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St. Louis: Mayor Spencer's 2026 State of the City Address

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Good evening, St. Louis! Neighbors, city workers, community partners, members of the Board of Aldermen, friends, distinguished guests, and those who are watching from home.

It is an honor—and truly, a privilege I do not take lightly—to stand here tonight for my first State of the City address.

To everyone this evening, I want to tell you that the State of Our City is promising.

Despite some big challenges, there has been so much good and quite a bit of fun this first year. The SLU Billikens made it to March Madness, we hosted the first and second rounds of the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship and the 2026 Olympic Figure Skating events - gave Alyssa Liu her iconic hairstyle, and announced that we will host the LA28 Olympic Soccer games.

We also secured a direct flight to London, and celebrated both Powell Symphony Hall's official reopening after their beautiful renovation, and our beloved Gateway Arch's 60th anniversary. Our zoo welcomed five cheetah cubs and two critically endangered leopard cubs. We still haven't found the four monkeys and the goat- but we are still looking!

Our City workers also continue to win, with the Forestry Division and Board of Public Service winning multiple national awards. And just this week, it was announced by USA Today that Forest Park was named the best park in the nation.

Those are a few of the new and exciting things, but as you know, when I took the oath of office a year ago, I promised a government focused on the basics: core services, public safety, and growth.

I promised that we would start proving, pothole by pothole, brick by brick, that this city government can set standards and meet them.

The change has started. Our city is on the path to a turnaround, and we are not nearly as far away as some people think.

I want to begin with a sincere thank you. To the workers in our City departments who have been doing more with less for far too long—thank you for your dedication. To our community partners—thank you for reminding us what it means to truly be with the City. The state of our city is a direct reflection of the work you all do every single day.

I also want to thank our Board of Aldermen for representing their constituents with passion and purpose. Alderwoman Clark Hubbard passed several tornado relief funding bills. Alderwoman Sonnier led discussions on Code Blue and other efforts to support our City's unhoused. Alderman Narayan has continued to champion Short-Term Rental regulations, and Alderman Aldridge passed a bill allocating an additional $1 million for displaced tenants.

Alderman Devoti passed legislation to modernize our City's Charter, and Alderwoman Velazquez has long been a strong champion of charter modernization, especially in collaborating on Personnel reform. Alderwoman Cox Antwi deserves recognition for getting the Earnings Tax renewal on the ballot. Can we all take a moment to celebrate that this critical funding for city services passed with a massive 85% support? It's the largest margin since the initial 2011 vote!

Alderman Oldenburg has spearheaded efforts to regulate tobacco and vape shops. Alderwoman Tyus brought forward development opportunities along N. Kingshighway and the 12th Ward. Alderman & Vice President Cohn continues to champion our airport, especially modernizing it.

Alderman Browning spearheaded legislation to clarify our election code, and carried critical infrastructure funding bills. Alderwoman Keys led the catalytic development of S. Jefferson and Market in Downtown West and Midtown. Alderwoman Boyd helped create the MLK West Business Association, which sponsored a holiday giveaway for over 200 residents in need.

Alderwoman Schweitzer championed investments in water infrastructure, and I'd be remiss if I didn't thank her for her efforts to grow St. Louis with the birth of her son, Vinnie!

Finally, I'd like to thank Board of Aldermen President Megan Green and Comptroller Donna Baringer, my two co-members of the Board of Estimate and Apportionment. They took immediate action—calling special sessions, setting up emergency funding accounts—and put the welfare and recovery of the victims of the May 16 tornado at the top of our priorities.

Tonight, I'm presenting to you a State of the City in three parts: where we started, where we're at, and where we're going. Let me be clear in saying that this is not a "feel-good" speech. We are here to talk about the work, the reality we inherited, and the decisive, operational change that is now underway. We're not sugarcoating anything tonight. If we're going to fix this city, we have to look the problems directly in the eye, as we did again and again and again this year.

Let's first look at where we started. When my administration went to work on April 15, 2025, we were focused on improving staffing, accountability, and basic city services. And our first crisis– sinkholes, two massive sinkholes. I'm so grateful for the swift action of our City workers and Metropolitan Sewer District, who quickly got those under control.

Our focus immediately shifted on May 16, when a mile-wide EF-3 tornado tore through our City. A few minutes on one day changed everything.

The destruction was massive: almost $2 billion in damage and 1 million tons of debris across more than 20 neighborhoods, impacting almost 50,000 residents, more than 23,000 homes, and the loss of five lives:
  • Patricia Penelton,
  • Juan Baltazar,
  • Deloris Holmes,
  • Rena Scott-Lyles,
  • and Larry Patrick.

