Author: joeward7

Mary Hansen
The State Journal-Register

Residents in Springfield could see their garbage fees jump as early as Sept. 1. The Springfield City Council voted Tuesday to raise the cap of what the four private waste hauling companies can charge.

By a vote of 9-1, the council approved a proposal by Mayor Jim Langfelder that will increase the cap on monthly garbage fees, require all companies to have a recycling drop-off site available to their customers, and raise the monthly waste disposal fee charged by the city from $1.50 to $3.

At the May 17 CWLP public forum, Mayor Langfelder said the proposed Hunter Lake II is more about economic development than need for more water in a severe drought. He may have revealed an inconvenient truth to the Army Corps Of Engineers and U.S. EPA, who must grant the permits to build it.

Ward 7 Alderman McMenamin, at the June 7 council meeting, reported the latest (2015) forecast of treated water use is 25 million gallons per day by the year 2065, about five decades from now. Actual treated water use has averaged between 20 and 23 million gallons per day over the last four decades since 1975. The projected increase is barely 10 percent more.

The Corps’ 2000 final Environmental Impact Statement projected treated water not accounted for (leakage, thefts?) would average 2 1/2 million gallons per day. How much unaccounted treated water was there actually in 2015? Still 10 percent daily?

Waste not, need not!

Donald Davis
Pleasant Plains

The State Journal-Register

Mary Hansen
The State Journal-Register

Springfield residents without garbage service could soon find themselves assigned to one of the city’s four private waste haulers in an effort to clean up neighborhoods.

The Springfield City Council, at a committee of the whole meeting Tuesday, advanced to next week’s meeting a proposal that would allow the city to assign residents not currently paying for garbage pickup to a hauler and add the cost to their City Water, Light and Power electric bill.

John Reynolds
The State Journal-Register

A proposal to increase what people pay for waste hauling in Springfield could be before the city council as early as next week.

Ward 1 Ald. Chuck Redpath said Friday he plans to introduce an amendment to the city’s waste-hauling ordinance that would raise the cap on rates, meaning haulers could increase what they charge. Redpath declined to say how much higher the cap would be because other aldermen hadn’t seen his proposal.

The city council sets the maximum rates that waste haulers operating in Springfield can charge

Patrick Yeagle
The Illinois Times

Future city employees will have to live inside Springfield under an ordinance passed Tuesday by the city council.

The controversial issue created a split among some unions, with police, fire and lineman unions opposing the measure and 15 other unions already adopting residency requirements in their contracts. The new ordinance also has potential to affect the city’s minority recruitment efforts when it takes effect next year.

Springfield Mayor Jim Langfelder

John Reynolds
The State Journal-Register

After lengthy debate Tuesday night, the Springfield City Council approved a residency requirement for new hires.

The vote was tight, 6-4, with Mayor Jim Langfelder, who pushed for the requirement as “the right thing to do,” anxious to cast a tie-breaking vote. However, his vote was not needed. The “no” votes were by Ward. 1 Ald. Chuck Redpath, Ward 6 Ald. Cory Jobe, Ward 8 Ald. Kris Theilen and Ward 10 Ald. Ralph Hanauer.

“I’m excited the aldermen made the right decision in passing the ordinance

John Reynolds
The State Journal-Register

Leaders from the Faith Coalition for the Common Good urged Springfield alderman on Tuesday to support a city residency ordinance. The ordinance, which would require new city hires to live within the city of Springfield, got its first reading at the Springfield City Council committee of the whole meeting Tuesday night.

Members of the coalition said required residency will boost job opportunities for Springfieldians who have a vested interest in the city

John Reynolds
The State Journal-Register

The Springfield City Council approved a $1.6 million tax increment fund request from Horace Mann Educators Corp. on Tuesday despite objections from citizens who spoke during the hour-long debate. Some people didn’t think Horace Mann needed the TIF money, and others were opposed to a part of the plan that involved the Salvation Army moving to the old Gold’s Gym property on Clear Lake Avenue.

John Reynolds
The State Journal-Register

An ordinance requiring Springfield municipal employees to live within city limits will get its first reading at next week’s Springfield City Council meeting and a vote as early as June 21.

The ordinance, if approved, would go into effect Jan. 1, 2017, and cover regular part-time, full-time and temporary employees. The ordinance provides an exemption for current city employees who have continuously maintained a home outside the city limits prior to 2017.

John Reynolds
The State Journal-Register

For Springfield aldermen opposed to the 10-year-old Sierra Club deal that required the city to buy power from two wind farms, December 2018 can’t come fast enough. By then, both contracts will have expired, at which point City Water, Light and Power estimates it will have spent up to $150 million. So far, the utility has spent about $101 million.