In a special called meeting of the Springfield City Council on Monday, February 27, the council voted to remain a part of the Municipal Road Aid Cooperative Program. City Clerk Jessica Hart said being a member of the program increases the availability of emergency funds for city streets.
The council also had the first reading of Bond Ordinance 2023-003 for the Springfield Water Company Interconnect Fund which will help pay for the connection to Danville Water to provide additional water supply to the county. The second reading of the ordinance is scheduled for the regular council meeting on March 14.
Council members also reviewed the personnel policy for the city. Hart said Michael Simons, attorney for the Kentucky League of Cities helped with the revisions to the personnel policy to assure all legalities are met. As part of the discussion and review the council agreed to add regular performance reviews, established maternity/paternity leave policy, set city holidays to coincide with state holidays, and addressed vacation, sick, and personal day policies.
The policy will be voted on at the March 14 meeting and is expected to be adopted by Municipal Order.
The final order of business was goal setting and planning. During this portion of the meeting the group brainstormed ideas to improve the city and enhance tourism. Many ideas were discussed, and Mayor Chris Essex is putting together a list of short and long-term goals for the council.
Essex said before any new projects are started, he would like to have firm start dates and estimated completion dates for projects already approved. He noted the splashpad and downtown sidewalks as two such projects.
Among the ideas discussed were how to enhance tourism and creating a 5-year plan for Idle Hour Park along with a 5-year plan for the city overall. Essex said he would like to see more cooperation between the Main Street program, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Office of Tourism. Essex also said he wants to be prepared and have certain things in place before Washington County becomes a stop on the Bourbon Trail and not just a pass-thru town.
The council agreed they would like to broaden the Main Street program to encompass more of the city, not just Main Street.
