SPRINGFIELD—Amid a flurry of financial orders for the closing fiscal year, the City Council acted on several items Monday night, many it had considered recently. Most notably, it advanced the chief diversity office (CDO) ordinance to the mayor, prompting executive freak out. The stated reason
UPDATED 6/9/18 10:07PM: To reflect a correction on the incineration ban. Springfield will levy fines of $1-5k for first offenses. Repeat offenses yield fines up to $10k. SPRINGFIELD—The City Council Monday night took long-awaited action on two highly anticipated ordinances even as the underlying issues
An enduring presence in Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno’s retinue is leaving. Denise Jordan, Sarno’s chief of staff, has accepted a position as executive director of the Springfield Housing Authority (SHA). Jordan’s exit after more a decade as the mayor’s top aide leaves a gap in
SPRINGFIELD—A bevy of ordinances and several financial items greeted the City Council Monday night. The broad range of the policies under consideration ranged from rules for signs to outdoor dining. The Council also sought to leverage Springfield tax incremental financing (TIF) programs to ensure tax
SPRINGFIELD—On Monday night, the City Council delivered a blow to Mayor Domenic Sarno’s efforts to bully a church out of shelting an undocumented woman. The body unanimously passed an order to halt expenditure of city funds to interfere with South Congregational Church’s provision of sanctuary
SPRINGFIELD—The City Council Monday night issued a stern rebuke to Mayor Domenic Sarno, ordering the city back off South Congregational Church, which is providing sanctuary to a woman facing deportation. It came after Sarno demanded city officials inspect the church for code violations. He also
UPDATED 4/2/18 7:31PM: To reflect an update. The debate on the Council’s order to halt action against South Congregational has been postponed to April 9. SPRINGFIELD—For a time, with the plunge of Donald Trump’s approval rating, so too had ebbed Mayor Domenic Sarno’s flirtation with
SPRINGFIELD—The same night the City Council enacted a new rules for tax incentives, it turned one proposed break back. The moves on tax incremental financing (TIF) were unrelated and yet inextricably linked. A power struggle lay behind legitimate concerns about a TIF connected to the
Members of the Springfield City Council have identified their next target in the battle for control of—and relevance to—city government. For much of the city’s time under Plan A and particularly over the last 30 years, the Council has lingered in the lane of land
SPRINGFIELD—The City Council’s first February meeting, lasting about four hours, made up for the meager agenda at the last regular meeting. The stage was set for breaking the logjam on the district fire chiefs. A solar farm tax deal advanced. The body confirmed Auditor Yong