SPRINGFIELD – City Council President Orlando Ramos announced the creation of two new special committees that will address improving community relations with the police and oversee the construction and development of MGM Springfield on Jan. 9.

Ramos said the Police and Community Relations Committee in order for the police to receive more input from resident and to involve more residents with the officers.

Ramos said the new committee is the “best way to get everyone into the same room.”

He added he has conversations with police officials and others and all have shown support for the idea.

The committee will include two members of the City Council; the mayor or his designee; the police commissioner or his designee; the district attorney or his designee; the president of the Springfield patrolman’s Union or his designee; the president of the Springfield chapter of the NAACP or his designee and a community member from each of the city’s right wards selected by the ward councilors and approved by Ramos.

Ramos said the committee should meet once a month and will be chaired by Councilor Thomas Ashe. The committee will conduct one meeting in each of the city’s eight wards and produce an annual report.

Whether or not the life of the committee would be extended past the end of this year will be determined later, Ramos explained.

Ramos has set Feb. 1, as the deadlines for all appointments to the committee to be made.

The Casino Oversight Committee will include Ramos and councilors Michael Fenton, Adam Gomez, Timothy Allen and Thomas Ashe. Ramos explained the idea is for the council “staying ahead of the host community agreement.” Fenton will be the chair of the committee.

Ramos noted MGM officials would be applying for new permits as additional construction elements come on line and the committee will be able to “initiate meetings [with MGM] to be on the same page.”

The chairs of the other committees include Justin Hurst for General Government; E. Henry Twiggs for Race and Civil Rights; Fenton for Audit; Gomez for Economic Development; Timothy Rooke for Capital Improvement; Kenneth Shea for Special Permit Review; Ashe for Public Safety; Rooke for Health and Human Services; Melvin Edwards for REO; Marcus Williams for Elder Affairs; Shea for School Building and Edwards for Animal Control.

Ramos also appointed state Rep. Bud Williams, who is remaining of the City Council for the rest of his term, as the chair of the committee for State and Federal Relations. When asked if that might create a conflict of interest, Williams said it was a “natural fit” as now he could monitor the progress of home rule petitions from the council through the Legislature. He added in the past such legislation has become “lost.”

Williams said he did not consult with the Ethics Commission about his appointment as chair to the committee and said he didn’t believe there was any conflict of interest. Williams added he was not going to speak with the Ethics Commission, but did ask several other legislators what they thought.