County GovernmentImproving

Attended Town Hall Meetings with Council Members: I scheduled and began attending regular town hall meetings with members of the Council in their districts.

Attended Weekly Council Meetings: I am committed to attending the weekly meetings of the St. Louis County Council. My predecessor, in regularly skipping these meetings, failed to engage in critical governmental business while also signaling his disregard for the elected members of the Council, who are there to serve the public. On one occasion, I was in Washington, D.C., meeting with our congressional delegation and arranged to attend the Council meeting through a live video stream, joined by Congresswoman Ann Wagner and Congressman Lacy Clay.

Provided Weekly Reports to the Council and the Public: At each of its meetings, the County Council invites the County Executive to provide a report. Past County Executives have rarely used that opportunity to keep the Council and the public informed about the County’s business. But, since I became County Executive, I have presented a report at each meeting of the County Council and will continue to do so.

Improving County Government

Began a New Relationship with County Employees: On my first day as County Executive, I began meeting with County employees. Many of them felt caught in the middle of the controversies that riled County government in recent years. Those controversies reflected poorly on the County and made their jobs more difficult. I told our workers that those days are over. I have made it my goal to meet with the employees in every department as soon as possible, I regularly communicate with them about our efforts to improve County government as a place to work, and I regularly attend employee events.

Incorporated Best Practices: We asked department directors to study industry best practices in the public and private sectors to see

if those practices work for County government. The study of privatesector best practices has already helped us improve the way we deliver healthcare to people in our custody at the Justice Center.

Strengthened Quality Improvement Priorities: Many industries have well-established quality improvement processes to assess operational and performance failures and to evaluate where to improve performance in the future. In the public sector, quality improvement is often overlooked. So, I have encouraged each department to implement quality improvement policies to ensure the department’s management and employees are continuously evaluating and improving performance.

Encouraged Use of Metrics to Measure Success: We have begun the process of mandating that County departments use objective metrics to measure success. That way we can tell if our work is leading to the meaningful, measurable results we want.

Reinvested in Benefits for County Employees: Making St. Louis County a good place to work is important to creating the kind of government that can provide good service to constituents. So, the administration has reinvested in benefits for County employees, including covering an increase in health insurance costs without raising premiums or co-pays by using existing resources more wisely.

Expanded Professional Development Opportunities for County Employees: Another employee benefit soon to be offered is a training and professional development program, LinkedIn Learning, which will be available at no cost to all County employees. LinkedIn Learning provides thousands of online courses for hard- and soft-skill training. Access to the courses will greatly reduce the time and cost of travel and training, will provide an equitable approach to employee development, and will standardize training across our enterprise.

Appointed Innovation Expert as Director of Revenue: I appointed Quentin Wilson, who was then-serving as Distinguished Practitioner in Residence at the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy at The George Washington University, as the County’s Director of

Revenue. Wilson is an expert in innovation in public policy and is writing a book about how to implement innovative approaches in government.

Appointed New Leadership in Parks and Recreation: I appointed Tom Ott as the County’s new Director of Parks and Recreation. Ott has been a dedicated Parks and Recreation employee for the past 32 years.

Established New Americans With Disabilities (“ADA”) Coordinator: Carol Flood became the County’s first, full-time ADA Coordinator and we directed each department to designate an ADA representative to work with her to ensure that individuals with disabilities have access to all County programs, services, activities, facilities and employment.

Embraced Strategic Planning: I have worked with the Office of Strategy and Innovation in preparing a new strategic plan for St. Louis County that is aligned with our administration’s priorities.

Established Budgetary Discipline: Budgetary mismanagement in recent years put the County in a financial bind. So, we ordered all directors to identify how we could reduce administrative costs by 5% without cutting services or undermining important programs.

Conducted the First Employee Survey: We conducted the first full survey of County employees in history. The survey results will inform our strategic planning process and help us understand better how we can attract and retain the most talented employees in the region.

Improved Access to Constituent Services: We have improved deployment and public education around our new Gateway 311 app. This mobile app lets residents find answers to many governmental questions without having to pick up the phone.

Eased Financial Burden on Flood Survivors: As the spring and summer floods ebbed, I acted to ease the impact on residents whose properties were inundated. The County waived permit fees

related to flood recovery work—fees that can amount to hundreds of dollars in savings for individual property owners.

Protected Flood Survivors from Unscrupulous Contractors: To address the threat of unscrupulous repair firms, the County also registered and is still registering contractors who want to perform flood recovery work. Our contractor registration program aims to give homeowners peace of mind.

Obtained Funding to Improve the County’s Website: I asked for and the Council approved funding to redesign the County’s outdated website. Improving the website will make it easier for our constituents to access the services they need.

Incorporated Business Leaders and Private Sector Principles into County Government: I have reached out to leaders in the private sector and encouraged them to consider taking time away from their careers to work in one of our governmental departments or join one of our boards or commissions. Several will be working as volunteers, others as part-time employees, helping us incorporate cutting-edge ideas from the private sector into our work in St. Louis County government. Business leaders who are helping in this process include current and former high-ranking personnel from organizations like Centene Corporation, Washington University in St. Louis, and SSM Health.

Extended Deadline for Assessment Appeals: Many St. Louis County residents were disappointed to see their assessments rise at historic rates based on data that they found inapplicable or insufficient. To ensure every resident had the opportunity to appeal their assessment, I asked the Board of Equalization to extend the deadline for assessment appeals, and they did so.

Expanding Acceptance of Credit Cards for Paying County Fees: Our administration has requested that the County Council approve a Request for Proposal be issued to expand credit card payment processing services and improve the related data security. This will make it easier for our customers to pay for County fees and charges and will protect their data privacy in the process.