The concerned citizens of Owensboro are formally requesting that immediate action be taken to improve the culture surrounding the Owensboro Metropolitan Planning Commission.

We ask that you read the letter to State Representative DJ Johnson posted below.  If you feel it accurately depicts an experience you've had with OMPC, we ask you to do 3 things.

1. Sign this petition
2. Phone your Mayor and Judge Executive
3. Plan to attend the July 6, 2021, Owensboro City Commission meeting.

"State Representative DJ Johnson,

We, concerned citizens of Owensboro, come to you seeking help. Over the past several years, we have all obtained building permits—or have been involved in the process of obtaining building permits—for our homes and businesses from the Owensboro Metropolitan Planning Commission.

Here are a few of the experiences that we all share:
● Little guidance in the permitting process
● A disconnect between OMPC and the Historic Preservation Board
● An overall sense of resistance
● Month-long delays in permitting
● Bouncing from one organization to another looking for answers
● Being forced to engage architects and engineers for the smallest of requests

We have worked toward change by reaching out to city and county officials, as well as OMPC management. Several elections have come and gone with promises of change. Nothing has changed. In fact, things may have become worse.
This is not about rules and codes (we are all willing to follow the applicable rules). This is about lacking a welcoming culture that so many other cities’ planning departments possess. Our concern is for Owensboro. We need new businesses to feel welcome, we need entrepreneurs who want to spend time and money here, and we need permitting professionals that encourage and guide investment in Owensboro. We have a culture of resistance rather than assistance. We are losing these opportunities to Bowling Green, Paducah, and other Kentucky cities due to this toxic culture. In Owensboro, it seems it is easier to say no to a permit or project than try to find a way to say yes. We believe our government entities should be a partner with us to grow Owensboro rather than be an obstacle. We believe a change in culture and thus leadership is needed in the Owensboro Metropolitan Planning Commission.

We are formally requesting, once again, that direct action be taken to remedy some of the aforementioned issues that are negatively impacting our community. The lack of immediate urgency surrounding these issues has been disappointing, and we cannot afford for these problems to persist.

Changing a culture sometimes requires difficult and unpleasant decisions—it is time to make those decisions."