News Release 459

MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
CELEBRATES ONE YEAR WITH OMBUDSMEN
Ombudsman visits more than 260 citizens and leaders in Kansas City region

Volume 34-459

Contact: Connie Patterson

(For immediate release)

573-751-1010

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, OCT. 18, 2006 -- In just the first year since the inception of the Ombudsman Program, Missouri Department of Natural Resources' ombudsmen have made nearly 1,700 contacts with citizens, community leaders and business owners.

Judy K. Bowman serves as ombudsman in the Kansas City Regional Office. As of Oct. 4, Bowman had made 263 site visits in her region. When Bowman learned recently that the City of Smithville was having difficulty with run-off from a construction site that was adjacent to a day-care center, she contacted the city administrator to offer assistance. Bowman and Karl Fett, director of the department's Kansas City Regional Office, met with the city administrator, the community development director and the building inspector. As a result of the meeting, the City of Smithville, the Smithville Lake Watershed Coalition and the department's Kansas City Regional Office co-sponsored an erosion control workshop. The city was pleased with attendance at the event and is considering another workshop in the future.

In an e-mail to Bowman, Community Development Director Eric Larson wrote, "Your request to have the city and [the department] meet and discuss how each group could assist the other was very much the catalyst that allowed the city to coordinate a joint seminar with [the department] and provide much needed information to our community. Often state and local governments struggle to work together and with individuals such as yourself, I am confident that the City of Smithville and [the department] will have a great relationship for many years to come."

Through the Ombudsman Program, an ombudsman is located at each regional office, Table Rock Lake State Park and in Rolla at the department's Division of Geology and Land Survey offices. The ombudsmen operate independently from the regional offices and the department's Division of Environmental Quality and inform the regional directors and the department director of issues, concerns and problems they learn of while meeting with clients of the department.

"When I established this program in August 2005, I envisioned it as an opportunity to help to strengthen Missouri's communities while also addressing head on many of the negative myths and rumors that existed about the department," said Doyle Childers, director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. "In its first year, this program has far exceeded my expectations."

Through their contacts, department ombudsmen have provided support to communities looking to make improvements to ailing infrastructure systems, business owners seeking assistance in meeting environmental standards, citizens working to address problems in their communities and a range of other issues.

"Some people initially criticized the ombudsman program, thinking it was just a job for former politicians," said Childers. "Actually, I was looking for people who were good communicators who could provide good constituent service." Only two of the department's seven ombudsmen are former elected officials.

When the department wanted to evaluate one of its new programs, the ombudsmen stepped in to help. Through initial assistance visits, the department walks permittees through their unique permit requirements and provides compliance assistance rather than conducting formal inspections. When the department conducted surveys of permittees regarding its new process, ombudsmen followed up with those surveyed to ensure the department reached everyone. Nearly 99 percent of respondents reported that they felt well served by Department of Natural Resources' staff who visited their operations as part of the initial assistance visits.

The ombudsmen, along with Childers, also have conducted town meetings across Missouri to answer questions and gain input from citizens, business leaders and city officials. Ombudsmen have held nearly 45 town meetings and met with more than 600 citizens.

"Our work is about helping people address their needs and to meet the dreams they have for their businesses and communities," said Scott Totten, chief of the Ombudsman Program. "In the process, we hope to build lasting relationships with citizens."

Bowman joined the Ombudsman Program Jan. 16. Before joining the ombudsmen program Bowman served as Rep. Sam Graves' representative in Clay County. Bowman owns and operates Movin' Up Seminars and Training, a professional development training company. She has also worked in various positions as a health care administrator and nurse. Bowman can be reached at 816-565-1296.

Ombudsmen also may be reached by calling the department toll-free at 800-361-4827. Correspondence for the ombudsmen may be directed to the Department of Natural Resources, P.O Box 176, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0176.

More information on the ombudsman program is available at www.dnr.mo.gov/magazine/2006-fall.pdf.

For news releases on the Web, visit www.dnr.mo.gov/newsrel. For a complete listing of the department's upcoming meetings, hearings and events, visit the department's online calendar at www.dnr.mo.gov/calendar/search.do.

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EDITOR'S NOTE: A photo of Bowman and a map of the region she serves is available at www.dnr.mo.gov/ombudsman.htm.