Springfield’s Mayor McClure delivers State of the City address on Thursday

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) - Springfield Mayor Ken McClure will present the State of the City speech Thursday morning. It will update community members on city projects and plans moving forward.

The theme of the mayor’s address will be moving forward and what community members can expect from the city over the next few years. One area that the city is focused on is connecting the community to neighborhood groups.

Mayor McClure will give an update on what has been done to address these issues and the impact of the city’s efforts. He will also discuss what can be done to improve in those areas. One of the critical points in today’s speech is where the city is heading economically.

“We have success with businesses coming in,” said McClure. “We’ll be talking about buggies that will be opening soon. We’ve got other good news economically. We have good news on the job front. We have good news on the investment side.”

Some of the city’s successes include addressing poverty. The city is currently undergoing a housing study to help improve home ownership and make Springfield a desirable place to live. The mayor says the city is also doing well economically, with new businesses opening and workforce development progressing. The Springfield police chief reported a 20% drop in crime last year, but there are still concerns, including calls reporting shots fired. Moving forward, the mayor wants to focus on first responders.

“Making sure, for example, that we achieve full staffing of our police department,” said McClure. “That’s been an issue for a long time. And I think we have that within our sites now to be able to do that makes sure that we’re fully staffed, well compensated, equipped, well trained well. Similarly, staffing for our fire department. Those are challenges we want to reach out.”

The State of the City event is happening Thursday at 7:30 a.m. This is a Springfield Chamber of Commerce event that includes breakfast. Tickets are $30 for chamber members and $40 for non-members. You can also steam the mayor’s speech HERE.

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