City Commission - Regular Meeting

Okay it is four o'clock I will call the October 12th 2026 linus city commission meeting to order I will look to staff for confirmation the Kansas open meeting act required notice has been properly provided yes may we have a roll call please mayor hopic here Commissioner Davis here Commissioner Lankowitz Here.

Thank you. Will those that are able please stand for a Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silence.

Thank you. Okay, we have no public hearings, so that will bring us to the consent agenda.

Anyone else? Okay. If not, I'll bring it back to the commission for action.

Move the consent agenda items 4-1, 4-2, 4-3, and 4-4.

We have a motion and a second to approve the consent agenda. All those in favor? Opposed? That item passes 5-0. That will bring us to administration.

Correct. Commissioner Norris, any comments or questions?

Just one question. When we bought the automated sanitation trucks the first time, was our plan to replace them sequentially or all at once?

So unlike things like fire trucks, we'll just do these one lump sum? Correct. Okay. Commissioner Root?

I had questions I talked to Jacob about this morning. I don't know how much we need to get into them now. But I asked that we consider perhaps on the East Magnolia project a pedestrian bridge and move the sidewalk forward as soon as we can. I know we had a resident that reached out and having lived in Highland Hamlet for a shorter period of time, I have seen pedestrians going across that bridge about the crack of dawn or even before. And man, there was one young lady from the neighborhood that I see her taking her dogs across it and I'm sure getting to the dike and it really concerned me. But

Okay. I see Mr. Marsh here because I know at one point we had talked about leaving Magnolia Road open and actually building next to it. So we wouldn't. So can you address that? I think that was...

A recent couple of things come to mind having done kind of major construction problem or projects there's been times where I've just closed the facility down and the people have gotten in and out much quicker. I as a taxpayer would like to know, could the city save money if people were inconvenienced for one construction season? And I was also talking to another gentleman earlier, and he's got a great point that road has been straight as an arrow forever. And now we're looking at having a jog at the bridge It certainly would be my preference to keep it in the current location, and I know it ca

Thank you. I was looking at the river bank repairs at Bill Burke, and we were looking at FEMA. Do we have any idea of a timeline with FEMA to get back with that? And do we have a feel for the dollar amount that we think we could get from FEMA?

And so once design's done and everything, that's when FEMA will let us know a little bit about?

Martha, you mentioned $1.2 million for debris removal. I thought we had all the debris removed.

Okay, and I think I'm probably the only one. I guess I remain unconvinced that the riverbank needs to be repaired. I mean, erosion has been occurring on... riverbanks since, what, the beginning of time. And I know they have riprap, or I think it's called riprap, the crushed or broken up concrete to control erosion. And I understand that they were getting grants to do it, but it's still all taxpayer money.

Any other questions or comments? OK. If not, we'll open it up to the public. Please state your name and your comments to three minutes or less. Thank you.

Thank you Anyone else Okay, if not, I will bring it back to the Commission for action

I'll move approval of the five-year capital improvement plan. And with that, I want to just say that I'm also in favor of looking at some of our projects on a more long-term basis to see if we can quantify things out that may be a 10-year period. And I know the further out that you get, it's more difficult. But I also think there's going to be a lot of major projects coming up into the community Commissioner rep I think last meeting you mentioned that you'd heard about different things I think you mentioned a police station... And in different projects but so I'd like us... And this is not gon

do a little more in-depth study and look at it over a longer haul so we can see if we're going to have resources to do all the things we need to do thank you actually on your motion if you could go to the blue sheet we need to actually approve the resolution number also Commissioner Norris if you go to the page two of three it gives you the

I'll go ahead and jump ahead here for Commissioner Norris. I'll move that the City Commission approve resolution number 26-8372, adopting the 27 through 31 capital improvement program for the City of Salina.

Second. We have a motion and a second to approve resolution number 26-8372, adopting the 2027 through 2031 capital improvement plan. All those in favor? Aye. Opposed? That item passes 5-0. That will lead us to development business.

Okay, at this time I am going to turn the meeting over to Vice Mayor Davis for items 6.1, 6.2, and 6.3 as my company currently has outstanding orders on those items.

Okay, let's start with Commissioner Remp.

I'll just mention that I am fine with it. I think townhomes done right are good for the community. They're better for the city. from having more families or more density in our housing and I support it fully.

I likewise support it. It's good for sales and the ability to transfer property with the common lot line.

Thank you. Any questions or comments from the public? I'm assuming none online. Okay, thank you. I'll bring this back. I'm sorry, I just couldn't hear you.

Mr. Bischel, did you have a question or comment regarding this issue?

Thank you for your comments. Okay. Bring this back to the commissioners for any action.

Move that the city commission adopt ordinance number 2611302 amending sections 42-187, 42-189, and 42-190 of the R-2.5 multiple family residential district regulations and sections 42-202, 42-204, 42-205 of the R-3 multiple family residential district regulations. Second.

Okay, it's been moved and seconded to adopt ordinance number 26-11302. I'm sorry, we need a roll call for this. Thank you.

Aye. That motion carries 4-0. Thank you. And we can move to 6.2.

If I could, if you could back up just one slide, and I'm just following along here, lot five. Lot five is the dark?

I have a couple more comments. One, I stayed at one recently, an extremely nice hotel. Number two, As I was told earlier today, the developer is getting no economic incentives from the community to locate or put their hotel there. They're belling up to the bar and paying for their development, which I think is good. And the property has been sitting there empty and glad to see it get used.

All right. Thank you. Any questions or comments from the public? Seeing none online. Thank you. Any action to be taken from Fellow commissioners.

