Residents and several aldermen used public comment and new-business time at the Dec. 30 Committee of the Whole meeting to press the City of Springfield for faster action on vacant properties, housing instability and downtown business closures.

Brianna Roberts, introducing a "Springfield Wrapped" review of city data, said downtown lost roughly 13 locally owned businesses over about nine months and that Springfield recorded 11 homicides this year. "Our most skipped genre this year was locally owned businesses," Roberts said, adding that a population decline of about 1,400 residents since the last census has reduced the city’s workforce, school enrollment and tax base. She urged council members to prioritize downtown investment, targeted grants for minority-owned businesses and housing stability efforts.

An alderman raised repeated concerns about long-vacant, boarded and dilapidated houses that attract illegal dumping and delay neighborhood recovery, calling for the council and staff to pursue faster options to repair, sell or remove such properties in 2026. The chair said the topic would be part of forthcoming infrastructure committee discussions.

Kim Pacia told the council the city "failed to resolve" housing problems and criticized repeated delays on a landlord-registry proposal. Pacia recounted a personal example of a relative evicted on Christmas Eve and urged the council to pair enforcement with education; she cautioned that "shoving more police" is not a complete solution to traffic and safety problems and encouraged use of state anti-distracted-driving programs and public-service announcements.

Clerk also announced additional speakers including Tierra Standage and Abdul Mohammed; Mohammed described difficulties obtaining benefits and public records and alleged administrative errors affecting his case. Those allegations were presented as unresolved grievances in the public-comment record.

Council members acknowledged the concerns and said the issues would be discussed in 2026 committee work and the upcoming budget process. No formal policy change or new program was adopted during the meeting on these matters.