I Believe in Good City Management

​The city of Prairie Village works great day-to-day, and the staff do a good job managing the "normal" city functions. My issue is the management of the larger construction projects and the "steering" by some of our elected officials. This is highlighted in past projects.

Regarding the proposed city hall. I am not in favor of building to LEED Platinum (the highest LEED Standard). This greatly increases the cost of the project, and I believe this is somewhat arbitrary and unnecessary. I also believe we should scale down the size and scope of city hall. It is too expensive. I believe that building at this scope and cost is disrespectful to the residents of Prairie Village.

I am familiar with commercial construction, and I am in favor of having quality and efficient municipal buildings. Prairie Village can build a high quality, energy efficient City Hall without a LEED mandate. There are a lot of energy efficient building practices that can be implemented that may get Prairie Village to a LEED standard without the mandate. I believe Prairie Village should be focused on building a quality, energy-efficient city hall that meets the needs of the city and its residents and that fits the city.

It is my understanding that while borrowing the money for city hall may not drop the city’s credit rating, it will potentially negatively impact future borrowing. This was alluded to two meetings back when the coming need to refurbish the pool house was mentioned. 

I believe the city should be saving money for these future capital projects. I have read several articles where cities have actually saved the money necessary to build a new city hall. Prairie Village knows about these capital projects years in advance. Way before they reach the City Council agenda. Proper management and planning can reduce future debt requirements.

From watching construction projects in Prairie Village, I believe that our city consistently builds at the highest cost. I believe future construction projects should be closely monitored and highly scrutinized. It is important to remember and recognize that high cost does not necessarily equate to high quality.

Finally, I was impressed by my Ward 2 representative's request to slow the process down to make sure the correct decisions were being made. Unfortunately, her request went unheeded.
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It reminds me of the old proverb: "Haste makes waste"...

​Thank you.