About this meeting
- Government Body
- City Council
- Meeting Type
- City Council
- Location
- Wichita, KS
- Meeting Date
- May 12, 2026
Transcript
60 sections
Hey. Hey. Hey. Good morning, Witchaw, and good morning to all of you. Thank you for joining us for this week's city council meeting. We'll call this meeting to order. with us this morning to provide our invocation will be uh the individuals who are uh I don't have the list pastor we have a pastor here today to provide our invocation following that invocation we will have the pledge of allegiance and we ask that you please stand for vote Good morning. Join us in prayer. Lord God, we invite your presence and your wisdom into this meeting today as we endeavor to lead this great city of Witchah. Lead us to be a city that honors your ways and follows your will and is truly blessed by you. Be with us, guide us, and bless us. We ask in Jesus name. Amen. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Madame clerk, please call the first item. Approve the minutes of the regular meeting May 5th, 2026. Council members, any items to be edited?
I see none. I move to approve the minutes for the regular meeting May 5th, 2026. Second. Motion second. Discussion. See none. Madame clerk, please open the role. Motion passes. 70. Madame clerk, please call the next item. Awards and proclamations. Today's proclamations are Sedic County and City of Witchah Annual Law Enforcement Memorial Day, Law Week 2026, 2026 Approxia Awareness Day, and Witchaw Facility Management Day. May I please ask the Witchaw Police Department and its supporters come forward at this time? Hello. Good morning. With us from the Witchaw Police Department are Deputy Chief Dan East, Deputy Chief Paul Duff, and Deputy Chief Travis Easter. The proclamation reads, "The city of Witchah, Kansas, founded in 1870. Whereas the Congress of the United States of America has designated the week of May 10th through 16th, 2026 to honor and pay tribute to those law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of others. Whereas our law enforcement officers are the guardians of life and property, defenders of the individual right to the be free men and women, warriors in the battle against crime, and are defined by their pre preservation of life and property. Whereas our community desires to honor the valor, service, and dedication of its own police officers and sheriff deputies. Whereas the city of Witchah, Cedric County, we call
upon all citizens to express our appreciation to these men and women who are willing to sacrifice their lives, if necessary, to guard us and our loved ones against all who violate the law. Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Witchaw City Council does hereby proclaim May 15, 2026 as Cedric County and City of Witchah Law Enforcement Memorial Day. Anyone? [applause] [laughter] Yeah, I got it. Tell them about Yes. All right. Good morning. Uh, first I would like to thank council, mayor, uh, city manager Mars for their support. Um, this Friday is, uh, we have our law enforcement memorial se uh, ceremony. It will, weather permitting. We live in Kansas, so we know how that can happen. Um, but it will be Friday morning. It'll be out front um on Memorial Central and Maine and so everyone's invited to that. It's a it's a great ceremony because it honors those um that have lost their lives in the line of duty. Um it's very solemn moment. Um but it's just great to have um agencies from around that come together. And once again, thank you. We appreciate all of your support. Thank you. [applause]
Thank you so much. Thank you. Yes, you were hiding from me. May I please ask the Witchaw Bar Association in Virginia Gilkkey to come forward at this time? And attorney Jennifer Magna and her team. The proclamation reads, "The city of Witchaw, Kansas, founded in 1870. Whereas the Declaration of Independence states that all individuals are endowed with certain unalienable rights and chief among them are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Whereas today as a rule of law and the American dream face challenges, their enduring strength and vitality are enhanced by public education and understanding about our rights and responsibilities. Whereas the Witchaw Bar Association annually commemorates Law Week through its law day and awards lunchon which recognizes members of the legal profession who excel in the practice of law and advances public service initiatives throughout Cedra County encouraging residents to better understand and appreciate the law. Whereas the theme for Law Day 2026 is the law, the rule of law and the American dream encourages all to consider ways to advance the rule of law and protect the rights, freedoms, and
opportunities that ensure all persons in America have the ability to pursue. Now therefore, be it resolved that the Witchaw City Council does hereby proclaim May 16th through 22nd as Law Week 2026. [applause] On behalf of the Witchaw Bar Association, I would like to thank the city council, the mayor for recognizing Law Day 2026 and the importance of the rule of law in fostering the American dream. The rule of law serves as the foundation for fairness, stability, and the opportunity for all Americans to pursue their dreams. And on behalf of our profession, we thank the city for acknowledging the importance of the rule of law plays in everyday democracy here in Witchah. Thank you. May please ask Meg Graham and the Prexia kids to come forward at this time. The proclamation reads, "The city of Witchah, Kansas, founded in 1870, whereas childhood appreciia of speech, CAS, causes children to have significant difficulty learning to speak and affects one in 1,000 children who require early appropriate and intensive speech therapy, often for many years to learn and speak. Whereas without appropriate speech therapy intervention,
children with a preexia will have diminished communication skills and are placed at high risk for secondary impacts in reading, writing, spelling, and or other related skills that diminishes future independence and employment opportunities and challenges the ability to become productive contributing citizens if not resolved or improved. Whereas public awareness about childhood arrexia of speech is essential for families of children with their neurological disorder and the professionals who support them to achieve the needed services for those learning to use their own voice. Whereas our highest respect goes to children as well as their families for their effort, determination, and resilience in the face of such obstacles. Now therefore, be it resolved that the Witchaw City Council does hereby proclaim May 14, 2026 as a preexia awareness day. [applause] Thank you. Um, on behalf of my son and all families with Araxia, um, and dealing with Araxia for their children, I want to thank the city council, the mayor, the city manager. Um, we're grateful for this proclamation. It's because of this proclamation that a speech therapist once told us that our child might have a praxio speech and he can now speak. Um this is still a diagnosis that is not um provided very frequently and it requires that therapists require a lot take a lot of extra training um to be able to treat it. So we're very grateful to the city for recognizing this day so that hopefully more and more children and more and more people in the world can find their voice and can use it to make the world better. Thank you so much. [applause]
Hi. How you doing? I'm doing great. Do you want to look right over there to carolina? Another one. Thank you for helping us raise awareness. Nice to meet you. It's for you. [applause] May I please ask the Witchaw chapter of International Facility Management Association and Rachel Kamacho to come forward at this time? Good morning. The proclamation reads, "The city of Witchah, Kansas, founded in 1870. Whereas World Facility Management Day aims to recognize the efforts of the facility management profession anywhere that facility management professionals influence the health, safety, productivity, and well-being of people who utilize the built environment. Whereas the Witchah chapter of IFMA has assisted Witchah State University with adding a degree emphasis in facilities management and increased awareness will benefit Witchaw State University and the local FM workforce. Whereas since CO 19 arrived in Kansas, FM's whether government or private sector improvised to keep facilities open and maintained in a safe manner. Whereas we're grateful for the influence the Witchaw, Kansas FMs make on a daily basis to our infrastructure and the safety of the Witchaw worker and our local economy. Now therefore, be it resolved that the Witchaw
City Council does hereby proclaim May 12th, 2026 as Witchaw Facility Management Day. [applause] Good morning everyone. My name is Michelle Kamacho and I am the current president of the IFMA Witchah chapter. On behalf of our chap the IFMA Witchita, I would like to sincerely thank Mayor Lily Woo and the rest of the city council for presenting this proclamation recognizing facility management day. Facility managers play an important role in keeping our buildings, workplaces, and communities safe, efficient, and functioning every day. The this recognition means a great deal to our chapter and to the professionals in our industry who often work behind the scenes to support the people and places we serve. City Council, Mayor Woo, and City Manager, we thank you for taking the time to acknowledge the impact of the facility management in our community and for helping us celebrate the work of FM professionals here in Witchah. We truly appreciate your support. [applause] I want to say thank you to the council for allowing us to have four proclamations today and thank you to the four who received proclamations this morning and wanted to quickly as a side note thank the Witchaw public
works team who help our entire community with Witchah City Buildings Management. Thanks, Mayor, for the point of privilege. Just want to recognize Representative Abby Boatman is here. Uh, thank you for all you do in the Kansas Legislature and thanks for joining us today at the Witchaw City Council meeting. Madame Clerk, please call the next item. Mayor, we have another speaker. I'm sorry, Council Member Tuttle would like to speak. Thank you. I also am going to take a point of privilege. Um, we just had a proclamation for law week. Um, and I know I mentioned this on Friday, but I couldn't resist taking the opportunity again. Um, today will be the 2026 Witchaw Bar Association Award Ceremony and our very own director of law, Jennifer Magna, is winning the Howard C. Klein Distinguished Service Award. This is a first time someone from the public sector has ever received this award. So, just a big congratulations to Jennifer. You do a fantastic job leading your team, providing us with counsel, and serving as a role model in your profession. So, congratulations [applause] Madame clerk, please call the next item. Exceptional young leader Landon Huslig video. Okay, Witchita. You know that feeling where you've got a list of places you swear you're going to go this weekend? Yeah, that's me. That's Witchita Life. Posts, [music] pop-ups,
blog stories, a newsletter that hits your inbox and dares you to leave the house, dinner clubs, podcasts, even a witch to life puzzle because apparently I can't just have normal hobbies like golf. And the wild part, it works. Lines out the door, tables filling up, strangers becoming friends, and all I did was hit send. Witchita did the rest. [music] It's tricky. tricky tricky tricky. [music] So, how did I get here? That's tricky. Somewhere between a post and a podcast, Witchita Life became a habit. A spotlight on the people, places, and businesses that make this city feel alive and a slight nudge to actually show up. The thing I love the most isn't the likes. It's when someone says, "We went because we saw it in your newsletter." or a small business owner says that post helped. Or someone tells me they've got social anxiety and they still came to dinner club and then they came back and then they came back again. Take Jake Weman for example. Entrepreneur brain, calm energy, the guy who makes just start sound annoyingly doable. Landon's not making it about himself. He's making it about Witchah. A lot of people don't even know that Landon's behind the Witchaw Life movement. He's bringing people from all walks of life that don't even know each other, but they all love Witchah. helping people gain belief in themselves. Can't wait to see what's next for him because [music] Witchah is a big small town. You're one or two degrees away from almost anybody [music] and most people actually want this place to get better. I believe in collaboration over competition. So, Witchaw Life just shortens that distance. And then there's Joe Woodward. If I ever look like I have my life together, there's a decent chance that Joe coached me through a spreadsheet. Landon's the best type of leader.
