Stakeholder feedback at heart of city’s efforts toward progress

Last edited 1:04 p.m., March 31, 2026 [This article has been rearranged since an earlier version was published.]

Springfield City Manager David Cameron aimed to show the math in a data-informed report to City Council yesterday on progress made in the first quarter toward the five council priorities for 2026.

According to Cameron, multiple improvements are targeted in the area of development processes, for which the council goal is to deploy best practices for transparency, efficiency and collaboration in development.

Cameron said he sought feedback on development processes from the private sector through the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce’s Growth and Development Committee by asking members to compile their top 10 difficulties with the development process.

“They provided us 10 different things they wanted us to look at,” Cameron said, adding he would update council on those 10 items in a future report.

Cameron stressed the importance of responding to developer concerns.

“If people are providing us feedback in those conversations, we’ve got to make sure that we’re providing a response that we at least understand and hear what that is and work collectively to make sure there’s no ambiguity,” he said. “There has to be clarity in our development processes.”

Cameron shared data obtained in a 2025 development review but urged caution in interpretation.

“The data is not aligning with the feedback,” he said.

He noted that he is hearing concerns and frustration in listening sessions and one-on-one meetings with developers over processes.

“If development processes are a priority, then we can’t say, hey, listen, the data says we don’t have a problem,” he said. “We’ve got to figure out where the disconnect is between the data and the actual delivery.”

The 2025 development review data indeed showed that the city was hitting its targets through the following metrics:

• Average first-cycle review times across departments range from three to six business days, below the 10-day target.

• Average subsequent-cycle reviews range from two to 3.6 business days, below the five-day target.

• The majority of reviews are completed within adopted deadlines.

Cameron said individual projects may experience delays due to complexity, incomplete submittals, statutory requirements or required interdepartmental coordination, but the overall data shows that review performance in most cases exceeds internal service targets.

Cameron said work to improve development processes will continue, with one idea being to walk a project through from its inception to its end to see where delays and disconnects occur.

“That’s going to be a really important project for us, or at least a chance for us to do some testing on our own processes,” he said.

Operational excellence
Cameron also outlined progress in four other council priorities, including one he proposed: operational excellence.

The operational excellence priority looks to enhance the city’s agility, efficiency and transparency while sustaining infrastructure with proactive maintenance and establishing a culture of trust and clarity.

A business license process that can take up to 14 weeks is one target for improvement under the operational excellence priority. Cameron said he spoke to a small-business owner who wrote a check in January for a business license, and it did not clear the bank until last week. The issue highlights the problems of some slow, handwritten processes that are still in use.

Cameron said a vendor has been selected for a business license fee study, with work set to begin in August, and he added that limited online payment for business licenses will be offered in early April.

Cameron also said the city would be using ClearPoint software that it has had for a long time but has not used effectively. Departments are updating council priorities in the software, and ultimately the community will be able to track progress on a dashboard to see what progress is being made.

He also covered work being done to securely implement artificial intelligence via Microsoft Copilot, as well as Public Works Department modernization efforts and collaboration improvements between Public Works and City Utilities of Springfield.

Annexation communication is also a focus, with staff reviewing policies that need to be modified and work being done on communication between the city and stakeholders adjacent to the city.

Cameron said the city needs to examine how it provides sewer service to places it annexes.

“Basically, we’re setting up meetings with other community stakeholders to discuss that,” he said. “This is a material lift because this is a very old policy that we’re working with, and there’s probably some sacred cows there.”

He said city, county and CU leadership agree that work is needed in this area, especially with housing being a priority.

“There’s still the question – should we build in the county, or should we build in the city?” he said.

He said the topic will be taken up in future council lunches.

Other council priorities
Cameron also described progress made within the three other council priorities, dealing with public safety, economic vitality and housing strategy.
Under economic vitality, Cameron addressed the fact that the city is down to just one available lot in its two industrial parks, Partnership Industrial Centers East and West.

He said the city is looking at the possibility of what he labeled as PIC 3 West and said a technical committee has been formed to evaluate potential industrial park sites. A total of 15 sites are being evaluated for land use, transportation, utilities, environment and fire service, he said.

The top three sites identified are Springfield Underground, Moon Light industrial park in northwest Springfield and Morris Industrial Park in northeast Springfield, with Morris currently viewed as the strongest candidate for a future industrial park, Cameron said.

Under public safety, a goal is enforcement review, including prosecutor coordination at municipal, state and federal levels, and a current review of investigative resources.

Recruitment and retention improvements are under review, including removing antiquated testing requirements for officers. Cameron gave an example of not allowing a calculator in testing.

“We’re not testing their ability to use a calculator or math; we’re testing their ability to make decisions,” he said.

Council’s housing strategy priority is geared toward creating a measurable, aligned housing strategy while growing housing stock and aligning zoning, incentives and neighborhood needs, Cameron said.

Cameron said a draft strategic housing implementation plan is in development as a 10-year housing roadmap using data from benchmark cities. A draft is expected within 30 days, he added.

He said a focus would be on increasing homeownership in neighborhoods where the ownership rate falls below the national average.

Additionally, a land bank and housing trust fund are in development, he said.

Cameron said the efforts mark a shift from studying housing challenges to building systems and partnerships needed to deliver tangible housing outcomes.