Annexation requests would expand north, south boundaries

At its Aug. 21 meeting, Springfield City Council heard two separate annexation applications, one for nearly nine acres at Glenstone Avenue and Valley Water Mill Road and another for 18 acres at Evans Road and Highway 65.

The two new annexation requests are part of continued growth for the city, according to Planning & Development Director Ralph Rognstad. The city has grown geographically by nearly 7 percent in the last five years, according to Assistant City Planner Ron Carey.

Growth is happening in all directions to varying degrees, but the additions are most rapid to the east, southeast and west, Rognstad said.

Most annexations are voluntary on the part of developers looking to join the city with new projects. Neighbors Knoll LLC, owner of the Evans Road property, has plans to build a commercial development on the site, while north landowner Stephen Plymire is planning a multifamily residential and commercial development.

One issue the city faces with respect to growth is providing necessary services, notably fire protection. The Springfield Fire Department has concerns about both annexations due to the increased response times and requests that the city consider building additional fire stations to serve those areas.

Rognstad said new fire facilities for those areas are on the city’s list of future needs.

“Whether that would be (paid for) in the quarter-cent tax (renewal on the ballot) in February or the next level property tax hasn’t been determined yet,” Rognstad said.

“But as we grow, we’ll need to provide additional fire service, and it’s just a matter of prioritizing where it’s most important to provide that service.”

Council is expected to vote on the two annexation proposals at its Sept. 5 meeting.

Also on the agenda:

• Families in crisis will soon have a place to turn for help.

Council approved a rezoning request and a lease agreement for a 1.5-acre tract at 2750 W. Bennett St. for the Junior League of Springfield’s new Crisis Nursery.

The nursery’s goal is to house children, up to age 12, whose families are in temporary crisis.

The result, according to Junior League spokeswoman Stephanie Montgomery, is that fewer children have to be sent to foster homes because of temporary problems in their homes.

The land, currently owned by the Springfield-Greene County Park Board, will be leased for 25 years to Crisis Nursery of the Ozarks Inc., a not-for-profit organization. Junior League volunteers will staff the facility.

“I cannot think of anything that has come before council – and I’ve been on council for 11 years now – where I’ve had more people come up to me and tell me what a positive thing this is for our community,” Councilwoman Shelia Wright said at the meeting.

The 9,000-square-foot facility will house up to 20 children. Montgomery said the group hopes to break ground next month and have the facility operational by April.

• The city also set its annual real and personal property tax rates for the 2006-2007 fiscal year. The rate for next year is 61.16 cents per $100 valuation, up 0.5 percent from this year.

Nearly half of the tax money goes to pay down the city’s debt service, with the remainder split among parks, health services and the Springfield Art Museum. City officials estimate the tax will generate more than $14 million in revenue for the coming year.[[In-content Ad]]