Author: joeward7

Jamie Munks
The State Journal-Register

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* After a lengthy back-and-forth about a proposed car wash for 321 Cranmer Drive, off Monroe Street, aldermen voted 8-2 to allow for a zoning change that will allow that development to move forward.

An original motion to deny the change failed, with only Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin and Ward 8 Ald. Kris Theilen voting to deny. The property in question is in Theilen’s ward, and he said this was among the most complicated zoning cases he’s seen during his time on the council. Opponents, largely residents from the surrounding neighborhood, voiced concerns about increased, traffic, noise and loitering.

See more at: http://www.sj-r.com/

Tim Landis
The State Journal-Register

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An ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION study of traffic and other improvements to MacArthur Boulevard has been completed, according to an update from the MacArthur Boulevard Association. IDOT held an initial public meeting on the study of traffic and other improvements in January 2014 at South Side Christian Church.

Tim Landis
The State Journal-Register

A $6 million upgrade of the long-troubled MacArthur Park Apartments in Springfield comes with a new name, new income guidelines for residents and new local management.

Managing director Tom Anderson of Kansas-based Cohen-Esrey Affordable Partners outlined the 12- to 15-month project at a meeting Thursday of the MacArthur Boulevard Association. He said work on the 187-unit complex at 2715 S. MacArthur Blvd. will be done in phases to minimize disruptions for existing residents.

There has been a lot of discussion in recent months about how to handle 15 citizen complaint files which a temporary inspector general firm out of Chicago opened a year ago. The firm’s contract ended in February 2015 and there has been no action on the files since then. I would like to explain how the city council tried to move this matter to a resolution at last week’s council meeting.

A majority of the council voted 6-4 that the Langfelder administration take possession of the files from the inactive inspector general firm, review them and take appropriate action based on best judgment. Citizens want action. It is a failure of government to let complaints sit idle, and it is unsound legally to let evidence grow stale.

The entire council appreciates the need to investigate allegations of misconduct and waste. But many don’t want an unaccountable and expensive new bureaucracy called inspector general. The city administration should work on complaints/problems – that is its job. The council and the courts are there as watchdogs. And every four years the voters are the ultimate watchdogs.

A recent State Journal-Register editorial did not cover our serious discussion about how to proceed with the cases but focused instead on flare-ups prior to the 6-4 vote. And last week’s Illinois Times editorial went to a false conclusion – that nothing is getting resolved. False. A majority of the council expressed its will that the administration act on the 15 files. Now the ball is in its court, where it belongs.

Joe McMenamin
Alderman, Ward 7

Read more: The Illinois Times

Jamie Munks
The State Journal-Register

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State’s CWLP bills

Aldermen also are mulling a resolution asking the state to begin paying off its millions of dollars in outstanding bills to City Water, Light and Power. The amount the state owes the city-owned utility that’s considered delinquent tops $6 million; the total amount the state owes the city is more than $9 million.

“This is really important to bring this to the attention of the state,” Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin said. “We can’t let this debt grow and grow. Who knows when the state budget impasse will get resolved.”

Jamie Munks
The State Journal-Register

Springfield aldermen on Tuesday narrowly agreed to expedite to an interim inspector general 15 complaints that have sat untouched for months, and then shot down the appointment of a former alderman to the ethics committee that oversees the watchdog post.

Jamie Munks
The State Journal-Register

Springfield aldermen remained split Tuesday on how to handle 15 complaints to an interim inspector general of wrongdoing in city government.

Aldermen at next week’s Springfield City Council meeting are poised to debate that and vote on a resolution recommending Mayor Jim Langfelder’s administration review the complaints and take action, which could mean referral to an outside agency or internal discipline.

Jamie Munks
The State Journal-Register

Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin, a proponent of annexing city-surrounded unincorporated land into Springfield, contends partisan politics played a part in the city council recently shooting down an annexation proposal.

Aldermen in October, in a 4-6 vote, rejected Mayor Jim Langfelder’s plan to annex into the city 48 acres of unincorporated land, dubbed “holes in the doughnut,”

Jamie Munks
The State Journal-Register

Stakeholders gathered Monday for Springfield’s first pension summit, to start discussing how to chip away at the city’s pension debt predicament.

City Budget Director Bill McCarty called the pension issue “somewhat of a conundrum,” as the city’s employee head count has declined over the past few years and the city has put more money toward police and fire pensions, but its multimillion-dollar unfunded liabilities continue to grow. Meanwhile, he said, the city’s pension obligations diminish its ability to offer services to Springfield’s roughly 117,000 residents.

Thank you to all who attended our annual meeting and to Hy-Vee MacArthur Boulevard for sponsoring the event. We had a lot to celebrate and have much to look forward to in 2016. Congratulations to our “Believe in the Boulevard” award recipients.
(L-R)
Outstanding MBA volunteer: John Eck for his work on the boulevard business assessment.
Outstanding MBA member: Katie Davison for her work on the Bites on the Boulevard events.
Outstanding MBA neighborhood organizer: Lisa Hills for her work with the newly formed neighborhood association, The Highlands.
Outstanding MBA improvement initiative:Lynn & Joe McMenamin for their work at the MacArthur Park Apartments and Butler School Garden.

See more at: MBA’s Facebook Page