Springfield ICON

Independent Coalition for Our Neighborhoods

ICON 2023 City Candidate Survey

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The Springfield Independent Coalition for Our Neighborhoods (ICON) is a grassroots organization committed to working with our city elected and non-elected officials to support public policies and services that promote a safe, clean and livable community. ICON was created in 2011 in response to the challenges facing Springfield’s older neighborhoods in receiving the attention they deserved and needed when decisions on public policy and service delivery were being considered.

ICON will continue to partner and collaborate with neighborhood leaders to engage our public officials on matters and issues of concern for ICON’s goal of maintaining safe, clean, and livable neighborhoods throughout Springfield. ICON looks forward to working together with those elected leaders and public officials who share that same goal.

As a candidate for a city office, ICON invites you to complete this 15 question survey which lists several priorities that ICON supports as an organization. Your responses will be posted on our website at www.SpringfieldICON.org for public viewing. We request that you please complete the survey and return it by Friday, February 17th.

Thank you in advance for your participation and interest in issues impacting our city’s older neighborhoods.

TO SAVE YOUR ANSWERS and CONTINUE later, you may select the “Save and Continue Later” button at the bottom of this form. Problems completing the form? Contact .

Candidate Information

ICON will post a page on our website with information about each candidate for city office. All candidates will have a page, and you may provide information you’d like to have published. You may email additional information for your ICON page, such as photos or position statements, to .

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CATEGORY Government Transparency and Ordinance Compliance

Question 1

ICON believes in providing full transparency to the public regarding steps the city is taking to address neighborhood issues and problems.

Would you support funding to fully implement and operationalize a publicly accessible database for tracking city code violations?(Required)

Question 2

ICON believes in providing full transparency as decisions that impact neighborhoods are made by city officials. ICON supports full accountability throughout the problem resolution process.

Would you support requiring all proposed agreements for the remediation of housing and building code violations scheduled for administrative hearings, to be published in a publicly accessible city database accessible 24 hours prior to scheduled hearings?(Required)

Question 3

The city does not allow for any input from impacted neighbors or neighborhoods during the administrative hearing process for problem properties. ICON believes that such input should be allowed by Including written or oral testimony from those impacted parties. Doing so would allow neighborhoods impacted by unkept property to have a voice in the process when administrative judges are deciding building and housing code violation cases.

Would you support changing current city policy and practice to allow public input at administrative hearings under the supervision of the administrative judge?(Required)

Question 4

ICON believes that city residents should continue to choose their waste hauler, but the city should pay the hauler for services by collecting for garbage service from all city residents on the CWLP bill. ICON believes this would help reduce fly dumping and ensure consistent garbage collection, as all city residents would be required to pay their fair share for garbage collection.

Would you support placing the payment for residential garbage service on the CWLP bills for residential customers, like the Waste and Recycling fee?(Required)

Question 5

ICON supports the city properly enforcing the current city ordinances requiring enclosure, registration, fees and listing of the properties on the City website, of open buildings, secured buildings, and vacant buildings containing two or more violations of the City Codes.

ICON believes that a comprehensive survey could focus on residential blight and provide the city a starting point to better plan and target resources for addressing neighborhood blight. The city currently has no comprehensive registration list as required by city ordinance nor a comprehensive plan to address vacant properties.

Would you support funding of an annual survey of all vacant property in the city to be conducted by a third party or consultant with expertise in mapping and assessment, working with the Public Works Building & Zoning Department and the office of Economic Development?(Required)

Question 6

ICON believes in providing full transparency into the governing decision-making process and supports expanding access for the public to the city zoning process. The city currently broadcasts city council meetings that occur in the same room as the Planning and Zoning Commission meetings. ICON believes that the zoning meetings should also be broadcast for public viewing for those who are unable to attend meetings in person.

Would you support the city broadcasting Planning & Zoning Commission hearings how City Council Meetings and Committee of the Whole meetings are broadcast?(Required)

CATEGORY Protecting Neighborhood Quality of Life

Question 7

ICON believes that to reduce fly dumping and provide residents with a more comprehensive and user-friendly garbage service, the large item pick up program should be expanded. Doing so would help reduce the amount of fly dumping of unwanted mattresses, furniture, appliances, throughout the city.

