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Chair Shalonda Webb, in a , asked Page to “retract his directive� and allow department heads to talk with councilmembers.

“If we are going to move St. Louis County forward, we must work collectively and transparently without walls or unnecessary hurdles that prevent progress,� wrote Webb, a Democrat from North County.

Doug Moore, a spokesman for Page, said on Tuesday that the county executive believes partnership with the council is important.

“It can be frustrating for council members when a department director does not always have the answer to the questions on the spot,� Moore said in a statement. “That can feel deliberate. It is not.�

Page and Webb talked at length about the issue last month, Moore said. It is important to Page that the council is “armed with information to make informed decisions,� the statement said.

Councilman Mark Harder, a Republican from Ballwin, said he has been told he needs to go through Page’s office to get information from department heads.

But other councilmembers said they haven’t had trouble.

Republican Councilman Dennis Hancock of Fenton said he hasn’t had any issues communicating with directors, though they don’t “go out of their way to expand on things.�

Councilwoman Lisa Clancy, a Democrat from Maplewood, said she hasn’t had trouble. Republican Councilman Ernie Trakas of unincorporated South County said he always receives timely responses from directors.

Councilwoman Kelli Dunaway, a Democrat from Chesterfield, said she was unaware of any policy regarding communications between the council and department heads.

It’s common for councilmembers to seek information from department heads in order to respond to constituent and community inquiries.

A few years ago, for instance, Democratic Councilwoman Rita Heard Days of Bel-Nor emailed with public works Director Stephanie Leon Streeter about moving a no-parking sign to allow a University City resident to park closer to her home. Streeter and her team communicated directly with Days explaining why the change wasn’t possible, according to emails from March 2022.

And the legislative assistant for Trakas worked with Streeter last April on a constituent complaint about broken and uneven sidewalks, according to emails. Public works managers evaluated the situation and responded within a few weeks — someone had taken it upon themselves to remove and repour concrete without county permission, and did it poorly.

Days didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.