By Tom Weber, KWMU
St. Louis, MO – St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay spent the last part of last week in Washington, meeting with lawmakers and other mayors from around the country.
He was attending the annual meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. He says many of his colleagues have the same concerns they did last year: Budgets.
When they're cutting at the federal level and cutting at the state level, the cities are caught - because we're the front lines in terms of providing services," Slay said. "So when we get cut because of cuts at the federal and state level, we're the ones who have to figure out how to deal with these things and it's very difficult."
Slay says the mayors also hope to change the way money for homeland security is passed out. Right now, the money is sent to the states. Then cities have to spend the money and hope to be reimbursed.