Get Involved

Our Initiatives

We focus on structural changes that give the workforce a permanent voice in Overland Park. Our work falls into two categories: active policy campaigns where we advocate for specific reforms, and the ongoing work of keeping local government transparent and accessible.

Active Policy Campaigns

Active Campaign

UDO Reform

Fixing the Zoning Code

1home built at a workforce price point since 2021

Overland Park is currently rewriting its Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), the rulebook that determines what gets built and where. This is a once-in-a-decade window to fix the structural rules that drive up housing costs.

The problem is clear: the city is building fewer than half the housing units it needs annually. Since 2021, only one home has been built at the price point needed by the average workforce family. The zoning code, with its rigid mandates on lot sizes and parking, is a major reason why.

What We're Advocating For:

We are pushing for specific, evidence-backed changes grounded in the city's own comprehensive plan, FrameworkOP. These include legalizing Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) citywide, permitting "missing middle" housing like duplexes in single-family zones, reducing minimum lot sizes to make starter homes feasible, reforming costly parking mandates, and modernizing the outdated definition of "family" that restricts how residents can live together.

View the ProposalView Housing Research
Active Campaign

Resident Data Oversight

Durable Rules for Automated Data Collection

30days: how long Overland Park police now keep plate reader data, down from a year

Overland Park police use cameras that automatically record information about every vehicle that passes, not just vehicles connected to a crime. These tools help find stolen cars and solve serious crimes. But the more data a city collects and keeps about everyone, the more important it is to ask who sets the rules for using it.

The department's new plate reader policy is a real step forward. The problem was never one company, one camera, or one building. It's how much data about residents gets collected, how long it's kept, and who decides.

What We're Advocating For:

We're asking for rules for automated resident data collection set by elected officials, so they hold no matter the vendor, the technology, or who leads the department. That means Council approval for changes, independent review of how the data is searched, minimum standards for any agency we share data with, and regular public reporting.

View the ProposalRead the Research

Every Week

How We Work

Beyond specific campaigns, we maintain a permanent infrastructure for civic engagement. These are the activities we do every week to keep the door to City Hall open.

  1. 1

    Voter Education

    We produce nonpartisan election hubs with candidate comparisons, forum summaries, and questionnaires. We don't endorse candidates; we ensure residents have the information to make their own choices.

  2. 2

    Government Transparency

    We monitor city meetings, file targeted record requests (KORA), and fact-check official statements. When decisions are made behind closed doors, we work to bring the details into the public record.

  3. 3

    Council Engagement

    We organize direct communication with council members and coordinate public comment participation, ensuring that resident perspectives are heard on the official record before votes are cast.

  4. 4

    Online Advocacy

    We meet residents where they are: on Reddit, Facebook, Nextdoor, and Instagram. We translate complex policy agendas into plain language and provide concrete ways for people to engage digitally.

  5. 5

    Relationship Building

    We maintain productive relationships across the political spectrum, including with city leadership, the business community, and the Chamber of Commerce. We can disagree on policy while working together on process.

Proposals

Resident Data Collection: Our Proposal Submitted UDO Reform Proposal LegacyRTIC Governance Proposal, February 2026

Latest

All news
October 16, 2026 Overland Park's New Plate Reader Rules The department cut retention to 30 days and paused data sharing. The rules can still change without a vote, and the department audits itself. February 16, 2026 Surveillance News Roundup Ring drops Flock (but keeps Axon), FBI accesses "deleted" Nest footage, and what we learned from the Overland Park Public Safety Committee about ALPR retention policies.

What's Next

Community Forums

We are in the early stages of planning in-person forums at coffee shops and community centers to move the conversation offline and deeper into neighborhoods.

Volunteer Recruitment

We are actively recruiting for roles that don't require public speaking: note-takers, video editors, fact-checkers, and researchers.

Ready to Get Involved?

Whether you care about housing, privacy, or just want to know what's happening in your city, there's a place for you here.

Get Involved Launch Your Own Initiative

Privacy Policy

Last updated: October 14, 2026

Overland Park Voice ("we") runs opvoice.org. This explains what the site collects and why.

Information We Collect

We collect as little as we can. We don't use cookies, ad trackers, or tracking pixels, and we don't build profiles of visitors. The only personal information we get is what you choose to send us.

Sign-Up Form

If you use the sign-up form on our site, we receive:

  • Your name
  • Your email address
  • Your message, if you add one

We use these only to reply to you and to send the updates you asked for.

Site Analytics

We count visits with GoatCounter, an open-source analytics service built for privacy. It's fully anonymized. It records which page was viewed, the referring site, your browser and screen size, and your country. It doesn't use cookies or store your IP address, and it can't identify you or follow you across other sites. We use these counts only to see which pages people read.

Our Web Host

Like any website, our host keeps standard server logs under its own policy. We don't use them to identify visitors.

