Show-Me State Times

Mayor Tishaura O. Jones presented her 2024 State of the City Speech at the Sun Theater in St. Louis City's Grand Center Arts District. "Today, the City of St. Louis is safer, stronger, and healthier than we were last year. And next year, we'll be safer, stronger, and healthier than we are today," she stated.

Jones detailed her administration's ongoing efforts to enhance city safety through infrastructure projects aimed at improving streets and expanding transportation options such as the Metrolink Green Line expansion. "We've taken the historic American Rescue Plan funds from the Biden-Harris administration and are putting them to work on paving, lighting, and traffic calming measures on our roadways," she explained.

The Mayor emphasized that safety measures extend beyond vehicular transport. "Everyone deserves to feel safe when getting around St. Louis, whether they're driving, biking, walking or riding public transit," she said. The Green Line will provide more residents with access to jobs, education and entertainment by connecting with the Red and Blue lines.

Jones also highlighted the achievements of the Office of Violence Prevention (OVP) and significant improvements in 911 response times over the past year as part of a comprehensive approach to public safety. She noted that in 2023 alone, OVP helped divert over 550 emergency calls to behavioral health responders while their Crisis Response Unit assisted St. Louisans in over 6,500 cases.

In terms of economic development investments, Jones underscored her administration's commitment to uplifting families, supporting small businesses and fostering local communities. The Healthy Home Repair Program received $15 million in ARPA funding which more than doubled its service capacity from 155 houses to 317 this year.

Mayor Jones further discussed the transformation of the old Killark Electric Plant into a workforce hub for North St. Louis City: "The old Killark Electric Plant at MLK & Vandeventer will soon have a new name - The Monarch on MLK," she said. "Once redeveloped, the Monarch's 15-acre site will transform into a world-class, transit-accessible workforce development hub designed to prepare St. Louis residents for high-paying, in-demand careers."

Finally, as part of her administration's efforts to build a healthier city workforce, Mayor Jones announced the launch of a new hiring website powered by Taleo software and the lifting of the hiring freeze on the City of St. Louis effective May 20, 2024.