Committee approves $49,002,265.10 workers’ comp settlement for Springfield police employee

The Springfield City Council Committee of the Whole on Aug. 26 approved an ordinance authorizing payment of $49,002,265.10 to Isaiah Cooper, a Springfield Police Department employee, to settle a workers’ compensation claim.

The ordinance was read aloud during the meeting. “2025353, an ordinance authorizing payment in the amount of $49,002,265 dollars and 10¢ to Isaiah Cooper, a Springfield Police Department employee for settlement of workers' compensation claim and for case number 24WCDash017549,” the clerk read during the consent agenda. The item was placed on the consent calendar and approved by voice vote; the presiding officer announced, “All those in favor? Aye. All those opposed, the ayes have it.”

The ordinance appears on the meeting’s consent calendar alongside other routine approvals, which members approved without separate discussion. The transcript does not specify which council member moved or seconded the motion, nor does it identify individual yes/no votes beyond the voice vote recorded by the chair.

The transcript does not identify the funding source or how the payment will be charged in the city budget. The ordinance text and the clerk’s reading provide the settlement amount and the case number (24WCDash017549); no additional financial breakdown, reserve account, or departmental funding source was stated in the record.

Discussion versus decision: this item was a formal action (ordinance approval) taken by the Committee of the Whole; the record shows no separate deliberation or requests for staff follow‑up on the settlement during the meeting.

Proper names in the record related to this item include Isaiah Cooper and the Springfield Police Department. Additional ordinance identifiers appearing in the meeting record include the ordinance label shown when read by the clerk (2025353).