CLAYTON — ºüÀêÊÓƵ County Executive Sam Page will ask the County Council to reverse budget cuts to his office so its staff can finish rolling out federal pandemic relief money to eight local nonprofits that have been waiting for more than a year for the cash.
The money, totaling more than $8 million, would pay for sheltering victims of domestic abuse, boosting pay for child care workers and helping poor families find fresh vegetables, among other things.
Page spokesman Doug Moore said the county executive’s office had planned to hire a contract administrator, but nearly $700,000 in cuts from the county council mean “new hires are impossible at this point.â€
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Councilman Dennis Hancock, a Republican from Fenton, said the county executive is holding the money hostage.
“What it all comes down to is the fact that the county executive is upset that we reduced his budget,†Hancock said.
Page’s office has said a lack of expertise and staffing has prevented it from sending the money, which came with complicated federal rules, to the nonprofits sooner.
“We have to make sure we have the staffing to do this,†Moore said. “This is above and beyond what staff are supposed to do, day in and day out.â€
The nonprofits affected include Missouri advocacy group Child Care Aware, A Red Circle, Refuge and Restoration, Journey Against Domestic and Sexual Abuse, ºüÀêÊÓƵ Survivors Legal Support, Family Forward, The Urban League and Rustic Roots Sanctuary.
The county landed a $193 million grant under the federal American Recovery Plan Act in July 2021.