Would you support expanding large item pick up to allow residents to place large items curbside/alley side with weekly pickups, either collected by waste haulers or the city public works department?(Required)

Question 8

ICON believes we should follow what many other cities have already put in place to ensure rental property standards are maintained and that local contacts for out-of-town landlords are on file.

Would you support a city ordinance requiring all landlords renting property in the city to register annually with the city providing local contact information and proof of garbage service?(Required)

Question 9

ICON supports an analysis to estimate the long-term cost to the entire city based on the impact on limited resources over the next 30 years when development occurs outside of the city Comprehensive Land Use Plan and Zoning code. The analysis would not prohibit moving forward but would provide the mayor and City Council with the long-term impact to the entire city for the deviation from the city’s approved planning.

Would you support requiring a “30-year cost benefit analysis” to be prepared by city police, fire, public works, and the utility for any proposed development or zoning change that does not comply with the city's Comprehensive Land Use Plan or Zoning Code?(Required)

Question 10

ICON believes a city planning professional should be hired as a civil service position that would provide long term professional guidance and advice to city policy makers in implementing long term city planning and development that is more neighborhood friendly. ICON believes that a city planner should be the lead on any neighborhood request for neighborhood plans as suggested in the current city 2020 Comprehensive Land Use Plan.

Would you support funding to hire a professionally accredited city planner in the FY 25 budget?(Required)

Question 11

ICON recognizes the important role that professional staff and the Planning and Zoning Commission play in deciding request to deviate from the Comprehensive Land Use Plan and the City Zoning code. Input from the Sangamon County Regional Planning Commission Staff, Public Works Building and Zoning staff, and the Planning and Zoning Commission provides a professional review of all requests. ICON believes that by requiring a super majority vote when rejecting the professional advice of staff or the Planning and Zoning Commission when deciding to grant request that do not follow the Comprehensive Land Use Plan and the City Zoning will provide more clarity and transparency to the process.

Will you support changes to the city zoning process to require a super majority vote (8) of the city council if approving zoning matters that conflict with the professional advice and guidance of the city and county subject matter experts for zoning and development decisions?(Required)

CATEGORY Investing Resources in Older Neighborhoods

Question 12

The city commitment is anticipated to be $250,000 annually over the next five years to support the goal of functional zero homelessness by 2028. ICON believes that the city has a responsibility to financially support the communities’ collaborative approach to addressing homelessness in Springfield working with the Continuum of Care and their partners.

Will you pledge to provide the requested annual city portion of funding to the Heartland Continuum of Care to implement their 5-year comprehensive plan to address homelessness in Sangamon County?(Required)

Question 13

ICON believes that without a long-term comprehensive plan the infrastructure deficiencies that are prevalent in many of our older neighborhoods will continue to be neglected with living conditions and property values decreasing. ICON believes that a plan should be prepared prior to the FY 25 Budget and would include designated funding sources and a timeline for completing the improvements, beginning in FY 25.

Would you support requiring Public Works and CWLP to develop and present to the city council a long-term comprehensive plan to modernize roads, storm sewers, sidewalks, utility infrastructure, curbs, and stop lights for all neighborhoods of our city that lack that infrastructure?(Required)

Question 14

ICON believes that any remaining ARCA (COVID) funding should be spent on sewer upgrades (sanitary and storm), road modernization, curb installation and repairs, and sidewalk installations and repairs. ICON believes that any remaining ARCA funds should be utilized for long neglected infrastructure needs in the older neighborhoods of the city. While a long-term plan that addresses the needs comprehensively needs to be developed, funded, and implemented, we believe that the unique funding that ARCA funds provided should be set aside and targeted for these neglected infrastructure improvements in older neighborhoods.

Would you support targeting any remaining ARCA (COVID) funds for infrastructure repairs and modernization in the older neighborhoods of our city?(Required)

Question 15

ICON believes a comprehensive plan should be prepared to develop the vacant city lots. ICON believes that the city should focus on collaboration with community partners such as Habitat for Humanity, Fifth Street Renaissance, the Heartland Continuum of cares as well as private contractors and developers, in developing a plan. ICON believes without a comprehensive plan with a clear timeline, many of the development opportunities in our city core will continue to be neglected impacting our entire city.

Would you support development of a comprehensive plan for the development of city owned vacant lots and salvageable structures by FY 25 that focusses on creating opportunities for housing development in older neighborhoods?(Required)

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Thank you to all candidates who completed the Survey!