St. Louis County finally has a budget.
The County Council voted 6-1 Tuesday to adopt a spending plan that will take effect on Jan. 1. It was the final meeting on the calendar for 2025. Councilwoman Lisa Clancy, D-Maplewood, cast the only dissenting vote.
An initial budget proposed by County Executive Sam Page had a deficit of nearly $81 million. Page had wanted to close that gap using reserves and funds from the settlement over the departure of the Rams to Los Angeles.
But the council decided to put its own stamp on the spending plan for 2026. The bills passed Tuesday reduced the requested spending in Page’s budget by more than $48 million. That reduced the amount of Rams funds used to $15.6 million, with reserves covering the rest of the deficit.
“This council has decided that it is time for someone to step up to the plate and do the hard work in trying to get this county solvent,” Chairwoman Rita Heard Days, D-Bel Nor, said Monday at a news conference unveiling the council’s proposal.
The six council members who helped draft and supported the eventual budget said it more accurately reflects what departments spent in 2025 and will not impact services in any way.
Page was not convinced.
“Consequences of budget cuts are not always realized right away, and I anticipate several discussions in 2026 about the impact of these cuts and the need to provide more funding,” he said at Tuesday’s meeting. “Once my office has had time to review the proposed budget amendments, we’ll determine what the plan is to limit the harm to residents.”
The council contends that Page doesn't have the legal authority to veto appropriations bills, but the votes are there to override regardless.
The biggest concern from speakers at Tuesday’s meeting was $11 million of reductions in the health fund.
Changes to Medicaid, the health care program for low-income individuals, and the expiration of subsidies to buy insurance on the federal marketplace may drive more people to obtain primary care from the county’s three public clinics.
And Dr. Paula Oldeg, the medical director at the county jail, said she was worried about a more than $2 million reduction in funding for contract medical care.
“Without the support of the contracted staffing, we might not be able to reach all the patients in the building,” she said. “Without the people, what floor is going to go without medication? What shift is going to go uncovered?”
Chris Grahn-Howard, the council’s budget policy director, said its members are always willing to sit down with departments and help fill gaps.
Looking ahead
Fourth District Councilwoman Shalonda Webb, D-Black Jack, who chairs the budget committee, said she and the majority of her colleagues plan to take the same hands-on approach to the fiscal 2027 budget, with a few tweaks.
“We’re going to start earlier,” she said. “And then also, we’re going to go through with them the same way that our budget chair did with us. So, what we learn they’re going to learn.”
The council’s increased attention to the budget process and fiscal health got a skeptical reception from county watchdog Tom Sullivan.
“Budget deficits don’t just happen,” he said. “They are the result of spending not matched to revenue, spending that’s all approved by the council. Since the council has been part of the problem for so long, it’s hard to believe you now have the solution.”
