SPRINGFIELD—A bevy of ordinances and several financial items greeted the City Council Monday night. The broad range of the policies under consideration ranged from rules for signs to outdoor dining. The Council also sought to leverage Springfield tax incremental financing (TIF) programs to ensure tax
SPRINGFIELD—On Monday night, the City Council delivered a blow to Mayor Domenic Sarno’s efforts to bully a church out of shelting an undocumented woman. The body unanimously passed an order to halt expenditure of city funds to interfere with South Congregational Church’s provision of sanctuary
SPRINGFIELD—The City Council Monday night issued a stern rebuke to Mayor Domenic Sarno, ordering the city back off South Congregational Church, which is providing sanctuary to a woman facing deportation. It came after Sarno demanded city officials inspect the church for code violations. He also
SPRINGFIELD—The same night the City Council enacted a new rules for tax incentives, it turned one proposed break back. The moves on tax incremental financing (TIF) were unrelated and yet inextricably linked. A power struggle lay behind legitimate concerns about a TIF connected to the
Members of the Springfield City Council have identified their next target in the battle for control of—and relevance to—city government. For much of the city’s time under Plan A and particularly over the last 30 years, the Council has lingered in the lane of land
SPRINGFIELD—The City Council’s first February meeting, lasting about four hours, made up for the meager agenda at the last regular meeting. The stage was set for breaking the logjam on the district fire chiefs. A solar farm tax deal advanced. The body confirmed Auditor Yong
On Friday, nomination papers for state offices became available, prompting an early salvo of pols’ intentions. For example, despite an investigation into his husband, Amherst Senator Stanley Rosenberg picked up nomination papers last week. However, that was not the only Senate news. Springfield Ward 1
SPRINGFIELD—Eight days after beginning his second term as Council President, Ward 8 Councilor Orlando Ramos made clear 2018 would be different. Some councilors were uprooted from longtime committee assignments and whole committees were dissolved and their duties reassigned. The list of assignments was released quietly
SPRINGFIELD—The first regular City Council meeting coasted to a quick finish Monday night, a consequence of its small, uncontroversial agenda. Timing likely played a role in the slim to-do list. The body was only sworn in last week and submissions for this week’s agenda were
SPRINGFIELD—Amid frigid temperatures, rare New Year’s Day inaugurations formally installed new councilors two of the region’s largest cities installed last week. Both Chicopee and Springfield swore in their city councils Monday. Council races were the highlights of both cities’ elections and the beginning of the