St. Louis County is staring down a $40 million budget deficit, and the fix lands on voters' ballots in less than a week. Residents across Chesterfield, Wildwood, Ballwin, and Ellisville will decide the fate of Proposition U on Tuesday, August 4, during Missouri's primary election.

Budget coordinator Chris Grahn-Howard delivered the warning Tuesday, July 28, at county headquarters in Clayton. Both Democratic and Republican council members told FOX 2 the coming reductions could be worse than last year's and may include significant layoffs.

What Prop U actually does

When you buy something at a local store, you pay sales tax. But many online orders from out-of-state sellers skip that charge. Proposition U would apply a 3.5 percent use tax to those purchases, putting local shops and online retailers on equal footing. The county council majority backs the measure and projects it would bring in enough revenue to erase the deficit.

West county has already felt the squeeze

This isn't abstract. The West County Government Center in Chesterfield closed permanently in February. Residents who paid taxes or applied for the Senior Tax Freeze there now must drive to Clayton or use remaining offices that shut their doors at 3:30 p.m. daily. Thousands of seniors are still waiting on property tax freeze applications after the Department of Revenue lost staff. Furthermore, the county's JB Blast fireworks were cancelled because the county couldn't afford the cost.

Not everyone supports the tax

Maria Chappelle-Nadal, a former state legislator running for the 1st District council seat, said she would have voted against putting Prop U on the ballot. "Regardless of what tax bracket you're in, every single family, every single door that I knock on, someone is experiencing really hard financial times," Chappelle-Nadal told St. Louis Public Radio on July 8.

What happens next

If Prop U fails, the next county executive will inherit the deficit with few options beyond deeper cuts or the county's first property tax increase since 1985. Page is not seeking reelection; five candidates are competing in the August 4 Democratic primary to replace him.

Polls open Tuesday, August 4.