To the editor:

As a dog owner who would use a fenced dog park, I appreciate the spirit of the proposal brought before the City Commission last week, asking the city to institute a new $10 per dog licensing fee to raise funds for this and other pet-related services.

However, this is not the time to add a new, hard-to-enforce requirement on residents. Not only does administering this seem likely to eat up much of the fee income, but such a program would also give more fodder to those who are always inclined to see government as overly intrusive. While I generally appreciate the work of local government, I roll my eyes at the idea of the city getting into this type of regulation.

I’d like to suggest an alternative approach that is perfect for this: crowdfunding. Use of a site like KickStarter or GoFundMe allows those who are passionate about a particular project to put it in front of others who can then invest at the level they choose. Imagine the potential benefits to the community if people all over Lawrence translated their passions into projects that others can invest in.  

The city role becomes how to enable such projects (rather than administer) by clarifying who residents should work with to explore the needs for their projects, how ongoing maintenance costs would be handled, etc. These days technology allows small groups of people to make great things happen with government, not through government. Let’s use it to our advantage.