News Flash

Former Mayor N.L.“Mac” McCartney remembered

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Former Springfield Mayor N.L. “Mac” McCartney passed away Friday at the age of 99. He served on City Council from 1987 to 1993 and as Mayor from 1993 to 1995. Among many acts as Mayor, he created Springfield Art Museum Day on Oct. 28,...

Brock Rowe named director of Building Development Services

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Brock Rowe, interim director of the City’s Building Development Services Department since March, has been named director. Rowe joined BDS as assistant director in May 2021.

“We are excited to add Brock to our leadership team,” said Cit...

Saturday night’s Mayor’s Tree Lighting to feature diverse group of artists

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Those who attend Saturday night’s Mayor’s Tree Lighting and Holiday Show will be treated to performances from a diverse lineup of artists. Entertainment will range from country to jazz to performances in Spanish to rap to opera and ev...

Nov. 14 City Council meeting summary

View the summary.

View a video recording of the meeting.

David Mercer to join Springfield Municipal Court

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

David Mercer of Springfield will join the City of Springfield as a Municipal Court judge effective Dec. 1.

City Council appointed Mercer to the position with a resolution at its Nov. 14 meeting. Mercer’s four-year term will expire Nov....

APD Urban Planning + Management selected to perform Springfield housing study

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The City of Springfield will begin a housing-needs assessment and conditions study by the end of the year. 

“This will be a data driven study which will be used to identify citywide and neighborhood focused housing priorities ...

Outdoor sculptures sought for Commercial Street Historic District

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sculpture Walk Springfield and the City of Springfield are seeking the next round of  sculptures for the Commercial Street Historic District. The application period is open through Jan. 6, 2023. Artists must be 18 years of ag...

Sam Hamra receives prestigious Key to the City

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sam Hamra was presented with the Key to the City by Springfield Mayor Ken McClure at a ceremony earlier today. Hamra is an attorney and the founder and chairman of Hamra Enterprises, which owns and operates 156 restaurants and various...

City housing study to tailor neighborhood revitalization strategy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The City of Springfield will begin a housing-needs assessment and conditions study by the end of the year. It is anticipated that a consultant will be selected in the next month to perform the assessment.  

“This will be a dat...

Forvis completes assessment of City’s construction and Level Property Tax Plan bond

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Forvis (formerly BKD) conducted an assessment of the City’s Construction and Level Property Tax Plan Bond April 28-Aug. 12 and presented the report at City Council’s Oct. 12 Finance & Administration Committee meeting. 

The...

ARPA Review Committee to recommend $7M in allocations for homeless services, affordable housing

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

At its Oct. 11 meeting, City Council ARPA Review Committee voted to recommend the allocation of approximately $7 million in funds to support homeless services and affordable housing projects. A Council Bill is being drafted for City C...

City of Springfield seeking qualified candidates for Board of Public Utilities

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The City of Springfield is seeking qualified candidates for the Board of Public Utilities. The board has two vacancies with specific requirements listed below. 

Applicants for both vacancies must meet a two-year residency requ...

Apply to run for Mayor, five City Council seats starting at 8 a.m. Monday, Oct. 3

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Those wishing to serve on Springfield's City Council can pick up packets from the City Clerk or review the information on the City's website beginning at 8 a.m., Monday, Oct. 3. The link will be live at that time. Petitions ...

City of Springfield Environmental Services names Erick Roberts as assistant director

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The City’s Environmental Services department has named Erick Roberts as assistant director effective Sept. 26.  

Roberts has been with the City of Springfield since 2000, serving various technician roles with the Solid Waste d...

Sunshine and National rezoning case postponed to Nov. 17 P&Z meeting

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

The rezoning case Z-23-2022 with Conditional Overlay District No. 220 at the northwest corner of Sunshine Street and National Avenue has been postponed at the request of the applicant to the next regular Planning and Zoning ...

William “Bill” Darr receives prestigious Key to the City

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

William “Bill” Darr was presented with the Key to the City by Springfield Mayor Ken McClure at a ceremony earlier today. A humanitarian, philanthropist, child advocate, entrepreneur and higher education champion are just a few of the ...

City, CU select firm to plan future of Lake Springfield area

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

After a competitive procurement process, the City of Springfield and City Utilities have selected engineering and consulting firm Crawford, Murphy & Tilly as the consultant for the Lake Springfield Master Plan. The plan is project...

City Council allocates $31.3M in ARPA funding requests

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

At its July 25 meeting, City Council allocated more than $31 million in American Rescue Plan Act dollars to fund transformative community projects for Springfield. 

The City received about $40 million in recovery aid from the ...

City of Springfield issues reminder about rules for political sign placement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ahead of the Aug. 2 primary election, and the November general election, the City of Springfield would like to remind candidates and their supporters of the laws surrounding political signage. Details are found in City Code Section 36...

Wendy Garrison named Municipal Court chief judge

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Municipal Court Judge Wendy Garrison has been named chief judge of the court, effective July 3. She replaces Todd Thornhill, who passed away in April. The City will fill the vacancy created by Garrison’s promotion to chief judge as so...

Springfield Art Museum receives $5 million lead gift to capital campaign project

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Springfield Art Museum announced today that it has received a $5 million lead gift to its 2028 Campaign from The Sunderland Foundation of Overland Park, Kansas. In 2018, during the Museum’s 90th Anniversary year, a master...

Amanda Ohlensehlen named Springfield’s Director of Economic Vitality

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Missouri native Amanda Ohlensehlen has been named the City of Springfield’s Director of Economic Vitality, effective March 28. Ohlensehlen most recently served as the community & economic development manager for the City of New Be...

U.S. Dept. of Commerce invests $800K in plan redevelopment of former coal power plant site

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The City of Springfield will receive an $800,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) to conduct planning efforts for the redevelopment of the Lake Springfield area. This grant is fund...

City seeks to fill boards and commissions vacancies

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

The City of Springfield is currently taking applications for a variety of boards and commissions. While the full listing of boards and commissions vacancies is available at springfieldmo.gov/boards, the City seeks to fill th...

CFO pledges $600K to launch Restore SGF community redevelopment program

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Invest DSM Executive Director Amber Lynch presented at today’s Council Lunch meeting to answer questions about how Springfield’s Restore SGF program could be patterned after the Des Moines nonprofit.  

Invest DSM is a collabor...

New Economic Vitality Department to take proactive approach to helping businesses and entrepreneurs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The City of Springfield recognizes the vital role business and industry serve within the community and southwest Missouri region. Retention of Springfield-based companies and fostering expansion of existing business serve as the found...