Springfield City Council

Springfield City Council has approved a future ban on pit bull dogs in the city limits. The decision was 5-4.

The ordinance also establishes a minimum fine for violations of the pit bull provisions.  Those include keeping pit bull puppies born to dogs currently in the city once they turn eight weeks old.

Councilman Richard Ollis explained why he planned to vote against the measure.

Springfield doctors and pharmacists will have a new tool to use when prescribing and handing out opiates and opioids.  Springfield City Council approved the implementation of a prescription drug monitoring program for the city Monday night. Hours later, Greene County commissioners approved a database county-wide.

The PDMP will be part of the St. Louis Consortium and will be voluntary for physicians to use and mandatory for pharmacists, according to City Councilman Dr. Tom Prater, who said it will be important in being able to evaluate a patient's needs.

Springfield City Council could vote in just under two weeks on a prescription drug monitoring program for the city.  A public hearing last night brought those for and against a PDMP before council.

Katie Towns, assistant director of health for the Springfield-Greene County Health Department, said implementing a program locally would help in the fight against opioid addiction.

The city of Springfield is voluntarily refraining from using coal tar based sealants (CTBS) at its facilities after studies suggest they can be harmful to streams and aquatic life.

The City Council’s Community Involvement Committee met on Tuesday to discuss an alternative method of the compound. The CTBS contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), a group of chemicals that can be found in products made from fossil fuels.

An ordinance to implement a prescription drug monitoring program in Springfield will go to the full city council for a vote after a council committee--the Community Involvement Committee—unanimously agreed Tuesday to take that action.

Before the vote, the Springfield-Greene County Health Department and Springfield’s Healthy Living Alliance recommended moving forward with the ordinance.

Springfield is planning to join a largely state-wide effort to receive a federal grant to implement a PDMP.  The grant would cover the cost of a program for the first two years.