He wants us to be a model city for the American dream, and he's making that better every day. I'm an Andover kid. My parents [music] owned a small business for 10 years. So, I learned the power of persistence at a young age. mechanical engineering at Witchaw State. Nearly [music] a decade at KO, then stand together working on community issues from a different angle. And all of it while building Witchah life on the side, lunch breaks, early mornings after the kids go to sleep. But of course, I could not have done it alone. That brings us to Candace. She's a oneperson board of directors. [music] Without her, this whole thing is just me talking to my phone. I help behind the scenes in [music] itself is a full-time job. the way he sees people, the way he notices things others might miss. That didn't just start with Waw Life. Over time, I realized it's not just something he [music] does. It really is part of who he has always been. For a long time, I thought entrepreneurship had to be huge. But the best way that I found to contribute, shine a light on what's already special here, and bring people together. So, how did I get here? I kept saying yes. Yes to one more story, one more place, one more person worth knowing, and yes to a city I couldn't stop rooting for. Thank you, Witchah. Thank you. Thank you, city manager, for helping us highlight uh videos from around our community during these awards ceremonies. Uh just recently, there was a 40 under 40, including individuals right here from the city of Witchah. So, uh, thank you for highlighting these videos during the proclamations and awards portion of the city council meetings. With that, madame clerk, please call the next item. Public agenda. We now come to public agenda. The public agenda allows for up to five speakers to have five minutes each to address the
council. Please bear in mind that this is not a period of dialogue with council or question and answer period. This is your opportunity to address the city council with your concerns. I ask that you address your remarks to the city council as a body and not to any individual council member. No action will be taken relative to items on the public agenda other than referral to the city manager for information as necessary. Speakers will please speak into the microphone. Please state their name and address for the record. A time clock will display the speaker's remaining time to speak. Order and rules of decorum will be observed. The first speaker today is Monica Marx. WPD caused injury accident at first and hillside on April 18th, 2026. Hi, my name is Monica Marx. I live at 244 South Erie in District 1. Um, that is exactly four city blocks from where this horrific accident took place on April 18th caused by a Witchaw police officer. Um, I would like to come here and call for him to be fired. Uh, I will read a couple of things off my phone real quick. Um the Witchah Police um policy for clearing intersections reads, "Officers are required to slow down below 15 miles per hour before entering intersections against red lights or stop signs, ensuring all cross traffic has yielded. Second, I'd like to read the definition of reckless driving. Reckless driving is the criminal, willful, or wanting disregard for safety of people or property while operating a vehicle. Excessive speeding, driving significantly above the speed limit, example 15 to 36 miles per hour,
over or exceeding 80 to 100 miles hour. Initial uh media reports um suggested that the officer was going over 100 miles an hour at this wreck. Let me explain the location. On Hillside between Douglas and Central is four city blocks. There are three, no, I'm sorry, four stop lights along here. So, you have a stoplight at Central, skip third, stop light at second, stop light at first, stop light at Douglas. Officers coming. We assume from central that's actually um you know giving him credit for not speeding beyond that. But say he started at Central. He is driving a Ford Explorer and and let's just give him the low estimate that he was going 80 miles an hour. Did he slow down at Second Street and get back up to 80 miles an hour one city block later at First Street? I don't know. I would never drive that fast in this area. This is a very urban congested area. It was 10:00 on a Saturday night. Both of my children were out that night in this neighborhood. Here's a firsthand account from somebody who lives at Fen Hillside. [sighs] Due to the 18 inches of intrusion on his vehicle, he had to have been going super fast. One of the four citizens was pinned in the vehicle and their arm was broken and disfigured due to it. Wild scene. One of the worst wrecks I've seen at this intersection. We were told that this officer was being called to an officer assist call. This is before the police scanners were scrambled approximately 3 days prior. And the officer assist call that I believe this was for an officer was chasing somebody with a warrant at Douglas and Grove. So that doesn't sound like an emergency
to me, but we ended up with five emergencies. The officers officer's car flipped over onto the sidewalk. The officer was not wearing a seat belt. So when we're calling for officer assistance, we know in March there was an incident at East Tai. What it was was a fight between two students and an officer got in in the middle of it and got hit. We know that the media reported a huge police presence at East High. So we know many, many, many cop cars came to that one. One extra cop probably could have solved the problem. So, how many cops were racing to Douglas and Grove that night? Was it necessary to cause this horrific accident? Um, I am calling for the firing of this officer, for violating multiple police policies, for breaking the reckless driving law in this town, and because I do believe that it won't reflect poorly on the city if you react and fire him. You're still going to get sued. The taxpayers are still going to pay. But if you come out and fire him in public, I think that that that will reflect better on our city. Um I believe that is in the interest of public health that when police officers act like this blatant disregard of public safety that they be fired and the citizens be told that they are fired and they are no longer a threat. Thank you. Thank you, Monica. Madame clerk, please call the next individual. Andrew Kramer,
Flock Safety, ALPR camera program. Good morning. My name is Drew Cranmer. I am a District 5 resident and co-founder of the Sunflower Privacy Alliance. I live at 3626 North Ridgeport Street. I was before this council last month and I want to begin today with a brief correction to something I said then I previously stated that the cop's technology and equipment program grant covering the original 50 cameras had expired. That was not entirely accurate. The city manager's office clarified in writing that the grant had been extended through March 2027. I appreciate that clarification and I want the record to reflect it. What the city manager's response also confirmed, however, is that ongoing flock costs beyond the grant covered cameras are now being funded through an internal budget reallocation that was never brought before this council for a vote. Council member Hoheisle asked at the October 2024 meeting what future funding sources had been identified. The answer at the time was that none had been. The internal re reallocations is in effect the answer to that question and this council still has not formally received it. That brings me to why I am here today. Deputy Chief Duff told this council in November 2023 that WPD conducts self audits of the flock system every 30 days. Lieutenant Slaughter stated at the April 2021 meeting that the system logs every keystroke and retains that data indefinitely. I take the department at its word that these audits actually occur. But in August of 2024, the Witchaw Eagle asked WPD whether they investigate every individual search in that system. Lieutenant Brian Saffris answered plainly, "That's not even possible." So, let me make sure I understand the current situation. WPD conducts audits, but does not scrutinize each search. The public filed a quarter request for
the audit logs that do exist and WPD denied it in full, citing undue burden and discretionary withholding. And in December 2025, Flock Safety unilaterally removed officer names from those same audit records without notice to the city or this council. We are being asked to trust a self audit that cannot review every search of records the public cannot see that a private vendor has already quietly altered. That is not oversight. That is an assertion. Other jurisdictions have released redacted audit summaries, aggregate query volumes, and access frequency reports without compromising active investigations. Witchaw has not done that, and the stakes here are not small. Data disclosed through public records requests raises serious questions about the volume of external agency queries against Witchaw's flock network. queries from outside WPD under standards the public has not been told. The Sunflower Privacy Alliance's petition, which is currently live at sign.privacyks.org, calls on this council to take four specific actions. First, direct WPD to provide a complete accounting of how many total cameras are operating within their network, how many are WPD operated versus privately owned, and what the full annual cost to the city is. Second, review and vote on the budget reallocation used to cover ongoing flock costs consistent with this council's oversight responsibility for spending commitments of this nature. Third, require that any future expansion beyond currently authorized levels be subject to public process and an affirmative council vote before deployment. Fourth, direct WPD to provide regular structured public reporting on flock system usage, aggregate query volumes, access frequency, and audit results in a format that does not compromise active investigations. The audit records WPD describes already exist. We are not asking them to create something new. We
