CLAYTON — ºüÀêÊÓƵ County Council Chair Shalonda Webb wants to use $12 million in settlement money from the NFL Rams suit to plug holes in this year’s budget.
Webb on Monday that would move the money from a high-yield savings account to the county’s general fund, where it would be used “for the restoration of certain funding in the 2024 budget.â€
She didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.
But the council approved $14 million in budget cuts last year. And Webb has been working with county budget officials this year to determine the impact of the cuts, she said at a recent council meeting. Department heads have since asked the council to restore that funding.
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The county received $169.3 million from the $790 million settlement in 2021 of a lawsuit over the Rams’ departure for Los Angeles.
Councilman Mark Harder, a Republican from Ballwin, in mid-February proposed using $10 million in settlement money to repair arterial roads across the county and $10 million for county-maintained subdivision streets in unincorporated areas.
Some of the amount could pay to fix sidewalks and curbs.
Harder said he would wait to discuss his proposal in detail at a committee meeting before moving forward.
But some councilmembers have expressed concerns about spending the money piecemeal rather than coming up with a long-term plan that would have a lasting impact.
Doug Moore, a spokesman for County Executive Sam Page, has said settlement money should be spent thoughtfully and equitably.
Meanwhile, the Rams cash is producing interest — about $5 million since the county received it in January 2023.