County Executive Sam Page, County Executive

Adopted Fy23 Budget

$6,351,412

Office Mission

Full Time Equivalents

51.5

The County Executive is the Chief Executive Officer, elected by the voters of St. Louis County to a four‐year term of office, with all executive powers, responsibilities, and duties enumerated within Article III of the St. Louis County Charter, which include directing, coordinating and monitoring the activities of all county administrative units under the County Executive’s control; appointing administrative heads of departments; approving and executing contracts and agreements for the county as authorized; directing the creation of the annual budget; maintaining communications with federal, state and local governments; and directing special projects requiring coordination among county departments.

Budget Overview

The 2023 adopted budget for the Office of the County Executive is $6,351,412, an increase of $1,372,476 or 27.6 percent from the 2022 adjusted budget of $4,978,936. Personnel costs comprise 92.9 percent of the budget for 53 positions (51.5 full time equivalents). Operating expenses account for the 7.1 percent of the budget.

Significant Changes

The 2023 adopted budget increase for the Office of County Executive budget is due to the annualization of position transfers in accordance with the recently amended Section 3.040 of the St. Louis County Charter. When adjusted for these charter‐required transfers, the office’s budget increases by $176,649 or 2.7% due to required insurance costs and the 2023 employee pay program.

The County Council reduced the department’s budget by $411,391 (6.1%) compared to the County Executive’s recommendation to remove the value of 75% of vacant positions

Core Business Functions

The St. Louis County Executive is responsible for the management of:

→ The proper and efficient administration of the county

→ Appointing department directors and members of boards and commissions

→ Employing experts and consultants in connection with any of the functions of the county

→ Coordinating and supervising the work of the departments and agencies of the county to promote efficiency and economic growth

→ Executing and enforcing the provisions of the County Charter, the laws of the State of Missouri pertaining to the government of the county, and the ordinances, resolutions, orders, and policies of the council and seeing that all contracts with the county are faithfully performed

→ Attending regular meetings of the County Council and participating in discussions without vote

→ Recommendations to the council to improve the county government and the general well‐being of the people and submitting to the council an annual report of the affairs of the county

→ Promoting and encouraging cooperative relationships between the county and the political subdivisions within the county in matters relating to land use planning, public health, sewers, parks, safety, public welfare, and all other governmental functions in which the people of St. Louis County could gain through better cooperative arrangements

→ Examining any payroll, account, demand or claim against the county and having access to all county books, records and papers kept by county officers and employees

→ Representing the county and performing other duties per the County Charter

→ Establishing by executive order from time‐to‐time systems of administrative organization in the departments

→ Submitting to the council for approval by ordinance an annual balanced budget

→ Transforming County Government by improving constituent experience through increasing channels, access to data, and backend process that answer constituent questions

→ Redesigning shared services structure and operating model to drive efficiency and effectiveness throughout county government

→ Developing modern workspaces and optimize use of real estate

→ Increasing constituent services by optimizing the Community Outreach team to increase access to information, provide feedback and improve communications

PROGRAMS & SERVICES Communications

The Communications staff are responsible for messaging on behalf of St. Louis County internally and externally. The Communication staff create and disseminate timely and accurate messages within the community by working closely with Department Directors to elevate the work of St. Louis County.

Community Outreach

The Outreach Team leads the planning and execution of engagement and outreach actions and activities with the St. Louis County community. The team manages the umbrella engagement of stakeholders (both internally and externally) in opportunities to support the St. Louis County’s goals. The team designs and activates programming with organizations like affinity groups, churches, seniors, disability groups, culturally diverse groups, and labor unions. The goal is to provide access to resources to improve the quality of life and empower St. Louis County residents. The Outreach Team uses community input and feedback to inform decisions as appropriate. Additionally, the guidance in the development of rules, policies, and procedures of the Minority and Women Owned Business (MWBE) program, as well as Business Advisory Council, is a critical function of this team.

Department Directors

Department Directors represent the senior staff of the operating departments which are a cohesive body, aligned and resourced to accomplish the County Executive’s goals. The staff are change agents, driving operational transformation aimed at improving customer service, maximizing operational efficiency and cost‐effectiveness, and fostering employee workplace satisfaction.