Our team's focus shifted overnight from core services to a full-scale, emergency response that our City, simply put, was not prepared for. My first executive order wasn't to modernize and streamline government. It was to declare a state of emergency and get to work with the resources, systems, and tools we had.

In the aftermath, we saw the absolute best of St. Louis. We saw people who were truly with the City. We saw neighbors helping neighbors, and thousands of volunteers. We saw our nonprofit community mobilize: the Red Cross, Urban League, Love the Lou, Spirit of St. Louis, 4the Ville, Invest STL, Action St. Louis, ForTheCultureSTL, People's Response, Wesley House, Mission: St. Louis, and many, many more provided services, supplies, and meals.

We saw so many in our business community rally with resources, like many of the largest construction firms in town, which donated weeks of manpower and equipment to help our community.

We saw our City workers and emergency contractors—the very people we rely on for our core services—work around the clock to clear debris, secure sites, and keep the lights on. That is what a functional government looks like. Our city workers stepped up and delivered for the people.

As an example, Annelise Stoever and her team at the City's St. Louis Area Agency on Aging, showed up in ways that no doubt saved lives. Starting the day after the tornado, they coordinated meal delivery through a network of senior services providers to 16 senior living facilities and 13 recreation centers in the tornado zone. They didn't stop there. Within the first few months, they connected with more than 400 survivors and worked with the Health Department to link nearly 4,000 seniors and people with disabilities to support. They continue to work with the Long Term Recovery Group, establishing a senior-oriented disaster case management program that prioritizes some of our City's most vulnerable. Annelise, please stand so you can be recognized.

To all the amazing people with our Fire Department, our Police Department, and the many police and fire departments from around the area who responded in our City's time of need—you are the heroes of this city. You were absolutely with the City when we needed you most. There are many stories of heroism that stand out to me, but I want to share with you one in particular.

In the minutes following the tornado, Fire Department Captains Cody Carpenter and Jacques Matthews responded to a severe pediatric emergency in the impact area. Captain Carpenter grabbed his medical supplies and ran two and a half blocks around downed power lines before he found Captain Matthews providing emergency care to a 5-month-old. The baby and their mother had been picked up and dropped several times by the tornado, and the situation was severe. Deciding not to wait for a medic, they took immediate action, tracking down one of our police officers, Officer William Triplett, who managed to transport the struggling child, through all the debris, power lines and fallen trees, to the St. Louis Children's Hospital. Without their efforts, and the efforts of their teams, that child may not have survived. Captain Carpenter, Captain Matthews, and Officer Triplett please stand so you can be recognized for your outstanding efforts.

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Throughout the response, and in spite of the high-profile political clashes of recent years, we proved that our City can have meaningful political partnerships. I called Governor Kehoe an hour after the tornado, and he was with us in person by 9 the next morning. We partnered with our Board of Aldermen to swiftly move $30 million in Rams settlement funds for recovery. At the state, we worked across the aisle with legislators and the Governor's Office to secure $100 million to leverage and deploy for disaster response efforts. In Congress, our U.S. Senators, Eric Schmitt and Josh Hawley, and Congressman Wesley Bell worked with the Governor and with us to secure a disaster declaration and federal assistance funds that many thought wasn't possible.

Our federal, state, and local legislators were with the City when we needed them most. There simply wasn't time for political dysfunction–and my view is we still don't have that kind of time. We have a City to run, and we have real work to do for our community, so my priority will remain effective, cross-jurisdictional collaboration that delivers real, tangible results for the City.

The tornado also exposed a truth we all knew: no city can lead a recovery of this scale alone. For decades, Americans have relied on FEMA to provide the federal leadership, resources, and experts needed after a massive disaster. Expecting each city to manage this alone is simply unrealistic.

As a city, we lacked the infrastructure to handle this magnitude of destruction. Yet still, we removed more than 167,000 tons of debris, mobilized $155 million in federal, state, and local funds, with more to come, and we have been steadily building that infrastructure. As a result, we are finally seeing some progress on demolitions and home repairs. Though it's been slower than anyone wants, and while the City cannot fix or rebuild every home, progress is accelerating, and we will seek significant federal funds for rebuilding. As we've seen in Joplin, this will take years, maybe decades. Not months. But it can be done, and it will be done.

The tornado response laid bare the vulnerabilities in our city government. For starters, the sirens didn't go off on May 16. They should have. As mayor, that is my responsibility, and we've acted to ensure that can never happen again. I ordered an overhaul of our siren system, initiated an independent investigation, and clarified our protocols. We restored coverage by the end of 2025 and will complete the full modernization next month.

