The City of Springfield has officially launched Community Connection.
It's a new tool available through the new City Navigator, an online portal that centralizes access to City services and communication tools. Residents can visit www.springfield.il.us/Navigate.aspx to access the platform.
Community Connection allows residents to submit questions, compliments, and concerns directly to the City. Each submission will be reviewed by a dedicated Community Connection Coordinator, who will ensure the message is directed to the appropriate department and responded to within 24 to 48 business hours. The system is designed to streamline communication and ensure that residents receive timely, respectful, and helpful responses, according to the city.
Officials add Community Connection is not to be confused with the City’s existing “Report a Problem” tool, which is located at www.springfield.il.us/IWantTo_Report.aspx. Report a Problem is designed specifically for submitting service-related issues such as potholes, missed trash pickup, streetlight outages, and other infrastructure-related concerns. Those issues will continue to be routed directly to operational departments for resolution through that system.
By contrast, Community Connection is for broader communication needs, allowing residents to ask questions about city services, share ideas or compliments, and express non-urgent concerns that warrant a response from City Hall.
“Community Connection is about removing barriers and creating a clear, consistent way for our residents to be heard,” said Mayor Misty Buscher.
This launch follows the first prong of Mayor Buscher's communication initiative, which focused on improving the clarity and transparency of departmental communications through public open houses.
The third and final prong will debut later this year and will focus on expanding direct communication options with the mayor.
