Tagged: St. Louis City Board of Police Commissioners

St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay says cutting the fire department’s pension costs will enable the city to take 30 police jobs off the chopping block.

The Board of Police Commissioners voted Monday to hold onto 30 of the 80 police positions this year’s budget eliminates through attrition, but only if a pension reform bill is passed by the Board of Alderman.

Slay says the bill, which requires firefighters to pay more into the system and prevents full retirement benefits until age 55, would save the city more than $8 million.

More good news today for a different set of city of St. Louis employees.

The St. Louis Board of Police Commissioners voted this afternoon to end the planned furloughs for the department's 557 civilian employees. The employees will also be reimbursed for the days they've already taken.

A department spokeswoman says rank-and-file employees were expected to take five unpaid days off, with management taking 10 days.

Mo. Gov. Jay Nixon has announced that the former police chief of St. Louis County, Jerry Lee, has been named as the new state public safety director.

Lee will replace former director John Britt, who left the position last Thursday.

The appointment of Lee now leaves a vacancy on the St. Louis City Board of Police Commissioners to be filled by gubernatorial appointment "in due time," Nixon spokesman Scott Holste said.