Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce endorses city charter changes on April 2024 ballot

Tony Madden, Springfield News-Leader
·3 min read

The board of directors for the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce has announced its endorsement of two proposed amendments to the City Charter that will appear on the April 2 ballot. The measures pertain to extending the current mayoral term and addressing conflict-of-interest provisions.

“As we consider current recruitment challenges or both Springfield’s workforces and public servants, we believe these two measures will move the City in the right direction,” Brian Hammons, chairman of the board, said in a release.

The City Charter acts as the city’s constitution, and any changes to it require approval from voters. City Council voted in January to certify two proposals for amendments on the April ballot. The first measure would amend Sections 2.1(1) and 2.6 of the Springfield City Charter, extending mayoral terms to four years instead of two years. The term limit for mayor would remain unchanged, at a total of eight years.

The second measure pertains to Section 19.16 of the Springfield City Charter and would amend the current conflict-of-interest provisions affecting employees, volunteers and elected officials. The Charter currently prohibits any city officials from having any “financial interest, direct or indirect, in any contract with the City.” It also prohibits city officials from the financial interest in the sale of land, materials, supplies, and services unless on behalf of the city.

This measure would not modify the current review process of what is considered a financial interest violation. Violations of this section are supposed to result in immediate forfeiture of the person’s position, according to past News-Leader reporting. If approved, the proposal would amend the section to include:

  • A requirement for City Council to maintain and review a code of ethics at least every other year;

  • Removal of the automatic forfeiture provision for violations as applied to employees. The amended section would include flexibility when handling employee violations, noting they will be subject to disciplinary action that could still include termination. Forfeiture would still apply to council members, officers, and board members;

  • Language that notes a prior written opinion from the city attorney, obtained in good faith, can be used as a defense for addressing claims of a violation.

The Springfield Chamber’s member-driven review process, next steps

More: Push for simplified code of ethics in City Charter gains momentum ahead of April ballot

According to the release, the chamber board initiated a review of both ballot measures in January. This led to a meeting of the Chamber’s Local Issues Task Force, which assists the board in establishing positions on local ballot issues. The Chamber no longer endorses candidates for any election and does not engage in partisan races.

Springfield City Manager Jason Gage provided educational information on both measures, and Springfield Mayor Pro Tem Matt Simpson spoke in support of them at a task force meeting in January. No organized opposition was identified. However, the task force was provided with publicly shared councilmember opposition and a letter of opposition from a former city attorney. After the discussion, the task force unanimously recommended that the Chamber Board of Directors endorse both measures.

The board also encouraged the city to consider the conflict-of-interest proposal as a first step in a larger process to address ongoing challenges for the business community. Some of those issues, Hammons said in the release, are tied to this section of the charter. According to Tiffany Batdorf, vice president of communications and community relations for the Chamber, the measure could help alleviate workforce challenges related to resulting turnover from the current forfeiture requirement for employees.

She added that while not addressed in the ballot measure, it remains a concern for businesses that contracts with the city would still automatically be terminated without any consideration of the factors for each specific conflict of interest case. Batdorf said the Chamber also hopes for additional clarification of terms such as "direct" and "indirect" financial interests in the charter.

“We strongly encourage the City to further evaluate the conflict-of-interest language to address all current issues that stem from this section of the Charter,” Hammons said.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Springfield Chamber endorses April ballot measures on city charter