Neighborhoods are the grassroots of our community. They have a unique ability to authentically advocate to improve the quality of life, communicate organically, and recreate in ways to escape a culture absorbed in cell phones and streaming services.
Advocate
The Neighborhood Advisory Council (NAC) partnered with the Community Partnership of the Ozarks to convene a Nuisance Property Work Group to make recommendations to City Council on changes to existing ordinances, presenting new strategies, and creating new incentives for residential investment. The group consists of representatives from neighborhoods, REALTORS, developers, and City staff to identify best practices that could be implemented in Springfield.
NAC also submits annual budget recommendations to the city manager for the municipal fiscal year that begins each July 1. This year’s requests include funding for Tolemi software to allow City departments to develop a vacancy database that could be utilized across departments; increasing the number of neighborhood clean-ups by 50%; and allocating $8,000 for 200 vouchers to be distributed across 10 neighborhoods to trap, spay/neuter and vaccinate feral cats. The budget request will also call for investing in neighborhood revitalization through strengthening the Building Development Services residential staff; authorizing federal stimulus funds for the new Restore SGF program to promote home ownership and increasing property values; and creating a new revolving loan for emergency repairs for rental housing.
NAC looks forward to working together with City Council and staff on these critical issues.
Communicate
In a world with far too much noise (literally and figuratively), neighborhoods are an important megaphone to let residents know what is happening in their own back yard.
SGF Neighborhood News publication is a point of pride for NAC and the City of Springfield Department of Public Information and Civic Engagement. Its professional design and wide distribution allow neighborhood organizations a platform to share their stories.
Neighborhoods are eagerly emerging from the isolation of the pandemic. Many combine old-fashioned door knocking with e-mail blasts and social media posts to reach their residents wherever they may be. Be sure to contact your own neighborhood to be included in their forms of distribution.
Recreate
Several neighborhoods will be teaming up this spring to participate in the annual Kickball Tournament at Meador Park on April 24. This is a great way for neighbors and their kids to get to know one another better, while getting outside to be more active and foster some good-natured competition.
With the warmer weather of spring and decreasing Covid case counts, neighborhoods will be resuming their block parties, parades, and ice cream socials. Check with your neighborhood on their activities in the coming months.
Many thanks to our NAC representatives, neighborhood leaders, and City partners for the time they dedicate to making the Springfield community a better place to live, work, and play!