Rasheen Aldridge

Mayor Cara Spencer and other officials announced a “historic” investment of $14 million to bolster winter sheltering, with the expectation that people displaced by the May 16 tornado will increase the need.

Alderman Rasheen Aldridge, who represents the 14th Ward, had praise for Mayor Cara Spencer’s performance personally, but said the May 16 storm showed that the city must be better prepared for natural disasters.

The bill now goes to Mayor Cara Spencer's desk for final approval. It comes after Sheriff Alfred Montgomery sparred with the board's budget committee last June.

The external report released Monday confirmed earlier findings that the city lacked clear policies around who would activate sirens in severe weather. But it also found out-of-date emergency plans and a leadership vacuum in the hours and days after the storm.

The 14th Ward alderman didn’t support St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer in this month’s election but said they have similar views on some key issues.

Members of the board’s Housing, Urban Development and Zoning Committee voted 5-2, with Anne Schweitzer and Michael Browning voting no.

In addition to the resolutions, the Public Safety Committee heard from acting Commissioner of Corrections Tammy Ross, who says her priorities for now include focusing on staffing and fostering partnerships.

Over the course of nearly seven-hour committee hearing, members of the Board of Aldermen discussed two visions for the money that are “coming closer together.”

The jail director, who reports to St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones, was known to be at odds with the city's Detention Facility Oversight Board over the lack of transparency and conditions at the City Justice Center.

Homer G. Phillips Hospital, which has been in business for one year, is looking for additional funding and new blood supplies before it can reopen.