Workforce Development Board drops Springfield as fiscal agent

The city of Springfield has been removed as fiscal agent of the Ozark Region Workforce Development Board.

The move came via a June 7 unanimous vote of the Council of Local Elected Officials, a body composed of the presiding commissioners of the seven counties in the region. The council, often referred to as the CLEO, has authority over the board.

The Workforce Development Board had recommended removal of Springfield’s Finance Department as fiscal agent to the CLEO earlier this month. 

The recommendation came after the city of Springfield informed the board of a plan to purchase a building near the City Government Plaza to move its workforce operations, including the city’s office of the Missouri Job Center, for which the city is leaseholder. The incoming Workforce Development Board president, Andrea Sitzes, addressed City Council at its May 20 meeting to object to a lack of advance communication about the proposed move.

Bob Dixon, Greene County’s presiding commissioner, serves as chair of the Ozark Region CLEO. In a news release, Dixon positioned the termination of the fiscal agency agreement with the city as a move that was in line with a regional focus for the council.

“The CLEO appreciates the many years of service provided by the city of Springfield as fiscal agent, and we value all partnerships forged within our region to deliver services to the citizens of our counties,” Dixon said. “We look forward to exploring new opportunities to enhance our regional efforts.”

The news release said Springfield will remain fiscal agent for a minimum of 120 days.

Asked for the city’s response to the vote, spokesperson Cora Scott, the city’s director of public information and civic engagement, provided a statement.

“The city is perplexed by the CLEO’s decision to remove the city as the fiscal agent, after years of service to the Ozark Region Workforce Development Board and the regional community,” the statement reads.

Communication action plan
Scott said the city remains open to discussing any communication path that is desired by the board as part of the administrative agreement.

“We remain committed to the board’s mission, vision and values,” she said via email.

She added the city provided the CLEO and the Workforce Development Board with a proposal to achieve better communication.

“It is our hope that board members will take time to thoroughly review the city’s proposal and recognize the city’s first steps to improving the relationship,” she said.

In the proposal submitted before the CLEO vote on June 7, Ericka Schmeeckle, Springfield’s interim director of Workforce Development, included an offer from the city to operate as fiscal agent at no cost for fiscal year 2024-25, an action that would help the board in its effort to establish an executive director position and hire for the role.

In subsequent fiscal years, fiscal agent services would be offered at a reduced cost, spelled out in the document as the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act administrative budget minus board and executive director expenses.

“Our hope is that with the executive director role filled, this board staff member can have the time to attend regularly scheduled meetings with the [city of Springfield] Workforce Development staff to create an understanding of the daily operations, pass along best practices gleaned through statewide partnerships and work collaboratively going forward,” the proposal states.

Stringent fiscal policies
The statement from the city in response to the CLEO vote noted the city consistently receives national attention for outstanding service and has demonstrated the capacity to administer over $160 million of federal grant awards extending beyond the past 20 years.

“In short, the reputation is stellar,” the statement said.

Scott cited stringent financial policies, controls and procedures, including annual audits resulting in comprehensive, publicly available financial and compliance reports. The Finance Department employs a financial controls manual that dictates all accounting and procurement processes.

While the CLEO vote removed the city as fiscal agent, it did not remove Springfield as the operator of services under the 2014 federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act that governs the activities of the Workforce Development Board. 

Following the vote, SBJ reached out to Dixon for further comment. He said the members of CLEO requested any comments on the action be limited to the written statement provided.

According to the release, the CLEO is working on a process to replace the fiscal agent, and the release notes an announcement would be made soon.

“It is the priority of the Council of Local Elected Officials and the Ozark Region Workforce Development Board to provide consistent services to the clients within the seven-county region,” the statement said.