KSHB 41 reporter Marlon Martinez covers Platte and Clay counties in Missouri. Share your story idea with Marlon.
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The City of Parkville recently launched a new online tool promising to give residents a closer look at what is happening inside City Hall.
Many residents say transparency is something they have asked for years. The city listened, and this new online tool is a way to create that trust.
"I have my doubts that they're going to put everything out there, that you know, that necessarily, that I'm going to want to see you," said Greg Smith.
For Greg Smith and Hugh Downing, Parkville is home. These two lifelong residents have seen their city grow rapidly, but with growth comes concerns.
"Obviously we want to see Parkville remain a vibrant, fun place to come," Smith said.
Downing said he tries to keep up with what happening in his city, but oftentimes he feels he's not aware of projects until they have happened.
"Mostly after the fact I drive by and I go, well, what happened here, you know? That's basically how it is," Downing said.
Smith on the other hand said he regularly attends public meetings.
"I go to city Alderman meetings, you know, I write emails to city administrator. And so what I kind of find is, if I make the the initiative to, to ask questions, whatever they'll give me answers," Smith said.
Finding answers in Parkville will now be easier. The new online tool allows residents to access information on all projects happening within the city.
"This is a way for us to put out even more information, more detailed information. If people want to dig in and spend their afternoon exploring projects the city's doing, it'll evolve over the next year," Mayor Dean Katerndahl said.
Katerndahl said the tool is all part of a larger push to increase transparency.
"Transparency has been a focus for this board for the last four years, and we've done a lot of different things. We have meet and mingles. We go out to the communities. We have a Citizens Academy," Katerndahl said.
The Strategic Priorities and Objectives dashboard will include projects—like Route 9— happening within the city—from cost, details of the project, and progress. The website will include all information that has also been approved at city meetings.
But for Smith and Downing, the concern isn't access—it's whether everything will actually be included.
"It'll be interesting. You know, I guess I have my doubts that they're going to put everything out there, that you know, that necessarily, that I'm going to want to see you," Smith said.
"I'll believe it when I see it, because we've gone through this before with a former mayor, you know about transparency, and the city got in all kinds of trouble about that," Downing said.
The website is now live, and the city says they will continue to update it with more information.
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