As the Missouri House of Representatives begins workshopping the state budget and partisan infighting continues to plague the Missouri Senate, priorities for Springfield leaders and legislators are taking shape in Jefferson City.
The Springfield Metro Partnership, a collaborative of public and private entities, made the case for Springfield and championed a host of legislative and funding priorities during its annual advocacy day in Jefferson City on Jan. 31.
Some of those priorities were given a head start in Gov. Mike Parson’s proposed budget, while others face an uphill battle in the Missouri General Assembly.
Members of the partnership were later joined by a host of community leaders, from the public and private sectors, for the annual Salute to the Legislators reception.
I-44 makes the cut, revisions to Senate Bill 190 in the works
The partnership is comprised of the City of Springfield, City Utilities, Greene County, the Libraries and Arts Council Alliance, Missouri State University, Ozarks Technical Community College, the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau, Springfield Public Schools and the Springfield Regional Economic Partnership.
While each of the partnership’s members have priorities they individually advocate for throughout the legislative session, the coalition’s intent is to compile the most pressing issues for Springfield. The partnership’s full list of legislative priorities is published on the Springfield Chamber of Commerce website.
Included in that list is a request that the legislature clarify Senate Bill 190, a property tax relief bill that brought about confusion regarding its implementation, and concern around its impact to entities reliant on property taxes.
Members of the partnership were encouraged by the progress that has been made to provide clarity, a process that Sen. Lincoln Hough, R-Springfield, said has nearly taken the law through committee deliberations.
Though acknowledging a “difficult” year ahead for the state legislature, Greene County Presiding Commissioner Bob Dixon — a former state lawmaker — is convinced “there's a good possibility we could get the changes to Senate Bill 190.”
Funding for Interstate Highway 44, which was denied $28 million last year, is a highlight for Springfield leaders and legislators, who are hopeful this is just the beginning of investment in the heavily-trafficked corridor.
“I'm sure that as it moves along, it will change, but I think all in all the investments that we're getting ready to make in I-44 are going to be substantial, and they're going to be transformative for the Springfield and southwest area,” Hough said.
Improvements planned for I-44 in Springfield include adding a third lane both ways between Kansas Expressway and U.S. Highway 65, replacing a handful of bridges and adding a flyover at the Kansas Expressway interchange, among many other components.
Parson’s budget recommends expansion planning for I-44 be awarded $14 million from interest earned on the $2.8 billion Interstate 70 project.
Rep. Bill Owen, R-Springfield, said the savings from I-70 is supplemented by funding made available in the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program and investments made by Greene County and the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program.
As a $20 million environmental study takes a look at the whole of I-44 throughout Missouri, additional funding could allow work to begin on the state’s western stretch of the interstate, particularly in Springfield.
Annexation and education top of mind
The partnership also pushed for legislation to enable cities to more easily use the voluntary annexation process, a request in Springfield’s list of legislative priorities. Sen. Curtis Trent filed a bill that would allow Springfield to annex areas within six miles of the city limits, doing away with a requirement that property be compact and contiguous.
Hough, who worked with Trent on the bill, said he anticipates it to change substantially in order to help address concerns from Springfield’s surrounding communities, but nonetheless, Hough sees a need for legislation “to put some issues to bed associated with annexation.”
Matt Morrow, the president of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, was encouraged by the Governor’s proposed investments in childcare and education, which intertwine with many of the partnership’s priorities related to economic and workforce development.
Core funding for higher education was short of what Dr. Hal Higdon, chancellor of OTC, was hopeful for. He was also disappointed that the governor’s proposed budget doesn’t include funding for the Alliance for Health Care Education, but was pleased by the $46 million recommended for the “Student Success” building planned for OTC’s Springfield campus.
Higdon is also encouraged by the renewed focus on I-44, but is concerned for the potential consequences if a $4.3 billion federal reimbursement for the state’s Medicaid program isn’t renewed.
“All I really care about is that the budget is passed, FRA is passed [...] and that we get to clean up Senate Bill 190,” Higdon said. “If nothing else happens, it’s been a good year.”
Senate stall tactics mar first month of session
While members of the Springfield Metro Partnership thought its priorities were well received by Springfield’s delegation of legislators and others in Jefferson City, dysfunction in the General Assembly’s upper chamber invokes doubt of a successful legislative session.
“The question really is going to be, not ‘Are there enough people who agree with the priorities?’ but ‘Can the priorities get through in a fairly complex legislative environment right now?” Morrow said.
Hough disparaged the stall tactics used by ‘Freedom Caucus’ members, who attempted to block gubernatorial appointments until the Senate approved changes to the initiative petition process.
“This ‘My way or the highway, you have to do what I say right now’ is not a productive mentality in this political system,” Hough said. “And I also don't think that it breeds good legislation, I don't think I don't think it leads to good outcomes. It leads to hurt feelings and upset colleagues, and overall it's just not productive.”
Rep. Betsy Fogle, D-Springfield, commended the efforts of her Republican and Democratic colleagues from Springfield amid ongoing feuds in the capitol.
“It is disappointing to see that not everyone shares that same sentiment, and that people are up here for different motivations,” Fogle said.
Rep. Melanie Stinnett, R-Springfield, said she remains optimistic, and that there’s plenty of time before the end of session, which is set to wrap up on May 17.
“I think if you’re willing to get down, do the hard work, work on your bills, build relationships and communication with other people to surround and kind of create a coalition around those bills, I think work can still get done,” Stinnett said.
