Springfield chamber board weighs in on election issues

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2024 Election Coverage

The Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors has taken positions on two issues appearing on the Nov. 5 election ballot.

The board voted yesterday to endorse the city of Springfield's new three-quarter-cent sales tax and oppose a statewide increase in the minimum wage, the chamber announced this morning.

Question 1
Springfield voters on Nov. 5 will be asked to approve a new three-quarter-cent sales tax to replace another that sunsets on March 31, 2025. One-quarter cent of the tax would be used for public safety initiatives, including the Police and Fire Pension Fund, and the remaining two-quarters would go toward projects that are consistent with the city’s Forward SGF 20-year comprehensive plan, including capital improvements, community and neighborhood initiatives, and park projects, according to past reporting.

The issue is on the Nov. 5 ballot as Question 1 for Springfield voters.

Chamber President Matt Morrow said the endorsement is consistent with previous positions on the sales tax.

“The chamber has always supported robust investments in our public safety personnel and ensuring pension promises are kept for our police and firefighters, including endorsement of the original pension sales tax and two endorsements of the pension tax renewal,” Morrow said in the release. “This tax proposal not only continues this obligation, but it is also an opportunity to secure a consistent funding stream that will help keep citizens safe and drive long-term economic growth.”

The chamber's Local Issues Task Force, which is made up of business and community leaders, found "significant value" in the quarter-cent portion of the tax that would go to public safety initiatives.

The ballot measure calls for the quarter-cent that funds public safety to be permanent. The half cent that funds other city projects would be assessed for 10 years.

Chamber officials are calling on city leadership to establish a citizens’ task force if the tax is approved, allowing business owners to weigh in on the half-cent portion.

“While we believe this proposal would benefit from even clearer accountability measures, it aligns with the chamber’s vision for a thriving, forward-looking Springfield, and we hope voters will show tremendous support on Nov. 5," said Brian Hammons, chair of the chamber board and president of Hammons Products Co., in the release.

Proposition A
Proposition A would increase the statewide minimum wage on Jan. 1, 2025, to $13.75 per hour, with an increase of $1.25 per hour in 2026, bringing the minimum wage to $15 per hour, according to the ballot language. Thereafter, the minimum wage would again be adjusted each January based on the CPI. Additionally, the ballot measure would require that all employers provide one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked by an employee, with governmental entities, political subdivisions, school districts and educational institutions to be exempt from those requirements, according to past reporting.

The chamber's Legislative Policy Committee conducted a review of Proposition A and heard from proponents and opponents of the minimum wage issue, according to a separate news release. Officials involved with the chamber process found Proposition A "would have a negative financial and operational impact on the business community by prohibiting employers from making decisions for their own workforce."

“Decisions about wages and benefits should be made by employers in response to market demands, not through one-size-fits-all mandates,” Hammons said in the release. “Proposition A ties the hands of employers, particularly small businesses, who are already offering competitive wages and benefits to attract and retain talent.”