This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Nov. 2, 2011 - In a budget that includes a variety of additions and subtractions, one item in particular rankled County Council Chairman Steve Stenger.
An executive summary of St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley's budget would eliminate snow removal on "subdivision streets in unincorporated St. Louis County during snow events of two inches or less." That move, according to the summary, would save $277,000 in overtime, fuel and salt in 2012.
Stenger is an Affton Democrat who clashed with Dooley earlier this year on a bid to raise property taxes. He told reporters Tuesday night that his council district consists mainly of unincorporated St. Louis County. In fact, he said, it makes up 98 percent of his district.
Even though he said he wouldn't speculate on whether he was being targeted, Stenger said he wouldn't go down without a scrap.
"I represent what I like to call the fighting 6th District," Stenger said. "That district is full of serious people that don't want to see their services taken away when they're paying more than their fair share of taxes. And I'm going to represent them in that."
The snow removal was just one aspect where Stenger diverged sharply with Dooley. He disputes Dooley's claim that St. Louis County has budget crisis and that drastic steps -- such as laying off employees and shutting down a number of parks -- are necessary.
For his part, Dooley says the moves are regrettable but required to keep the county in good financial shape.
"We get to a point now where we have less money in revenue and more money in expenses," Dooley said. "And somewhere they have to meet. And that's what we're going to do."
Even though the Democratic county executive and the Democratic-dominated council expressed a desire to work together on the 2012 budget, the disagreement marks yet another tussle between the two. But at least for now, the two sides are agreeing to work together -- even if their views aren't congruent.
Parks Get The Ax
The county's 2012 budget year begins January 1, which means that it must be crafted now.
In a letter to members of the St. Louis County Council, Dooley wrote that the "proposed budget concedes to the difficult fiscal reality of our time," adding that the document "includes recommendations for sharp reductions in our workforce, trimming off non-essential facilities and an increase of some fees."
Dooley goes on: "By freezing salaries, reducing new hires and insisting on minimal to zero-growth spending over the past three years, St. Louis County has done its best to proactively operate within these constraints. Unfortunately, these cost-cutting measures have proven insufficient. We must take dramatic action now. Like many, I had hoped we could persevere until the dark clouds in the economy cleared. It has become evident that the economic downturn is not just a passing storm, but it is our new reality."
The county's Parks and Recreation Department would feel the brunt of budgetary ax under his plan, taking a roughly $4.3 million cut. That agency would receive $21.6 million in the 2012 budget, down from $26 million in 2011. Dooley proposed eliminating 133 employees, including 90 part-time workers. He also proposed shutting down parks and pools across the county.
The closures include:
- Lone Elk Park in western St. Louis County, which is home to bison, wild turkey, waterfowl, elk and deer.
- Ebsworth Park in west county, which includes a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
- Fort Bellefontaine in north county, the first military installation located west of the Mississippi River.
- St. Vincent Community Center in north county, the North County Recreation Complex and the Wayne C. Kennedy Recreation Complex in south county.
Dooley said in an interview that the closures are necessary mainly because the tax funding the park is being outpaced by what it costs to run them.
"The parks have a tax rate of 5 cents, which brings about $11.5 million a year with a budget of $26 million," Dooley said. "We can no longer afford to continually subsidize park activities."
Garry Earls, St. Louis County's chief operating officer, said there are options. One possibility, Earls said, would be to turn George Winter Park in Fenton over to that city. Another alternative, he said, might be a sale to an entity that uses parks "for a variety of recreation activities."
When Lone Elk Park was included on the list, Earls said, "A bunch of people jumped to the conclusion that some strip mall developer would jump in and build a strip mall in it."
"They obviously haven't visited Lone Elk Park," Earls said. "We're not going to pull an Ohio thing here .... we're not going to let the buffalo roam on Interstate 44. And these buffalo, although they're wild animals, they're not very wild anymore. So we just can't leave them there on their own. Somebody's got to take care of them. They're dependent on humans to feed them."
In addition to cuts in Parks & Recreation staff members, Earls said other departments would be forced to cut employees. He also said there would be a fee increase for construction permits. Dooley said in his letter the overall plan would save the county about $10 million.
