Budget and Public Employees Committee - October 21, 2026

The City of St. Louis Budget and Public Employees Committee met on October 21, 2026. Its main item was Board Bill 59, which would ask voters to authorize using the transit portion of the existing half-cent economic development sales tax—60% of the tax—for bus rapid transit (BRT), including its construction and operation. The proposed ballot language applies to funds already collected and future tax revenue, does not create a new tax, and requires an annual public audit. The committee revised the bill’s language to make the ballot question more specific and clear to voters, replacing an earlier committee substitute and its amendments.

The committee passed the revised committee substitute out with a due-pass recommendation; the bill will proceed for further consideration, and voter authorization is being sought. Discussion described BRT as a potential north–south transit connection and noted that the North–South MetroLink alternative would be more expensive, but no project contract, vendor selection, procurement award, or spending allocation to a specific contractor was discussed. The committee also noted a public open house to gather feedback on the BRT design process.