Civil Service Commission Meeting

The City of St. Louis Civil Service Commission held a public hearing and meeting on September 17, 2026, primarily to discuss a proposed ordinance (Board Bill 67) to establish a new pay grade (231) for the Director of the St. Louis Lambert Airport. The discussion focused on the need to modernize the compensation structure to align with national market realities for airport executives, citing data from the Airports Council International compensation survey. The proposed pay range of approximately $400,000 to $650,000 annually reflects the competitive salaries at medium to large hub airports, especially given the airport's upcoming $3 billion terminal redevelopment project. The commission requested additional detailed benchmarking data and comparisons to peer airports before taking action and voted to continue consideration of the proposal to a future meeting. Additionally, the commission approved the creation of a new Airport Operations Manager classification to address operational gaps at the airport. The meeting also addressed procedural concerns about the premature public attribution of the commission's recommendation on the pay grade ordinance and emphasized the need for accurate public records. No final vote was taken on the pay grade change pending further information.