CLAYTON, Mo. – Proposition B will be on the ballot this spring in St. Louis County after all. The Missouri Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the St. Louis County Council in their efforts to keep it that way.

The battle once again pitted the council against County Executive Sam Page, as well as the county’s department directors. Proposition B would allow the county council to remove department heads with a “super majority,” or five of seven council members’ votes.

The legal battle took several turns on Tuesday. Early on Tuesday, a circuit court judge supported Page and the county’s department heads in their lawsuit to remove Proposition B from the ballot. They allege the measure is “misleading” to voters and “unfair.” Mr. Page celebrated that ruling, calling Proposition B “ridiculous.”

But the county council’s legal representation challenged that judge’s ruling and right before a 5 p.m. deadline, Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District Chief Judge Thomas Clark overruled the lower court’s decision, adding that the council does have the right to put Proposition B up for a vote.

“The St. Louis County Election Board is ordered to place Proposition B on the April 8 ballot,” Clark stated in his ruling.

Dr. Page reacted to the final ruling.

“The circuit court agreed that the ballot language is misleading, inefficient, inaccurate, argumentative, prejudicial and unfair,” Page said. “The appellate court agreed that the language is confusing but the time to challenge this is after the election. As it stands, voters will have to vote on the absurd ballot language. Meanwhile, we are weighing our legal options.”

But council members disagreed and let Page know it at Tuesday night’s council meeting. Councilwoman Shalonda D. Webb was particularly outspoken in telling Page how she felt about his characterization of the proposition.

“I do want us to recognize that Prop B is about being accountable,” Webb said. “It is about having checks and balances.”

Councilman Dennis Hancock agreed.

“We just spent a lot of taxpayer dollars needlessly on both sides,” Hancock said. “But at the end of the day, the council has the right to put things on the ballot. And that’s what we did.”

St. Louis County voters have until March 12 to register to vote in the April 8 General Municipal Election.