最新杏吧原创

Councilmembers quickly accused Page of resorting to scare tactics to get his way.

Page wrote a letter dated Thursday to councilmembers saying the council must pass a budget to extend a staffing agency contract that provides workers for the tax freeze program. Without a renewed contract, the county would only be able to accept online applications for months, Page wrote.

鈥淲ithout extending this contract, the Department of Revenue would have to completely start over with finding a new agency to provide these workers,鈥� Page wrote.

But some councilmembers scoffed at the threat.

鈥淎ll of this extra drama is just to keep us distracted,鈥� said council Chair Shalonda Webb, a Democrat from North County. 鈥淗e鈥檚 got to stop using this council as a punching bag and stop threatening and scaring the people of 最新杏吧原创 County so he can get his way.鈥�

The council usually passes a budget the week before Christmas, but this year, the council plans to meet on Dec. 30 to vote. Members needed more time to make changes to the budget requested by Page鈥檚 office, Webb said.

By then, the staffing company will have pulled its employees, said Doug Moore, a spokesman for Page.

鈥淭hese are employees that took weeks to train for this new program. Starting over with staffing would be disruptive and greatly limit services we could provide,鈥� Moore said in an email to the Post-Dispatch.

Councilwoman Rita Heard Days, a Democrat from Bel-Nor, said the council鈥檚 plans won鈥檛 changed despite Page鈥檚 letter.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what he鈥檚 talking about,鈥� Days said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 difficult to trust whatever they鈥檙e saying these days.鈥�

Staffing company Robert Half Talent Solutions provides all of the staff for the program, including greeters, reviewers, deed research and call-room employees, according to Page鈥檚 letter. The county paid the company $32,000 for program staff in September, county show.

The company鈥檚 vice president and branch director, Lindsey Sielfleisch, emailed the county deputy revenue director, Erica Savage, on Thursday asking the county to recommit to the contract by Dec. 19.

鈥淕iven the number of candidates we have placed within the 最新杏吧原创 County government, it is essential to have sufficient time to redeploy any individuals whose contracts may not be renewed, particularly during the holiday season,鈥� Sielfleisch wrote.

Savage forwarded the email to county budget staffers.

鈥淲ithout these staff members we would not be able to continue providing any senior tax freeze services outside of the online application,鈥� Savage wrote.

And the county can鈥檛 commit to renewing its contract with Robert Half unless the council approves the budget, Page wrote in his letter to councilmembers.

Republican Councilman Dennis Hancock, of Fenton, said the county could easily extend the contract. It has funding secured through the rest of this year. And even if the council doesn鈥檛 pass a new budget, the county automatically operates off this year鈥檚 budget until the new one passes.

鈥淭hey鈥檝e been using the senior tax freeze as a political football ever since we brought the idea forward last year,鈥� Hancock said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e trying to get us to hurry up and approve the budget so we can鈥檛 do anything to it.鈥�

Page鈥檚 spokesman said the county needs to know what funding will be available in the new budget before the company鈥檚 Dec. 19 deadline.

鈥淲e would hate for there to be a suspension of the project, caused by lack of funding,鈥� Moore said.

The council鈥檚 relationship with Page has been sour all year as they fought over spending federal pandemic relief money and funding the senior property tax freeze program. In May, the council approved $300,000 for software and personnel.

Relations further devolved this week when Page made it clear he intends to bypass the council in appointing his pick to replace Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell, who will resign Jan. 2 to take his newly won seat in Congress.