From Vacancy to Vitality

Revitalize St. Louis with a Yes on Prop V!

By addressing vacant properties and holding absentee landlords accountable, we can improve neighborhoods, attract new investments, and create a brighter future for our city.

About proposition v

Prop V updates the City Charter to allow higher fines for violations involving vacant and deteriorating properties that are not owner-occupied. Prop V will allow the Board of Aldermen to create new laws that update our city's fines and fees for these
types of properties.Currently, the maximum yearly fine—set in 1970—is just $500. This outdated amount fails to hold negligent property owners and absentee landlords accountable.Passing Prop V will allow the Board of Aldermen to take on land speculators and out-of-state corporations that treat the $500 fine as just another cost of doing business, letting properties sit vacant and run down while residents pay the price.

How Prop V Helps STL

St. Louis has nearly 25,000 vacant and deteriorating properties that:

  • Decrease property tax revenue

  • Create safety risks

  • Damage neighborhoods' economic wellbeing

  • Strain city resources by incurring maintenance and demolition costs

  • Expose people to harmful toxins like mold and asbestos

  • Contribute to anxiety and sense of neglect for city residents

The $500 cap on fines is ineffective and out of date. Prop V removes this limit from the City Charter, empowering the Board of Aldermen to set appropriate fines through ordinances.

Prop V: The first step

Prop V will enable the City of St. Louis to better enforce its property laws, improving the health, safety, and economic vitality of our neighborhoods. If passed, Prop V would:

  • Lift the $500 cap on fines for vacant and deteriorating properties.

  • Authorize the Board of Aldermen to set fines and fees via ordinance for non-owner occupied vacant and deteriorated properties.

In the news