ST. LOUIS – Using money from the Rams settlement fund for St. Louis tornado relief could soon be on the table for debate among city leaders.
FOX 2 News has acquired what appears to be a draft of a bill made by the St. Louis Board of Aldermen.
The unnumbered bill, introduced by Board President Megan Green, lists Aldermen Rasheen Aldridge and Michael Browning, Alderwomen Pamela Boyd and Laura Keys, and Mayor Cara Spencer as cosponsors. On Tuesday, Green said they were working with the budget office to identify more funding sources.
The ordinance would direct $30 million of Rams settlement funds to be deposited in the city’s Tornado Relief and Recovery Fund.
The facts of the bill estimate 3,500 homes impacted and 16,000 buildings damaged or destroyed by the May 16 tornado. Upwards of 70% of homeowners in the tornado’s path either didn’t have home insurance or were underinsured, according to the state’s Department of Commerce and Insurance.
This would be the first expenditure of the money since the settlement was reached in November 2021.
The bill lists 26 neighborhoods and parks located along the tornado’s path:
- Wydown Skinker
- Forest Park
- Skinker DeBaliviere
- DeBaliviere Place
- Central West End
- West End
- Visitation Park
- Academy/Sherman Park
- Fountain Park
- Lewis Place
- Vandeventer
- Hamilton Heights
- Wells Goodfellow
- Kingsway West
- Kingsway East
- Greater Ville
- The Ville
- Jeff-Vander-Lou
- Mark Twain
- Penrose
- O’Fallon
- Fairground Park
- Fairground
- North Riverfront
- O’Fallon Park
- College Hill