LWVKC Observer Corps: We’re 👁👁Watching 

Quarterly Report: April - June 2023

The LWVKC Observer Corps committee was established in January 2021 to monitor governmental boards, committees, and commissions in the greater Kansas City, MO, metropolitan area. The Observer Corps follows up on the results of our local elections by monitoring the words and actions of those we elected and their appointees. 

• Are they engaged and prepared? 
• Do they tell the truth and fight back against disinformation? 
• Do they comply with Sunshine Law requirements? 

Observer Corps members attend public meetings in person or online and alert LWVKC leadership of any issues that may require action on the part of the League. One of the perks of working with the Observer Corps is developing a much greater understanding of how effectively our local governments work – the issues, the resources, and the personalities. Observers do just that – we do not speak for the League, we observe on behalf of the League. The elected and appointed officials we watch know we’re there.

Committee Chairs Donna Hoch & Teri Lane

Editor Jo Holt

We observe public meetings and events and report on the following issues of particular interest to the LWVKC:

• ELECTIONS, ELECTION INTEGRITY & VOTING RIGHTS
• Meetings of election authorities (KCEB, JCEB, Clay County, Platte County, Cass County).
• TRANSPARENCY IN GOVERNMENT 
• All meetings of elected officials or their appointees. Have significant rules or legislation been voted on without discussion? Includes application and/or analysis of the MO Sunshine Law.
• JUSTICE, LAW ENFORCEMENT & COMMUNITY POLICING  
• Meetings of the KCMO Board of Police Commissioners, city councils (KCMO, Independence, Raymore, Parkville, Liberty, etc), and county commissions. 
• HEALTHCARE 
• Meetings of the KCMO Health Commission and health departments overseen by cities and counties. Includes measures that impact public health and veteran’s care. 
• HOUSING & DEVELOPMENT  
• Meetings of the KCMO Land Bank, cities, and counties. Includes property tax assessments, affordable housing, evictions, homelessness, TIFs, and controlled growth. 
• HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION
• Meetings of the KC Human Rights Commission, the KCMO Police Board, and cities and counties. Includes all DEI issues in awarding city and county contracts and in hiring practices.
• PUBLIC SCHOOLS & LIBRARIES 
• GREEN ENERGY IMPACTS, INITIATIVES & INFRASTRUCTURE   

This quarter we focused on:

• ELECTIONS, ELECTION INTEGRITY & VOTING RIGHTS We currently observe the election authorities in Jackson, Clay, Platte, and Cass Counties and in Kansas City. In addition to formal meetings we monitor activities open to the public, such as pre-election equipment tests and post-election hand count audits. We’ve built positive relationships with election directors in the course of our observations. There was one election conducted this quarter, conducted by the Kansas City Election Board on June 20, which went smoothly.
• Observers: Greg Woodhams, Teri Lane, Brenda Allison, Patty Evans, Donna Hoch, Jo Holt.

• PUBLIC SCHOOLS & LIBRARIES As the specter of censorship and control is making itself felt in public libraries and schools across the country our Observer Corps is actively working to extend our observations to library board meetings and school board meetings. This is a high priority for us. Please contact Donna at observercorps@lwvkc.org if you can help.
• As of this quarter we are now observing Library Boards in Kansas City, North Kansas City, and Cass County as well as the Mid-Continent Public Library. The State Legislature and the Secretary of State have imposed new rules on the Missouri library system which are generally opposed by the libraries themselves and by the American Library Association. These actions include a form of book-banning and threats of de-funding. Each library board has its own response to the new State rules, which range from the North Kansas City Library’s report that only some tweaking of existing rules may be required to the following rule from Cass County Library:

"As the parent/legal guardian of my child, I grant access to the full collections of Cass County Public Library, including online materials. Library staff do not supervise children. Library staff do not know what you consider appropriate for your child and cannot be responsible for their selections. If you do not agree to full access to collections your child will not be issued a card. Parents/guardians may then check out items for their children on their cards. I am responsible for payment of all fines for materials borrowed on this card.";

• Kansas City Public Library is still reviewing their response.
• Observers: Donna Hoch, Sheryl Eufinger, Cindy Cart, Julie Ohrenberg.

• TRANSPARENCY IN GOVERNMENT We currently observe the Kansas City City Council and Legislative Council and the Raymore City Council. In Kansas City, as a result of voter approval in the April election, there are now new regulations regarding short-term rentals (Airbnb, VRBO, etc). There is also a growing interest in ranked choice voting. In Raymore two of the four council members were newly seated following the April election.
• Observers: Tommye Sexton, Donna Hoch.
• NOTE: In a follow-up to our webinar on Missouri’s Sunshine Law last quarter, events surrounding the Missouri Attorney General’s (AG) office in this second quarter are important to note. Previous AG Josh Hawley purposefully withheld information relevant to Sunshine requests. Current AG Andrew Bailey inherited a backlog of requests from his predecessor Eric Schmitt, and that backlog continues to grow. Although our Observers don’t cover State meetings at this time, we will continue to monitor the AG’s office for its efforts to faithfully adhere to the Sunshine Law.

• HEALTHCARE The end of the national Covid emergency was 4/10/23, and the public health emergency ended 5/11/23. The Health Department will be collaborating in quarterly meetings with the city’s safety net providers. Vaccine will still be available at the Health Department at no cost until stock is used up.
• Observer: Johnda Boyce.

• HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION KC Human Rights Commissioner Alice Kitchen discussed (at the April meeting) a US Department of Justice (DOJ) study about improving law enforcement response to sexual assault and domestic violence, identifying and preventing gender bias. The Gender Equity Task Force will look at how those best practices might be provided to KCPD. At the May meeting, new Chair Jane McQueeny was present, as were new Representatives of CREO (Civil Rights & Equal Opportunity Department). A proactive program to educate the community about bias (modeled after Seattle, WA).