We're committed to enhancing our emergency response, and hired a new CEMA commissioner, Gregg Favre, and implemented new storm season tabletop exercises.

The system was broken, we owned it, and our City fixed it. This is what's needed to rebuild trust in our City government, and that wasn't the only time we did this. I now want to talk about where we are going.

As I said, recovering from the tornado is my number one priority. But my team and I also have a responsibility to keep our City running and secure a better future for all St. Louisans.

You voted for a city government transformation that started with the basics. We cannot attract residents, retain the ones we have, or develop new partnerships with businesses if the roads are impassable, the permits take a year, or the snow removal plan is a punchline.

My administration inherited a system suffering from abysmal turnover, antiquated technology, and a crippling lack of trust. The operational failures of the past cannot continue. The old ways of doing business—the slow, bureaucratic, inefficient, inexplicable ways—are unacceptable.

You elected me to clean up a mess, and that is what we are doing. If we see something broken, we're going to own it and fix it. That is the new standard. This is what builds trust.

Trust requires accountability and results. We're not afraid to call out our mistakes, and we welcome accountability. Two examples are the recent launch of CityStat and our strengthened 311 service line. CityStat is a website where we publish quarterly data about city services to identify challenges, improve operations, and, most importantly, provide transparent governance. We are publicly showcasing data on potholes, water main breaks, building division permits, and more. We've expanded accessibility to our 311 services, connecting residents to trained Citizens' Service Bureau staff members to report issues in neighborhoods, and get answers about City programs. All this helps you hold us accountable for the needs in your communities.

Speaking of accountability, snow removal was an obvious area of needed improvement. To prevent a repeat of previous failures, we overhauled our snow removal plan, and I issued an executive order establishing a Winter Weather Unified Command, creating the proactive planning, command, and coordination structure with our key department leaders that has been missing in our City.

Our City team delivered results. This wasn't a fluke. Here's how we did it. We effectively deployed our fleet of brine trucks and snowplows, activating their GPS tracking for real-time monitoring and quality control. We secured contracts with private companies for additional support. We doubled on-call pay for drivers to counter staffing shortages.

We proactively planned and prioritized side streets, plowed 21,290 miles of streets, and distributed 6,800 tons of salt. We closed the gap on responding to Citizens' Service Bureau tickets, from 1,700 closed over 17 days in January 2025 to more than 1,400 tickets closed over 3 days in January 2026. And, we provided clear, direct, and regular communication to you about what you could expect and how it was going.

Most importantly, we had City employees like Edwin Young, aka "Big Ed," a labor supervisor in the Towing Division of the Street Department. Big Ed has been with the city for over 20 years, and he and his team are on call 365 days out of the year, around the clock, and the winter storm this year was no different. Ed and his team spent hours in the frigid weather helping clean the aftermath of a tractor-trailer accident where cargo spilled across the Poplar Street Bridge. They also assisted many stranded vehicles, keeping our neighbors and visitors safe. Ed, please stand so we can thank you and your team for going above and beyond to maintain public safety and order for our community.

He wasn't the only one who did that. When it comes to unhoused services, we knew we were inheriting a challenge, and we knew there would be an increased need given the scale of the tornado's destruction. So we worked with the Board of Aldermen to move an unprecedented $13.7 million for housing and winter shelters through our new "Code Blue" proactive planning and coordination protocols. We did this not just with City departments, but also with community partners who do this work every day. Many hadn't had the strongest relationships with City government in recent years, but that kind of partnership and collaboration matters, and it's what's needed to deliver real results. Through those partnerships, we provided shelter to more than 800 people with 20,000 bednights, and served over 1,000 riders with shuttle bus transportation through community partnerships.

And we can't talk about taking accountability without talking about potholes. When I reviewed my first 100 days, I shared that we'd filled 1,800 potholes in the first three months. We have filled thousands more since, but I know it's not yet the pothole transformation I promised you when I ran.

So I want to be honest with you about why we have not yet met that goal. In the months after the tornado, I made the decision to deprioritize potholes in favor of having our trucks and crews working to clear debris. Winter is now over, pothole-filling season is upon us, and my office is working to ensure that our Street Department has the staff, the money, and the tools they need to make this a renewed focus.

Speaking of addressing issues, who among us hasn't been frustrated with overflowing trash containers? This has been a problem for years, and something I wanted to address quickly.

Our Refuse Division was working very hard, but wasn't set up for success. By making our refuse drivers pick up alley recycling, more than half of which was far too contaminated to be recycled anyway, we were wasting taxpayer dollars and our drivers' time and recycling very little.