are asking that the people who fund this program and whose movements it records be given some basis for the trust the department is asking us to extend. Oversight is not opposition to effective policing. It is what makes effective policing trustworthy. Thank you for your time. Thank you, Andrew. Madame clerk, please call the next individual. George Theo Harris. Who or what is important? Oh, what a day. uh mayor, vice mayor, city council, city manager, city legal. Who or what is important? Back several years ago, Andrew Finch was killed during a swatting call. Week after week, month after ma, month, year after year, people kept coming in telling the city to do the right thing and pay the family. Finally, I asked my city councelor, "Why don't we do what's right and pay the family?" And within a week or two, the city settled. Now, Cibil is here month after month, year after year, claiming the MABC D tore down her house. I don't know all the facts of that, but why doesn't the city partner with Habitat for Humanity or somebody and buy the poor gal a house? Or do do or do you just like having citizens come in here complaining about issues which can be solved? There are two or three guys who seem to be fairly smart which keep coming in here complaining about the Flock camera system. Didn't know he was going to be here today, but they made some points I guess. But if one murderer or child that is being abduct abducted
can be solved, isn't that worth the money in the breach of public concerns? As far as George goes, I [clears throat] don't know how we can shut him up other than maybe do doing some of his ass, which seemed to be pretty noble. Here is what Google says about an incident my wife and I encountered at night. somebody with their lights off coming up behind with video evidence of their lights being off, not the actual incidents as I don't have backup cameras unless I would be backing up at a high rate of speed attempting to intimidate or ram ram you. What kind of crime is that? That's what I asked Google. Based on your description, this behavior goes far beyond aggressive driving and constitutes a serious criminal act often classified as road rage or vehicular assault. Intentionally ramming or attempting to ram a vehicle at night without lights on with the attempt to intimidate or threaten is a deliberate violent act. Here are the specific potential crimes this behavior represents. Number one, primary criminal charges, aggravated assault, assault with a deadly weapon because a car truck can be used as a deadly weapon. Deliberately using it to cause fear or injury or to strike another car often leads to this charge. Reckless endangerment, reckless driving, operating a vehicle with willful or wanted disregard for the safety of others, which applies to high-speed chasing and driving without headlights. I say all this to say that I saw on TV in the news that somebody threatened our mayor and he is in jail now which is a misdemeanor. The guy who did this felony to us hasn't even been talked to as far as I know. [snorts] I am a 69year-old United Statesborn honorably
discharged service connected Air Force veteran whose grandfather is buried in Arlington Cemetery. I have been doing this neighborhood work for 27 years and at that time in that time I have had to submit complaints from the neighbors to MABCD or the police. As you and as you might imagine the bad guys are not happy with me. I am currently the president of three neighborhoods and over 6,000 people. Our mayor gets an arrest for a threat. Ours was a felony and yet no seeable action. Can't I get some protection also? I already know the answer, but I have to ask and get confirmation. Mayor, are you more important than I? Thank you, George. Madame Clerk, please call the next individual. We don't have any more individuals, Madame Mayor. This means there are two spots available for anyone who would like to address this council. I see none. With that, I want to say thank you to the three individuals who spoke before council. And I see no council members who would like to speak. Madame clerk, please call the next item. Consent agenda items 1 through 15. Council members, are there any items to be pulled from consent? Council member Ballard. Thank you, Mayor. I would like to pull 3B. 3B. Any other council members? I see none. With that, I move to approve consent agenda items 1 through 15 without 3B.
Second. Motion second. Discussion. Seeing none. Madame clerk, please open the role. Motion passes. 70. Council member Ballard. Consent agenda item 3B is the contract and vendor selection for Central Riverside Park inclusive playground in district 6. Thank you. I just wanted to give um Reggie from um Parks and Wreck an opportunity to just talk a little bit about the project and the process that has got us here. Good morning, Mayor and Council. Just want to give an overview of the process for the uh uh playground at Central Riverside Park. So, we went through the selection process and selected a vendor to do the project. There's $700,000 that's allocated for that particular playground. And a big portion of it is doing community engagement. If you look on page 10 of the actual contract itself, it outlines all of the avenues that we're going to do to make sure we get feedback from the community on what the actual playground is going to look like. And that includes uh presentations to the council as well as information that's going to go out to our DAB as well as through the neighborhood associations. there's online opportunities for people to give feedback there as well. And then once we have that feedback, we will come back with a proposed design that would have to be approved by council before we move forward with actually doing the project. So there was some concern about whether there was going to be community engagement and whether it was contingent upon fundraising before the project actually is completed. Uh that's not accurate. There's a $700,000 budget for the park uh to be completed. And just as a point of reference, just giving some information on some of our previous projects that we did. Uh OJ Watson Park was done uh was a $292,000 project. A park was $161,000
project and Meadows Park was $172,000 project. So you can see that this one is quite a bit more than those projects to make sure it captures what the community wants to see with it as we move forward. Great. Thank you. If any of my Do any of my colleagues have questions, comments? If not, I'll make a motion. We have to open it up for public comment. Thank you very much, Reggie. Thank you, Reggie. With that, we'll open it up for public comment regarding this item. I see none. We'll bring it back to the bench. Council member Maggie Ballard. Thank you, Mayor. Uh, I move to approve the selection of SWT Design, Inc., approve the contract and authorize the necessary signatures. Second. Motion second. Discussion. See none. Madame clerk, please open the role. Motion passes 70. Madame clerk, please call the next item. Board of bids and contracts dated May 11th, 2026. Morning, mayor, city council. Josh Lober, Department of Finance Board of Bids and Contracts convened yesterday, May 11th, for the following items. For engineering, we have the water distribution system to serve area 151 addition phase 2 for Apex Excavating LLC in the amount of 159,145. We have the water distribution system to serve parcel A and B. Lot 4, block one, tall grass east commercial, second edition for Mcola excavation incorporated in the amount of $27,670. We had the liquid carbon dioxide for purchasing for Reliant Gases Limited in the amount of
$234,880 estimated per year. We have the regular cab 4x4 wrecker truck for East Coast truck and trailer sales incorporated for $135,555. We have the installation of structured voice and data cabling for the multimodal transit facility for gateway wireless and network services for $59,500. We have the security and video surveillance system for the rounds and porter building for Sandifer Engineering and Controls Incorporated for 239,282.93. We have the outsourcing of our utility billing print services change order for High Cotton USA incorporated doing business as HC3 for an amended amount of 1,100,000 per year. We have the grounds maintenance services change order for Contour Landscape LLC for an amended amount of 73,320 per year. We have the professional audit services change order for Ed Bailey LLP requesting authorization to extend the contract one year for October 31st, 2027. This is how to become a vendor with the city. This is our purchasing calendar of small business resource partner events. the city's hosting or participating in the community. And these are open public opportunities opening on May 15th, May 22nd, and ending with June 5th. I'll be happy to try to answer your questions and recommend your approval. Thank you, Josh. Questions for staff? I see none. With that, I move to approve the board of bids and contracts dated May 11th, 2026. Second. Motion second. Discussion? Seeing none, madame clerk, please open the role.
