SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — The Springfield City Council will meet tomorrow, Sept. 6, to vote on several projects throughout the city.
Jefferson Avenue Footbridge
One of the most notable projects includes the Jefferson Avenue Footbridge revitalization effort. The city council will vote on whether to allow leaders to apply for a $5.6 million grant that would be used to repair and revitalize the historic footbridge in the Commercial Street district.
The last attempt to acquire funds to make improvements to the footbridge — which has been closed to pedestrians since 2016 due to safety concerns — ended when Missouri Governor Mike Parson voted against allowing Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery funds to be used in the project.
Springfield Animal Shelter
City council will also discuss a bill that will allocate $1.45 million of funding for a new animal shelter in the city. The current city-county animal shelter floods regularly due to its placement in a floodplain and needs to be relocated, according to city council agenda documents. It should be noted that this will be a preliminary discussion — no vote will be made at the Sept. 6 meeting.
The current city-county animal shelter is located at 4002 N. Farmer Ave.
Water Bill Increases
The council will give the first reading of and discuss a proposed increase to water service rates. The suggested change would increase water rates annually in 2024 (5.3% increase), 2025 (4.7% increase), and 2026 (4.0% increase). According to the bill, current water rates will leave the city operating its water services at a loss.
A city council document provides an example of what residents’ water bills might look like if the change was accepted:
| Fiscal Year | Monthly Bill | Increase |
| 2023 | $35.54 | — |
| 2024 | $37.48 | $1.94 |
| 2025 | $39.26 | $1.78 |
| 2026 | $40.79 | $1.53 |
Other bills
Other notable bills scheduled for the Sept. 6 council meeting include:
- A vote to accept a gift of 15 paper recycling bins and a roll-off truck valued at $130,000 from the Nestle Purina Petcare Company.
- A vote to have the city split the cost of resurfacing Battlefield Road near the U.S. Route 65 interchange with the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission. The city’s portion is estimated to be over $268,393.
- An ordinance to hire a consultant to oversee improvement to the Cooper Soccer Complex on East Pythian Street.
- An ordinance that would approve a plan for improvements to the Fassnight Creek Greenway Trail.
The Sept. 6 Springfield City Council meeting is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. at the historic city hall at 830 North Boonville Avenue. The meeting will be open to the public.
A full list of bills on the agenda can be found on the Springfield City Council’s website.
