A special Springfield City Council meeting Tuesday afternoon developed into a conversation on development in the city. It began with a question regarding City Manager David Cameron’s request for a new hire in his department. The request is in the city’s proposed 2026-27 budget. Cameron wants a new principal engineer for the city to act as a development liaison and work in improvements to vacant or rundown properties.
Councilmember Monica Horton presented the question, asking if the expertise does not already exist in the department.
Cameron clarified that the new hire would be empowered to help interpret code and policy and make partnership a nimbler process. He said the proposal was based on his observations and feedback from the development community. He said the city would benefit from “having somebody from my office that has the ability to generate a public-private partnership and concept while they’re on the spot and find solutions”…