<div dir="ltr">FYI, Eric<div><br><div class="gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>From: <b class="gmail_sendername">Eric Kirkendall</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:kirkendall1@gmail.com" target="_blank">kirkendall1@gmail.com</a>></span><br>Date: Tue, Dec 5, 2017 at 3:42 PM<br>Subject: Please improve transparency and community involvement in decisionmaking in the City of Lawrence<br>To: Leslie Soden <<a href="mailto:lesticia@yahoo.com" target="_blank">lesticia@yahoo.com</a>>, Lisa Larsen <<a href="mailto:llarsen@lawrenceks.org" target="_blank">llarsen@lawrenceks.org</a>>, Matthew Herbert <<a href="mailto:matthewjherbert@gmail.com" target="_blank">matthewjherbert@gmail.com</a>>, Stuart Boley <<a href="mailto:sboley@lawrenceks.org" target="_blank">sboley@lawrenceks.org</a>>, Mike Amyx <<a href="mailto:mikeamyx515@hotmail.com" target="_blank">mikeamyx515@hotmail.com</a>><br>Cc: Diane Stoddard <<a href="mailto:dstoddard@lawrenceks.org" target="_blank">dstoddard@lawrenceks.org</a>>, Tom Markus <<a href="mailto:tmarkus@lawrenceks.org" target="_blank">tmarkus@lawrenceks.org</a>><br><br><br><div dir="ltr"><span id="m_5676495427090855696m_399565050169436733gmail-docs-internal-guid-421e2eb0-2899-c673-5a62-a1231c2a14fe"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Dear City Commissioners,</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">I appreciate the hard work all of you put into your job, and know that you and city staff are trying to improve city government.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">However, in recent months, several city actions of great interest to residents have been made without transparency and community involvement. This practice sows distrust, leads to poor decisions, is a bad governance practice, and should stop immediately.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Please take action to resolve this problem. Examples and recommendations follow.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Examples</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">In the last few months, at least three issues have been the subject of consternation and email discussions among different groups of residents concerning the lack of transparency and community involvement:</span></p><br><ol style="margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:decimal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Bicycle priorities</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:decimal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Nitrate water discharge into the Kansas River from the former Farmland site</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:decimal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Defunding of utility payment drop boxes</span></p></li></ol><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">In each case, planned city actions were contained in the city manager’s report at the end of the meeting - sometimes with insufficient information. In case #1, which took place this summer, a resident waited until the end of the meeting to comment and then was refused the opportunity by the city commission.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">In case #2, residents were never informed by the city of plans to dump polluted water into the Kansas River, but learned of the plans very late through a newspaper article, and of details through Johnson County residents. By the time I shared (and I think surprised) the city commission with news that releases of polluted water into the Kansas River were imminent, they were actually underway. </span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">I don’t have details on #3, but can tell you that the city’s decision without public input has caused considerable consternation.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">To resolve these problems, I recommend the following:</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Recommended Actions</span></p><br><ol style="margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:upper-alpha;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Move the city manager’s report to the beginning of the city commission meeting, so residents can tell you their recommendations after they hear about the city manager’s plans, but before action is taken.</span></p></li></ol><br><ol style="margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt" start="2"><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:upper-alpha;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Put a few informed citizens on the task force charged with finding a long-term solution for disposal of the pollution associated with the Farmland remediation.</span></p></li></ol><br><ol style="margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt" start="3"><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:upper-alpha;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Ensure that decisions that will affect Lawrence residents are </span><span style="font-size:11pt;background-color:transparent;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">always</span><span style="font-size:11pt;background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> made with sufficient citizen involvement and transparency.</span></p></li></ol><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Thank you</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Eric Kirkendall</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><a href="tel:(785)%20550-3408" value="+17855503408" target="_blank">785-550-3408</a></span></p><div><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><br></span></div></span></div>
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