Tagged: Francis Slay

The St. Louis Blues are in the second round of the NHL playoffs for the first time in a decade, and Mayor Slay is honoring the resurgent team.

Slay declared Friday as St. Louis Blues Day and is asking St. Louisans to wear blue in recognition of the day. The Blues open the second round of the playoffs with a home game Saturday against the Los Angeles Kings.

The Blues beat San Jose to win the first-round series in five games.

A $966 million budget for the city of St. Louis has made it through the first of many hurdles at City Hall.

Mayor Francis Slay, comptroller Darlene Green, and Board of Aldermen president Lewis Reed - who make up the Board of Estimate and Apportionment - all approved the budget on Friday. That sends it to the Board of Aldermen, who can shift money around but cannot add to the overall level of spending.

St. Louis City officials says 80 officer positions must be cut from the city's police force to offset the department's rising pay, health care and pension costs. 

Police Chief Dan Isom and Mayor Francis Slay support eliminating the jobs through attrition. 30 positions, funded through federal grants, would end this year, when those grants are slated to expire.

Mayor Francis Slay says despite a 45 percent increase in police spending since he took office, spending for retirement benefits is out of control.

Though they waited until the last possible minute in the current session, the St. Louis Board of Aldermen has approved a measure that lays the ground for reforms to the pension system for its firefighters.