Politics & Government
Council to Hear Business Plan for St. Louis County Parks Department
The Parks Department will present a business plan to the St. Louis County Council after being the center of the 2012 budget discussion.
St. Louis County officials will hear a business plan for the Parks Department seven months after County Executive Charlie Dooley and lay off more than 170 employees, citing a budget crisis.
The meeting will take place at 4:30 p.m. today (July 24) in the St. Louis County Council conference room at 41 South Central Avenue in Clayton.
Members of the county council— (D-Affton)—vehemently opposed Dooley’s initial 2012 budget proposal and questioned his office’s claim of a $10 million deficit.
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Parks activists also protested the closures, leading to and a .
After forming a special budget committee, .
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Officials created a balanced budget that spared the parks, but still .
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Parks Director Tom Ott will give Tuesday's presentation to the council.
Ott took over when former director Lindsey Swanick announced her retirement in March, three months after the lay-offs.
Swanick denied that the turmoil motivated her resignation, citing a salary wall as the primary reason.
Read more about the 2012 budget and the St. Louis County Parks discussion.
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