Motion passes 70. Madame clerk, please call the next item. Petitions for public improvements. Good morning, mayor, city council members. Paul Gunzelman, public works and utilities for the record. I have a few petitions for your consideration this morning. The signatures on the petitions represent 100% of the improvement districts, and the petitions are valid per Kansas statute. Cedar View Village second edition located in district 2. On August 19th, 2025, the city council approved drainage and sanitary sewer improvements required for an existing commercial development. The developer has submitted revised petitions with revised budgets to reflect current market conditions. Shereice Point Edition located in district 4. On February 10th, 2026, city council approved sewer improvements required for a new residential development. The developer has submitted a revised petition to include acquisition fee or main benefit fee. The budget remains as previously approved. Oak Tree Edition located in district 4. On May 6th, 2025, the city council approved water and sewer improvements required for a new residential development. The developer has submitted revised petitions with revised improvement districts and a revised sewer budget to reflect current market conditions. The water budget remains as previously approved. And lastly, Pure Point [clears throat] Acre second edition located in district 6. On May 6th, 2025, the city council approved paving improvements required for a new residential development. The developer has submitted a revised paving petition with a revised budget to reflect current market conditions. With that, it is recommended that city council approve the revised petitions
and budgets, adopt the amending resolutions, and authorize necessary signatures. And I will stand for questions. Thank you, Paul. Questions for staff, beginning with council member Hoheisel. Thank you, [clears throat] mayor. Just wanting to double check uh slides 26 and 27. Um, those increases are all specials, correct? Yes, they are. Okay, correct. Thank you. I see no further questions. I just want to say thank you, Paul, and um noticed that there were new developments in districts 2, 4, and six, which coincide really well with the Wall Street Journal article that was published on Sunday. Headline was witchah is a rare mecca of of affordability for America's new middle class. So, I just want to say thank you for those who are building housing in our community. And we're about to have another housing uh topic coming up in new business. So, thank you Josh and team. Council member Ballard. Thank you, Mayor Paul. I have one question. Sorry. Sorry. Apologize. Do you know why the adjustments are so big? those I know um one of them um they had open bids on Cedar View Village just second edition and that was the bids were over the estimate so they are increasing petition um to uh cover those costs but um oak tree um that was they were doing some additional um lot splits which required some additional sanitaries who were being um extended to those um addition dwelling units. Um, but that's all I have for you at this time, but I can dig in further on. Okay. Future ones. I see no further comments or questions. With that, I will move to approve the petitions for public
improvements. Second. Motion. Second. Discussion. See none. Madame clerk, please open the role. Motion passes. 70. Madame clerk, please call the next item. Public hearing and request from Midwest Housing Initiatives Incorporated for approval of a letter of intent to issue multifamily housing revenue bonds. Good morning, mayor and city council and mayor. Thank you for that segue during that uh last item. Uh so I'm uh Corey Nisley. with uh uh you know I'm with uh development services and today I have uh and today I have uh you know just one presentation for you. It is for Midwest, you know, like uh you know, it is for Midwest. Um and they are seeking a sales tax uh uh sales tax. Uh sorry, I can't say this word today. Sales tax, you know, sales tax, you know, like exemption. So going into the uh presentation. So uh Midwest is a nonprofit dedicating uh to uh uh you know dedicated in constructing uh uh different you know different affordable housing projects. The project is located at 449 South South 449 South uh 449 South uh Holland Street. uh you know and the project will consist of 32 you know uh 32 different uh you know like rooms you know featuring two to three uh bedrooms. Uh the project will be financed with the uh uh you know with the uh with the uh you know with the lowincome housing tax credits at the 9%.
And as we know the credits are vary competitively with uh you know with so many credits uh that are dispersed each year. So to make the project more viable uh KHRC allows for um some uh uh some like additional points to be earned if the project gets that sales tax. uh you know that sales tax uh that sales tax you know sales tax you know sales tax uh exemption. So with that Midwest is asking for about 12.5 uh uh you know uh million dollars in bonds for the uh project cost and for those additional points and the sales tax uh you know evaluation is on your screen there below. Uh this is our standard uh uh this is our standard uh disclaimer that we have. U this project has no risk to the taxpayers. uh bond documents will be prepared by the city's uh you know bond council and the uh law department will approve uh all final form of the documents and is with that I uh ask that city council close the public hearing adopt the uh adopt the adopt the uh adopt the uh adopt the uh the uh adopt the uh adopt the uh sorry adopt the uh resolution and authorize the necessary signatures. Uh you know, I also have Sam here from the development team to uh uh to assist in some of the project specific questions. And with that, I stand for any questions. Thank you, Corey. Uh any chance the team, the developer has any
uh photos of this project or renderings? Uh, so I'm sure that they do, but um it may be hard to, you know, pull them up. Uh, so if it's uh fine with council, they can uh send it to you all after the meeting. Thank you. We'll begin with questions from the council. I see none. Um, I will just have one question for the developer. Uh, can you just explain um what you're trying to accomplish here in the community? I know that you're new to the city. um and this is housing that we need as I just mentioned in the previous um topic. Can you just share what you're hoping to do here? Yes, thanks for having me, Mayor. Uh my name is Sam Tavis. I'm with Excel Development. We're based out of Nebraska, uh but partner often with Midwest Housing Initiatives who service all through Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma. Uh our mission is really just serving the affordability uh throughout the Midwest. And so this community is intended to be a blended community servicing tenants anywhere from 30% of area median income all the way up to 150% through a partnership with Habitat for Humanity who is also going to be placing six for sale homes on this site uh adjacent to the 32 rental units that we have planned. Thank you very much Sam. Um, again, really appreciate that you're partnering with our local nonprofit, Habitat for Humanity, in addition to trying to build more housing here in the city. Um, just for public, uh, you've met with all of us, and I really appreciate learning more about, uh, your intentions to provide more affordable housing here in our community. Thank you. Thank you. With that, I see no further questions from this bench. We'll open it up for public comment. I see no one from the public who would like to speak on this item. We'll bring it back to the bench. This is in
council member GlassCox's district. Mayor, thank you and thank you to the applicant for choosing Witchaw for an investment. I think this is a great partnership between you all and Habitat for Humanity. I also had the applicant just talk about what they're increasing the assessed value from. So, 780,000 to 3.6 $6 million uh which would bring about an additional 32 point or 32,000 additional property tax dollars each year to the community. Um especially when we look at the city share being approximately 30,000 in terms of the sales tax exemption. I think this is a win and I hope that you're awarded the state's 9% LITC credits. I know they're competitive and that's a process we have to reform at the state level, but wish you the best in that process. And so with that, I move Oh, I have a colleague on the board and then I will make a motion. Council member Shepard. No, thanks so much uh mayor and vice mayor. I just wanted to thank the applicant for coming and engaging and allowing us to ask questions. I really appreciate that this will support seniors in our community. So when we think about affordable housing and the opportunities that are available, knowing that those seniors are a part of that discussion as well and very supportive of this. It's not in district one, it's in district 4, but a win in any district is a win for all of us. So thank you so much, Vice Mayor Glasco. Thank you, Mayor. I'd also uh last closing comment. This is a great infill project, especially located right across right near Kellogg and behind a target. This is really the perfect location of a parcel of land that it makes sense to be able to develop. So with that, I move that we close the public hearing, adopt the resolution, and authorize the necessary signatures. Second motion, second discussion. See none. Madame clerk, please open the role. Motion passes 70. Madame clerk, please call the next item. online catalog solutions for city departments. Good morning. My name is Elizabeth Oh goodness. My name is Elizabeth Golry from the finance
department and I'm presenting this item today on behalf of Mark Manning. Um some background on this item. The finance department purchasing division continually seeks opportunities to enhance efficiency for purchases that are of high volume and small cost items. I think the two most important words in this slide for the entire presentation would be um efficiencies to make current practices more efficient in the future and also to provide opportunities for our departments regardless of the services that they're providing to the community. Um in 2013, catalog purchasing was introduced to the city of Witchah um as a option for purchasing office supplies which in order enable departments to order from a catalog on a vendor's website at negotiated discounts. Um there are other retailers that offer this kind of online catalog purchasing to government agencies. And so the five agreements today um reflect an expansion of our current program. In recent years, departments have expressed an interest in expanding online purchasing options. Um online cataloges can provide access to various types of products. And in the RFP that the city issued, it included um some information for retailers to look at regarding volume about office supplies, repair parts, and maintenance items. Um, additionally, online cataloges can be integrated to the city's financial system to increase efficiency, and we've been working alongside it to make that happen for our current ERP system. And so it will make the process even more efficient than it is today for our employees. The RFP was issued in February in 2025. As I mentioned, there's been a lot of work
with the law department, well, especially it in and the law department as well um to see um how the various proposals would be implemented. There was a staff screening and selection committee that reviewed the responses and recommends contracting with these five companies. So, four of the five companies provide online discounts for various types of items. Um, those are included in the attached contracts. Um, those discounts can range from five to 63% depending on the type of item purchased. And then two of the five um merchants provide rebates would provide rebates to the city of Witchah depending there's various tiers of annual purchasing volume. In most cases, items generally can be received within two days with free shipping. Um the item before you today is the approval of these contracts. It includes no changes to the current city of Witchah purchasing policy. Um rather it provides options for expanded catalog purchasing for our departments. Departments will still be responsible for purchasing things that are within their adopted budgets. And then as a reminder, these online cataloges are designed for smaller purchases of items from it says zero dollars. There could be things that are less than a dollar up to $5,000. and any online purchases. So, should um an employee find that the option is less expensive in a catalog than it is through a different option, but the item is over $5,000, they'll still be required to receive ex approval from purchasing. Um, and finally, online cataloges can be will be and can be configured by the city of Witchah to prohibit ordering of prohibited items by city policy.
