Missouri Governor Jay Nixon on Saturday called for the state assembly to approve more funds for the Missouri Highway Patrol and National Guard in Ferguson after months of violent protests over the shooting of a black teenager by a white policeman.
Nixon told legislative leaders in a conference call late on Friday that the state needed to approve more money to pay salaries for the National Guard by Dec. 15, according to a statement posted on his website.
The statement did not say if the state had already used up all its emergency appropriations, nor did it explain why Dec. 15 was a critical date. Nixon's office did not immediately respond to calls seeking further comment.
"The dedicated men and women of the National Guard and the Missouri State Highway Patrol are playing a critical role in keeping people safe and protecting property in the St. Louis region," Nixon said in the statement. "Time is of the essence."
He said he intended to convene state assembly for a special session to approve the extra funds. His statement said that details about the timing and scope of the special session would be released in the coming days.
This week Nixon has come under fire from local officials for not deploying enough National Guards troops to tackle looting and arson which broke out in the Ferguson area after a grand jury declined to indict the policeman responsible for shooting the teenager.
Ahead of the grand jury decision, Nixon had declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard. About 700 troops were deployed in the Ferguson area after the announcement, which provoked widespread anger and unrest.
The next evening, about 2,200 troops were sent to the area.
The state budget for the year ending June 30, 2015, allocated $4 million for emergency duties for the National Guard and $3.4 million for state agencies including the Highway Patrol to respond to disasters and emergencies.
Nixon also said that cleaning up buildings in Ferguson which were destroyed or damaged earlier this week could add to the state's costs.