I'll move to approve ordinance number 26-11304, amending the PC3 planned shopping center zoning of a portion of lot one, block one of the replant of Auburndale addition. including the variations for maximum building height and front yard landscaping on lot five and approval of the site development plan for the home two suites hotel on lot five, subject to the seven conditions recommended by the planning commission. Second.

All right. It's been moved and seconded that we will again require a roll call.

Aye. That motion carries 4-0. Thank you. I just have one question for the city attorney. It has nothing to do with the motion. But under the four qualifications, I mean four possible actions that the commission could have taken, had there been two of us who had to recuse, what number would have been required to send this back?

Okay. Yeah. So it is something that could be figured out on the fly.

All right, thank you. We can move on to 6.3.

Any questions? None. Commissioner Lenkowitz, any questions?

Okay, thank you. Any questions, comments, concerns from the public? Okay, move it back to the commission for action.

Move that the city commission approve the final plat of the Auburndale District addition, accept the easements dedicated on that plat, and authorize the mayor to sign the plat on behalf of the city subject to the two conditions of approval adopted by the planning commission. Second. Second.

They moved and seconded to approve the final plat of the Auburndale District Edition. And I'd have to get you to read. I lost my place in all these papers, but I don't know if you need me to read the whole thing or not. No. All right. All right. All in favor? All in favor? All in favor? Say aye. Say aye. Say aye. AYE. AYE. AYE. AYE. It wouldn't be any opposed. It wouldn't be any opposed. It wouldn't be any opposed. The motion carries 4-0. The motion carries 4-0. The motion carries 4-0. Thank you. Thank you.

How do you get five and two-thirds of a tree?

That's probably enough. Yeah. I mean, it was more just than we've kind of prolonged this enough.

Commissioner, it was a dwarf tree. Dwarf tree.

Okay, none here. Any comments from the public on this? Okay, if not, I'll bring it back to the commission for action.

I'll move that the city commission approve ordinance number 26-11301. rezoning the property legally described as lots 1 through 3, block 9 of the replant of the Indian Rock addition from PDD to PC-1, along with the requested variation, and to approve the site development plan subject to the five conditions recommended by the Planning Commission.

We have a motion and a second to approve ordinance number 26-11301, rezoning the property legally described as lots one through three, block nine of the replat of the Indian Rock addition from PDD to PC1, along with the requested variation, and to approve the site development plan subject to the five conditions recommended by the Planning Commission. May we have a roll call, please?

Aye. That item passes 5-0. Thank you. Okay, that will bring us to other business. And I've asked city manager to address. I know there's been some concerns of since the case with the former or the current employees at the animal shelter and the prairie paws contract. So if you could address that.

In fact, we're basically working on their timeline, correct? Yeah, absolutely.

What they were asking us okay I'll didn't matter I'll start any anything else Commissioner Davis I just have one thing I'm gonna partially reading today is October the 12th I just as background the term Native American as a designation is not used to refer to original inhabitants of some of our states and territories such as Hawaii, Alaska, or Guam because there was no concept of being an American before these lands were appropriated. Indeed, many sources refer to what we now call North America as Turtle Island before it was renamed. Similarly, on what we know as North and South America, there

One thing, we as commissioners, we received an e-mail from jesse White. been pretty much a regular at the meetings and she has approached us individually and an email collectively asking for a study session and she speaks of potentially I think it's 74 million in grants that the city could be eligible for. I think our city probably has already looked at those but I would not, I think we should give her 30 minutes and hear her out perhaps before the next commission meeting. Let her try to make a business case to us.

Were you wanting that to be the entire commission? Because I believe she's met with city manager, is that correct? Or Sean? Okay. Okay.

So I I don't know what you're it would be with the city commission we would have a study session 30 minutes before the next meeting or perhaps the one after but just try to get it on the schedule that

My only concern has nothing to do with Ms. White at all. Has everything to do with is this a way we want vendors to approach the city commission. Normally vendors are recommended by staff and we take bids and all of those things. So my only qualm at all has to do with that and not what she's offering.

that she's not actually presenting something for us to take immediate action on, but to discuss a type of plan or a project?

Yeah, she, well, why wouldn't you come on up? Jesse, and it'd be better for you to answer the questions rather than me trying to answer them.

Let's do that under a citizen's forum. We'll get to that. Okay, sorry.

I don't think Commissioner Linkwitz is here.

Yeah, Commissioner Linkwitz, any comments on this?

I think if someone was bringing us a proposal for any other, well, I hate to use getting a homeless initiative going, but as an analogy, this would be for a slightly different purpose. At some point, we would listen to a proposal for, well, in fact, we did have a proposal, and I forget her name, but the director from Upstate Jersey or New York who came, not necessarily for us to vote on starting her program, but to let us know what was available, you know, with no obligation, but to see, you know, if there's something that we would want to do or if the program presented, you know, is already b

I will absolutely come to the 30-minute study session.

Okay. I guess that's the majority, so we'll schedule that. Thank you. Anything else? Commissioner Rimp? No. The only thing I had is last week there was a ribbon cutting out at the Slina. airport. They've upgraded their waiting area and their TSA and thanks to the three direct flights we have now to Houston and Denver and Chicago, there's been more foot traffic and they've done a really nice job. It gives a really good first impression to individuals that are coming to Salina from outside the area. If you get a chance, if you haven't flown out of here, you should. It's nice, free parking, and T

Did you get a time and stuff? 6.30. 6.30.

Taylor, Taylor, can you give me the date you sent us an email? I honestly don't remember.

I'll talk to you later. That's a separate issue.

Thank you. Okay, is there anyone else? Okay, if not, I'll bring it back to the Commission for adjournment.

Second. I have a motion and a second. All in favor? Aye. Opposed? See everyone in two weeks.