St. Louis Grades Itself on City Services, Promising Transparency

Mayor Spencer to release CityStat performance data on March 31, showing real progress and gaps in trash pickup, tree removal, and snowplows.

Published on Mar. 12, 2026

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The city of St. Louis is launching a new performance tracking system called CityStat that will publicly grade the city's services like trash pickup, tree removal, and snow plowing. Mayor Cara Spencer promises to release the data, warts and all, on March 31 to hold the city accountable and drive improvements. The numbers so far show real progress in some areas like snow removal, but also persistent gaps like low completion rates for tree removal work orders.

Why it matters

Transparent performance data is crucial for holding city governments accountable and driving improvements in essential services that impact residents' daily lives. St. Louis has historically struggled with issues like litter, dangerous trees, and snow removal, and making this data public will allow citizens to see where the city is succeeding and where it needs to do better.

The details

The new CityStat program, led by former Air Force colonel Ben Jonsson, is tracking metrics across virtually every city department, from health inspections to water mains. The data so far has revealed some stark realities - garbage truck drivers were only completing 71% of north side routes during one November week, while south side routes hit 85%. By December, both numbers had climbed to 98-99%. However, the tree removal program is completing less than 40% of work orders within the city's 30-day goal, due to nearly half the tree trimmer positions being vacant. The snow removal story is more positive - after a brutal storm last January left work orders open for 17 days on average, this January the city cleared streets in just 3 days, nearly 6 times faster.

  • In November 2025, garbage truck drivers were only completing 71% of north side routes and 85% of south side routes in one week.
  • By December 2025, both north and south side route completion rates had climbed to 98-99%.
  • In January 2026, a winter storm caused 8 drivers to be pulled off trash routes to plow snow, dropping south side route completion to just 8% that week.
  • In January 2025, after a major storm, the average snow removal work order took 17 days to complete.
  • In January 2026, after a similar storm, the average snow removal work order was completed in just 3 days.

The players

Ruth Schone

An employee at the Citizen Service Bureau who fields 50-75 calls per day from St. Louis residents reporting problems like water bill issues, potholes, and dangerous trees.

Ben Jonsson

A former Air Force colonel who now leads the CityStat performance tracking program for the city of St. Louis, expanding on the previous 'LouStat' dashboard.

Tiffany Turner

A supervisor at the Citizens Service Bureau who worked around the clock during a major snowstorm in January 2025 to assist residents.

Cara Spencer

The mayor of St. Louis who has mandated the new CityStat program to measure and publicly report on the city's performance in key service areas.

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What they’re saying

“It is not part of culture yet. It's a part of our process.”

— Ben Jonsson, Leader of the CityStat program (ksdk.com)

“We couldn't let them down. Even though we're open from 8 to 5, we was around the clock 24/7 to help them. Because it was... we love the city.”

— Tiffany Turner, Supervisor, Citizens Service Bureau (ksdk.com)

“I am not only OK with failing sometimes. I'm encouraging it. Because that's giving us and our departments the authority to make changes and to try new things. And if we are afraid of change for fear of failure, we won't move forward.”

— Cara Spencer, Mayor of St. Louis (ksdk.com)

What’s next

On March 31, the city of St. Louis will publicly release the full CityStat performance data, allowing residents to see the progress and gaps in city services like trash pickup, tree removal, and snow plowing.

The takeaway

By embracing transparency and publicly grading its own performance, the city of St. Louis is taking an important step towards accountability and improving essential services that impact residents' daily lives. This data-driven approach can serve as a model for other cities looking to boost government efficiency and responsiveness.