How We Use Information

  • Replying to you: we use what you send through the form to answer you.
  • Improving the site: anonymous visit counts tell us what's useful and what's broken.

We never sell, rent, or share your personal information for marketing.

Third-Party Services

  • GoatCounter (gc.zgo.at): the anonymized visit counts described above.
  • Formspree (formspree.io): handles the sign-up form and forwards submissions to our email. We don't store form data on the website.
  • Google Fonts (fonts.googleapis.com): serves the site's typeface. Your browser contacts Google to load it.
  • Tailwind CSS (cdn.tailwindcss.com): serves the site's styling.
  • Chart.js (cdn.jsdelivr.net): draws the charts on our housing research page.

Social Media

We link to our accounts on Facebook, Instagram (@op.voice), Reddit (r/OverlandParkVoice) and YouTube (@VOICEofOP). Those platforms have their own privacy practices, which we don't control.

Data Security

The site uses HTTPS encryption, and form submissions go to Formspree's secure servers. No method of sending data over the internet is completely secure, but we keep what we hold to a minimum.

Data Retention

  • Form messages: we delete them when they're no longer needed to reply to you or send the updates you asked for.
  • Visit counts: kept as anonymous totals.

Your Rights

You can ask what personal information we hold about you, and ask us to correct it, delete it, or stop contacting you. Email us and we'll take care of it.

Contact Us

  • Email: overlandpark.voice@gmail.com

We aim to reply within 5 business days.

OP Voice Transparency

AI Use Policy

How We Use AI in Our Research and Writing

Updated: October 2026

Scope: All OP Voice research, policy drafting, and community projects

Objective: Ensuring human judgment remains the foundation of civic advocacy

Part I

Why This Exists

As a one-person organization juggling a full-time job and serious policy work, efficiency is a necessity. However, if we demand transparency from the City on their AI use, we owe you the same.

Core Principles:

  • 1.
    Authenticity Over Polish: AI helps me be more thorough, but it never replaces the reading or the judgment.
  • 2.
    Transparency as Default: If AI contributed significantly to a piece of work, we disclose it.
  • 3.
    Human-in-the-Loop: AI can surface patterns, but humans make the call on what matters.

Part II

How the Work Actually Happens

Step 1: Human Research & Analysis

Every project starts with reading actual documents: city contracts, vendor policies, ordinances, and investigative reporting. I form my own hypotheses and arguments from this research foundation. AI never sees a blank slate; it sees work I've already started.

Step 2: Using AI to Cover Gaps

AI tools are used to find sources I might have missed, identify logical holes, and synthesize patterns across multiple documents. All AI-surfaced sources get verified independently. We use multiple AI systems to avoid vendor lock-in.

Step 3: Red-Teaming & Stress-Testing

Before committing to a position publicly, I use AI to find the strongest counter-arguments. This helps identify vulnerabilities before they reach the City Attorney or Council. If red-teaming reveals a weak position, I change or abandon it.

Part III

The Red-Teaming Practice

Red-teaming is the most valuable way I use AI. It's brutally honest feedback without social pressure.

The Red-Team Protocol: What We Ask

"What's the strongest case against this?"

Finding the counter-perspectives early.

"What am I assuming that I shouldn't?"

Exposing blind spots in our logic.

"Where is this most vulnerable to criticism?"

Strengthening the evidentiary base.

"How would city staff oppose this?"

Preparing for the real-world debate.

Part IV

Verification & Disclosure

Section 1: The Human Verification Standard

This mirrors our February 2026 RTIC governance proposal. Just as OPPD shouldn't take enforcement action based solely on an AI alert, OP Voice doesn't publish AI analysis without human verification.

Claims verified vs original sources
Tested against lived experience
Judgment on community needs
Tone edited for authenticity

Section 2: Clear Disclosure Requirements

Disclosure is required for research posts where AI helped find sources, policy documents with AI assisted structure, or any content where AI contribution was substantial.

"Research conducted by OP Voice, gaps filled and verified with AI assistance. Draft organized with AI tools, substantially edited for accuracy and voice."

Part V

Accountability When AI Gets It Wrong

No verification process is perfect. If AI-assisted research leads to an error in published work, our response is human-centered:

Public Correction

We correct it with the same visibility as the original post, explaining what went wrong (bad source, flawed synthesis, verification gap).

Human Accountability

We don't hide behind "the AI got it wrong." The human verified it. The human published it. The accountability is 100% human.

What This Means for Readers

When you read an OP Voice research post, the sourcing is real. I've read the contracts, the ordinances, and the vendor policies myself.

Where AI shows up is in the gaps: flagging a case I hadn't found, catching a logical inconsistency, or helping organize 30 pages of research into something readable. The positions, the framing, and the decision to publish are mine.

If something seems off or you want to see the underlying sources, ask. That's the whole point.

This policy is a living document, evolved through community feedback and technical changes.

© 2026 Overland Park Voice

Visit opvoice.org for more information