ST. LOUIS – It was standing room only Tuesday night at the Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club in north St. Louis City as Mayor Tishaura Jones hosted her first cabinet meeting with several city leaders.  

Every seat was full as Chief of Police Robert Tracy, Alderwoman Laura Keys, and several other city leaders heard from residents. Mayor Jones opened the meeting by highlighting a few key issues in the city, including one big money topic.  

“Everyone wants to know, ‘When [are] they going to spend that Rams settlement money, when [are] they gonna spend it?’ Well again we have $500 million in American Rescue Plan Act, so we want to spend that money first,” Jones said.  

The ARPA money expires in 2026. The mayor also addressed crime, stating homicide numbers have continued to go down since she took office. Jones also touched on the youth outreach programs that helped extend rec center hours in the summer. 

“Juvenile crime is down 37 percent,” Jones explained.  

The room then opened for questions and concerns, where residents talked about concerns over the St. Louis City Justice Center and the growing number of charter schools, which one resident called “harmful” to the city’s public schools. 

The meeting also gave residents the opportunity to learn about job openings within the city as well as its funding programs.