City Council Listening Session

Springfield City Council will engage the community about three substantive topics affecting the Springfield community this fall with three in-person listening sessions and a call to submit comments and recorded testimony. The topics they want to hear from the community about are:

• Crime and the Community
• Race Relations and the Community
• Race Relations and Policing.

A growing number of citizens have been attending regularly scheduled City Council meetings and speaking under the Petitions and Remonstrances agenda item, and the council wishes to expand the community’s ability to speak with them about these key and timely topics. While a scientific survey on related issues is being commissioned, it will take several months to put out for bid and administer. City Council desires to hear directly from citizens on these topics in the meantime.

The in-person sessions will be held from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. on the following dates:

• Nov. 9 and Nov. 23 at Drury University Wilhoit Theater, inside the Breech School of Business, located at the corner of Central and Drury Lane.

Each session will be livestreamed on Facebook and at cityview.springfieldmo.gov. As at City Council meetings, speakers will need to undergo a short health screening before entering the sessions and social distancing measures will be in place. Speakers are limited to five minutes each, which will limit each session to 20 in-person speakers. In-person speaking slots will be reserved on a first-come, first serve basis. Sign up to speak at springfieldmo.gov/councillisteningsignup or call 417-864-1105.

Due to the limit on the number of in-person speakers, citizens can sign up to submit their testimony via Zoom session recording at springfieldmo.gov/recordingsession or by calling 417-864-1105.

If citizens prefer to submit written comments to City Council on the above topics, please submit them to springfieldmo.gov/councillisteningcomments. Paper forms are available at Springfield-Greene County library locations at the front desk. Written comments will be accepted through 5 p.m. Nov. 28.

All submitted comments and recordings on the above topics will be shared with City Council in full for discussion by the council before a City Council retreat planned for December.