To help lessen the financial stress many families and businesses are feeling from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission has made the decision to not implement a rate increase in the new fiscal year, July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021, the City of Springfield said in a news release Wednesday.

"The Commission recognizes that wastewater is an essential service for the community and want to ensure community members that while there will be no rate increase this year, service levels will remain the same with the ability to tap into reserve funds the Commission has maintained for situations such as the current one with COVID-19," officials said.