Remarks by David Banks
17 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 1 of 1
Council Member Banks. Thank you, Mayor. A couple of questions, City Manager. This $155,000 that people are talking about, is that a set amount to get an agenda on the ballot?
Well, I think that, you know, just about everybody on everything does research. I think this initiative going on the ballot for us is an attempt to find out for sure. There are people waiting to hear whether we can do this or not, whether the community is going to vote for an increase not we don't know that we have right now many of us up here have been talking to people that says no we don't want any tax increase but you know there are some that saying that's saying to us that it's worth looking into I think that as a governing body we have a responsibility of at least having that having…
Council Member Banks. Thank you, Mayor. As Councilwoman alluded to, Fire Safety Month in October, of course, this is a time that kids are indulging in fire play. And currently, I don't think we push our ordinance enough when it comes to kids using fire equipment like lighters or matches. it is certainly a tough time for them. Kids express themselves through fire play. A lot of times it isn't because they're bad kids. They're trying to tell us something, asking many times for help in a lot of situations that they can't do anything about. As the past educator for the fire department, when I…
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
That's what I'm seeing behind you. And I know that you're just a messenger. And like our mayor said, I don't expect that you would lead us astray. But the concerns for me definitely are the community that lives out there and certainly the kids, the school kids out there. Those parents have been coming to us in groves about how the noise level or environmental factors involving those data centers could affect their kids or even the soil around them. I know that those are things that you can't talk about tonight, but like you reach out to me, why doesn't the county officials reach out to our…
I don't have a whole bunch to say about questioning, but... We knew that there was going to be language issues when we first started talking about this process and it seems to me like tonight we've just been buried in what about the language we got until August March whatever to work through whatever this process is going to be I would just like to say thank you city manager for the work that you put in this is what we ask you to do And to me, it's getting there. I don't know if March is going to work. We all know that the citizens of this community is not going to be happy when we put this…
Thank you, Mayor. I appreciate the information that we're gathering from our colleagues tonight. Something that's been a continuum for this council and certainly my district is no different than any other about concerns on certain things that we do as a governing body. Last night at the NIA meeting, We were talking about the possibility of a tax or mill levy increase. And a few things keep coming up. Go Topeka keeps coming up. And $5 million. We've been hearing that from constituents for the last three years that I've been on this committee. So... I think in anything we do for budget…
Thank you, Mayor. If the Chief can't be here, I'll give the fire education message. I did it for over a decade.
Well, I have to ask for compensation. Nothing tonight, Mr. Mayor. Thank you. Council Member Kell.
Council Member Banks. Thank you, Mayor. For weeks now, as we've been going through the budget process, I've mentioned that I did not think that our RHID process matched affordable housing. It just didn't match up. So as I'm looking in the audience, I'm seeing some signs that says 67% of Topekans want to fund affordable housing. I think that's what we need to focus on, affordable housing. And if 67% of our constituents think that we need that, then maybe the process of a tax increase is not that far fetched. I'm hoping right now the information that you gave us tonight that several of our…
I appreciate that explanation. It clears things up a little bit for me. I don't know how the community sees it right now. I can't say that I would not support your efforts, but certainly would consider it. Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
help, especially with numbers. I really appreciate that. I'd also like to give a shout out to my youngest grandson who is on his way to being a better athlete than his grandpa. He is really amazing. So shout out, Isaiah. Thank you, Mayor. Council Member Kell.
Thank you, Mayor. Dan, I too would like to just make a comment on the extent that you and your team has gone to to be transparent with this governing body. And certainly there were parts here that I did not know that our department covered. So the information was really clear for all of us to understand. And I would like to say my appreciation to you and your team, because you know how I joke around. But I know from the information that you've given us today how serious you take your department position. I think that's great. I'd also like to know, when do you plan on having me on your…
Thank you, Dan. I just wanted to say I'm a big deal.
Thank you, Mayor. I'm looking at the 2019 housing study, and it clearly indicates that we need more housing. But in my district, my constituents are looking at the houses that are being built are not affordable for the people that probably need them most. So I'm thinking or wondering if you have any idea how we get the people matching the growth of the housing. You have to look back. This is a city that hasn't grown 10,000 people in 50 years. So how are we going to fill those houses?
Well, maybe I can make it a little clearer. The houses that are being built right now, there's a number of them. and most of them are exceeding the capability of some constituents in our city to afford them. So how do we get them to the level, I mean, they're not going to be able to, we can build all we want, but if we don't have people that can afford the houses that we have in our city, we're just spinning our wheel, or as Councilman Kale would say, kicking a can down the road.
I have always found it interesting. Your numbers are always helpful in a lot of ways to me. Tonight I'm noticing that there are no cuts for PD. And there are. I mean, to cut the fire station programs out puts the fire fighters in a tough position to they're already having difficulty in their living situation as it is. And I think that also it decreases the fire department's ability to increase services to the community. I was mainly interested in the cuts