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St. Louis County liaison briefs Wildwood council on 2050 plan, regional police training center and contested Proposition B
Summary
New county outreach liaison told the council about upcoming 2050 plan engagement events and a regional police training center; she warned that Proposition B, a county ballot measure, could give the council broad authority to remove department heads and is legally contested.
Danielle Spradley, St. Louis County’s new community outreach liaison, visited the Wildwood City Council on March 10 to describe county initiatives and upcoming opportunities for local engagement. Spradley said the county will hold public events in April on its 2050 plan, a strategic plan the county is developing with public input.
Spradley also reported that the county executive signed a multi-jurisdictional agreement with St. Charles, Franklin and Jefferson counties to create a regional police training center, financed in part by a state appropriation.
She told the council the county was named one of Forbes’ best midsize employers and highlighted ongoing county hiring needs from plow drivers to caseworkers. Spradley offered to help Wildwood residents navigate county services and to bring department directors to community events; she announced an open house for department directors on March 25 at Greensfelder Recreation Complex.
A major portion of Spradley’s remarks focused on Proposition B, a county ballot question that would change how the county council can remove department heads. Spradley said county council passage of the measure would, in effect, allow the council broader power to fire department directors without cause — a change she said has been criticized by the St. Louis County Circuit Court as “misleading, insufficient, inaccurate, argumentative, prejudicial, and unfair.” She added that opponents, including the county police board and the AFL-CIO, worry the measure could be used to target the police chief. Spradley said the ballot language will cost roughly $520,000 to re-run if the council wants to correct it.
Council members welcomed the liaison’s offers of support and asked for follow-up on topics including county road maintenance and the proposed senior property tax freeze. The mayor noted Wildwood’s large land area and asked that county road priorities affecting Wildwood — such as Old State Road and Layton Road — remain prominent in county planning.
No formal action was taken; Spradley left business cards and sign‑up materials for the council and public.
