ST. LOUIS 鈥 City officials on Monday said they are working on a plan to put $30 million in interest earned on the Rams settlement money toward tornado relief.
A bill is expected to be introduced at the Board of Aldermen later this week. Mayor Cara Spencer has indicated she would support the plan.
鈥淚鈥檓 looking forward to getting relief to people devastated by this storm,鈥 said Alderman Rasheen Aldridge, who plans to be one of the bill sponsors.
Officials said the money could be used in a variety of ways for residents displaced by the May 16 storm, such as help with temporary housing, emergency home repairs and insurance deductibles as well as health services.
The city has been sitting on $250 million it received from a lawsuit after the Rams left 果酱视频, with leaders up to now failing to reach a consensus on how to spend it. The money has been gathering interest in the meantime.
Here's a look at the news two weeks after an EF-3 tornado hit areas of 果酱视频 on May 16, 2025. Video by Allie Schallert, Post-Dispatch
Also Monday, aldermen on the board鈥檚 budget committee voted to ask the city鈥檚 Estimate Board to take $1 million in city reserves and add it to a special fund meant for displaced renters. The Estimate Board, composed of the mayor, comptroller and aldermanic president, is scheduled to meet Wednesday.
The moves are the latest in a scramble to cobble money together after the storm killed five people and significantly damaged more than 2,400 buildings. The city assessor has estimated it could cost more than $500 million to replace the buildings that have been lost. Some residents who lost their homes have already said they鈥檙e not sure they鈥檒l be back.
And he has asked state lawmakers to authorize a tax deduction to offset the cost of insurance deductibles and to pump $25 million into an emergency housing assistance program.
Last week, aldermen passed a bill to waive property taxes for people whose houses were destroyed, and they will vote Tuesday to make the renter aid fund available to tornado victims.
Spencer said Monday the city also has been looking at ways to focus programs funded by federal pandemic aid on tornado relief.