I've been an avid recycler all my life, so the solution wasn't one I immediately loved. But by ending alley recycling, we gave our refuse drivers the time to complete more of our regular trash routes, we increased the number of trash containers to keep them from overflowing, and, thanks to all the residents who are bringing recyclable materials to our expanded number of drop-off stations throughout the city, we are now recycling MORE material than we did before, while saving the City about $1 million a year in fees.

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Rebuilding trust and fixing broken things requires modernization and innovation. We are finally dragging City Hall into the 21st century—not gradually, but with urgency to make this government work for you with as little red tape as possible. As an example, we recently launched a new online building permit portal. For those of you who think that we should have had building permits online already, I would say you are absolutely correct. My administration is actively working to fix broken legacy systems like these and get them right.

Time is money, and we want City residents and businesses to be able to invest in our city easily, without multiple trips to City Hall. So if you're a City resident or a business looking to invest in St. Louis, our online building permit portal is ready for you!

While much of the progress I just mentioned is good news, I'll be frank: our City faces serious challenges right now. We can be optimistic, decisive, and action-oriented, but we must also be honest.

We're facing a real headwind in the form of population loss. St. Louis has yet to turn around 70 years of population decline. And, the Census Bureau ranked our region dead last among the country's largest growing metro areas. We can't settle for last; we need to be aiming for first.

When we lose residents, it leaves us with high vacancy rates, and our infrastructure starts to fall apart. Vacant, decaying properties are not just an eyesore; they are a public safety risk and a daily symbol of disinvestment. We have to get more aggressive and accelerate stabilization and demolition of vacant, dangerous properties across this city.

Another area where we must be painfully transparent is our City's budget. We are operating with limited funds and an overworked, underpaid workforce. To really dig into our financial situation, we need to tackle some key areas: our water system, data centers, the Board of Police Commissioners, and what we pay our city workers.

Here we go, folks.

Let's start with our water infrastructure. The City and our Water Division are in crisis mode. For a while now, our water rates just haven't covered the true cost of running and maintaining a water system that's safe and dependable.

St. Louis had a state-of-the-art water system back in the 1870s, but years of ignoring it have led us to a problem you all know well: our water mains keep breaking. When that happens, St. Louisans lose running water, we risk contaminating our water supply, and it becomes harder to attract new businesses and residents. Yes, we've used ARPA money for some fixes, but we absolutely must invest in the system–not just to patch it up, but to right-size the water system for future generations of St. Louisans. That's why we did a detailed rate study, and we are putting forward a plan that will include rate increases for City residents. We will share specific details about these rate increases very soon.

No mayor wants to stand before City residents and share that prices for city services are going up. However, that is the harsh reality of where we are today. Our water department has been operating in the red, and we must increase the price of water if we want to save our system. But I can promise you this: St. Louis water is going to remain better tasting and less expensive than what you can get from the private water utilities in the rest of our region.

The next hard topic is data centers. The reality is that St. Louis is already home to this technology, with 12 already within the city, and data centers are important for local industries like finance, geospatial, and healthcare. While they are a part of a modern economy, the City is committed to a simple, clear principle: St. Louis is open for business, but business on our terms–only when the community benefits.

That is, admittedly, a challenge. There are real concerns: pollution, noise, walkability, the use of water and electricity, increasing everyone's power bill. As a City, we can address some of those issues, but not all. The city can regulate things like sustainability, noise, and water use.

There are also benefits. It seems counterintuitive, but introducing large water users could benefit existing customers. High-volume, consistent users expand the rate base, allowing the real costs of system maintenance to be shared with deep pockets instead of falling entirely on residents. And, it's also true that data centers can contribute significant tax revenue. I think you've all seen in the news that even one could contribute more than $25 million a year to the City and even more to the St. Louis Public Schools. That's more than the annual budget of many City departments.

So, instead of a simple "yes" or "no," the city is doing the hard work to create thoughtful, community-centered regulations that balance real concerns with real economic benefits.

Now, I know you all are wondering about the situation with the Board of Police Commissioners. I want to clearly state that the issues are between the City and the Board, not with the officers who serve in the Police Department. The hard work they do is dangerous and essential, and I am deeply grateful for their service.

The issues with the Board are legal, fiscal, and operational. Their certified budget request of effectively $274 million just isn't feasible without laying off City employees and cutting city services like trash pick up, building inspections, road repairs, and park maintenance. The City has proposed a budget of $219 million, a very healthy increase, preserving recent raises, the ability to provide more, and cover other expenses, while responsibly protecting all city services and workers. Despite the City's significant efforts to protect our other departments, the Board remains unmoved from its certified budget request, which the City cannot accommodate.

