City Beat: Redevelopment, safety key elements to $211 million city budget

City staff and planners are again prioritizing neighborhood redevelopment and public safety for the year ahead. Those are the primary areas receiving increased funds in Springfield's $211.57 million budget proposal for 2003-2004, which City Council considered at its May 5 meeting.

The fiscal year begins July 1. The proposed budget is approximately $10 million greater than that of 2002-2003, but City Manager Tom Finnie said there are no property tax or sales tax increases.

"The major parties that are funded in this budget include continuation of the emphasis on public safety, particularly with the take-home police cars and the additional officers that were hired as part of the law enforcement sales tax. It puts a priority on neighborhood redevelopment, and it continues the priority on traffic and transportation, particularly in signal timing," Finnie said. "It also will provide some small funding for pay."

The proposed budget sets aside $200,000 for center city neighborhood revitalization efforts, Finnie added.

"There are no changes in tax rates," Finnie said.

The property tax levy for 2003-2004 is 60 cents per $100 assessed valuation, which is estimated to yield $12.72 million.

The 2002-2003 fiscal year budget was $201 million.

Council will vote May 19.

COPS grant

The Springfield Police Department may add four new police officers to its force if City Council approves an ordinance for a $213,476 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, Universal Hiring Program.

Finnie said the department has not had the funds to add officers, yet city officials have been annexing Greene County land into the city.

"We believe this will be a good way for us to keep up with annexation," Finnie said.

James River and Glenstone

Although design discussions are two or three years out, City Council is considering a payment formula for the sale of rights of way at the South Glenstone and James River Freeway interchange.

The land is co-owned by the city and the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission per a December 2001 agreement. At the time of acquisition, the city put up $4 million and the state put up $3.53 million for two complete parcels.

"This simply establishes a formula for how we will get our money back in the event there is a sale of the (land)," Finnie said. "Under this formula, since we put up more money, we will get back the first $500,000, the state would get the next $28,300."

Finnie said anything beyond $528,000 would be evenly split.

"This is just for the record so that we know how it would work. There is no construction financing available yet. This does not mean any exchange of dollars right now."