St. Louis Puts $255 Million Rams Settlement Plan Into Effect

St. Louis has moved from debating how to use its Rams settlement proceeds to setting up the funds that will guide future spending. Ordinance 72165, also known as Board Bill 22, became effective July 13, 2026, creating a $255 million spending framework.

The plan does not mean all of the money has been spent or that every project has been approved. Specific contracts, fund commitments and project decisions still must move through the city’s approval process.

How the $255 million is divided

The ordinance establishes six major allocation categories:

$89 million for long-term tornado recovery
$31 million for North St. Louis neighborhood-plan implementation
$40 million for water infrastructure
$30 million for citywide public infrastructure
$10 million for vacancy reduction
$55 million for downtown neighborhood-plan implementation

The two North St. Louis categories total $120 million, but that figure should not be described as $120 million solely for direct tornado recovery. The $89 million recovery fund is separate from the $31 million neighborhood-plan fund, which can support broader neighborhood improvements.

Eligible uses described in the ordinance include housing repair and stabilization, resident support, sidewalks and tree work, neighborhood infrastructure, small-business assistance, water-system maintenance and improvements, vacancy enforcement and redevelopment, and downtown capital projects.

What the city says will begin first

Mayor Cara Spencer’s office identified an initial $2.5 million North St. Louis investment for hazardous-tree and stump removal and sidewalk repairs that are not eligible for FEMA reimbursement. Those activities were announced as early implementation priorities; the announcement does not establish that all of the work has been completed.

The mayor’s office also said $40 million would be transferred to the Water Division to support essential repairs. That is a planned transfer or deployment of funds, not confirmation that all related repairs are finished.

How residents can follow the money

Comptroller Donna M.C. Baringer announced a Rams Settlement Funds Transparency Tracker on July 16. The tracker is intended to show Rams-funded contracts as they come before the Board of Estimate and Apportionment and as money is encumbered for specific projects.

That distinction matters. The tracker is not described as a real-time ledger of every dollar spent. Instead, it is expected to provide a public view of contracts and commitments as they move through approval and budget processes.

What happens next

The next stage will involve project proposals, contracts, award decisions, possible budget actions and reporting. Individual grants, loans, payments, construction projects and redevelopment efforts will require their own decisions or documentation where applicable.

For residents, the practical effects will depend on which projects advance and when. The funds could eventually support repairs, housing assistance, water-system work, vacant-property efforts, downtown projects and neighborhood improvements, but the ordinance itself does not establish a single timeline for those outcomes.

The key test for the program will be whether the city can turn the new funding structure into visible work, direct assistance and measurable progress. Board of Estimate and Apportionment materials and the comptroller’s tracker should provide the clearest record as individual commitments take shape.

Sources

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