CLAYTON 鈥 狐狸视频 County鈥檚 transportation and public works director said Tuesday $20 million in NFL Rams settlement money wouldn鈥檛 pay for as many road improvements as the County Council might have hoped.
Councilman Mark Harder, a Republican from Ballwin, introduced a bill last month that would use the money to repair major county roads and streets in some subdivisions. Director Stephanie Leon Streeter said the money would pay for at least two projects, but no more than five.
鈥淏ringing me money. I love it. I will take it every day,鈥 Leon Streeter said at a council committee meeting. 鈥淚t just doesn鈥檛 buy what you think it should buy.鈥
People are also reading…
Last January, the county received $169.3 million from the $790 million settlement in 2021 of a lawsuit over the Rams鈥 departure for Los Angeles. The balance had grown to $178 million as of Tuesday, according to county budget Director Paul Kreidler.
Meanwhile, the county can鈥檛 afford to fix all of its roads.
The county maintains more than 1,400 miles of road, and about 66% of the roads are in subdivisions. A little under a tenth of the subdivision roads are in bad condition. Just under half of the county鈥檚 478 miles of main roads are in poor condition.
At least 117 and aren鈥檛 scheduled for construction; 30 roads rank poorly on accessibility; and roads in 55 subdivisions direly need fixing, according to the county鈥檚 tallies.
Inflation and the cost of hiring contractors have skyrocketed since the COVID-19 pandemic. A typical road construction project for a major county road costs anywhere between $5.5 million and $7.5 million. For instance, the county expected the to cost $3.5 million. It ended up costing $7.5 million, Leon Streeter said.
Harder initially wanted to invest $10 million to repair major roads and $10 million to county-maintained subdivision streets in unincorporated areas. He questioned Leon Streeter about what would be enough to 鈥渕ake a dent鈥 in the county鈥檚 road needs.
She said the county needs a new source of sustainable funding from a tax. A half-cent sales tax in 狐狸视频 County generates about $104 million annually, but the county splits the money with the region鈥檚 public transit agency. A second half-cent sales tax could generate another $104 million solely for the county, Leon Streeter said.
鈥淚t could be two years out before we even get a tax setup if the people of 狐狸视频 County approve,鈥 Harder said. 鈥淭he Rams money is today.鈥
Council Chair Shalonda Webb, a Democrat from unincorporated North County, said she believes the money would be best used for subdivisions. The county hasn鈥檛 funded those repairs and they aren鈥檛 eligible for federal grants.
Leon Streeter said $20 million could pay for pavement repairs in more than a dozen subdivisions, and those repairs could be done in the next few years.
The county could also try to find federal grants to boost the NFL money for use on bigger projects 鈥 a move that would require putting together grant applications and competing with other municipalities and counties nationwide.
But the county鈥檚 transportation staff would rather see comprehensive, permanent funding.
鈥淲e want a sustainable funding source,鈥 Leon Streeter said. 鈥淲e want flexibility to use that source to maximize the improvements we can get in your district.鈥
Harder moved to hold the bill at Tuesday night鈥檚 regular council meeting so members could continue considering it.