ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis City Police Board are set to meet Wednesday on the first day of the city’s new fiscal year.
The meeting comes after weeks of tension between police leaders and City Hall over how much money the department should receive. The city approved a budget that gives the department less money than police leaders requested.
The city’s new budget provides about $220 million for the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, about $30 million less than what police leaders requested. The gap has been part of a larger dispute between the police board and City Hall after the board approved pay raises for police command staff last month over Mayor Cara Spencer’s objections.
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Police Chief Robert Tracy says the department is dealing with serious challenges with recruitment and retention. Mayor Spencer has warned those raises could create a bigger financial impact for the city, including possible pay-parity issues with firefighters…