51黑料

The eliminations are intended to cut 118 jobs, or about 65% of the county鈥檚 vacancies, according to Chris Grahn Howard, budget director for the council. The cuts would trim the county鈥檚 estimated $38 million budget deficit by about one quarter.

A handful of projects promised by the council were initially on the fence: $13.9 million for sewer infrastructure improvements in south 51黑料 County, $5.6 million for a program to boost child care worker pay and $10 million for an overhaul of the University of Missouri-51黑料鈥� south campus.

But separate bills seeking funding for those projects all passed at the last minute.

The council鈥檚 proposed budget also:

• Eliminates $218,643, the value of three positions, from the county executive鈥檚 office.
• Moves money for two attorney positions from the county counselor鈥檚 office to the County Council鈥檚 department. The value of three vacancies, worth $356,898, was also cut in the counselor鈥檚 office.
• Cuts money for out-of-state travel and training worth $969,020, and for a tuition reimbursement program.
• Makes $390,000 in cuts for a health department consulting contract, and $150,000 for a legal contract connected to the department鈥檚 effort to receive more federal funding.

The budget doesn鈥檛 include pay raises for county workers as recommended by a study earlier this year. The council will consider pay increases next year after the county Civil Service Commission comes up with a plan to enact them. The commission could report back to the council in February or March.

County Executive Sam Page urged raises for county workers.

鈥淲e cannot expect our employees to stay put here when municipalities and other governments are offering better pay,鈥� Page said.

He also said the cuts were 鈥渁 temporary fix to a long-term problem.鈥�

鈥淏udget cuts have consequences, and we will do our best to tell you what to expect,鈥� Page said. 鈥淏ut some of the consequences are unknown and some will be unexpected.鈥�

Councilmembers were originally set to meet on Dec. 30 to vote on the budget, but a warning from Page on Friday changed their course. He said the late meeting could affect a contract for staffing to help seniors apply for the county鈥檚 popular property tax freeze program.

Some councilmembers called the warning scare tactics, but county budget Director Paul Kreidler told them in an email Monday morning that delaying a vote on the budget could cause problems for the finance team.

Staffers would have only had a few days to enter the new budget into the county鈥檚 finance systems 鈥� during the holiday season when a lot of people take time off.

But the Tuesday meeting meant some councilmembers, and the public, didn鈥檛 get to review the council鈥檚 proposed budget.

Republican Councilman Ernie Trakas of South County said he received the budget bills about a half-hour before the 3 p.m. meeting started.

鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be difficult for me to support passing them without knowing what鈥檚 in them,鈥� Trakas said.