Springfield City Council has approved next year’s budget. The new spending plan includes nearly $1.4 million in cuts.
Springfield’s nearly $500 million budget includes reductions to fire, library and other services. Springfield city leaders have said the budget resulted in only one person losing their job. Other reductions, such as reducing staffing levels at a fire station in non-peak hours, were done by rearranging staff or eliminating unfilled positions.
Marcia Anderson was one of several library patrons who told council members they were concerned about the elimination of a vacant library job, an $80,000 budget cut. She said future cuts suggested by Springfield’s fiscal stability taskforce, could make it difficult for workers to provide services that families depend on.
"I truly consider the library to be the heart of the community and it makes downtown much more accessible, much more friendly,” Anderson said. “I also consider the library a necessity, not a luxury."
The taskforce, which included city leaders and community members, made several recommendations in hopes of addressing Springfield’s long-term fiscal troubles. The ideas included a $500,000 cut to the library, a payroll tax, economic development, and an increase to the city’s fire and police levies.
During Monday’s meeting, Springfield Mayor Sean VanGordon said city leaders are still exploring long term solutions and haven’t made decisions yet about future reductions at the library.
“We are probably not going to finalize any decisions until the fall,” he said. “Please read the report, keep sending us feedback because that’s how we get to the point where we can move forward.”
He said the city council will discuss the issues more during a work session on June 30.