So with that, we recommend staff recommends that the city council approve the recommended online catalog contracts and authorize the necessary signatures. Thank you. Thank you, Elizabeth. Questions for staff beginning with council member Hohheisel. Thank you, mayor. Uh just one quick question. Can we bulk order microphones so we don't have to keep dealing with this issue? Oh, like um yeah, that would be a question for I really off the top of my head don't know how much microphones cost, but I think there's also probably issues with interoperability as well. So, I guess All right. Thank you, Vice Mayor Glascock. Thank you, Mayor Elizabeth. Uh, two quick questions. I noticed under the financial considerations, it says that any rebates we'll see received will be credited the general fund, which I know is our current policy. However, if a lot of these departments are seeking efficiencies and because of this are able to be more efficient, I don't want it to to disincentivize them to find efficiencies if there's ways to put it back in uh their own funding system. And so, can we talk about what the city's policy is? Is there any ability to kind of reward people that are finding deficiencies by making sure that it stays within their budget? It just doesn't go back to the general fund and flush of the general fund. Yeah. So, two things. So there's the two vend the two merchants that have the rebates and that's been our practice in the past with other merchants that we receive rebates from is for that to be general fund revenue. The other opportunity though is from the discounts. So for divisions or departments that would purchase a lot of things this way and um based on my experience as a budget analyst it'd probably be a lot of things like facilities maintenance where they need one particular part. they don't need thousands of the part. Um there will be opportunities for cost savings there and I know there's been a lot of pressure recently when it comes to purchasing parts and material. Um so
with that reducing some of the cost pressure would be beneficial for the department. Okay. So I just be interested to figure out how we can leverage um some more resources and if parks and wreck is saving money, how do they reinvest it in parks and wreck instead of just going back to the general fund? Yeah. So, I think it would um be I think that in some cases they could stretch their dollars further with the discounts that are available. So, most likely. Thank you for that clarification. Um in addition, I know that this is especially around um online purchases for the most part and online purchasing catalog. Do we have anything that we encourage um so local purchasing? For example, if parks and recreation is having an event and instead of ordering uh Pizza Hut, they go with a local Nola's uh pizza. Do we have a small business directory for those smaller purchases that departments may be making for events uh to encourage them to invest here in Witchaw? So, this doesn't do anything to change policy. Um, as far as purchases that are below $5,000, we encourage people to get multiple quotes. And having the online purchasing, it doesn't it doesn't prohibit or doesn't preclude somebody from making a purchase from a local business or a different it it this is just another option that's available. So, I don't know that there is a directory. Yeah. And that may be a separate conversation for for um local restaurants and things. I I know what you're getting at, but um this is more for things like office supplies and air filters, things like that. Thank you, Council Member Shepard. Thank you so much, Mayor. And uh to my colleagueu's last point, uh we have been working with uh getting local businesses registered as a vendor u over the last four months. And so uh really encourage
while we don't have like a small business catalog in house we do have we witch independent business association create campaign empower that works with several entrepreneurs. Many of those entrepreneurs though are not registered as vendors. Create campaign actually partners with the city though um through their spark academy classes bringing someone from the city in to ensure those entrepreneurs know about that process. So, I just wanted to share that because I think it's important to get the small businesses and minority entrepreneurs registered so they can get alerted when RFPs aligned with what they are able to provide. Um, but I also want to agree with Vice Mayor Glascock's comments about how do we incentivize this? Um, I'm I'm concerned that this is the second thing that has come before us during my time where we are asking departments to look within their own budgets to uh take care of a particular cost or a need. I think about the parking and validating the parking stuff that is going to come from departmental budgets when they validate codes. Um and then now this and so I just want to affirm that I think if there's an opportunity to ensure that those dollars or those cost savings that are being recovered by utilizing something like this is going back to those specific departments um and not going into the general fund. I just think that that's a great opportunity to let our staff know that we are not trying to take from their budget uh for our own purposes, but they'll get to keep those dollars and utilize those dollars in a way that they deem fit to uh meet the need for their particular departments. Yeah. At this point, um it's difficult to estimate how much money there will be savings based on the discounts that four of the merchants provide. Um at this point, um we don't have any plans to prospectively reduce budgets in departments based on the potential savings from this. So that being the case, if we're leaving their budgets for
materials and supplies intact, they would realize savings from that. Um just we expect there to be more savings from the catalog costs than we expect revenue in the rebates. So So where would those savings go? They would remain, I guess, within the departmental budget is what I kind of hear you say. Yeah. So, yeah. So, if there was something that you expected to be a $100 purchase, but maybe there's a discount of $16 and it costs $84 instead. Um, I guess you could buy $100 worth of it instead of $84 or they would just spend the $84 and then have 16 for something else. Thank you so much [laughter] for Yes, that totally makes sense. I appreciate that. Yes. And so, it it will take time. I mean commodities has been a tricky thing to budget recently anyhow with um supply chain and things like that. So I think this will pro provide some it could provide it has a potential to provide some relief to some of our operating departments that purchase a lot of um supplies. Council member Johnston. Thank you mayor. I'm sure I know the answer to this, but I just want to make sure just from personal experience, everything that's shipped is shipped to a city address and cannot be drop shipped to another business or a personal address. Yeah, I think that when it would That's a good question. I was actually thinking too, what if mulch were delivered to a park and some a park visitor thought it was their lucky day. [laughter] the alternative um yes I think that it would be configured in the system that every employee would have um a shipping address. There could be employees if you were maybe a storekeeper and there were multiple sites there could be multiple shipping addresses that would be appropriate I think for heavier things. Um but yes it couldn't be directed to a home. I don't think it I don't think I think
that that would be something that would be part of a guards during implementation. Okay. Thanks. I have welcome. Pardon? I had that happen so Oh, yes. Okay, great. Anything else? Josh, can you answer that? City purchasing policy prohibits employees from receiving items in their home. Period. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. I see no further questions from this bench. We'll now open it up for public comment. I see no one from the public who would like to speak. This is a citywide project and again this is to produce efficiencies and also have opportunities to have five different retailers that do provide under $5,000 worth. So $4,999 or less. Um and so thank you for the examples of items where you can get rebates. This is helpful for the um city of Witchah as then we can buy more product or more helpful product. Um and so the intention is to again provide greater efficiency. So good job to the finance department and purchasing department for clarifying information of how the city of Witchaw already has safeguards so that again um mischievous uh activity is not uh encouraged here in the city of Witchaw. So with that I will go ahead and move to approve the contracts of the proposed vendors and authorize necessary signatures. Second. Motion second. Discussion. See none. Madame clerk, please open the role. Motion passes 70. Madame clerk, please call the next item. Contract for public transportation system advertising management services. Good morning, mayor, city council. Penny Feice, Witchaw Transit. Uh this item is to discuss the leasing of advertising space in Waw Transit vehicles. Um, we have uh participated in this
activity since at least 2004. That's as far back as I could find contracts. Um, and this revenue is used to match federal federal grant funds. So, this is our local portion um of our grant activity. Recent revenues from this activity um are listed in front of you and they range between $100,000 and $200,000 annually. A request for proposals was issued on October 31st, 2025, and a staff screening and selection committee reviewed three proposals and shortlisted two for interview. Based on the evaluation criteria, H advertising is is the recommended vendor. The proposed contract is for a three-year period with two one-year options to renew. The annual guaranteed revenue from this contract is $100,000 annually or a monthly percentage of 50% whichever is greater. Um that's for group one. Group two has an minimum or has a revenue share of 15%. Just want to give you some visuals about what we're talking about here. Group one is for wrapping and signage. So this is the type of signage that's available available inside the bus. Here we have a couple of examples of the advertising that you can see on the exterior of the bus. So they range from full wraps, which you can see in the top left, um to partial panels in the center um on the tail or on the panels below the windows. And um again, it's a three-year contract with two one-year optional renewals with a minimum annual guarantee of $100,000. Uh also included in the contract is a branding allowance, which allows us to wrap buses for our own purposes.
