Staff Present
Greg Williams, Mayor’s Office
Bill Geary, Law Department

Terry Ward thanked everyone for coming to participate and also talked about the work for far of the Commission. He said that the commission is pursuing a streamlined, constitutional charter. The Commission has also decided to keep the form of government and will probably leave all of the elements of how the Mayor, Council, and the City Manager relate as it currently exists. The Commission has separated items out for further discussion such as term limits and initiative. However, the Commission has decided that those issues, such as term limits and initiative petitions will not be in the core document that they recommend to the City Council. The Commission is headed in the direction of any of those hot button issues to be considered separately from a core streamlined charter. All issues will be considered by the commission.

Mary Semler asked what other items may be considered.

Terry Ward said the earnings tax and exemptions for military families was considered but deemed to be an ordinance issue and did not fit in with the desire to have a constitutional charter. He then talked about which departments were codified in the charter and which ones were created by ordinance. The City Manager has recommended a new department, General Services which would serve as a department in charge of purchasing, real estate, and other cross department functions. Ward went n to list bond issuing process, park concession contracts longer than five years, referendum (we expect no change), and recall where we might ask to add a stated reason for the recall effort. We have had testimony from the Mayor, many council members, the City Manager, and others. We think the major work of the commission is going to be done cleaning-up the current form of government and not instituting a sea change.

Mary Semler thanked Terry for his comments.

Phil Snowden said the commission all lived in Kansas City and want to create a charter that represents the best government we can have. Ultimately the council people will have the final approval to put something on the ballot. Snowden went on to say that he totally agreed with Terry ward about the need to streamline the Charter and create more efficiency. Snowden said the hot button issues will be separated from the core document if we decide to recommend them at all. If it was a clean streamlined document that did not include hot button issue changes then the voters could focus on the streamlined charter as question one.

Mary Semler asked if there was a possibility of hot button issues being on the same ballot. If that happened, then the tendency would be to vote no on all the questions and the core document would lose. Phil Snowden said he wanted to separate any hot button issues and appreciate Semler’s input.

Terry Ward said that in 2001 the Council decided to put everything in one question, Ward said he wants only the core charter with no not button issue changes as the only issue on the November ballot. He said confusion creates no votes. Mary Semler agreed with that approach.

Bill Fry asked at what point the document the commission recommends will become public. Terry Ward said that by June 3 rd a draft should be posted on the city’s website. It will be an initial draft that the commission will go through page by page and issue by issue to come up with a final recommendation. Bill Fry said he liked the idea of not touching the hot button issues.

Edward Tomazuk said he did not get an update and does not have any information. Therefore he has minimum input at this point. He is an active member of the Sherwood Homes Association that is not a member of Northland Neighborhoods Inc. The homes association is well formulated with ideal homes. Tomazuk said they talk to their Council members somewhat grudgingly and they don’t always agree with the Mayor. They make a point of not being political with the homes association. Phil Snowden said you must make your voice heard and it is good that you are here representing your homes association.

Stan Cunningham said he is looking for anything that makes city government more efficient and accountable. He used the example of the $1.1 million home fix-up on Tracy Avenue . Terry Ward said it was two homes and the city manager is accountable.

Jim Rice said that a more streamlined charter is harder to do than to say. He is looking for the right balance of power in the new charter. It has become a maintenance document and it should have never been that. Rice went on to say we must balance everything by making sure we follow federal and state law, create more efficiency, accountability, and taking advantage of available innovation. He wants it to stand the test of time. A lot of input can also be done in the Council deliberative process once the commission recommends. Rice believes the 2005 document will be a better document by building off of the 2000-2001 work and document.

Terry ward said the current charter has diffused accountability, and the new charter will assign it to the City Manager. It also needs to be efficient and be transparent in relation to accountability.

Stan Cunningham asked if the new document will make the departments cooperate and work together because now they do not. He also said that he liked the term limits exactly as it is now. Please leave it alone.

Phil Snowden said it is impossible to create a perfect document. People make government run and not run. Human nature occurs, but it is important that the system be as streamlined as possible.

Stan Cunningham asked if the commission had received enough input. Phil Snowden said that the commission from 2000-2001 had met for a year and half and had elected officials, education leaders, and experts from throughout the country to study the issue prior to their 2001 recommendation. The current commission embraced that research.

Frances Semler said you had to be very determined to know when the meetings will occur.

Dwight Brown, a Parks employee, likes what the commission is saying and he wants to get the word out to younger people and get them involved in the process. He asks for a process to help get the word out to young people. Many times the word “political” is looked at disdainfully. We must elect more good people and everyone needs to become a better participant.

Terry Ward said there will compromise in the process. That can’t be helped with 22 people of divergent views and backgrounds. Smart people can respectfully disagree. We will use all the vehicles available to us to get the information out on the charter. The commission’s job is to recommend something to the council, not to pass it on the ballot it lands on. The campaign will be independent of the commission’s work. Phil Snowden added that after the recommendation he would give people his opinion of the final product.

Frances Semler asked about election dates and if that was part of the discussion. Terry Ward said the commission wants to change the general election to the statewide school and municipal elections in April and then do a primary four weeks before. Larry said we should only do two elections a year and cut down on the cost. Jim Rice said that less election dates mean more crowded complicated ballots. Also state law dictates potential election dates.

Larry said that in a city with a billion dollar budget, the council people should be full time and that the slow building of the Police Academy was frustrating. Jim Rice said it was a valid point on the Police Academy . Rice also said in the 70’s and 80’s Council people did their council work in 6-10 hours a week. They now put in 60 hours a week. In practice we have full-time Council members.

Frances Semler complained about the amount of TIF and tax abatement projects. Terry Ward said that as a member of the NKC School Board he was intimately involved in monitoring those affecting the NKC District. The current TIF’s in NKC School District only affect 2% of the district’s revenue, but we are closely watching each proposed project.

Phil Snowden said that state law governs TIF and does not require that cities use the tool, but each City uses their good judgment and due diligence. Some suggest the state abolish TIF, but then we would be competing with bordering states and would not have that incentive. We must walk the tightrope. Larry said that 25 years is too long for a TIF project to get redirected revenue. The city needs to be more careful. Stan Cunningham said the city has gotten away form TIF only where blight occurs. Terry Ward said state law allows Chapter 100 projects to receive 100% abatement for 20 years but Kansas City only allows 50% for ten years. The city has more stringent policy under the state guidelines.

Stan Cunningham asked why the Clay County health issue always loses and then Ed Tomazuk said that citizens must protect their wallets.