About the Board of Aldermen

Overview

The Board of Aldermen is the legislative body of the City of St. Louis. The Board of Aldermen creates, passes, and amends local laws, and approves the City's budget every year. City residents elect one alderperson from each ward in the City, and a President of the Board.

When in session, the Board of Aldermen meets weekly.

Read more about the Board of Aldermen.

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The Structure of the Board of Aldermen

Within the Board of Aldermen there are four officers. The President, Vice President, Majority Floor Leader, and Assistant Majority Floor Leader. The President is elected city wide, and the remaining three are determined by seniority.

The President presides over meetings, preserves decorum and determines all questions of order. He or she also appoints standing and special committees and serves as an equal member of all committees. The President assigns Bills to appropriate committees and refers Bills, when ready, to the Engrossment Committee. The President directs action from the dais in the front and center of the semi-circular chamber.

The Vice President performs all the duties of the President when he or she is absent.

The Majority Floor Leader handles all Aldermanic administrative duties on the floor. He or she moves to: defer the approval of the minutes until printed, approve minutes when printed in the Journal of the Board of Aldermen, excuse Aldermen, adjourn to a certain date and carry out miscellaneous duties assigned by the President. In the absence of the Vice President, he or she assumes the role.

The Assistant Majority Floor Leader performs all the duties of the Majority Floor Leader when he or she is absent.

The Clerk of the Board of Aldermen perform all duties necessary to the functioning of the Board. The Clerk is the official repository of all reports and records of the Board of Aldermen and his or her duties are almost limitless. His or her duties include the maintenance of the records of all proceedings. During the Board meetings, the Clerk is positioned just below the President and is responsible for voting procedures.

The Sergeant-at-Arms attends all meeting and takes care of the chambers as proscribed by the Aldermen.

Order of Business

At the time designated to begin, the Clerk will call the roll. When it is determined that a quorum of fifteen or more is present the President will then give a suggested prayer. Next, Aldermen recognize honored guests in the chamber. The order of business is structured in about twenty-three steps. In this time, issues may be debated. The process of debate is preserved in the rules which provides time for healthy discussion on all sides of a given issue.

Rules of the Board of Aldermen

Procedural

Rules of the Board of Aldermen pertaining to, but not limited to, Meetings, Order of Business and Procedures, Debate and Decorum,  and Voting Procedures.

Read Procedural Rules

Conflict of Interest

Ordinance Number 71493 is a charter amendment approved by City voters at an election held Tuesday, April 5, 2022. Among other things, it contains requirements for Conflict of Interest Reporting and Responsibilities for members of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen.

Read Conflict of Interest Rules

Committees

The committees specialize on certain issues and can usually focus on the details of a Bill more effectively than the full Board. The committee meetings are all open to the public. Standing committees are established each legislative session and assignments are made.

View all committees

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