St. Louis County would cut 28 park ranger positions and hand patrol duties to police officers under a 2027 budget proposal that reduces the park's park ranger positions by roughly 80%.

County Executive Sam Page's budget, presented to the county council on Tuesday, Oct. 6, would leave just six rangers to cover more than 70 parks across the county. The ranger cuts are part of 38 total position eliminations in the St. Louis County Department of Parks and Recreation, saving about $2 million.

Paul Kreidler, the county's director of performance management and budget, told the council the parks department itself recommended the cuts. One council member pushed back, calling the timing "probably pretty tone deaf" after the county had recently approved raises for those same workers.

Kreidler declined to address the criticism, saying the council should take policy questions to the parks director or county executive.

Police Would Replace Rangers

Under the proposal, county police officers now working administrative or non-traditional roles would shift to street patrol and pick up park coverage. For parks located inside municipalities, those cities' own police departments would handle response, according to First Alert 4.

Page said rangers who do not want to leave county employment would be moved to other government positions.

The budget also projects 300 ranger-led educational programs in 2027, up from 230 estimated for 2026. Page said other park staff could handle that programming.

A 15-Year Budget Gap

Page said the parks department has operated with a mismatch between revenue and expenses for about 15 years. The county has relied on one-time funds, including opioid settlement money, NFL settlement funds and tourism dollars, to fill the gap.

"We've never had a revenue stream to match expenses in the parks," Page said at the Oct. 6 meeting. "We've always backfilled as one-time funds, so we're having to identify cuts."

Two recent financial hits made the gap worse: tornado damage at a soccer park that the county's insurance carrier classified as a "wind event," leaving the parks budget to absorb repair costs, and an $8 million pool drowning settlement the department is paying off at $1 million per year.

The county had already closed two swimming pools last year and canceled the JB Blast fireworks event this year to save money. The new budget proposes closing the county's two remaining pools at North County Recreation Complex and The Pavilion at Lemay.

Part of a Broader $70 Million Cut

The ranger reductions fit inside a larger budget squeeze. Page's proposed 2027 budget totals about $930 million, a roughly $70 million decrease from 2026. It eliminates 139 positions countywide but includes no police layoffs, according to Fox 2.

The budget draws $56.6 million from the county's NFL Rams relocation settlement fund and $9 million from the county council's Legacy Projects Fund to help cover the shortfall.

St. Louis County Council Budget Committee Chairwoman Shalonda Webb objected to that approach in an Oct. 1 statement reported by St. Louis Public Radio, saying the council would not approve a budget that relies on one-time resources to fund ongoing operations.

What Happens Next

The proposed cuts are not final. The county council must approve the 2027 budget by the end of the calendar year. Page said the council could restore ranger funding but would need to find the money elsewhere.

The county council has scheduled a public town hall on the budget for Oct. 14 at 6 p.m., according to a schedule published earlier this year.