WG City Council must T HE B L EEDING

What is going on at Webster Groves City Hall?

This City Council (Arnold, Bliss, Franklin since 2018; Alexander, Richardson, and Smith since 2020) are remarkable for their massive budget deficits and ineffective administration.

• Before 2019, the city council ran surpluses for 5 of the previous 6 years, from 2013 to 2018. (Moody’s Opinion Letter, above)

• But since 2019, this city council runs only deficits – unsustainable deficits – for 3 of the past 3 years, and for 5 of the next 5 years. (Chart, above, all numbers from the city’s website)

• “We have used reserves every year since 2019,” said WG Director of Finance. (01.04.22) What changed? Our mayor warned: “Maybe we should examine the spending spree of the past year.” (Welch, 02.01.22)

• This City Council’s chronic deficits are the most visible symptom of larger problems at City Hall: “Suddenly we have gone from a City coveted for excellence in finance, service, and efficiency – to one in great peril.” (Welch, 02.01.22)

• “What is happening to our City now is wrong, destructive, and cannot continue.” (Welch, 02.01.22) Deficits destroy an organization from within.

• And our city employees already know it: “In the past ten months we have lost at least 26 staff members. Staff morale is now the worst I have seen in any organization and with these new policies it is falling to levels that imperil the services we provide.” (Welch, 02.01.22)

This City Council (Arnold, Bliss, Franklin since 2018; Richardson, Smith, Alexander since 2020) have given us “new policies” that burdened our city with chronic deficits, “new policies” that infect our city employees with low morale and imperil our city’s delivery of basic services. This City Council can’t stop the bleeding.