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05NOV2009

Council Committee Refers Urban Hunting On To Full Council

City Council’s Community Involvement Committee on Thursday night discussed the issue of allowing bow hunting of the deer population on publicly owned land inside City limits. The group recommended sending an ordinance change that would allow hunting with broad-tip bows on such lands to the full City Council. The ordinance, if approved, would then give Council the ability to approve on a case-by-case basis hunts that would be managed by the Missouri Department of Conservation.

The committee discussed this issue earlier this year and expressed a desire to wait for the results of a pilot-project hunt being managed by the MDC on City Utilities property near Fellows Lake, which began Nov. 1 and ends Dec. 31. But the deadline to work with MDC on such hunts in 2010 is Dec. 1, and so the committee moved forward with a discussion tonight with representatives from the Health Department, MDC and CU on hand.

The reasons behind proposing such hunts come from residents of areas of the city where deer herds are increasing, causing traffic problems and property damage; and from safety and health concerns. Springfield-Greene County Health Department Assistant Director Clay Goddard told the group that tick-borne illnesses such as Lyme Disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever are on the rise. Traffic accidents involving deer are also significant in areas of south Springfield, and several of the Council members recounted anecdotes of such instances from all areas of the city. 

An ordinance change would be required to allow for broad-tip arrows to be used in bow hunts on publicly-owned land but prohibits hunts on land owned or managed by the Springfield-Greene County Parks Department. The land used in such hunts would not be traditional park land used for recreation. The ordinance would require the City and the MDC to work together to determine where and when hunts could take place, and what each hunt’s specific goals would be as far reducing population numbers. Those details would then go to City Council for approval on a case-by-case basis in the form of a resolution.

In addition to the one-time ordinance change, the Committee considered the first resolution to allow the first such hunt under the new ordinance. Two tracts of land in southeast Springfield have been identified as suitable – one on the east side of Lake Springfield and another along the James River east of the U.S. 60/65 interchange. Urban hunts managed by the MDC require a proficiency test by the hunters, and numbers of deer killed are closely monitored, as are the times and locations of each hunter in the field, said MDC representative Tim Russell.

Councilwoman Cindy Rushefsky said she was “very leery” of expanding hunting into the city even though the areas in question are not residential, though she did agree there is a need to thin the herd around Springfield. Councilman Nick Ibarra said in his experience hunters "know what weapons are and what weapons can do.” Council John Rush said his daughter once contracted Lyme Disease and was “planning her funeral” because the symptoms were so severe. He also said he felt like the issue should move to Council now because the requests for some kind of solution were coming from city residents who likely won’t want to wait until 2011 for such hunts to begin. The group voted to send an amended ordinance to Council for its Nov. 9 meeting. The addition to the Nov. 9 agenda will be posted on Friday, Nov. 6 with an invitation for public comment. A public hearing on the ordinance will be held at the Nov. 9 meeting and will be held over to the Nov. 23 meeting, when a vote is expected. The resolution to authorize a hunt on the two tracts of land will appear on the Nov. 23 agenda and a public hearing will be held at that time.

In other business, the Committee has pulled all bills proposing changes in rules pertaining to Community Improvement Districts and Tax Increment Financing Districts, following divided public feedback at a recent town hall meeting on the issue.

posted by Mike Brothers, Public Information

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05NOV2009

Fremont Resurfacing Near Primrose Is Wrapping Up

We have updates on a couple of large, and adjacent, road projects in south Springfield. On Wednesday, MoDOT announced that National Avenue at James River Freeway on Thursday evening will drop from four lanes to two as part of the project to convert the interchange into a diverging diamond configuration.

Over the past few weeks, motorists have been advised to take Fremont Avenue, among other roads, to avoid using National at JRF as this huge project gets underway. As drivers in that area are aware, the City is doing resurfacing work on Fremont south of Battlefield. While the National & JRF project is a bit ahead of schedule, heavy rain in October has put the smaller Fremont project behind.

That means the lane drops on National and the final work on Fremont will overlap by a couple of days this week. Here's where Fremont stands:

As of Thursday afternoon, milling work on this section of Fremont is now complete. The contractor, Journagan Construction, is scheduled to resurface the roadway after rush hour traffic subsides Thursday evening, and will be working throughout the night to minimize the traffic impact.
 The City’s Traffic Engineering Department is then scheduled replace pavement markings beginning at 5:30 a.m., Friday, Nov. 6. Work will be limited to the center turn lane to minimize traffic disruptions. Traffic Engineering will begin final pavement markings at 5 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 7, to be completed that day.