Policy

The Policy staff lead the advancement of the County Executive’s policy priorities by delivering an integrated approach to policy development and external engagement. The staff are engaged with government relations, regulatory affairs, board and commissions and public policy operations. They conduct research and assist with key policy initiatives and writing reports and briefing materials.

Strategic Priorities

 Provide programmatic and administrative support for the STL CARES Initiative including the Public Health Response, Humanitarian Relief, and Economic Recovery, funded by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in response to global COVID‐19 pandemic (HS – Eliminate COVID‐19)

 Continue efforts of the Opioid Task Force including the St. Louis County Prescription Drug Monitoring Program and the county’s Opioid Action Plan by bringing new initiatives and programs to curb the growing abuse of opioids and deaths related to this epidemic. One example is increasing the availability of naloxone (commonly distributed under the brand name Narcan®) to the public. Naloxone will be available free of charge to the public and community groups at the John C. Murphy Health Center during regular business hours (HS – Curb Opioid Epidemic)

 Create and implement an Equity Agenda, a collaboration with community partners and stakeholders, with the goal to improve policies and programs for low‐income residents (HS – Reduce Health Disparities)

 Implement plan recommended by the county’s Economic Rescue Team for stabilizing the local economy, adopting new laws and policies to create a resilient economic recovery for St. Louis County in response to the economic impact of the global COVID‐19 pandemic (O – Rebuild Pride and Optimism)

Organizational Chart

Board of Election Commissioners

Eric Fey, Director and Rick Stream, Director

ADOPTED FY23 BUDGET

$9,478,894 FULL TIME EQUIVALENTS 78.1

Board Mission

The St. Louis County Board of Election Commissioners (BOEC) is a bipartisan, independent body established by the State of Missouri, whose mission is to protect the integrity of the voting process by accurately, securely, and efficiently conducting all elections in St. Louis County.

Budget Overview

The 2023 adopted budget for the Board of Election Commissioners is $9,478,894, a decrease of $1,421,078 or 13.0 percent from the 2022 adjusted budget of $10,899,973. Personnel costs comprise 51.3 percent of the budget for 99 positions (78.1 full time equivalents). Operating expenses account for 48.7 percent of the budget.

Significant Changes

The 2023 adopted budget includes an increase of $2.6 million to replace poll pad hardware and software that is end of life. In addition, a decrease of $3.7 million is due to state and county election costs, as there will be no scheduled state or county elections in 2023.

The County Council reduced the department’s budget by $871,875 (8.4%) compared to the County Executive’s recommendation to remove the value of 75% of vacant positions.

Core Business Functions

The Board of Election Commissioners is responsible for the management of:

→ Administering secure and accurate elections in accordance with state and federal laws and regulations

→ Processing voter registrations and maintaining a database of St. Louis County registered voters

→ Recruiting and training election judges to staff polling places

→ Coordinating access to public and private facilities across St. Louis County to serve as polling places

→ Facilitating absentee voting for military and overseas voters, hospitalized persons, nursing home residents, and county voters who cannot vote in person on Election Day

→ Providing accurate and timely information to voters and the public through multiple communication methods

→ Creating and maintaining maps for townships, municipalities, school, fire, and library districts, and other federal, state, and local jurisdictions

→ Verifying voters’ signatures on initiative and referendum petitions

Programs And Services

Election Administration

2023 Allocation Of Resources

The Board of Election Commissioners (BOEC) administers elections for Missouri’s largest electorate and most complex jurisdiction, with more than 700,000 registered voters and 324 separate voting jurisdictions. Missouri state law provides that elections may be held in the months of February, March, April, August, and November on the first Tuesday after the first Monday except for March. The BOEC uses electronic poll books and state of the art voting equipment with on‐demand paper ballots which give St. Louis County voters the choice to vote at any polling place in the county. The BOEC strives to leverage technology and innovation to improve the voting experience and uses a variety of digital and software solutions to enhance performance and efficiencies. By law, the BOEC is required to account for all costs for a given election and charge proportionally to participating entities based on the number of registered voters.

Voter Registrations and Mailing Lists

New voter registrations and updates to existing registrations, such as name and address changes, are processed through the BOEC office. The BOEC partners with municipalities, local libraries, high schools, social service organizations, and Missouri Department of Revenue license offices to provide voter registration services. All registrations must be complete within seven days of receiving the application. As of April 2022, there were 735,527 registered voters in St. Louis County. The names and addresses of registered voters in any given district in St. Louis County can be obtained upon request. These lists are available at cost in either electronic or paper format.

