8/6/2019 UCity Patch - City Council Considers Domestic Partnerships

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City Council Considers Domestic Partnerships, Budget Transfers

Mayor Shelley Welsch and Councilmember Terry Crow introduced bill to permit domestic

partnerships in University City at Mondays council meeting.

Bill 9114 was part of 4 new bills introduced at the meeting, and a domestic partnership

ordinance would be the first of its kind in St. Louis County. The City of St. Louis has a similar

domestic partnership ordinance that was passed by the Board of Alderman in 2005. At the

meeting, Mayor Welsch mentioned that she and Crow had been writing an ordinance to permit

domestic partnerships in the city separately and combined forces to write bill 9114, which was

given its first reading at the meeting.

Mr. Crow and I met last week, and both discovered we were working on this bill, so we talked

about it, and the bill introduced tonight is a combination of the two bills, Welsch said in her

comments.

The ordinance, which would be added to Chapter 9 of the municipal code, would allow for two

adults who live at the same address and share their home with each other to go to the City

Clerks office and for a fee of 10 dollars, will be added to the domestic partnership registry.

Margaret Johnson, a University City resident, was very happy that the domestic partnership bill

was being read in council.

My partner and I have been partners for 25 years, and we have spent a lot of money, ever 5

years creating legal rights between one another, so that we have hospital visitation rights, the

kind of things married people take for granted.

She said that the bills passage would make it easier for them to be recognized as domestic

partners in University City. She also noted that she was happy to see Mayor Welsch and

Councilmember Crow working together on something.

During the residential comments on the bill, one resident did express reservations about the

wording of the bill, referring to the relationship between to unmarried adults and expressed

concern that the bill would exclude married people. During his remarks, he reiterated that he

was not in opposition to the bill, just the wording.

Also read at the council meeting was a bill that would add a section to the Charter that would

create a so-called Department of Administrative Services which would coordinate information

technology and telecommunications projects for city departments, according the text of the bill.The department aims to centralize the technological infrastructure of the city.

In public comments, a resident expressed reservations about the need of additional overhead

of another office. They also stated they wondered why the department of personnel and finance

were not removed and made part of the department of administrative services, rather than

create a new office that oversees those departments.

8/6/2019 UCity Patch - City Council Considers Domestic Partnerships

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There was some controversy about Bill 9111 in the unfinished business agenda. Several council

members thought that it would be inappropriate for the city manager to make changes to the

budget after city council approved it. The bill allows for the city manager to make transfers of

unspent monies and transfer them within a department and then advise the council of the

transfer afterward. The legislation states if the amount is over $25,000, the council would have

to be notified and the council must approve the transfer through motion or resolution.

Paulette Carr in her comments expressed concern that the city council was transferring its

authority to the Lehman Walker, the city manager, and reiterated the role of the city council in

the budget process.

Bill 9111 passed with a roll call vote.

During the City Managers report, the council voted to proceed with the purchase of a Toro GM

5900 mower at cost of $73,644.07, minus the trade in value of the old mower at $7,664.07, for a

total cost to the city of $66,000.00.

Liquor Licenses for the Walgreens at 530 North McKnight and 7501 Olive were passed, as wellas a liquor license for the Qdoba Mexican Grill at 6625 Delmar.

The Council also approved a solicitation permit for Fund for the Public Interest, a group which

provides funding, technical assistance, and other forms of support to organizations and

individuals engaged in public interest research, education, and advocacy, according to their

application.

In other council actions, Charlotte Tatum was sworn in to the Arts and Letters Commission,

along with Daniel Wofsey who was sworn into the Land Clearance Redevelopment Authority in

the City Clerks office.

The meeting adjourned at 8pm, after comments from the council. Terry Crow expressed

happiness that the city is bringing back a program where high school students will be able to

work for several departments of University City government.

The next city council meeting is Monday, May 9th.