the rules and the budget; the executive branch spends the money and enforces the rules. When those branches disagree — as in a veto-override scenario — the charter's supermajority threshold (19 votes) determines the outcome.

Residents seeking to understand where the Board fits within the full civic landscape can find an overview of related institutions at the St. Louis Metro Authority index.

References

Read Next

St. Louis City Charter: History and Key Provisions Louis City Charter: History and Key Provisions The St. Redistricting in St. Louis: History and Current Boundaries Louis: History and Current Boundaries Redistricting shapes which elected officials represent St. St. Louis City-County Separation: Origins and Impact Louis City-County Separation: Origins and Impact The legal and governmental separation between the City of St.