St. Louis leaders finally got their say today on a bill giving the city control over its police department. But they weren’t real happy with the way the measure ended up.

The bill (HB2117) would do away with control of the department by a governor-appointed board of commissioners. Instead, the St. Louis Board of Aldermen could set up a municipal police department.

Mayor Francis Slay and 25 members of the Board of Aldermen have endorsed the idea. After two previous House hearings were canceled, Slay and several aldermen finally offered testimony on Wednesday.

Also weighing in was the St. Louis Police Officers Association, which opposes the bill because of worries about political intererence, especially with its pension plan.

To pry the bill from committee, the sponsors — Reps. Rodney Hubbard and T.D. El-Amin – accepted an amendment giving Kansas City control of its police department, too. But all sides agreed that could open a can of worms.

“I think it’s an easy way to kill it, because they haven’t even had the discussion in Kansas City” about local control, said Alderman Dionne Flowers.

Next stop for the bill: the House Rules Committee, which will decide whether to forward it to the full House.