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Springfield council approves CPC FY2027 package, sends Brightwood School vote to committee after ethics concern
Summary
The City Council approved the Community Preservation Committee's FY2027 budget and a slate of CPA grants totalling several million dollars, and voted to refer the Bella Apartments/Brightwood School redevelopment funding request to the General Government committee after Councilor Hurst raised conflict-of-interest concerns involving the city clerk.
The Springfield City Council on June 22 approved the Community Preservation Committee's FY2027 budget and a string of project funding recommendations, and voted to send the Brightwood School/Bella Apartments redevelopment item to the General Government committee after a councilor raised questions about potential conflicts of interest.
Bob MacCarroll, chair of the Community Preservation Committee, told the council the committee estimates roughly $2,600,000 from the local surcharge, $424,000 from the state distribution and about $150,000 in interest, for total CPA revenue of $3,232,757 in the coming year. State law requires setting aside 10% of that total for each of housing, historic preservation, open space and recreation; MacCarroll said those set-asides equal about $323,276 each, with $150,200 budgeted for CPC administration and the remainder held as undesignated reserves.
Councilors approved a slate of recommended projects, including a $300,000 allocation for the down-payment assistance program; $300,000 for renovations and conversion to pickleball courts at Horniak (Nohrniak) Park; $300,000 recommendations for Old First Church and the Gunn Block stabilization; and multiple smaller historic- and park-focused grants. Several councilors asked for clarifications about how projects were selected and how neighborhoods could reapply in subsequent cycles.
A separate, contested action arose on item 14, a $100,000 recommendation toward the Bella Apartments redevelopment of the closed Brightwood School. Councilor Hurst moved to refer that item to the General Government committee and asked the city solicitor to review possible ethical and legal issues; Hurst said the city clerk had roles on nonprofit and LLC documents tied to interests that could benefit from the project and said the circumstances "reeks of corruption." The motion was seconded by Councilor Perez and carried on a roll-call vote. The council recorded recusals where noted in the hearing.
Several councilors who were present offered support for the clerk during the debate. "I have 100% confidence in our city clerk and her ethics," Councilor Walsh said during the discussion; other councilors urged that the committee process and a legal opinion were appropriate ways to resolve the concerns.
The council also recorded routine recusals and roll-call approvals on projects where members disclosed conflicts. For the Affordable Housing Trust Fund recommendation to redevelop a city-owned property on Main Street, President Whitfield recused and the council proceeded with a vote that passed.
What the council approved next will depend on the General Government committee's review of the Brightwood School matter and any legal findings. The council scheduled further hearings and committee work; the next regular City Council meeting is July 27.
Actions and next steps: the CPC FY2027 budget and multiple project recommendations were approved by roll call; item 14 (Brightwood School/Bella Apartments funding recommendation) was referred to the General Government committee for review and possible legal/ethics analysis. The committee will report back before council determines whether to proceed with contracting for those funds.
