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Mayor Switches Course on Infrastructure Improvements
Springfield Mayor Mike Houston is still working on a funding source for his infrastructure program that he introduced earlier this week. This isn't the first time he talked about having a plan.
"I have a specific plan in terms of how we pay for it," the newly-elected Houston said in April 2011. "I think it can be done without raising any taxes, without raising any fees, simply using some assets that we have in the city of Springfield. We will outline that within the first 30 days that I am in office."
That was on Election Day 2011.
But his $130 million dollar-plus plan just came out this week, nearly two years after being in office. His administration is still working on funding.
"And the only way that we're going to be able to address these problems is through some type of revenue enhancement," Houston said. "I will be presenting a plan. That plan will primarily deal with an increase in terms of our sales tax, and our sewer fee."
He blames the delay on what he calls surprises he found in the city's fiscal condition.
"We looked at the corporate fund, which pays for all our basic services, and found that for the previous fiscal year the balance was just a little over negative $3.5 million," Houston said. "That the electric division had lost over 12 million dollars, in that fiscal year. I mean, that was not information that was out with anyone in the community, and I seriously doubt that members of the city council were aware of how bad of a financial condition we were in."
One particular alderman, Frank Edwards, was serving as mayor back in 2011, and he doesn't agree.
"I think that was all said to get elected," Edwards said. "Because he knew, he knew exactly how bad it was. First of all, when I was there we put our checkbook online so people could see how bad it was. We gave a presentation to the DSI group downtown, about a month before I was getting ready to leave office, and we told everybody how bad it was. All the aldermen knew how bad it was. We eliminated 50 some positions in city government, so they knew how bad it was."
We asked Houston whether he thought a tax increase could pass the city council. His answer was simply "we'll see."
We asked Edwards the same thing. He said he doesn't know, but he believes some money could be raised for infrastructure by doing things like re-bonding on some sales that are coming due.
Houston made another campaign promise back in 2011 that he would only run for one term and would not seek re-election. We asked him if that was still the case today. He answered, "My thought process has not changed."
