Council moves forward with crime lab

At its April 17 meeting, Springfield City Council agreed to enter into a cooperative agreement with Greene County, which allows the city and county to work together to finance renovations of the L.E. Cox Building, 440 E. Tampa St., for a regional crime lab.

The council also agreed to enter into a lease-purchase agreement with a group of 15 area banks for a low-interest loan on the $2.4 million needed for the renovations. The loan is interest-only for five years, during which time the city and county will seek additional funding sources to pay down the principal on the loan. The lab would then be leased to the state for $1 a year.

The city and county have agreed to split the interest payments during the initial five-year period; the city’s portion of the payments would come from the general revenue fund. Officials are also looking at state or federal grant money to help pay off the loan principle.

Springfield City Manager Tom Finnie sounded confident that financing would be found.

“It is a state crime lab, but it is very important for our region because the proximity makes it a priority for southwest Missouri,” Finnie said at the meeting. “I believe (Greene County) Sheriff (Jack) Merritt has been in contact with other sheriffs and county commissioners from adjoining counties, and I think there is interest in helping to share in the cost of this crime lab.”

Both Merritt and Greene County Presiding Commissioner Dave Coonrod confirmed that other counties have informally expressed interest. Coonrod said no formal discussions have occurred, as Greene County prefers to wait until the expected state financing is approved.

Council declared an emergency on the two bills so that they could be voted on immediately.

“The legislature’s in the middle of (debating) their budget, and if we didn’t act immediately, there was the risk that somebody else – i.e. Joplin – would put in with the governor for the crime lab (funds),” City Attorney Dan Wichmer said.

Greene County voters turned down the Community Safety Initiative sales tax in November, which would have funded the crime lab project using local tax money.

Wichmer added that no bonds are being issued for the project – instead, the city is issuing certificates of participation to cover the costs.

A certificate of participation serves a similar purpose to a standard bond, according to BKD Wealth Advisors Portfolio Adviser Jeffrey Gann.

“A revenue bond is a bond backed by the proceeds of a specific project, like a toll road,” Gann said. “With a participation certificate, you share in a piece of the revenues rather than the actual bond being secured by those revenues. The advantage on the part of the issuer is that it somewhat lessens the risk.”

Also at the meeting

• Council heard a proposal to apply for U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development funds for the Community Development Block Grant and Home Investment Partnership programs.

If the bill passes and the grants are approved, the city would receive nearly $1.4 million for a list of various community development programs, including streetscape improvements for downtown and for College Station. HOME program funds of $1 million would be used for rental housing rehabilitation and new infill rental housing construction.

• Finnie’s last meeting before his April 24 retirement was a time for celebration for council, which recognized him for his 16 years of service to the city.

Mayor Pro Tem Ralph Manley read a resolution that announced, among other things, that the city government plaza would be renamed in Finnie’s honor and that April 21, 2006, was to be Tom Finnie Day in Springfield.[[In-content Ad]]