ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Both sides of the debate over where and how to spend the Rams settlement money have found a compromise and joined their bill.
On Tuesday, St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones, along with Greater St. Louis Inc. and St. Louis Alderpeople Alisha Sonnier and Pam Boyd, announced an agreement that would invest funds from the Rams settlement into disinvested neighborhoods and Downtown.
As part of the agreement, Downtown St. Louis will get $74 million, with $30 million being dedicated to use for things such as mobility infrastructure projects located downtown and $11 million dedicated towards the Railway Exchange Building.
The funds will requires the private sector to match the investment.
Meanwhile, $40 million of it will be dedicated to North City, with the money aimed at infrastructure improvements and redevelopment of vacant property.
Another $40 million will be used for citywide water infrastructure work while about $90 million will be prioritized towards projects in struggling neighborhoods in North City and Southeast City decided to streets, development and housing citywide.
Downtown will be ineligible for the $90 million.
The compromise comes as two St. Louis Alderpeople filed separate bills last year on how to spend the Rams settlement money.
One bill that was introduced by St. Louis Alderwoman Pamela Boyd focused spending the money now, mostly on infrastructure and buildings in downtown, North City and Southeast City.
At the same, there was opposing bill by introduced by Alderwoman Alisha Sonnier, which would spend the Rams settlement money over time and establishes social programs like subsidized childcare and post secondary education.
The new bill keeps both of those priorities. However, some details like how the money will be disbursed has not been settled yet and still being negotiated.
"Bill still has to go through the committee process," said St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones. "I anticipate during that process, we will stand up who will be responsible for delivering those funds."
Aldermanic President Megan Green all but says the idea of creating a bunch of new committees is dead.
"Some of the feedback that we heard overwhelmingly from Alderpeople is that we have too many boards in this city and it is too hard to staff them," said Green.
The official text of the bill has not been released and the Alders caution there is still a lot to work out.
The City also received a new number reflecting how much interest the Rams settlement has accrued, bringing the total up to $294 million.