Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – Last week’s announcement of legislation from State Senator Doris Turner that could end up improving the Bank of Springfield Center and building a new hotel next to it was met with a bit of skepticism by the Springfield City Council.

Aldermen Roy Williams, for one, thinks the move may force the city council to be “hands off” — especially if a new governing board is formed, as the legislation calls for.

“We have to be the City Council, and be the authority over it,” said Williams.  “Or else, we’ll be in that same boat we’re in when it comes to other Sangamon County-type things, like the health board — we ain’t got no representation [sic].  ‘No, we don’t want anybody from the City Council on it.’  Or, the Animal Control.  Same thing.  Everything that goes county ain’t [sic] always good for the city.  Stand up and be the aldermen and the alderwoman we’re supposed to be.”

Williams says he’s going to craft a resolution saying that the city should be the primary authority, not any sort of county entity.

Another aldermen suggested that Springfield could build up its downtown like the town of Normal.  But that was met with doubt, too.

“There’s not even been an attempt to touch the Master Plan that folks in this community only a year or so ago had worked really hard to put together,” said Ald. Jennifer Notariano.  “Granted, it was not a whole, clear, detailed plan.  It was a broad outline of a vision of what people in Springfield want from their downtown.”

Besides, Notariano claimed unlike Springfield, Normal actually followed their Master Plan.