Spending plan is unclear for another nonprofit set to receive cash from St. Louis County

CLAYTON — A bill pending before the St. Louis County Council would send $250,000 to a community policing nonprofit group but has drawn questions for not detailing how the money would be used. Councilwoman Shalonda Webb, a Democrat from North County, earlier this month introduced a bill that would direct the money to the St.

Louis County Police Department “for support of the Police Athletic League.” Webb sits on the league’s board, according to the police department. Webb’s bill doesn’t offer specifics on how the money would be spent.



Democratic Councilwoman Lisa Clancy, of Maplewood, said she emailed Webb a few weeks ago seeking more information but didn’t hear back. The county is facing a budget deficit, and Clancy said spending on new programs might not be a good idea. “The council can’t keep using county funding as a slush fund for personal projects,” Clancy said.

Webb didn’t respond to a request for comment. A phone number listed on the athletic league’s website went to voicemail, and an email address didn’t work. The county police department declined to comment.

Webb has another bill pending before the council that also would send money directly to a nonprofit. The legislation would direct $3.2 million to a Spanish Lake farm to address food insecurity, despite a lack of detailed plans or bids.

That legislation and the athletic league bill are both up for final passage at Tuesday night’s council meeting. The Police Athletic League is run by St. Louis County police officers for community outreach.

In the past, several county officers were assigned there, though the number has dwindled in recent years. In 2022, Webb introduced a plan to buy a shuttered Catholic school in North County and turn it over to the league for use as its headquarters. Webb, who was on the nonprofit’s board at the time, proposed using $2.

5 million in federal pandemic relief money to buy and repair the more than 50-year-old property. But the plan was scuttled after the public works director and other county officials expressed concerns about the building. It needed hundreds of thousands of dollars in repair, in addition to regular maintenance costs, Stephanie Leon Streeter, director of the county Department of Transportation and Public Works, said at the time.

Also, then-Councilman Ernie Trakas said it was a conflict of interest for Webb to push for the project because she was a member of the nonprofit’s board. The Police Athletic League has had staffing troubles in recent years. In June 2023, the league abruptly canceled one of its summer camps after the police department transferred more than half of the officers who worked in the program.

The league attributed the cancellation to staffing shortages at the police department. In addition to summer camps, the league provides free mentoring and after-school programs for children and teens. It was formed in October 2015, after federal officials evaluated the department after the protests in Ferguson.

Three officers are now assigned to the league: Sgt. Brandon McCrary, Officer Darin Young and Officer Brandon Sierra, according to police spokesperson Sgt. Tracy Panus.

Dana Rieck of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report..