Proposition A would change how St. Louis County sets the auditor’s pay by removing the position’s fixed four-year term. Supporters say that would let the County Council consider raises outside the term cycle; opponents warn that changing the arrangement could affect the auditor’s independence. Voters will decide the charter amendment Nov. 3.
What Proposition A Actually Changes
The measure would amend Sections 2.200 and 2.210 of the St. Louis County Charter to remove the term of office from the auditor position, according to a St. Louis County legislative document. The County Council adopted and enacted the underlying ordinance on July 28, then voted to send it to the Nov. 3 ballot. Under the proposed language, the council would continue to appoint the auditor, who must have at least five years of accounting experience. The auditor could be removed by a two-thirds council vote for incompetence, neglect of duty or malfeasance in office. The charter language also assigns the auditor responsibility for overseeing county audits, managing the office and investigating matters involving the receipt, disbursement and application of public funds.
Under the current charter, the council can adjust the auditor’s pay only when the four-year term ends, according to STLtoday.com. If voters approve Proposition A, the council could consider cost-of-living raises on a different schedule.
A Raise Already Blocked Once
The debate has an immediate salary question: whether the council can raise current auditor Chompunut “Nina” Vicharnakorn’s pay before her term ends. The council appointed Vicharnakorn mid-term last year after her predecessor, Toni Jackson, was fired. The council sought to increase Vicharnakorn’s annual salary from $120,000 to $150,000, but the county executive’s office blocked the proposal, saying the existing charter makes her ineligible for a raise until her term ends Jan. 1, 2027. If voters approve Proposition A, the council could grant a raise before that date.
Chris Grahn-Howard, budget coordinator for the County Council, has been involved in the salary dispute, the outlet's report notes. County Council Chair Rita Heard Days has argued that the current rule is simply unfair, saying the auditor should be treated like any other non-merit employee when it comes to pay. The charter says the auditor appoints office employees under the St. Louis County merit system.
Page Calls It a Power Grab
County Executive Sam Page has taken the opposite view of what the measure really does. Per the same STLtoday.com account, Page criticized Proposition A as a power grab by the County Council, even while saying he agrees the auditor deserves a raise. His concern is structural: Page warned the change could effectively make the auditor a traditional employee of the council rather than an independent officer, according to the St. Louis Call Newspapers.
Page also raised a more pointed scenario, warning that a council member could promise the auditor a raise in exchange for investigating a political opponent if the measure passes. The worry reflects a broader point about why the auditor's office exists in the first place: the office is intended to be shielded from political influence, conducting independent inspections of the county's financial systems and helping uncover financial mismanagement and weaknesses in fiscal processes. Page has said the council might simply wait a few months before deciding anything on pay, rather than acting immediately.
The Office's Rocky Recent History
The office’s recent record is part of the debate. The County Council voted to terminate Jackson in June 2025, citing concerns that she was not producing enough audits, according to STLPR. The council had expected roughly three audits a year; two performance reports were published during Jackson’s tenure, one in 2022 and one in 2024. A county hiring document shows Jackson was initially hired at an annual salary of $120,000 after a special council meeting in October 2021 to interview candidates and approve an offer package.
Competing Views From Outside Government
Michael Strawbridge, a political science professor at Washington University, has criticized the charter change as case-dependent and shortsighted. He said the charter change could have longer-term implications for future auditors and political disputes, and expects most voters to support good compensation and cost-of-living raises for the auditor.
David Stokes, director of municipal policy at the libertarian-leaning Show-Me Institute, said $150,000 for a well-qualified accountant and auditor is not overpaying. He also said he understands Page’s objection that the auditor should not be a council employee, and that distance from both political camps matters to the office’s credibility.
How the Office Fits Into the Broader Audit Picture
A separate state-level audit provides historical context but was not work by the county auditor’s office: the Missouri State Auditor’s Office reported that Nicole Galloway accepted the County Council’s request on May 15, 2019, to audit county government and related development agencies. That episode does not establish what reports the county auditor’s office itself has published. For a nearby comparison, St. Charles County’s official website describes its auditor as providing independent analyses and recommendations to the County Council, County Executive, directors and elected officials. That description is a neighboring-county example, not a statement of St. Louis County’s legal structure.
