Most Aldermen Don’t Itemize Expenses, Have Funds Added to Paychecks
Over the past few years, public record requests indicate that aldermen have failed to turn in a single receipt for purchases using their city expense accounts. This includes current-mayor Cara Spencer. The failure to account for work-related spending comes despite almost all aldermen spending the $5,000 allotted to their offices for expenses related to official business. This continues a longstanding tradition of allowing aldermen to choose between “accountable” and “non-accountable” expense tracking.
In both the private and public sectors, most job-related expense policies involve an employee tracking their costs and providing receipts to prove purchases were made. In general, employees complete a report and provide corresponding receipts for the costs incurred while performing their duties. They are then reimbursed for expenses that are deemed job-related. This is what is meant by an accountable expense practice, and it is by far the most common policy for compensating employees for job-related expenses across both the public and private sectors. When using accountable expense reimbursement, the employee’s reimbursement is not taxed. Under the rarer non-accountable expense system, employees are not required to track how the money allotted to them for work expenses is spent. In many cases, the annual amount of money for expenses is divided by pay period and added directly to the employee’s check. Discussions with city staffers indicate that this is the case for most of the members of the Board of Aldermen. It is worth noting that, under the non-accountable system, this money is treated as taxable income.
The practice of aldermen having the money allotted for expenses added directly to their checks is a longstanding one. Some people contacted for this story point to it as a relic of the era where aldermen were part-time employees with much lower pay. Given the lower pay, lesser administrative assistance, and part-time nature of the jobs, prior to ward consolidation, the system was a way of both reducing paperwork for aldermen and quietly boosting the pay for the positions. Surprisingly, the usage of “non-accountable” expense reporting has only increased in the years since ward reduction. St. Louis’s 2008 state audit noted that the aldermen were allowed to choose between the two reporting options. At the time, the state said that 11 of the then-28 aldermen selected the “accountable” method. In recent years, 12 of the 14 current aldermen have chosen the non-accountable method. This would mean that the portion of aldermen not submitting expense receipts has actually increased after aldermen began receiving larger salaries and more administrative assistance. The same audit report notes that “some accountable expense plan reimbursement requests were not submitted in a timely manner and adequate supporting documentation was not received or retained for some expense reimbursements.” In the 2018 state audit report on the Board of Aldermen, the city was faulted for failing to take action on previous audit recommendations related to aldermanic expense reporting.
Given the change to aldermen now serving as full-time employees with dedicated support staff, it is unclear why the practice is allowed to continue. With significantly higher salaries, the expectation of a full-time commitment, and administrative assistance to help with the filing of needed paperwork, all of the rationales previously given for the practice have now been remedied. City Hall staff willing to speak on background indicate that most of the aldermen simply treat the additional monies as part of their salaries, giving them an almost invisible raise. The only way the general public can find out if their alderman has the expense account money added to their paycheck is by searching the Post-Dispatch’s city employee database and comparing their actual pay to the board members’ official salary. Doing so shows that some aldermen do not have the expense reimbursement added to their checks.
Two alders appear to decline extra pay
Ald. Todd Oldenburg is the lone member of the board who has filed reports for the two most recently-filed sessions that indicate that he did not use his expense account or have the money added to his paycheck. Ald. Sharon Tyus’ reports indicate that she did not use her expense account in 2023, but her 2024 report is somewhat unclear. It both says that it wasn’t used and also that $5000 was spent on “civic and charitable contributions”. This form features two colors of ink, indicating that it may have been filled out and then changed. While it says the expenses were filed using the accountable method, the public information request that yielded the annual forms did not also turn up receipts for these donations, as would be required under the accountable method. The Post-Dispatch’s public employee compensation database indicates that this money was not added to Ald. Tyus’ paychecks.
Unusual for governments in the region
While this practice appears to have become normalized in St. Louis City government, this practice is not common among other regional government bodies. St. Louis County Council members are required to follow the accountable method for their expenses, despite being part-time employees who are paid less than city aldermen. According to the county code, “The above expenses shall be reimbursed to members of the Council when such expenses are supported by invoices, receipts or other evidence showing the nature and purpose of the expenses. Councilmembers shall verify by their signatures that each expense for which reimbursement is requested was actual and necessary.”
Likewise, Missouri legislators’ policy handbook indicates that they also follow the much more common accountable expense reimbursement policy. “Expense account reports should be submitted monthly for expenses that are eligible for reimbursement. Members will not be reimbursed for expenses that are not submitted within 90 days of the original purchase or expense,” reads the State Representatives’ guide.
Aldermen silent on issue
Every member of the Board of Aldermen, including President Megan Green, was contacted for comment. None of the aldermen responded to requests. President Green initially responded that the Comptroller’s office approves of the process and provided an annual report that states aldermen have successfully filed the annual forms seen below. When asked for further comment on why the practice continues, President Green’s office did not respond.
Every member of the Board of Aldermen was contacted and asked for comment on this story. None of them responded. Aldermen generally file their annual expense reports by mid-April. We plan on requesting copies of last year’s expense reporting forms. We will continue coverage of the Board of Aldermen’s expense practices upon receipt of 2025’s aldermanic expense reporting forms. See below for 2023 and 2024 aldermanic expense reports and the Comptroller’s recent audit stating there are no issues with aldermanic expense reporting.
