SPRINGFIELD—After weeks and months of fits and starts, the City Council passed its ban on the free distribution of plastic bags. However, passage came at the expense of the fee on non-plastic bags provided at retail, intended to discourage consumer use of single-use bags regardless
SPRINGFIELD—Facing a rising tide of scandal flowing from the Springfield Police Department, the City Council’s Public Safety Committee reviewed legislation on Thursday that aims to contain the latest runoff. The ordinance, would essentially reverse efforts to revive the Police Commission and codify the mayor’s police
SPRINGFIELD—City councilors continued their legislative blitz on April Fool’s night, passing a new array of laws to reign in pawn shops and tax incentives. But it was no laughing matter. In fact, the bills were extensions of existing rules. Yet they were notably for the
SPRINGFIELD—In a sign that environmental policy has become an issue for the City Council, the first major bill to emerge from the new Sustainability Committee has inched toward passage. The bill, shorthanded simplistically as a plastic bag ban, is not entirely new. However, it may
SPRINGFIELD—After nearly two months of kulturkampf seizing the city and local body politic, Springfield councilors took final action to enact the Welcoming Communities Trust ordinance (WCT). Mayor Domenic Sarno had vetoed the measure hours after the Council passed it last month, but Monday the City
In Springfield 2018 may go down as a key year for the city. The Council, Springfield’s congressman, and even activism itself had a good year. But even if there was some small-d and large-D democratic developments, this year also ushered in some noteworthy signs on
SPRINGFIELD—It is possible 2018 may go down as one of the most legislatively active years for the City Council in recent memory. Though not all efforts succeeded, the body aggressively moved multiple bills Some passed. Some did so over the mayor’s veto. Others did not
SPRINGFIELD—After nearly two hours of debate, City Councilors nudged Springfield closer toward new rules that would keep the city away from immigration enforcement. The Welcoming Communities Trust (WCT) Ordinance did not pass final step as expected after councilors raised some concerns. Despite the slowdown and
SPRINGFIELD—Days before Thanksgiving, the City Council ingested parts of its massive agenda Monday night while leaving some leftovers for later. Although the sprawling to-do list included myriad financial items and orders, the legislative prerogatives had the most attention. Some were continuation of prior approvals while
SPRINGFIELD—In a comparatively—and mercifully—short meeting Monday night, the City Council’s responsibilities were largely financial. Although many of the meeting’s fiscal items veered toward the banal, a wistful to frustrated air fell over the body around two of them. Councilors had to approve over a million