Danville holds listening session to hear from public

A large crowd turned out Thursday night to give its two cents about how city officials should spend money as they begin the budget process later this month.
About 115 people turned out on a snowy night for the community listening session in the Danville High School auditorium. Representatives from the Kentucky League of Cities facilitated the session.
Concerns ran the gamut from specific requests to calls for more comprehensive planning for downtown development. Several people who made comments,noted problem areas on roads and with public safety.
Although Mayor Bernie Hunstad said the seasonal wear and tear on streets has been particularly rough this year, he said many of the comments confirmed that repairs need to be looked at during the budget process. He said some of the individual issues with roads can be be addressed right away.
A conspicuous contingent of boosters for partner organizations of the Danville-Boyle County Economic Development Partnership attended the session, and what numerous people said was evidence of momentum that has built as a result of their activities during the last year.
Erin Tipton, campus director for Bluegrass Community and Technical College, was one of those who spoke about the need to continue funding the group’s activities. Tipton said the EDP has supported the college by helping expand the parking area and strengthening ties between students and the business community.
Bobbie Bryant, one of the KLC representatives hired to organize the listening session, said the meeting was a good experience for the city’s first large-scale attempt to get public input on the budget.
Bryant said the comments, which were displayed on a large projection screen during the meeting, will be summarized and posted on the city’s website Monday along with a survey.
In addition to meeting with the City Commission about how to incorporate the suggestions, KLC officials will host another public meeting to present how some of them were included.
Stansbury said the turnout bodes well for public involvement in the rest of the budget process.
“It was definitely an encouraging start for something we hope to build on in the future,” Stansbury said.