City commission briefs

City manager’s report seeks to expand communication

Efforts at promoting “user friendliness” at City Hall continue.

Commissioners last month gave City Manager Mike Wildgen six months to make city government more user friendly  suggesting, in part, that he needed to communicate better with commissioners and be more cordial with the public.

Since then, Wildgen has delivered an expanded version of his weekly public report to the commission. Typically a few comments made to the commission, it is now a memo that includes updates on several items.

Mayor names task force for parking garage proposal

Mayor Mike Rundle on Tuesday announced his task force to consider whether the city will build a $9.79 million parking garage on land that would be donated by The World Company.

Rundle and City Manager Mike Wildgen will be on the panel, as will John Gary and Mary Giese, East Lawrence property owners; Jeremy Douglas of Downtown Lawrence Inc.; Chuck Magerl, owner of Free State Brewery; Win Campbell of the Downtown Parking Advisory Board; Ed Tato of the East Lawrence Neighborhood Assn., Lois Mead of Douglas County Senior Services; and Kansas University professor Kirk McClure in an at-large position.

General Manager Ralph Gage will represent The World Company on the panel, along with attorney Mark Andersen and members of the Dolph Simons Jr. family, which owns the company.

The World Company owns the Journal-World.

Rundle said a first meeting of the panel has not yet been scheduled.