2026 Infrastructure Outlook: Derek Lee

Lee’s 2026 Projection: We are developing plans right now for our [Spring Forward SGF] half-cent sales tax, and during that planning period, we’re not going to see a lot of construction on the ground. If people will have some patience, we’re going to see dramatic changes across Springfield. That is something that will really benefit us for the next 10 years, but it’s going to take a little bit.

What’s your assessment of Springfield’s infrastructure?
On infrastructure as a whole, I think we’re doing a good job – I really do. I think that we’re set up to be in a lot better shape in the future. What I mean by that is our Parks Department, our greenway trails, those kind of things are going to see renewal from the half-cent sales tax. As we put money into those things, that frees up money from other areas. If we have a section of our greenway trails that needs to be updated, we no longer have to maintain that. If you build a new one and put some nice amenities around it, it even fixes some maintenance issues.

If you had to name one infrastructure issue that will shape the city’s future, what would it be?
The area that I think has been lacking for the longest period of time is stormwater. A lot of stormwater infrastructure was put in about 100 years ago, and that’s about the end of the life cycle – I’m talking about concrete box culverts, that kind of thing. We haven’t really spent a lot of money on maintenance for those things, and if those things start falling apart, it’s going to force us to spend money. We used to have that money in an eighth-cent sales tax that stormwater shared with parks, and Greene County folks got some of that, too. That went away, and since then we’ve been kind of searching for a funding source. We haven’t spent enough money on it recently, but in the next decade, we will have to.

What do you see as the most urgent infrastructure priority in Springfield?
Roads are always a priority. The city spends over $6 million a year from its quarter- and eighth-cent taxes on roads; (the Missouri Department of Transportation) spends money, and you’ve also got federal money. We’re spending tens of millions on roads every year, and we need to continue to do that to keep up with it. It’s a much bigger expense than stormwater.

How about if we widen our lens to the region?
The No. 1 infrastructure thing we need is to get Interstate 44 widened. We’ve gotten it in Springfield, but that needs to go all the way to the state line. I think that that’s number one, from a regional perspective. To the state’s credit, the previous governor and now Gov. [Mike] Kehoe are continuing some of this. We’ve spent record levels of money on our roads, and I think that all of that really will show dividends. I-44 is a major artery for the entire state, and I would easily call that our biggest priority. We do talk a lot about housing, but most people still want to live in a single-family home, and the city limits have not grown very much compared to the single-family homes that have been developed outside the city limits. The roads need to bring people into Springfield to work and shop and eat – that’s really important.