After several months of discussions, the St. Louis County Council voted 6-1 Tuesday to send the Bi-State Development Agency about two-thirds of the money it requested for its 2020 annual budget appropriation. Each year, Bi-State goes through an appropriation process with both the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County. This year’s appropriation request was $164 million.
According to the County Council Chair Ernie Trakas, the council held back $60 million of the $164 million allocation until they see an updated security plan from Bi-State.
Currently Phase II of the MetroLink System-Wide Assessment is underway. The East-West Gateway Board of Directors voted in March to move Phase II of the program forward under the leadership of WSP to develop a comprehensive security strategy for Metro. This strategy will include most recommendations from Phase I in the areas of:
- Security strategy
- Police/security staffing
- Procedures and training, and
- Fare and fare enforcement.