St. Louis County officials will hear a business plan for the Parks Department seven months after County Executive Charlie Dooley first threatened to close 23 county parks and lay off more than 170 employees, citing a budget crisis.

The meeting will take place Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. in the St. Louis County Council conference room at 41 South Central Avenue in Clayton. 

Members of the county council—led by then-chairman Steve Stenger (D-Affton)—vehemently opposed Dooley’s initial 2012 budget proposal and questioned his office’s claim of a $10 million deficit.

Parks activists also protested the closures, leading to several petitions and a rally outside county headquarters in Clayton.

After forming a special budget committee, the council and executive reached a compromise. 

Officials created a balanced budget that spared the parks, but still laid off 26 employees in January, 20 within the parks department.

An audit in May revealed an extra $129,000 in forgotten bank accounts.

Parks Director Tom Ott will give Tuesday's presentation to the council.

Ott took over when former director Lindsey Swanick announced her retirement in March, three months after the lay-offs.

Swanick denied that the turmoil motivated her resignation, citing a salary wall as the primary reason.

Read more about the 2012 budget and the St. Louis County Parks discussion.