Election Judge Recruitment and Training

Election judges play a critical role in the election process and the BOEC employs considerable effort in their recruitment, training, and management. Any given election may employ 1,400 – 2,800 election workers to staff 200 or more polling places. Election judges are paid, must take training courses, and are required to pass a competency test. Training is offered in a variety of ways, including in‐person and virtually. In the last general election year, the BOEC trained over 7,600 election workers. To manage this large workforce, the BOEC uses poll worker management software for communication and contacts, payroll, and worker access to training materials and videos.

Election Day Polling Places

The BOEC is responsible for securing the use of public and private facilities to provide an average of 230 polling places for a countywide election. Under Missouri law, tax‐supported buildings must be made available as polling places and the rental of private facilities is also allowable. Given the size and diversity of St. Louis County, the BOEC uses technology to survey, assess, document, and manage all these facilities, including the use of geo‐spatial and poll location management software. Additionally, St. Louis County voters can enter their address on the BOEC website and look up nearby polling places and their sample ballot. In a recent innovation, BOEC staff created a Line Tracker app to allow voters to see how many people are in line at each polling place throughout the day during an election.

Absentee Voting

In Missouri, voters who are unable get to their polling place on Election Day may vote absentee, in person or by mail, if they have a valid reason under the law. The BOEC facilitates absentee voting for military and overseas voters, and administers absentee for hospitalized persons, nursing home residents, and county voters who cannot vote in person on Election Day.

Military and Overseas Voters

Overseas voters, also called covered voters, have the option of registering to vote and/or requesting an absentee ballot for all elections. The covered voter needs to either complete a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) or complete a registration application through the Secretary of State LiveBallot Portal. All applications received from a covered voter must be processed within two business days. Covered voters can request an absentee ballot until 5:00 pm the Friday before the election. The office must receive delivery of all electronic ballots from voters located in a hostile environment by 7:00 pm the night of the election (Portal, fax, or email). All mailed ballots must be postmarked by 12:01 am the day of the election and arrive in the elections office by noon the Friday following the election.

In Person and By Mail

Any voter that is unable to vote on Election Day with a valid excuse under Missouri law may request an absentee ballot at no cost to the voter. By law, absentee voting begins six weeks prior to an election and ends at 5 pm prior to Election Day. Voters may vote in person at the BOEC headquarters in St. Ann or at a satellite site, typically located in north, south, west, and central county. Voters may also drop off their ballot or mail their ballot to the BOEC after marking and inserting it in a signed and completed affidavit envelope. Under Missouri law, absentee ballots cannot be opened until five days prior to the election and are not tabulated until polls close on Election Day at 7 pm.

Communications

Communications play a vital role in educating voters and keeping the public informed of elections and voting processes. The BOEC uses multiple digital platforms, such as Twitter and Facebook, as well as traditional direct mailings and printed publications and materials to provide accurate, timely, and relevant information. The website, stlouiscountymovotes.gov, is a comprehensive resource for the public that includes election results, forms, maps, polling place information, and interactive lookups for voters.

Maps

The BOEC uses geographic information system (GIS) tools to create maps, as well as to gather, manage, and analyze data. Maps are available to the public for a variety of St. Louis County’s districts including congressional, state senate and representative, school, library, and fire, municipalities, townships, and other political jurisdictions. District maps are available in a variety of sizes for a nominal fee.

Initiative and Referendum Petitions

All petitions which involve districts in St. Louis County must be processed by the BOEC office. Staff must determine the validity of each signature submitted. The number of signatures on a petition may range from a few hundred on the local level to over 80,000 signatures on a statewide petition.

Strategic Priorities And Performance Metrics

 Inform and educate voters and the public by providing accurate, timely, and relevant communications (O –Constituent Experience)

 Attract, retain, and develop a talented workforce capable of delivering elections services at the highest professional standards (O – Improve Effectiveness)

 Modernize and streamline elections operations, especially manual processes, through continuous improvement, innovation, and technology (O – Efficient and Responsible)

 Maximize the use of BOEC’s voting equipment and technology to enhance and improve voter experiences (O –Constituent Experience)