Mayor Mike Houston has offered an explanation for the nearly two-year delay in presenting a plan to pay for Springfield’s infrastructure needs.
Houston promised such a plan during his campaign for mayor in 2011, but still hasn’t delivered the details to alderman.
Houston says he had a plan back then, based on the revenues from selling electricity on the futures market.
But after he took office, Houston says prices plunged, eliminating that as a revenue source.
Now the mayor is working on a combination of sewer fee increases and a sales tax hike to finance repairs, but still isn’t saying when he’ll provide the detailed plan to the city council.
