St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer visited Jefferson City on Wednesday for the Governor’s Prayer Breakfast and a visit to the Capitol.
She told Missourinet that the trip gave her a chance to connect with lawmakers and share St. Louis’ priorities for the new legislative session.
“Right now, we’re really posturing to ensure we’re protective of our earnings tax,” said Spencer. “We’re really looking at some bills related to the airport and ensuring that we continue to have that state partnership. We do. Aligned on the good work at the airport and really just aligning on just how important the city of St. Louis is to the state of Missouri and vice versa.”
Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe, in his 2026 State of the State Address, highlighted dedicated funding to clear debris from last year’s devastating tornado in St. Louis—part of a multi-year cleanup effort supporting those communities.
Spencer praised Kehoe as a great partner for the city, especially in the tornado’s aftermath, and clarified that while the governor talked about $86 million dollars for St. Louis during his State of the State Address, that sum is part of the 100 million dollars already allocated.
“Under these new FEMA guidelines, it’s necessary that the state have their portion up front, so it’s not an additional $86 million as it may have appeared, but rather just the freeing up of funds that will be reimbursed by FEMA,” said Spencer.
The $100 million dollars lawmakers approved was during a special session last June to help St. Louis rebuild after the EF-3 tornado.
Spencer said last year was one of the most traumatic years the city has seen, after the tornado struck on May 16th, killing four people and injuring nearly 40.
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