ST. LOUIS — Aldermen are looking at reallocating nearly $6 million in unspent federal pandemic aid previously budgeted for an abortion access fund, police overtime and a handful of other programs.
A bill from Alderwoman Shameem Clark Hubbard, who represents the West End and several surrounding neighborhoods, has not said where all of the money would go.
But Aldermanic President Megan Green said $800,000 could go to forgiving millions of the dollars in medical debt held by city residents. She said other money could seed a fund that would help renters relocate when their apartments are condemned through no fault of their own, part of a larger effort to bolster protections for tenants in the city.
Money for the abortion access fund, seeded with $1.75 million in federal aid last year, has been held up in court. The state attorney general challenged the plan, to give money to help women get abortions out-of-state, and in July, a judge barred the city from spending the bulk of it while the case proceeds.
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And a $5 million allocation for police overtime, approved in late 2021, was intended to make up for budget cuts earlier that year. But the short-staffed police department has had enough unused salary money to make spending the pandemic aid unnecessary, said budget director Paul Payne.