Backlash And Skepticism
Stenger, though, doesn't believe the cuts are necessary.
"My initial reaction when I read the letter of the county executive was initially to be confused and really taken aback with the suggested cuts in the budget," Stenger said. "Certainly if cuts were needed ... I would support" them.
But in his analysis of the budget, Stenger said the county had hired hundreds of employees over the past few months -- something he said "was not indicative of a budget crisis."
A slowdown on hiring, the council chairman said, would provide "a great deal of money to cover any perceived budget shortfall that the county might or might not have."
He also cited revenue projections that he said don't show nearly as steep of a decline that Dooley describes. Dooley said a slowdown in the housing market resulted in less money for St. Louis County since the economic downturn began in earnest in 2008.
"So through the middle of the year, we were down in actual revenue only $824,000," Stenger said. "So, to say we're in a budget crisis and all these cuts are necessary is not something that I agree with."
Just a few weeks ago, Stenger and other members of the council butted heads with Dooley over a proposal to raise property taxes.
Dooley eventually dropped the proposal, but he mentioned in his letter that "although my delivery of that message could have been better, my reasons for pursuing the additional funds are reflected in this budget."
Asked if placing parks in the crossfire was a way to pressure the council to accept a tax increase, Stenger said, "I can't really speculate that's the reason why we're seeing this, but certainly it could lead one to that conclusion."
Dooley said he wasn't trying to extract a tax increase out of the council.
"The numbers speak for themselves," Dooley said. "We're an open book. We want the council to know what we know. And that's why we want them to work through this process with us and see what we see and see if we can work through this process together."
Lindsey Swanick, the director of the county's parks and recreation department, said the cuts would have a "ripple effect" across St. Louis County, leading to declining property values if parks next to homes aren't maintained and hardships for county employees who could lose their jobs.
"We want new businesses to come to St. Louis," Swanick said. "And if we hear we're closing parks and transferring parks properties to others, what kind of message is that sending to the citizens? It's horrible."
At least one person who could be affected by the cuts spoke out at Tuesday's meeting. Oakville resident Jeff Tribl -- who said he works part-time in the parks and recreation department -- said he wanted all options exhausted before people are laid off.
"It's unfair if one department bears a major cut of the county's deficit," Tribl said. "I think it should be looked at to be absorbed by all."
Dooley said he too is upset over the possibility of parks closing, but he added "at some point we got to make decisions."
Brave Face
Earls said that cuts to parks don't need approval from the St. Louis County Council, adding that the legislative body can only authorize the county executive's office to spend money.
"As far as I know, they can't require us to spend," Earls said. "In essence, if they refuse to approve the budget that we have requested ... if we can't get a positive vote on it, then I'd say we'll have other concerns at that point. There are all sorts of things included in the budget that we still have to do next year."
But Dooley said he wanted to work with the council through the budget process.
"I always need the County Council," Dooley said. "I used to serve on the County Council ... I want the County Council to know what I know. When we make the decision and we go together, it's got to be a team effort. It's not just the administration. It's all of us in this together. We all have responsibility. And nothing's in concrete right now -- it's a proposal."
Indeed, Stenger announced at Tuesday's County Council meeting that he was creating a budget committee. That's a change from precedent as council members typically craft the budget through "committee of the whole" meetings, made up of all the members.
"We have some very important issues," Stenger said. "What's been proposed are maybe 100 people being laid off in the county, parks being closed, services people enjoy ... not being offered anymore. Those are all important things. I want to have a special committee that addresses those issues and is focused on one issue: the budget."
Stenger said "every indication that I've received is that the executive branch wants to work with us and I'm going to go into these budget meetings with that in mind." He did say though that tax increases were off the table and that he wanted to see a budget that was similar to the previous year.
"I'm going in with every hope that we can act reasonably and level-headedly," Stenger said. "I don't want to go in there with any preconceived notions whatsoever. I really want to get this done. I don't want to see people laid off. I don't want to see parks closed."
Jason Rosenbaum, a freelance journalist in St. Louis, covers state and local government and politics.