While the Fremont work will wrap up soon, the lane drops and delays on National south of Primrose will be ongoing as the diverging diamond project continues into next year. Needless to say there will be some delays on these two roads in the next 24 hours, so plan and drive accordingly. To keep up with the latest on the diverging diamond project and traffic impacts, follow MoDOT on Twitter or sign up for updates via text message, e-mail and Twitter, or any combination thereof, at Nixle.com.

posted by Mike Brothers, Public Information

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04NOV2009

City Leaders Discuss Next Steps Following Election

At a Wednesday afternoon media availability, Mayor Jim O’Neal and City Manager Greg Burris pledged to live up to the confidence voters expressed Tuesday while also cautioning that there won’t be immediate gratification from the sales-tax passage.

The sales tax won’t take effect until April, under the state guidelines for enactment. The City will receive its first revenue in June 2010. So, its impact really will be for the 2011 budget year beginning July 1.

In the meantime, however, the Police and Fire departments can make all the necessary preparations to start new academy classes so when the Council gives approval to hire back a certain number of public-safety employees, the academies can start as soon as possible.

Hiring back police officers and firefighters is possible because the City’s contribution to the pension fund will stabilize next year at 35 percent of police-fire payroll on top of the sales-tax revenue. The City can use the difference between the 35 percent rate and the current 52 percent rate to do the re-hiring.

The Police academy class that began in July is ready to graduate on Nov. 20. After that, they’ll have a period of field work and then will be on the street. So, there will be nine new officers getting ready to go out on their own in a few months. (The firefighters who were hired in July have completed their training and are now on the job.)

Mayor O’Neal also said several other steps are in process; the issues of restructuring the Pension Board and establishing a tax-oversight committee have been referred to City Council committees.

Burris said the City’s overall budget outlook still depends largely on the economy. The overall sales-tax revenue has declined during the recession. Mayor O'Neal said that having this cloud lifted also allows the City to move forward on putting Springfield in the best possible position to recover from the recession and take advantages of the opportunities the new post-recession economy may offer. Burris noted that he's starting that process with "Listening Tours" with Springfield residents to develop a foundation for a new long-range strategic plan looking ahead to the year 2030. (Any group interested in scheduling a tour can call 864-1006 or e-mail: khardt@springfieldmo.gov.) 

The Mayor also thanked a number of people who contributed to the successful election. He said he appreciated everyone who voted, regardless of how they voted, because they participated in the process. He hopes that the community will now come together and respect the outcome of the 55-45 percent vote to increase the sales tax by three-quarters of a cent to support the pension fund.

He expressed special appreciation for the Citizens’ Task Force, particularly Chair Jerry Fenstermaker and Vice-chair Jerry Harmison. He also cited the work of Task Force member Ken Homan, who also is serving as interim chair of the Pension Board.

He thanked the leaders of the Citizens Keeping Our Commitment Committee – Jack Stack, Ann Marie Baker, Morey Mechlin and Jan Horton. He described them as community builders who volunteer their time and energy to make Springfield a better place.

He also thanked the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, including Board Chairman Andy Lear and President Jim Anderson, for the effort they put into the campaign after the Chamber board voted to endorse the issue. The staff members who worked on the election included Brad Bodenhausen, Sandy Howard, Michelle West, Emily Denniston and Claire Faucett.

He offered his final thanks to the City staff, including the Police and Fire Chiefs, the firefighters and police officers who spent a lot of their own time talking to citizens, and Burris, Deputy City Manager Evelyn Honea, Assistant City Manager Collin Quigley and Finance Director Mary Mannix Decker, who supported a lot of the presentations.

Video of the full media briefing will be available on the City Web site on Thursday.

posted by Louise Whall, Public Information

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03NOV2009

Pension Sales Tax Passes 55 to 45 Percent

The 3/4-cent sales tax to shore up the Police-Fire Pension Fund passed tonight by a 55.6 to 45.4 percent margin in Springfield. Some 4,500 more voters cast a ballot on this issue than in February. What does that say? It says to us that many voters took the time to dig into this issue and get educated about it. As you know if you've been reading this space, it's not a sexy issue. But it's an important one nonetheless.

At a watch event at the Discovery Center tonight, Mayor Jim O'Neal thanked voters for passing the referendum and helping to keep the city of Springfield moving foward. He also thanked his fellow City Council members, City staff and the Citizens' Task Force that did so much work on the issue during the summer. 

The Mayor emphasized that the real work begins now. The City Council and the City have an obligation to do all of the things they said they would do if the tax passed, including closing the plan. 

