ST. LOUIS  — A city alderman wants to tap $5 million in city parking money to buttress city reserves to handle an expected budget shortfall due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“We cannot wait for the situation to worsen,â€Â Alderman Jeffrey Boyd, D-22nd Ward, said Wednesday, noting that tax-generating activity is at a "virtual standstill.â€
“We will need to use our reserves for short-term relief, on the way to creating a more permanent economic safety net.â€
City Treasurer Tishaura Jones, whose office has overseen the fund and who serves with Boyd on the City Parking Commission, responded by accusing him of playing politics by choosing “an arbitrary number.â€
The two are longtime antagonists and Boyd is challenging Jones’ reelection bid in the Aug. 4 Democratic primary.
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However, Jones stopped short of saying she won’t consider moving some parking fund money to the general reserve fund.
In her statement, she said “transferring parking reserves is a serious matter which requires a full understanding of the budget, revenues and Parking Division legal obligations†related to debt on its own facilities.
The city budget office is currently working on a proposed city budget for the fiscal year that begins in July. Officials say tax revenues are expected to take a big hit due to the coronavirus but have yet to release projections.
Jones also said her office has put a priority on the well-being of residents by suspending parking meter enforcement “during this difficult time.â€
Control of parking revenue has also been the subject of a convoluted court fight pitting Boyd and others against Jones.
A circuit judge in 2018 issued an order invalidating two state laws, an action that would result in reducing Jones’ authority over the fund.
The Missouri Supreme Court, to which Jones had appealed, sent the case back to the lower court earlier this year. The high court didn’t rule on the merits of the case but said it couldn’t consider the appeal at that point because the circuit judge had yet to decide on some issues.
Boyd has called a meeting of the parking commission, which Jones chairs, for Friday to discuss his coronavirus-related proposal.
He cited an ordinance passed by the Board of Aldermen that allows any member of the commission to call a meeting. That ordinance, which also makes other changes, was passed on a contingency basis should the state laws be thrown out.
The city counselor’s office has said that ordinance now is in effect. Jones’ spokesman, Benjamin Singer, said in an email that “the legal governance is still pending†due to the ongoing litigation.