SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 27 MARCH 20-26, 2023 FROM THE COVER be funded by bonds through future hotel tax revenue, Gage said. “With that in mind, we continually collaborate and plan with other community entities that help us support tourism and the economic impact it provides to our community,” he said. The council vote to put the measure on the ballot met with no opposition. Bidding changes Voters will also be asked to approve Question 2, which would amend the city charter as it relates to competitive bidding. The proposed change would authorize an ordinance approving acceptance of a bid and entry into contract with a successful bidder to be passed at the same City Council meeting in which it is introduced. This would skirt the current two-reading process required for passage of such measures. Gage said the proposed change would allow, but not require, City Council to accept a competitive bid and award contracts on the first reading, rather than waiting two weeks for a second reading at the following council meeting. “If used, this change would reduce the time to enter into competitively bid construction and other contracts,” Gage said. He clarified that the approach would affect only the awarding of the bid and not any other aspect of the competitive bidding process. “If questions or concerns regarding any competitive project bid should occur, the city could choose to take action on the second reading of the bill,” he said. An advantage of the change would be a stepped-up timeline for projects in the city. One local developer, Curtis Jared, told Springfield Business Journal in a January interview that speeding up some processes is essential for the city to remain a desirable place for new projects. “We’re not a small city anymore. We’re a large city, and we need some efficiencies,” Jared said. “We’ve got to try to streamline things.” Springfield’s charter requires an opportunity for competitive bidding before the city makes any purchase or contract. Typically, the city accepts the bid that is deemed the lowest and best. Charter updates To make any change to the city’s charter requires action by voters. Some of the changes proposed in Question 1 clean up the charter language, for instance, by replacing the word “personnel” with the phrase “human resources.” The updated phrasing would match the present name of the city’s Department of Human Resources, Gage said. The ballot measure would also allow the city manager to delegate authority to remove nonregular types of employees to the HR director. This would typically apply to temporary and seasonal employees, rather than full-time employees. Additionally, the change would add certain employees to the list of unclassified service positions. “This will allow us to employ variable-hour employees that have variable-hour lives,” Gage said. “These include college students and others desiring more flexible schedules.” More flexibility with employee promotions and rehires would also result from approval of Question 1, Gage said, pointing to the recent rehiring of retired police officers. The city charter has veterans’ preference language for hiring. At present, preference is given only to honorably discharged veterans who served during time of war or expedition, Gage said. “The proposed language eliminates the restricted eligibility, allowing preference access to all honorably discharged veterans,” he said. The questions will all appear on the ballot as a result of City Council members voting unanimously to put them before voters. • Issues: Ballot measure would reduce time in competitive bidding process Continued from page 1 Coolest Things Made in the Ozarks | April 26 Dynamic Dozen | May 18 Economic Impact Awards | July 20 Nomination deadline | April 20 Men of the Year | Aug. 24 Nomination deadline | May 18 Trusted Advisers | Sept. 29 Nomination deadline | June 21 Most Influential Women | Oct. 20 Nomination deadline | July 13 SGF Business Expo | Oct. 26 Health Care Champions | Nov. 14 Nomination deadline | Aug. 10 90 Ideas in 90 Minutes | Dec. 6 40 Under 40 | March 2024 Nomination deadline | Nov. 17 SBJ.net/events VOTE Cox College plans to debut doctorate by SBJ Staff · sbj@sbj.net Cox College this spring is scheduled to launch its first-ever doctoral degree program. The CoxHealth-affiliated college’s occupational therapy doctorate program is slated to start in May, according to a news release. “We are excited to bring this program to southwest Missouri,” said Amy DeMelo, president of Cox College, in the release. “Offering a doctorate degree in occupational therapy will provide additional options for students and help ensure a pipeline of highly trained occupational therapists to serve patients across the region.” DeMelo teased the doctorate program in an October 2022 Q&A for Springfield Business Journal. Occupational therapists, according to the release, are one of the most in-demand health care occupations. Amy Stark, who serves as Occupational Therapy Department Chair, will lead the new Cox College program. The doctoral program will incorporate advanced training in leadership and research, as well as a self-directed research project with faculty mentorship. Students can complete the program over nine semesters, according to the release. Applications for the inaugural class are open now. •
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