NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Once a permanent city manager is named for Hutchinson, interim city manager Mary Grace Clements plans to make sure that person hears from the community.
"It is my goal in 2024, when we have the new city manager on board, to go out and do some town halls with the community," Clements said. "Talk about the issues we've been hearing that's come in to planning, about noise ordinances, about what it takes to put up a shed at my house. What do I do if I have to paint and want to build a fence? I think we've been challenged about the other one we have, campers and businesses from home. How do we, as a city, want to operate? I want to get out and do town halls. We'll introduce our new city manager and we'll talk through these things and hear from the citizens."
The point is to have some place people can go to have their questions answered.
"I want to start a campaign in 2024 on know before you...and then fill in the blank," Clements said. "Know before you put up a shed, this is the process, this is the steps you have to take, working with the city and having strong leaders in planning and having a communication system and being transparent is going to help us, kind of relieve the pressure of working with the residents and moving things through the city process."
The one thing the city does not want to do is create new problems while trying to solve the old ones.
"I really feel it's important that we get out in front of the community to talk about, how do you feel if there was to be a noise ordinance, how would that affect you?" Clements said. "The last thing we want to do is start to set up rules and processes that are going to be set up for the few and not the mass. We want to hear from people. We encourage you, when we have these, to show up."
The dates will be dependent on the new city manager's schedule.
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