Springfield commissioners to discuss American Rescue Plan dollars, body cameras

How to spend federal money, housing just some of the things to be addressed at meeting tonight.

Springfield City Commissioners will be meeting this evening to discuss ways in which a large sum of federal relief dollars will be spent as well as applying for a grant for body worn police cameras and conducting a first reading regarding new housing in the city.

The public meeting will start at 7 p.m. and be held at the City Hall Forum.

However, a work session will take place 45 minutes before and will feature a presentation by Springfield City Manager Bryan Heck who will be discussing the $44.2 million that will be allocated to the city by the federal government as part of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan.

The city has already received half those funds and is expected to receive the other half next year. They will have until the end of 2024 to allocate money for projects and expenditures. The deadline to spend that money is December 2026.

City officials are looking at ways that money can be spent, which includes investing in some infrastructure projects as well as using money to combat a housing crisis in the area.

During the main meeting that will start at 7 p.m., commissioners will be asked to conduct first readings on ordinances that will allow for the construction of a new automobile oriented business on North Bechtle Avenue.

City commissioners will also be conducting first readings on a development plan at 130 South Burnett Road to develop six single-story residential buildings with 32 single-bedroom units as well as an amendment to the existing development plan at South Burnett Road to construct seven single-story residential buildings with 28 single-bedroom units and one office/community building.

Those ordinances relate to the second phase of the Community Gardens Project to create affordable senior housing.

Another first reading will deal with the accepting of an application for the annexation of certain territory containing 31.28 acres, more or less, in Springfield Township that will be located at 330 Tuttle Road.

Commissioners will also be asked to consider authorizing a contribution to SpringForward, which focuses on revitalization efforts to the urban core of the city, in the amount of $1.2 million.

Commissioners are expected to vote on those items at their next public meeting on Oct. 12.

In addition to that, those elected officials will be asked this evening to authorize city manager Heck to apply for an Ohio Body-Worn Camera Grant through the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services in an amount up to $383,194.

The Springfield Police Division currently does not have body cameras for officers.

Commissioners will also be asked to vote on an ordinance that would authorize Heck into entering into a grant agreement with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development for the Community Development Block Grant Program in an amount not to exceed $1,886,408.

Commissioners will also be asked to rename a portion of West Clark Street to West Clark Street/Youlish Rhodes Sr., Way.

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