City Beat: Board member: Job Center move comes with short notice from city

Andrea Sitzes: Communication was lacking with the Workforce Development Board on a possible Missouri Job Center move.

It appeared to be smooth sailing for a pair of Springfield City Council measures to issue bonds for a set of improvement projects.

However, a rogue wave sprang up in the form of a communication lapse with a stakeholder organization, the Ozarks Region Workforce Development Board. Along with the city’s Workforce Development department, the bond would fund relocation of the Missouri Job Center, which is operated by the board that represents seven counties, including Greene. The bond measure was introduced during council’s meeting May 20.

The proposed special obligation improvement bonds, with an aggregate principal of up to $26 million, would allocate $2 million toward the new city Workforce Development operations building. It would also cover three additional projects: 

• Phase one of improvements to the Springfield Art Museum, $15 million
• Improvements to Historic City Hall, $5 million
• Refurbishment of the Jefferson Avenue Footbridge, $4 million

Difficulties arose in the discussion of a related bill to shift $4.4 million in carryover funds to acquisition and renovation of the new building to house the city’s Workforce Development department, which shares space with the Missouri Job Center. The carryover funds had previously been directed toward the Historic City Hall project, but the change would address limitations to tax-exempt financing for the workforce building acquisition.

The city is looking at purchasing and renovating a building at an undisclosed location downtown for the Missouri Job Center and the city’s Department of Workforce Development, currently located at 2900 E. Sunshine St. by the Southern Hills Shopping Center.

Andrea Sitzes, who represents Christian County on the Workforce Development Board and is in line to serve as chair, asked for the measure to be tabled during the public discussion. She noted the board had only learned of a potential change of location for the Missouri Job Center through an email from the city less than a week before the council meeting. 

Sitzes said the board had not had a chance to vet the information about the move or discuss it with the seven commissioners who comprise its Council of Local Elected Officials.

The unexpected move proposed by the city comes at a time when the Ozarks Region Workforce Development Board is evaluating its performance, Sitzes said, including organizational efficiencies and the functions of its centers. The board is also examining its consultant agreements, such as the one with the city of Springfield, which is set to expire in June but for which the board has sought a 120-day extension.

“I am sad to report that through that introspective assessment, nearly every single item that we are responsible for had room for improvement – significant room for improvement,” she said.

A task force was formed to look at how to improve collaboration and increase services. In March, the task force put together a request for proposals to hire a consultant and examine issues with an eye toward best practices in other regions. The repayment of the proposed bonds sought by the city is dependent upon rental income from the Workforce Development Board, Sitzes noted.

She added that the board is prohibited from taking financial actions on behalf of the Council of Local Elected Officials, or CLEO.

“It’s been our understanding that no city staff members have communicated this to the CLEO so that they can also vote and really evaluate these fiscal responsibilities,” she said.

It is the hope of the task force that a consultant can begin working by July 1 to draft a request for proposals for administrative and one-stop shop services.

“There are a lot of things that we want to improve as a whole across these seven counties,” Sitzes said. “We really strive to make sure that our residents of every class of socioeconomic can better themselves and upskill, and we see room for improvement.”

The bond measure is scheduled for a vote by council on June 10. 

Ericka Schmeeckle, interim director of workforce development for the city, said the lease agreement at the current Job Center location is for 10 years but is renewed annually. July 2 is the deadline that would lock the rental agreement in for another year. The landlord has offered a 90-day extension, she said.

City Finance Director David Holtmann said delaying a vote on the council bill gets the city closer to a December deadline that the federal government has imposed for encumbering American Rescue Plan Act funds, which are being used for the museum project.

Because the bond measure includes the Workforce Development component that has not been fully vetted by the Job Center board, the timeline for the bond issue is an issue.

Sitzes said she would have liked to have had more notice, communication and discussion about the proposed move.

“What we’re really looking for is a true partner with us that can be collaborative in those services and in those decisions,” she said. “We do understand that we’re just one tenant within the workforce building, but undoubtedly, we are the anchor tenant with the services and what we try to provide for the region.”

Mayor Ken McClure noted the bonds need to be acted on at the June 10 meeting, but council can do so with information from the Workforce Development Board’s discussion.

Other action items

• A vote is scheduled for June 10 to set the city’s preliminary tax levy on real and personal property for current expenses and debt retirement for the next fiscal year.
• Council approved a redevelopment plan and declaration of blight to pave the way for the Sisters Mill redevelopment plan at 610 N. Prospect Ave., near the intersection of Chestnut Expressway and National Avenue. The plan provides 25 years of tax abatement for the development of a restaurant and retail establishment at the site of a historic flour mill. The project is being taken on by sisters Sheri Perkins and Renee Textor, operating as the Sisters Mill Redevelopment Corp.
• Council granted a perpetual conservation easement to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to protect a portion of city-owned property for the portion of the Renew Jordan Creek project extending from Main Avenue to Boonville Avenue.
• The Department of Environmental Services received an allocation of $4 million in retained earnings from the city’s solid waste fund to pay for engineering, design and construction of an office building at the Noble Hill Sanitary Landfill.
• Council voted to apply to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant and Home Investment Partnerships Program. The city is applying for $1.6 million in CDBG funds and $1.4 million in Home funds. The application would fund proposals submitted by local agencies.
• Hiring incentives and a tuition reimbursement were approved for the Springfield Police Department. Upon graduation from the academy, new recruits will receive a $5,000 hiring incentive, while lateral hires – who come to the department from other agencies – will receive $10,000. Student loan reimbursement will be $2,500 per year for up to five years.
• Council passed its list of priorities for 2024.