SAINT LOUIS COUNTY, MISSOURI (KMOX) - County Councilman Tim Fitch says he introduced two new bills Thursday to limit the authority of St. Louis County Executive Sam Page or the Health Department to issue restriction orders. Fitch tells KMOX's Mark Reardon his pair of bills would allow Dr. Page to issue orders, but let the Council vote to terminate them if they see fit.
"You could issue all the public health orders you want." Fitch said of Dr. Page. "They don't automatically expire after - like the old legislation said - after 15 days. They will stay in effect UNLESS the Council takes action to terminate them." The previous effort to curb Dr. Page's health orders was vetoed by the County Executive, without enough Council votes to override his veto.
Fitch expressed confidence the bills would pass this time. "As one councilwoman said to me, the only way anybody would be against these bills is if they want Sam Page to have absolutely no oversight ever for anything."
Dr. Page derided the Council's previous efforts to curb his emergency health order authority, saying they were politicizing the pandemic. He has been working closely with members of the Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force on what measures could be taken to tamp down the spread of coronavirus.
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