In the past few years, I have attended several city council meetings with my dad. A few years ago, the city was looking to expand the road I lived on, and my family attended the meetings to speak from a resident’s point of view.

I don’t have a lot of memories from the meetings other than one in which I shared a comment. For the most part though, my knowledge of the meetings was not my own.

On Monday, Nov. 28, I attended my first real city council meeting, meaning that I was alone and ready to take notes. I wasn’t required to go for my internship, but I had wanted to make time for a meeting to continue to see city government from different perspectives.

When I first walked into City Hall, I immediately noticed two guys my own age, which was one unusual thing. Even when I was younger, I knew that city council meetings were a forum for retirees. When I took my seat in the main conference room I looked around and noticed more students. Apparently, Shawnee Mission Northwest government students were required to attend the meeting; nevertheless, even if forced, it was comforting to see young faces around me.

The meeting began with a Boy Scout leading the Pledge of Allegiance and a brief moment of silence that I accidently sat down for. Clearly, I didn’t do this often but the other government students sat and then stood again with me so I felt comfort in not being alone. The meeting proceeded with mayor Jeff Meyers addressing agenda points that I didn’t really understand. Occasionally, city council discussion followed outline topics, but soon Meyers beat his gavel to pass pieces on the floor.

Things got interesting when the meeting fell to the “business” part of the agenda. Apparently this was the portion in which citizens could bring issues to the floor. A very impressionable 60-year-old woman approached the stand with a long list of complaints against her neighbors. It felt a bit like a soap opera when the woman explained the abuses of her neighbors of 20 years. She even claimed one neighbor attacked her feet with a weed eater and were close to poisoning her dogs.

Even though I was not well informed on every issue on the meeting agenda, this woman’s issues made the meeting worthwhile for me. It was interesting to see the city council in a situation like this. Clearly, the issue was a bit inappropriate for a city council meeting, but the council and mayor handled the claims with grace.

Eventually, the woman’s time was up and a few more issues were addressed. I believe every item passed. Some brief discussion on the movement of the Johnson County Museum filled the room. I was interested to learn the museum was being moved because the management wanted to relocate to “a city with more history.” The council stated the new city, Overland Park, was actually the youngest in the county. They also said Shawnee was the second oldest city in the state.

So often, people become absorbed in national politics. It is unfortunate that we often forget that it is local government that makes the most impact on our day-to-day lives. I may not have been well informed on every issue on the table, but I can guarantee that every issue had some direct effect on me. I hope to spend more time learning about my local government in the future.

It would be exciting too if at the next city council meeting more students from Northwest returned, this time for personal interest. Maybe that’s too much to ask though.