A new venture that we included in this RFP is the sale of advertising space on the splash pad of the Wi-Fi. So riders of the bus who connect to the bus's Wi-Fi first see a splash screen that they can sell advertising for local businesses or national brands. On average about 235 writers use the Wi-Fi each day. Because this is a new venture, the revenue estimates are relatively conservative. You can see there that for year one anticipated revenue is $25,000 with net net annual revenue to the city of 3750. Wishaw transit and hal um are prepared to review the feasibility of the sale of advertising space at bus shelters. Um in our initial review we wanted to make sure that we were being cognizant of of the image of a neighborhood. So instead chose highly trafficked commercial zones. So 16 shelters were identified as eligible for advertising and if supported we would start with a pilot project of four that would allow us to gauge interest from the community and also garner feedback. This is a revenue generating contract with a min minimum annual guarantee of $100,000. uh more than that could be realized dependent upon activity and as stated previously the branding allowance allows which transit to use advertising for its own purposes. Um with that it's recommended that city council approve the contract not to raise necessary signatures happy any questions. Thank you Penny questions for staff. Can you council member Shepard can you look at um slide number 53? Can you tell us approximately what the price of something like this costs and
what's the cost? Price versus cost. So, um, for the full wrap, the price is the production price, um, is $8,000 and then from there it depends on how long you want the advertising to run. So, um, for one period would be $2,500. Um, for a full year would be, um, $1,000. So the longer you run it, the cheaper it gets because of the increased production value. Thank you, Council Member Shepard. Thank you, Mayor. That was actually my question. So, thank you for asking that. I just wanted to clarify. So, if a business wanted to full wrap, they'd pay the $8,000 of the production cost and then an additional thousand if they wanted to do a year, right? Is it an additional thousand for every year after that or Right. So, yeah, it depends on how long they want the ad to run. And those same costs apply to us if we choose to use advertising for our own that which is why the printing allowance is $10,000 for the first year. That's basically one year of a wrap. And I'm assuming that's to make up for the cost that it takes because I I guess what I'm trying to figure out is how do small businesses or other businesses take advantage of this? It's a great opportunity. I was leaving the coffee shop this morning, saw uh Tyler Patterson's face all over a bus. Um, that's my favorite bus. Like a hundred times that bus. Yeah. [laughter] But I'm I'm also curious how how would some of our smaller businesses take advantage of this? I mean, $9,000 is it's quite a bit. I think you see some of the um the larger um local businesses and the national brands go for the full wraps and then you'll see um some of the more local businesses go for a panel or a tail. So, I think the tails are are are very effective because you're sitting in traffic behind the bus and um for the top left on the far right there, you know, so that's that's what you're seeing. Um
the price for that is quite a bit less. So [gasps] um so for example example the super tail which is that one that I pointed out top left section far right picture um production is $300 and for 12 uh 12 periods is $250. So I think that the flexibility um in the panels allows different types of businesses to participate. Thank you and thank you for uh thinking through that what I would call an equity lens. uh it's important to make sure everyone is a is at least able to take advantage of the opportunities uh and I think that you all have have been able to do that clearly by your answers today. The last question that I have is in relation to the damage liability uh that was in the contract and I'm just wanting to make sure that in the case that a bus is damaged who who takes care of that risk us or would our insurance cover that cost or would the vendor be responsible for paying or not the vendor the individual who's taking advantage of the wat pay that cost? I I'm gonna look at Jennifer and see if she has a better answer than me, but can you hear? I don't know if this is working. Um, is your question if the vendor damages it while installing it or No. If it's damaged while it's out in traffic. Yeah. Um, then I think we would handle it like any other claim against the city. Okay. Thank you, Council Member Johnston. Thank you, Penny. I'm I'm curious. Why is revenue going down every year? Uh, we did 24 to 25. Yeah, we did ask that question and the response that we received is that advertising is cyclical independent upon the dollars available for um national brands and local advertising dollars. Um they say the biggest impact that they see is the availability of healthcare dollars for advertising because when healthcare has money we see revenues go up and when it's a little bit
tighter we see these advertising revenues go down. Something else that they've recognized is the need for data. A lot of these people who are buying advertising want to see what that impact is, not just kind of hope and wish that they put something out and get the results. So with this contract, they've added something called a media hub, which is basically a dashboard for people who buy advertising to see um how many miles that bus is traveling and when and what area is being um is seeing that the advertising space. So they're hopeful that that will help increase engagement. Okay. Thank you. I know at the clinic we've bought a full rat before and it's pretty cool. Yeah, it looks pretty nice. It is expensive, but it's pretty cool. Yeah. Sorry, I have several follow-ups because this is actually a really great opportunity that I think a lot of folks may not have known. Back to what Council Member uh Shepard was talking about. Can you go back to slide 53? Uh maybe 54. Sorry. There we go. You mentioned the tail right there, the upper right hand photo. Um, for a whole year it would be $550 to advertise because it's $300 for production and 250 for that whole period. So for $550 you can get the advertisement on the back of any bus. Can I ask what the prioritization would would be? So, um, because there might be individuals right now that are watching that say, "Wow, for $550, I could advertise my small restaurant might be able to share that a business is um, hiring." I know that um, several individuals here went to Boeing's announcement yesterday. They're hiring. So, I'm I'm kind of curious, how do we share this information with others? And then how do you prioritize who gets what buses? Um I I
do know that we have space available. So we're not necessarily in a prioritization um situation now, but and I so I don't know the answer to that. I think what they would try to do is for example, if you couldn't get a tail, then they would offer you a a panel on the side or something comparable. You know, they do a lot of work with the businesses to find something that works for them. You know, they the advertising agency does the design inhouse if you need that help. So they can help you um tailor your message and um fit, you know, whatever size is available. So my guess is that if something like the tail wasn't available, they would try and work with you to figure out when it would become available or if you're interested in something else. Um and then we do have this available on our website, but I think that we can do a little bit more of our own in-house advertising to make sure um that people know about this service. Sorry, one more follow-up question to that question. Um, are there any organizations or businesses that are not allowed or or more specifically I know that this is election season for a lot of individuals. This is not a campaign advertisement. Correct. Correct. So Witchah City Witchah has final control over what is um allowed on the advertising space and in general we advise no politics, no religion. Um and you know we had one recently that was a very directly religious message but they worked with them to make it a little bit uh more generic so that it wasn't you know offensive or or you know maybe miss the mark as far as what they were trying to achieve. Um I think that those are the two things that we've seen most often. I haven't seen anything else but um the agency has been very good at reaching out to us say hey this is kind of questionable and then we run it through city comms to see if it meets our brand standard and then just last question uh we've been talking about America 250 and the witchah uh effort would there
be an opportunity to have something like this you mentioned that there was uh probably opportunity for a free wrap can you talk about that or maybe that could be directed to the city manager Yeah, we do. Um I think that that's a great use of our space this year. It's a once in a-lifetime um commemoration. So Wishaw Transit is happy to do that. Um we would, you know, just like to work with the special event committee to see what the desire is and see what we can produce. Thank you, Penny. With that, I see no further questions from this bench. Uh kudos to you and your team for finding ways to advertise and help generate some dollars um and also provide u a service to the community. We will now open it up for public comment. I see no one from the public who would like to speak. I'm bringing it back to the bench. With that, I will move to approve the contract and authorize the necessary signatures. Second. Motion second. Discussion. See none. Madame clerk, please open the role. Motion passes 70. Madame clerk, please call the next item. CUP 2026-6 amendment in the city to CUP DP225 to wave paragraph 3 general provision number 25 regarding screening requirements for loading areas generally located on the south side of West Maple Street and within 650 ft west of South 135th Street West. Good morning. Scott Wadel from the planning department and I promise not to touch the microphone. Um, so for this item, the applicant is requesting amendments to the community unit plan in order to eliminate the existing requirement for screening of loading areas as it would apply to an existing Dollar Tree building. And uh we have an exhibit that's attached to the staff
