St. Louis County Executive Sam Page’s 2024 budget proposal would raise property taxes back to 2022 levels and trim 4% in health department staff, but would largely keep existing service levels while cutting the county’s general revenue budget deficit.

What You Need To Know

  • St. Louis County's fiscal year begins Jan. 1, 2024

  • County Executive Sam Page has sent a $1.025B budget proposal to the County Council for its approval

  • The plan would restore property taxes to 2022 levels, meaning an increase of about $22 for the average homeowner, Page said in his proposal, which would still leave the County with a General Revenue Fund deficit of roughly $27 million

  • It would cut the number of employees in the County Health Department by 4% and add 16 new corrections officers

The $1.025 billion budget proposal would rely in part on an increase in property taxes that would amount to $22 on the average home, according to the plan sent to County Council members last week. 

Council members must approve the plan.

“The County’s financial position remains unchanged from the past several years. We have a mismatch between annual revenue and spending, and we continue to rely on fund balance and one-time revenue sources to close the gap. As you know, this cannot continue indefinitely,” Page said in a letter to the Council. “However, better than anticipated financial results from fiscal year 2022 along with additional one-time revenue from legal judgments and property sales provides us with additional time as we consider transformational decisions.”

Page’s plan would cut about $20 million out of a $47 million annual deficit in the county’s general revenue fund. It gets there with the property tax increase, shifting $4 million from the Debt Service Fund to the General Revenue Fund and the expected availability of federal funds for transportation capital projects and housing of federal prisoners.

The proposal would cut 26 positions in the County Health Department and use $1.1 million to hire 16 new corrections officers.

The plan leaves the county’s $169 million share of the settlement with the NFL untouched and in an interest-bearing account. Officials have warned against using one-time sources of money to offset general revenue gaps.

Page warned the county would “soon….be forced to reduce service levels or seek additional revenue,” potentially through further property tax hikes, or to re-examine a use tax.

St. Louis County’s fiscal year starts Jan. 1, 2024.