Piqua Neighbors Show Up!

Vol. III, No. 301 - They Came Up With More Than Complaints - They Came With Solutions

In 1517, Martin Luther — a disillusioned monk with a list of grievances — nailed his 95 Theses to the door of All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg, Germany. He wasn’t trying to start a new religion. He was making an argument for reform from within. History, of course, had other plans.

Nearly five hundred years later, in a considerably smaller setting, a group of Piqua residents stood before the City Commission during public comment and did something somewhat similar. They didn’t show up to nail anything to the doors of the Municipal Government Complex. They showed up with a list — specific, researched, and constructive — and asked their elected officials to consider doing things differently.

And like Luther, these residents are recognizing that technological changes have fundamentally changed how institutions communicate; where those in the sixteenth century were reckoning with the printing press, residents today are rightly demanding more access and more communication from the internet through tools like social media.

The group, organized under the name Neighbors for a Better Piqua, formed after four community members began meeting to discuss a set of concerns that will sound familiar to anyone who has followed local government: transparency, responsiveness, and public trust. They expanded their effort into a broader focus group on January 27, bringing together business owners, former elected officials, and longtime residents — fifteen people in total. What they produced wasn’t a petition or a protest. It was a governance reform document.

That distinction matters. It’s easy to show up angry. It’s harder to show up prepared.

What They’re Actually Asking For

The group’s suggestion list, organized around four goals — restoring public trust, improving meeting conduct, fostering better communication, and increasing civic participation — reads less like a grievance list and more like a practical agenda for institutional renewal.

Several items scored a unanimous 15-out-of-15 vote from focus group participants. Among those: a shared sense that public comment has become less effective, that economic development projects aren’t communicated early enough, that public comment has been removed from board and committee meetings, and that there is confusion around Sunshine Law compliance. These aren’t outlier concerns. When fifteen people — including business owners and former officials — independently arrive at the same conclusions, that’s worth a serious conversation.

Some of the specific requests are straightforward and low-cost. Publish complete agendas with all attachments by end of day Friday before a meeting. Have staff present for the full meeting, including public comment. Include public comment in recorded and posted meeting videos. Discontinue the use of comment cards. Respond to citizen emails within 72 hours, even if just to acknowledge receipt. None of these require significant resources — they require consistency and commitment.

Other proposals address structural issues. The group is asking the commission to clarify the standards for when emergency declarations and the three-reading rule waiver are appropriate — particularly around economic development deals, land sales, surveillance technology, and vendor contracts. They’re asking for a clear public policy on Non Disclosure Agreements (NDAs), including when they’re warranted and what they can cover. They want regular economic development updates and return-on-investment reporting on publicly funded projects.

The Bigger Picture

What makes this effort worth paying attention to isn’t just its specific proposals. It’s what it represents. These residents didn’t wait to be invited into the process. They organized, did the research, and brought solutions to the table alongside their concerns.

The group closed their public comment with a request that the commission hold a town hall or dedicated work session to discuss these issues directly with residents. That’s an important opening, not a ultimatum. It’s an invitation for the kind of dialogue that tends to build trust over time when both sides show up in good faith.

The issues Neighbors for a Better Piqua is raising aren’t unique to Piqua. Across the country, residents share a common experience: feeling out of the loop on decisions that affect their daily lives. The opportunity in front of the Piqua City Commission is real — it’s an opportunity to engage with this effort and demonstrate that the door is open.

Announcing our March Community Survey!

Every other month, this publication takes time to ask our readers how they feel about the happenings in their hometown! What are the challenges? What are the opportunities? Is your hometown headed in the right direction? Our survey is the easiest way for you to express your thoughts. Next month, this publication will report out on the results.

Thanks for your time and your participation! It is greatly appreciated!

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