ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Last Friday marked for final day for St. Louis City residents to vote in a survey of what was the best use of the Rams settlement money and after over 12,402 voter who participated, four areas were highlighted among the best use of the money by residents.
St. Louis City has released the survey results Thursday, with four topics seen as the most popular. The replacement of water mains in the city was the most voted topic in the survey, with nearly 10,000 votes in favor voting to use it to fix the water mains.
Traffic calming and pedestrian-friendly street design was the second most voted topic, with it receiving nearly 9,000 votes. Increase wages and salaries for City Employees was third with just slightly above 8,800 votes and free or municipally subsidized child care rounding out the top four, receiving nearly 8,300 votes.
St. Louis City was awarded $250 million as part the Rams relocation settlement in December 2021. While the total rewarded the area was $790 million, around a third of the money alone went towards attorney fees, while the remaining money was split between St. Louis City, St. Louis County and the St. Louis Regional Convention and Sports Authority.
St. Louis Alderwoman Alisha Sonnier told KMOX last week it is likely the $250 million, which is currently sitting in an interest-bearing account with the Missouri Securities Investment Program, will be spent on multiple projects.
"I think there's a great chance for us to display our ability to several things at once," said Sonnier. "I think it will be hard to pick just one idea and one main focus when there is a high level of strong needs across a variety of things."
The Board of Alderman will now take those four ideas and vet them, with that process will last through May. A final decisions are likely to come in the fall.
"You will see us take the ideas that get the most consensus and map out what they look like. what will they cost? What will there annual stacking needs be?," said Sonnier. "How long might that it be sustainable? You will see (the Board of Aldermen) map out more detail and more date about what the narrow idea will look like."