There will be a briefing at 2 p.m. on Wednesday and we'll have more updates and a look ahead then. 

posted by Mike Brothers, Public Information

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03NOV2009

Chamber Leader Ties Common Threads in Community Reports

The incoming chairman of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce talked to the City Council today about how city and business leaders can use the common threads in a recent series of community reports to improve Springfield in several key areas.

Tim Rosenbury, who will take over as chairman in January, reviewed the recent Market St. Competitive Assessment the Chamber released at its annual Economic Outlook Conference earlier this month. He coupled those findings with a Social Capital Survey conducted by Missouri State University; the Community Focus Report released by the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, and the Next Cities report released by Next Generation Consulting.

Some of the common threads included Springfield losing ground in per capita income growth – ours grew 24 percent between 2000 and 2007, compared to 29 percent nationally. The poverty rate is another significant area of concern; nearly 20 percent of Springfield families live at or below the poverty line, which is about $22,000 for a family of four. And while unemployment remains below the state and national levels here, it has doubled in the last two years locally from about 4 percent to more than 8 percent.

He said Springfield needs to work harder on attracting and retaining younger citizens in the 25-34 age group, who will be prepared to step into jobs and leadership roles when the baby boomers retire. That generation holds different values that shape their decisions, such as choosing where to live before looking for a job in a place they want to live. Technology enables that greater opportunity of choice, but puts a lot of pressure on communities to offer lifestyle amenities such as recreational opportunities and a flourishing downtown to attract people to come here for college or stay after graduation.

Another key finding throughout the reports was Springfield’s lack of diversity in a number of areas, including race, ethnicity, culture and lifestyle.

Several of these forces, combined with the longstanding conservative nature of the Ozarks, has led to a distrust of leadership and government at all levels and a lack of civic engagement, or a disconnect, among citizens.

Rosenbury, also a partner at Butler, Rosenbury Architects and a longtime civic volunteer, said the Chamber Board has discussed draft priorities for 2010 that may focus on such areas as: Leadership and advocacy; strengthening Springfield’s resources for the 25-34 population segment; and addressing the diversity issues by reaching out to underrepresented areas of the population.

One strategic goal within those draft priorities will likely be to continue its pro-business advocacy on legislation at the federal, state and local levels and in recruiting and supporting candidates for local offices.  He said this includes addressing the social and economic consequences of poverty.

Another proposed strategic goal may focus on improving civic engagement, particularly among citizens who feel isolated or disenfranchised within the community.

Councilmembers talked about the City’s role in working toward these common goals, focusing on the strategic planning process that  is getting underway. The first step in that process, which will reassess and expand upon the Vision 20/20 plan started in the mid ‘90s, is a series of  “Listening Tours” City Manager Greg Burris is holding with community groups. During those tours, Burris asks participants to identify what they value most about Springfield, what they would change, what they would like to see and how they can contribute to the effort. (Anyone interested in scheduling a Listening Tour meeting can call 864-1006 or e-mail: khardt@springfieldmo.gov.)

Mayor Jim O’Neal wrapped up with comments that much of the process unfolds will depend on the outcome of today’s sales-tax election for the Police-Fire Pension Fund. He said he wants to make sure the faith community is integrated into the planning effort; he also noted that it means a lot of work ahead to  accomplish a shared long-range vision.

“There is a huge part of this community that is very progressive and is not against everything,” Mayor O’Neal said. “Get your boots on; it’s going to be a lot of hard work.”

Today’s Council lunch meeting will be available in its entirety tomorrow on the City Web site: www.springfieldmo.gov/cityview; or on the City’s Facebook page.

posted by Louise Whall, Public Information

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02NOV2009

Election Day Is Here

Today is Nov. 3, 2009 — Election Day in Springfield. If you have questions about your voting precinct or procedures, visit the Greene County Clerk’s Web site or call the Clerk’s office directly at 868-4060. The polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. at all precincts in Springfield.

All of the information the City has made available this issue can be found on our Elections page. Some of the more pertinent links include an informational brochure, the final report of the Police/Fire Pension Fund Citizens' Task Force, a presentation (via video) by Task Force co-chair Jerry Harmison explaining the proposal, and a Sept. 29 blog post clarifying some confusion over the ballot language. Speaking of confusion, we addressed some final misconceptions in this space yesterday.

Stay tuned to CityConnect for more coverage and reactions from the City later tonight. You can also follow us on Twitter (twitter.com/cityofsgf) or find us on Facebook for more as we follow the results.

posted by Mike Brothers, Public Information

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