This is a serious roadblock. And so last week I made the difficult decision to direct the City to file a lawsuit challenging the underlying law and its unfunded mandates as unconstitutional. This is a fight worth fighting, we are one of just two cities in the nation controlled by a state-appointed board. And I am hopeful that the courts will provide us with a path through.

As I think about this first year, it has largely been about stabilization and triage. As we look ahead to where we're going, I want to introduce to you five key areas my administration will prioritize this next year. These are not in any particular order - we will do them all.

Number One: Strengthen Our Neighborhoods - we will revitalize neighborhoods, particularly in North St. Louis, and we will accelerate the demolition and repair of tornado-damaged properties and provide rental assistance to ensure residents have a path to stay or return to St. Louis.

Number Two: Rebuild Trust in City Services - we will fix the things that City residents see and touch every single day. We will do this equally across neighborhoods. Expect results, and for us to hold ourselves accountable with clear, measurable goals.

Number Three: Cultivate a Culture of Customer-First and Collaboration - we are defining clear key performance indicators for every department, and we will invest in our people so they can invest in the people we serve.

Number Four: Accelerate Economic Development and Revitalization - we will grow our tax base by making St. Louis the easiest place in the region to do business, by making our processes and systems accessible and incentivized.

Number Five: Modernize City Government - we will develop a long-term recruitment and retention strategy for all City departments and will strategically utilize taxpayer money to enhance the services we provide.

Now you may be thinking, "Seems like a lot. Where will you start?" Well, we're planning to start with allocating the Rams settlement money.

It's no secret that Board President Megan Green and I have sometimes disagreed, but I want you to know that we have both come to the literal table and agree on this: a Rams spending package must be a pivotal inflection point for our community. It must make meaningful, leverageable investments in rebuilding North St. Louis, modernizing our City's infrastructure, and growing our downtown economy. It must do all three. Without all three, our City has no chance – none – of growing or succeeding.

President Green, members of the Board, I know that working together we can get this done. So let's get it done. Let's introduce a bill in May, and let's get it done.

As we invest in our city's growth and success, we're also going to invest in our employees. As I stated earlier, I am committed to meeting the needs of our entire workforce. Our employees are the backbone of St. Louis and work incredibly hard to support our neighborhoods, parks, streets, and water systems. We must ensure they are paid what they deserve to consistently deliver the high-quality city services that St. Louisans need and expect. Investing in them is an investment in the City's future; it boosts retention and helps recruit new talent.

For too long, the City has underpaid its staff compared to neighboring municipalities. I am so pleased to announce tonight that, following an in-depth compensation study by the Department of Personnel, all city employees in classified service, pending final approval by the Civil Service Commission and Board of Aldermen, will receive a MINIMUM 3% pay increase. This action effectively raises the minimum compensation floor for all our City workers.

Furthermore, some employees whose current minimums were significantly below market rates will receive additional targeted increases to bring their salaries to a competitive level. These folks can expect to see those raises reflected in their first July paycheck. Additionally, most city employees will receive a $1,000 dollar lump sum in their paycheck on June 18. For the City employees watching tonight, your supervisors will have more information to share with you about this next week. Thank you for being with the City in all that you do!

I leave you tonight with the theme that has driven us since day one. This city's future is not a passive thing; it requires action. It requires commitment. It requires us to work together. Over this past year, we've seen that happen again and again, in ways big and small. We know how to do this. We know how to be with the City.

You have heard me say that phrase several times tonight - "with the City." I want to share how it came about. I recently attended a town hall, and at the end, I wanted to highlight the City employees who had come out that night, so I asked, "Who's with the City?" To my surprise, hands went up all over the room. I was caught off guard and clarified that I was really asking for people who were employed by the City, and asked again, "Are you with the City?!" And more people, many people there, most of whom were not City employees, raised their hands.

That moment has stuck with me. It perfectly captured that spirit of St. Louis, that shared sense of ownership over our community and its future, the belief that every individual is a stakeholder in the City's success. It's a reflection of our deep community pride and the collective willingness to step up. It's our tradition of not just living here, but actively belonging and knowing that we have to work together to build a better future.

So, I have a question for everyone here tonight, and for everyone listening at home: are you with the City?

I'm going to ask you again, because I'm going to need every one of you for the work we're about to do next. Are you with the City?

Then let's commit to it. Let's hold one another accountable. Let's prove it in our relationships, our processes, our investments, and our actions. We have a long road ahead, but the foundations are set. The people are ready. Our partners, and this City, are ready.

Let's get to back work. With the City. Thank you.

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