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Open-agenda meeting aims to get input
Published 6/27/2009 in Local News
By STEPHANIE FARLEY
The Garden City Commission is extending an invitation to the public to attend a Tuesday town-hall-style meeting in which commissioners hope to hear the public's comments, concerns and questions.
According to city of Garden City Communications Specialist Tanner Lucas, the town hall meeting will have an open agenda in which the City Commission will receive questions and provide answers to the community on "any issue whatsoever." The meeting is at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the courtyard at Garden City High School, 1412 N. Main St.
"I hope people will participate," Garden City Commissioner John Doll said.
The meeting is unlike anything the commission has done since Doll has been on the commission. The commission now usually meets at 1 p.m. on the first and third Tuesdays of the month in the commission's chambers in the second floor of the City Administrative Center, 301 N. Eighth St. He's hoping the change in time and a more relaxed atmosphere might lead to more public participation.
"I don't know what to expect," Doll said, adding he's excited about the possibilities and hopes the commission is able to hear the public's concerns.
Commissioner Reynaldo Mesa said the town hall meeting also is something he's yet to see the commission do.
"Let's give it a shot," Mesa said, adding stepping outside the city building for meetings certainly can't hurt. If the meeting style doesn't work, he said, it's something the city can stop or change.
The different style of meeting also is a chance to see if people have anything on their minds they're willing to voice, Mesa said.
A recent community survey found that overall, survey respondents — 55 percent of them — were least satisfied with the effectiveness of city government communication. Results also showed that 40 percent of respondents were least satisfied with the public's ability to be involved in local decisions.
"We really worked at not getting dinged," Mesa said of the city trying to communicate better with the public, including through the city newsletter, hiring Lucas as the communications specialist, providing TV Channel 8, etc. But residents still cited communication as a weakness for the city.
Mesa said the town hall meeting could be another way to communicate with the public and increase the number of people who are satisfied with communication.
Another activity Mesa would like to see the commission possibly pick back up is touring area businesses, saying he feels the more educated the commission is on who's doing business in the community, the better governing body it will be.
Check out the city of Garden City at www.garden-city.org or facebook.com.
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