Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Comment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Resident tells council he collected 32 signatures opposing 2026 road project
Summary
During public comment, Donald Coler said he canvassed homeowners on streets affected by the 2026 road project and handed the council a sheet he said contained 32 signatures; he told the council that roughly 90% of homeowners he reached opposed the project.
Donald Coler addressed the Independence City Council during the public comment period on Jan. 26 to describe what he said was widespread homeowner opposition to the city's planned 2026 road project.
Coler said he walked neighborhood streets in frigid weather and spoke with homeowners on every street involved in the project area except for a large apartment complex and a few rental households. He told council members he obtained what he characterized as 32 signatures opposing the project. "90% of the people are totally against that I talked to that actually said they're homeowners," Coler said, and he asked the council to consider that input when weighing the project.
Coler told the council some renters he spoke with "would love to sign, but they couldn't sign because they are not homeowners." He also questioned whether the project’s participant numbers included renters or apartment complexes, which he said could inflate the city’s reported support for the project.
Council members accepted the document Coler presented. The council did not take immediate action on the comment during the meeting, and staff did not read the petition into the record or respond with a point-by-point rebuttal during public comment.
The council's formal agenda proceeded with votes on other items. Coler’s petition and written signatures were requested to be distributed to council members for review.
If the petition’s representativeness is material to final project decisions, the council or staff would need to verify signature eligibility (homeowner status) and integrate the findings into any future hearings or public-notice records.