report that shows uh where those would be. This item is being heard today because protests have been submitted from within the notification area. Also, the district advisory board and the planning commission recommendations are different. And then third, an appeal of the planning commission recommendation has been submitted. In terms of the request, the request you're considering today is a revised request that the applicant presented at the district advisory board and the planning commission public hearing. The applicant has indicated they're requesting the amendment because it would prefer not to have to install the required screening of the loading area. Per the existing community unit plan language, the screening would need to be a masonry wall. The applicant has indicated that if the loading area was screened as identified in the attachment, then access to the trash receptacles would be compromised. In addition, they've also questioned the effectiveness of it given that there are semi-truckss that are loading and unloading in the area. In terms of the property, the subject site, as you can see here, is shown to the is to the south and west of the intersection of 135th and Maple Street. Subject site is made up of one parcel. It is approximately 1.08 acres in size zoned LC limited commercial and in a community unit plan which is CUPDP 220. It is undeveloped except for a portion of a paved driveway that is shared with the property to the east and the subject site parcel is under the same ownership and zoning as a parcel immediately to the east. So, in some ways, I guess it's fair to say that the screening also would apply to the parcel that's immediately to the east. The reason why we've got this parcel shown is because that's how the request was initially submitted. Properties to the north are zoned LC with a protective overlay. One of those parcels is developed with a bank and
the other parcel is undeveloped. Property to the south is zoned SF5, single family residential and developed with a golf course. Property to the east of parcels 1 and four in this CUP. Our Z is zoned LC within the same CUP as a subject site and developed with a dentist office. Property to the west is zoned SF5 and developed with single family dwellings. In terms of the staff report, it includes information about the current development in the CUP. The community unit plan requirements and an analysis of the request as submitted on the application. In terms of review, on April 9th, the planning commission held a public hearing and recommended approval. That vote was 8 to2 with one abstension. And that was a vote to recommend approval of the applicant's modified request as presented during that public hearing, which again is limited to the screening for the loading dock, for the loading area for the Dollar Tree. Multiple members of the public spoke in opposition to the request with general concerns about visual impact to nearby residential properties and overall desire to have the applicant adhere to the established cup or community unit plan regulations. The MAPC recommended CUP text required screening of loading areas as depicted on the red lines. Uh, hang on just a moment. I think my speaking notes might be off a little bit. I want to make sure I've got this correct. Okay. Yes. Their recommended language is that required screening of loading areas as depicted in the red lines which are attached as an exhibit to the staff report shall be waved across parcels one and four. So it's for the undeveloped parcel that you see outlined and to the parcel to the east. All other requirements of paragraph 3 of general provision 25 of the
cup shall remain in effect. Essentially, what that is saying is that they're just waving the screening requirement for the loading areas as it would apply to parcels for and to the parcel immediately to the east, but it is not waving it for the rest of the properties in the CUP. And again, the MAPC recommended CUP amendment conditions which would go along with that are listed in the staff report. On April 6th, the district advisory board considered the CUP modified amendment request and recommended denial, and that vote was 5 to2. Multiple members of the public spoke in opposition at that meeting with general concerns about the visual impact to nearby residential properties and overall desire to have the applicant again adhere to cup regulations. In terms of protest, 31 protest petitions were received. 12 of them are from within the protest area and accounted for just under 40% of the protest area. It exceeds the minimum 20% threshold set by the state statute and therefore any approval of an amendment to the cup as part of this application will require a supermajority vote or six of seven votes. Then following that there was an appeal that was submitted on April 23rd. An appeal of the MAPC recommendation was filed. The appeal was received during the required 14-day time frame after the MAPC hearing. The appeal document is attached to the staff report and a generally a general summary is provided in the staff report. Now, the unified zoning code identifies that the city council can either approve approve with conditions or modifications or deny the original application because of this appeal. This section of the unified zoning code does not provide an option for the application to be sent back to the
planning commission for further consideration. So, that appeal makes a little bit different the options a little bit different than what they normally would be. In terms of the recommendation, the recommendation coming to you from the planning commission is that you adopt the findings of the planning commission, approve the amendment to the community unit plan as the MAPC recommended it to you, authorize the necessary signatures, and instruct the city clerk to publish the ordinance resolution after approval. Again, it requires six of seven votes because of the protest. Alternatives include the following. You can override the planning commission, adopt alternative findings, and approve the CUP amendment with either modified conditions or modified language. And again, that would require six of seven votes. Or you can override the MAPC adopt alternative findings and deny the CUP amendment. And that would require five of seven votes because it is an override of the planning commission. And just a note about the process, city council policy is that the public hearing for planning items occurs at the planning commission meeting. According to the policy, the city council does not typically receive public comments on zoning items at the city council meeting. So with that, I'll take you through some of the photos and illustrations. So here's the aerial photo showing the site. Here's the zoning map. You can see the red is LC limited commercial. The white areas SF5. Here's the map from the comprehensive plan showing residential and employment mix recommended at this location. Here is the illustration that we've been talking about in terms of the required screening which is shown in red. That is the screening of the loading areas where that would go. Uh the box that's in green just to call it out on the southside not south of the building but a little bit to the west of the building is where they have existing screening for an existing trash enclosure. Here's the uh view. Here's the cup
document, a portion of it. So, you can see where parcel 4 is, where parcel one is, and so forth from the cup. Here's the protest map. And again, the ones in red are the ones that counted towards the percentage of the protest area. And again, that was just under 40%, so it exceeded the 20% threshold. Here's photos of the site. So, here's the trash enclosure. Here you can see the masonry uh wall that's around it with the wooden fence uh openings at the at the north end. And this is the loading area by the way. Uh so the doors that are used to get the goods in and out of the building. Here's the driveway. And this is looking to the parcel uh to the west. And then you can see some of the homes further in the distance there to the west. This is looking directly west. This is looking at the rear of the Dollar Tree store. This is looking to the south where the golf course is. And with that, I'll stand for any questions. Thank you, Scott. Questions for staff, beginning with council member Hoheisle. Thank you, mayor. Um, just want to clarify one thing and then or two or three things here. So the DAB did hear the the amended request that went before MAPC. That is correct. Okay. And when we say property to the east and we're looking at this slide, that's the main building is what we're talking about. That is correct. Yes, sir. The property to the east is the one with the Dollar Tree store. Okay. And also is there what's the discussion been about changing I guess changing the screening so it does work and the trucks can get in there? Is there any alternate designs that have been uh talked about? Uh no sir. Uh not that I'm aware of. There's not
been any that have been drawn or talked about at length. Um the applicant has indicated that it would create a hardship for them in terms of u having to deal with the trash or either relocate uh that um and people who have advocated for the screening to remain the same um have indicated you know that is the applicant's responsibility and they knew that the screening requirement was there before they built the building. Okay. Thank you. Vice Mayor Glascott. One quick question regarding parcel 4. The once parcels 4 is developed, will they is there a requirement that the loading and screening area be on the east side of the property? Uh no, there's not a requirement and in fact there is a prohibition on certain uses within 50 ft of the perimeter of the property. So, um, and my understanding is that this driveway is shared between the two buildings. So, in all likelihood, we would see loading occurring on the east side of that building. Yeah. So, there would be likely loading on the east side, not west side of the building. Yes, sir. Okay. This is in Vice Mayor Gloss Cox's district. Yeah. Seeing none of my other colleagues on here, I'll actually um offer the findings for the motion I'll make first uh to offer some I think clarification on the pending motion. So the recommends CUP amendment that is going to be proposed helps to achieve a better balance between the anticipated temporary nature of the loading area screening until parcel 4 is developed, the size of the delivery vehicles and reducing visual impact to adjacent residents. And so when we look at this map and can we go back to the one that actually shows the required screening of the loading area? It's the red one.
