JOPLIN, Mo. — Members of Joplin City Council have given the green light for adding more than a dozen new jobs at city hall.

It’s part of the Joplin Action Plan, which adds 15 jobs that range from new police officers to neighborhood services and building inspectors.

Four communications positions were also approved, but are not yet fully funded.

The other positions are funded by the 2021 city use tax, which collected more than four million dollars in its first year.

“Council set goals to improve public safety, improve our appearance, address some declining neighborhoods. Economic development is always a thing for cities, and having these new positions is really going to set us up well for the future and help us serve the community in a better way,” said Nick Edwards, Joplin City Mgr.

The new positions are the latest step in the Joplin Action Plan, developed by city leaders a couple of years ago, using a citizen feedback process.