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<p><font size="+1"><font face="Calibri">Re: discontinuing city
utility drop boxes at grocery stores:</font></font></p>
<p><font size="+1"><font face="Calibri">The item was on the CM
agenda for November 21st.
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://assets.lawrenceks.org/assets/agendas/cc/2017/11-21-17/cmreport.html">https://assets.lawrenceks.org/assets/agendas/cc/2017/11-21-17/cmreport.html</a>
(3rd item)</font></font></p>
<p><font size="+1"><font face="Calibri">The staff report indicated
the commission should take the following action:</font></font></p>
<p><font size="+1"><font face="Calibri">Action:
Authorize staff to cease accepting Utility Bill payments made
through the grocery store
drop boxes effective December 29, 2017.</font></font></p>
<p><font size="+1"><font face="Calibri">For CC to do that, many of
us believe it would require a formal vote ("authorize"
staff...")</font></font></p>
<p><font size="+1"><font face="Calibri">We also believe that any
item requiring a formal vote from CC should be on the regular
CC agenda and be open to public comment. Currently, it's
impossible to comment on an item on the CM report (whether or
not an item requires action by the CC).</font></font></p>
<p><font size="+1"><font face="Calibri">I sent an email requesting
the item be removed from CM Report. My email missed the
deadline to be included in the agenda packet material, but was
printed out for commissioners and staff. (My email was added
to the item on Monday, November 25th.
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://assets.lawrenceks.org/assets/agendas/cc/2017/11-21-17/drop-box-correspondence.pdf">https://assets.lawrenceks.org/assets/agendas/cc/2017/11-21-17/drop-box-correspondence.pdf</a></font></font></p>
<p><font size="+1"><font face="Calibri">Commissioner Larsen asked
for the item to be pulled and moved to another CC meeting. It'</font></font><font
size="+1"><font face="Calibri"><font size="+1"><font
face="Calibri">s now scheduled for the December 19th CC
meeting.</font></font></font></font></p>
<p><font size="+1"><font face="Calibri"><font size="+1"><font
face="Calibri">Let me know if you have any questions.</font></font></font></font></p>
<p><font size="+1"><font face="Calibri"><font size="+1"><font
face="Calibri">Thanks.</font></font></font></font></p>
<p><font size="+1"><font face="Calibri"><font size="+1"><font
face="Calibri">...Melin</font></font></font></font></p>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 12/6/2017 8:20 AM, Eric Kirkendall
via Electronic-lan wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite" cite="mid:MaZCe0XmnVGj9MaZDeqhVt">
<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" moz-do-not-send="true">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" moz-do-not-send="true">lesticia@yahoo.com</a>>,
Lisa Larsen <<a href="mailto:llarsen@lawrenceks.org"
target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">llarsen@lawrenceks.org</a>>,
Matthew Herbert <<a
href="mailto:matthewjherbert@gmail.com" target="_blank"
moz-do-not-send="true">matthewjherbert@gmail.com</a>>,
Stuart Boley <<a href="mailto:sboley@lawrenceks.org"
target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">sboley@lawrenceks.org</a>>,
Mike Amyx <<a href="mailto:mikeamyx515@hotmail.com"
target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">mikeamyx515@hotmail.com</a>><br>
Cc: Diane Stoddard <<a
href="mailto:dstoddard@lawrenceks.org" target="_blank"
moz-do-not-send="true">dstoddard@lawrenceks.org</a>>,
Tom Markus <<a href="mailto:tmarkus@lawrenceks.org"
target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">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:%28785%29%20550-3408" value="+17855503408" target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">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">
</span></div>
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<pre wrap="">_______________________________________________
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<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:Electronic-lan@lists.ku.edu">Electronic-lan@lists.ku.edu</a>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://lists.ku.edu/listinfo/electronic-lan">https://lists.ku.edu/listinfo/electronic-lan</a>
</pre>
</blockquote>
<br>
<div class="moz-signature">-- <br>
<i>"The first lesson to be learned by every citizen who desires to
bring about a higher life in our American cities is that he must
take an active part in managing the affairs of his own city."</i>
<p> </p>
--Theodore Roosevelt, The Outlook Magazine, Dec 21, 1895</div>
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