So the intention obviously of this is to reduce the visual impact for nearby residents of the loading area. Well, when you actually look at where a semi fits in here, the semi extends taller than the loading area and also longer than the loading area as well. And so, in talking with Scott and in talking to legal, um, I'm kind of giving an eitheror option for the applicant. So they must continue as is the provisions um recommended in the CU CUP or they could extend the required screening of the loading area, not extend it, but they could do it at the western part of parcel 4. Um and so instead of the temporary one, eventually parcel 4 will be developed. And if the intention is to protect the uh required screening of potential loading areas, it would make more sense to extend it along the west side of parcel 4, also requiring a tree row as part of that development. So the motion I'll be presenting just in plain terms or plain language would be they either have to continue and they have to require the loading area as part of the CIP as presented in here or if they choose not to do that they could develop a um wall along the western side of parcel 4 which is the one most adjacent to the homes and require a screening of trees at that location as well. And so the motion would be I move to override the MAPC approve the following amended cup text. The amendment consists of the following general provision number 25 paragraph 3 shall be updated to state the following. In the event a single tendant building greater than 8,000 square ft is built. Trash receptacles loading docks out outdoor storage and loading area shall be appropriately screened with similar materials to the main building to reasonably hide them from residentially developed properties. So
that is currently what is on that previous slide except that for parcel one the screen of loading areas and loading dock shall be similar materials to the main building or wood fencing a minimum 6 ft high and combined with a landscape buffer on parcel 4 at 1.5 times the landscaping required by the witchaw landscape code. Scott, could you talk about the 1.5 times the landscaping requirement versus just the additional or verse the current requirement? Yes, sir. So, the u the typical standard is for one tree every 40 feet. So, if you do it one and a half times, it's uh one tree every 30 feet. Okay. Thank you, Scott. So there'd be one tree every 30 ft on the west side of the property with a fence or what's required as part of the cup currently. Second motion second. Any further discussion? I see none. Uh madame clerk, please open the role. Motion passes 70. Madame clerk, please call the next item. Zone 2026-9, zone change requests in the city from single family residential district to multif family residential district to build two duplexes generally located on the east side of North Jenna Avenue within 150 ft north of West 23rd Street North. Scott Wadel from the planning department. [clears throat] So for this one, as you heard, the applicant is requesting approval of a zone change from SF5 to MF18 multifamily. This item is being heard today because the DAB and the planning commission recommendations are different. In terms of the request, the applicant has indicated they're requesting the reszoning in order to permit two duplexes on the site. And there's a little bit of a story to that,
and I'll get to that in just a moment. At the district advisory board, uh here we go. The applicant clarified that it's their intent to build two single family homes on the site. So, initially they were requesting a duplex. Now, they've uh modified that to say two single family homes. The requested MF18 zoning would allow 17.4 dwelling units per acre for a maximum of four dwelling units on this particular site. In terms of the property, the property is located to the north and to the west of the intersection of 23rd Street in R. Kansas. So, uh, which is our Kansas is a little bit to the east of this image here. A subject site is approximately 0.23 acres in size, consist of appears two uh, ownership parcels and is currently vacant. Properties to the north, south, east, and west are all zoned SF5 and developed with single family residences. So, here's the zoning map, and again, here's the aerial showing how some of them are developed. The nearest duplexes are over 1,000 ft to the south and west of the subject site. You can see them here on the zoning map. And they are zoned uh TF3. In terms of the staff report, the staff report provides information about development standards, compatibility standards, screening, landscaping, and parking. In terms of review, on April 9th, the planning commission held the public hearing for this item and recommended approval of a zone change to TF3 family residential district and that vote was 11 to zero. So, the planning commission is recommending something different than what the applicant initially requested. In the discussion, the applicant said he would like to maximize use of the site and was amanable to one duplex on the site. The planning commission found that a single duplex on the site would be more compatible with the neighborhood than two duplexes and there were no members of the public who spoke on this item at that public hearing. Then later at on April 13th,
the district advisory board reviewed the request and recommended approval of the MF18 multifamily residential district subject to a protective overlay. And that protective overlay would require the following. That the site is limited to two would be limited to two single family dwellings. that the maximum height of all structures on the site would be 35 ft and that the structures would have a hip or gabled roof. During the meeting, the applicant clarified that his original intent was to build two single family dwellings on the site, one for himself and one for his in-laws. In its findings, the DAB agreed with the applicant in its reco in their request for two single family houses on the site, which they felt would align better with the character of the area while maximizing the use of the lot. No members of the public spoke on this item at that meeting. And no protests were received against the case. So the recommended action coming to you from the planning commission is that you approve the findings of the planning commission, approve the requested, approve the zone change to TF3 and authorize the necessary signatures and instruct the city clerk to publish the ordinance and resolution after approval. And again, that requires just four votes because uh there's no protest. In terms of alternatives, alternatives include the following. You can override the planning commission, adopt alternative findings, and approve the DAB recommended zone change request to MF18 with a protective overlay, and that would require five of seven votes because it's an override. Another option is that you can override the planning commission, adopt alternative findings, and deny the requested zone change. That would be require five out of seven votes. Or as always, you can return the case to the planning commission for additional consideration, which would require four of seven votes. And just a note about the process. Again, the public comments uh per the city council policy, public comments typically take place at the planning commission meeting. So with that, here's the zoning map. Here's the map
from the comprehensive plan showing residential recommended. Here's the notification and protest map. Again, no protest. Here are photos from the site across the street and the surrounding area. And with that, I'll stand for any questions. Questions for staff? I see none. This resides in council member Ballard's district. Thank you, mayor. Thank you, Scott. I move to override the map, adopt alternate findings, approve the reasonzoning the property to MF18 with a protective overlay, authorize an associ signatures, and instruct the city clerk to publish the ordinance after approval. The protective overlay would require the following. The site is limited to two single family dwellings. The maximum height of all structures on site is 35 ft. The structure shall have hip or gabled roof. In support of this motion, I offer the following findings. Approval of the requested zoning change to MF18 district with a protective overlay will require only single family homes will be consistent with the character of the area. The protective overlay will reduce potential detrimental effects to the nearby properties. Second. Motion second. Discussion. See none. Madame clerk, please open the role. Motion passes. 70. Madame clerk, please call the next item. PUD 2026-3 zone change requests in the city single family residential district to PUD to create the Rivington PUD number 157 generally located on the north side of East 37th Street North and within 1 half mile west of North 127th Street East. Good morning again. Scott Wadel from planning. So, as you heard for this one, the applicant is requesting to reszone the property from SF5 with the conditional use that
does allow for accessory apartments. They want to reszone it from that to plan unit development, which is custom zoning. This item is being heard today because a protest was received against the application from within the notification area. In terms of the request, the applicant has indicated that they are requesting a zone change in order to allow for a mix of uses that would include single family homes, duplexes, and town houses. In addition, the custom zoning would allow accessory apartments, assisted living group residents, limited uh neighborhood swimming pools, parking areas, and community clubhouse. In terms of the property, the site is located to the north and west of 37th Street and 127th Street, as you can see here on the aerial. The site is made up of just one parcel. It's over just over 70 acres in size, currently in agricultural use and not platted. In terms of context, properties to the north, south, and east are zoned rural residential and developed with large lot single family dwellings and in agricultural use. Properties to the west are undeveloped but under active zone change requests for residential uses and those are described in the staff report. Properties to the southwest are zoned SF5 and developed with single family dwellings. In terms of the staff report, it contains information about development standards, screening and landscaping, signage, parking and circulation. In addition, attached with the staff report is the recommended text for the custom zoning district. In terms of review, on April 9th, the planning commission held the public hearing for this item and recommended approval unanimously. That vote was 12 to zero. No members of the public spoke on on this item. On April 13th, the district advisory board reviewed the request and recommended approval unanimously, 8 to zero. No members of the public spoke on this item at that meeting. In terms of protest,
one valid one protest was received against the case. the area of that protest added up to 15% of the protest area. Therefore, it was under the 20% threshold by the state and does not so therefore zone change can be approved with a simple majority. In terms of city council action, the recommendation coming to you from the planning commission is to adopt the findings of the planning commission, approve the zone change request, sign the resolution, and authorize it to be published. Alternatives include the following. You can override the planning commission recommendation, make alternative findings, and deny the application. Again, that would require twothirds majority or five of seven votes. Or as always, you can return the case to the planning commission for further consideration, and that would require just four of seven votes. Again, just a quick note about the process. The public hearing takes place at the planning commission meeting. So, here's the graphics and uh photos. So, here's the aerial showing the area. Here's a zoning map which was discussed earlier. Here's the map from the comprehensive plan showing just a corner of it identified for new residential. Here's the PUB graphic just showing the outlines of it. We and the text again is is attached to this report. Here's the protest map showing the protest that was received. Again, it's under 20%. Here's photos from the site and the surrounding area. And with that, I'll stand for any questions. Thank you, Scott. Questions for staff? Seeing none, this resides in Council Member Tuttles's district. Thank you. This one's going to be a bit easier than the last two, I think. Um, thank you, Scott, for all of your work on this and to your team. Um, thank you to MAPD, um, and to legal for meeting with me to discuss this. And we took just a minute to talk about this case and a lot more to talk about what I'm going to make a request for in a moment. Um, I did want to state for the record that I've had no exparte communication with the owner, the applicant,
the agent, or community members regarding this case. And I did want to also highlight that this was unanimous from the district advisory board and the MIPC with no public comment. So, here is a a request for the city manager and city manager and I discussed this yesterday. This case is one of the anomalies that comes up and every time I say, "Oh, I need to do something about it." And I always let it go. So this time I'm not going to let it go. Um it was only 15% protest. This should not have come before us as an agenda item. It should have just remained on consent in my opinion. So I would like for us to review the process that the only time a a planning case, a zoning case is triggered to come to us is if it's over the 20% threshold. Um you know time went into this case from MAPD to present this. It's taking time from here. No one can speak, nobody was against it, had unanimous approval from both bodies. So, this seems like an opportunity for an administrative change for us to to clean up. So, um, city manager, thank you for your consideration to that request. And any of my colleagues would like to chat more about my rationale for this request, I'd be happy to do so. With that, I will move that the Witchah City Council adopt the findings of the MAPC and appro approve the requested zone change, authorize the necessary signatures, and instruct the city clerk to publish the ordinance after approval. Thank you. Second motion, second discussion, seeing none. Madame clerk, please open the role. Motion passes 70. Madame clerk, please call the next item. Council member agenda. Uh, approve that pursuant to section 204090, Vice Mayor Glascock and Council Member Ballard's travel expenses as estimated on the travel authorization and expense form to attend the National Civic League's All-American City event in Denver, Colorado, June 25th through
June 28th, 2026 for the purpose of attending and participating in the National Civic League's All-American City Conference consistent with AR 3.1 be approved. Upon return from travel, actual expenses shall be reported to the controllers's office. I move to approve that travel. Second. Second. Any discussion? Seeing none. