State senator proposes annexation bill for Springfield; surrounding communities worry

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) - A proposal in the Missouri House could allow the city of Springfield to annex areas up to six miles from the city limits.

“The act of pre-filing it as early as possible is to give more runway, more time to get that feedback,” says Republican State Senator Curtis Trent.

Senate Bill 979 generated concern for the city of Republic and its neighbors regarding how the bill is written.

“So, when you read the bill, you automatically go wait a minute, this has concerns, where did it come from, why has it been pre-filed, why are we just now finding out about it,” says David Cameron, the City Administrator for Republic.

“We do feel like it’s too vague, but we feel like from emails, they are going to address that,” said the City Administrator of Battlefield, Tommy VanHorn. “To learn about the bill and to learn about the desire to change how annexation is done within Greene County area as it pertains to the fire protection district, specifically, to learn about that after the bill was filed, during the pre-file process is our first concern.”

Springfield Mayor Ken McClure says the bill has room for adjustments, “Looking around at other communities and other concerns that may be out there, certainly there are adjustments out there to make it do what it is supposed to do, and that is basically to allow for voluntary annexation for this particular area that the bill will cover.”

That area is called Hunt Branch, near U.S. 60 and U.S. 65. Springfield Mayor Ken McClure says the bill is written to allow the city to annex the area where the city council just approved the addition of the Hunt Branch Trunk Sewer Line Project.

“Which is a key need for development there. Also, water will be put in by city utilities. And really, that is an area that really needs to be a part of the city of Springfield, that is why the compact and continuous is adjusted only for that. So that is the area we are particularly looking at, and the area really would be voluntary in its annexation. And that is a key part of the bill,” says Mayor McClure.

Republic City Administrator David Cameron disagrees. He says the bill gives the city of Springfield wide-berth regarding how they can utilize the bill.

“What is the intent of this bill? And it is for a proposed area on US 65. And so, that is not how the bill reads. It reads six miles from Springfield city limits. Outside of that, it would put it past Republic or any of the other communities, for that matter. But it also makes establishing the boundary agreements up to the Springfield City Council,” says Cameron.

For Springfield, it is about growth.

“The city needs to grow, and when we do, that helps the entire area, including all the surrounding communities, so when there is a natural area of growth such as this on East U.S. Highway 60, we need to take advantage of that, and we need the statutory change in order for us to do that,” says Mayor McClure.

Republic would have liked a seat at the table when it comes to the language of the bill, “I think that we have had a lot of conversation about regionalism, working together collectively, and trying to do the right thing. We have always said, as Springfield goes, that it is kind of the catalyst community; it is the biggest community, so you want to see it grow and expand. That would have been one of those areas where we could have worked collaboratively and arranged a bill that would have been a win-win to achieve whatever objective they were trying to do. That would have been one of those areas where we could have worked together to help everyone achieve whatever they were looking to do. We could have been a sponsor or co-sponsor and get along behind the bill instead of sitting here going wait a min we’re reluctant, at least I am reluctant,” says Cameron.

Over in Battlefield, the provision in the bill relating to the reduction of property tax funding from properties that are annexed is a concern for the Fire Protection District.

“Growth is inevitable; we don’t want to see growth not happen, but there is a standard of protection that our community expects,” says Chief Scott Moore of the Battlefield Fire Protection District.

Senate Bill 979 says that an area that is annexed would only be able to collect property tax revenue for the remainder of the year that annexation happens. After that, Springfield, over the next four years, shall reduce the amount collected and paid to the fire district by twenty percent.”

“As those go down, something has to replace that in order for us to provide the fire protection that our community expects,” says Chief Moore.

As the bill moves through the legislative process, “I think that when you have a very new idea like this, a very new issue, you are going to encounter a lot of that pushback, so filing it is really the first step to getting everyone to engage. We want the input at the front end of the process, so we don’t pass something and realize there was a problem,” says State Senator Trent.

We contacted the city of Nixa for comment on Senate Bill 979. Spokesperson Drew Douglas responded.

“Whenever possible, the city of Nixa tries to work together with each of our neighboring communities in collaboration for our mutual benefit while prioritizing the protection of Nixa’s interests,” said Douglas. “Regarding Senate Bill 979, we have been in contact with the city of Springfield to discuss potential changes to their proposed legislation. We will wait to see what, if any, changes are made to the legislation, which has been filed before we make further comment.”

Click here to read the full bill for yourself.

To report a correction or typo, please email digitalnews@ky3.com