Council approves $54,592 UIS contract to design police‑community advisory process; amendment requires half the members from two highest‑call beats

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Springfield City Council on April 21 approved an agreement with the University of Illinois to develop an advisory‑board model, facilitate community research and plan next steps for police‑community engagement in a contract not to exceed $54,592.

The vote followed more than an hour of discussion about how to ensure the board reflects lived experience from neighborhoods with the most police contacts. Alderman Gregory moved an amendment that the project scope “shall specify that at least half of its advisory body members shall be comprised of individuals that reside in the 2 beats that have the highest crime rate.” The council approved the amendment by voice vote; the ordinance as amended passed 9–0.

Chief Beal told the council the funding will support research, community engagement and the design of an advisory entity intended to be “community born, and selected by those members that have been part of the conversations” rather than appointed by the city. Community groups involved in the earlier work — including the Community Health Roundtable and SCOTA — have been meeting since 2022, council members and speakers said.

Gail Simpson, a former alderwoman who spoke as a community representative, urged continuation of the work and grounding any proposed body in empirical research. “It is imperative that we continue these discussions and the framework,” Simpson said, describing a 2022 white paper and community meetings that informed the contract request.

Aldermen who pushed for the amendment said it is intended to guarantee representation from neighborhoods that experience the most stops and calls for service; supporters said it provides a bulwark against an advisory body that would otherwise fail to include those voices. Others warned the council not to unduly constrain the researchers’ work and noted that UIS is contracted to recommend bylaws and membership models, not to select members.

Council members asked that UIS and the community group return with reports and recommendations when the study is complete; Chief Beal and community organizers said they expect the work to be community‑led and to report back to council with findings and follow‑up options.

The ordinance authorizes the Springfield mayor to execute an agreement with the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois for advisory‑board development, facilitation, research and planning for the Springfield Police Department, not to exceed $54,592. The amendment requiring representation from the two beats with the highest calls for service was adopted and the final motion passed 9–0.

The council set expectations that the study’s final report and any requests for future funding or implementation would return to the council for review and approval.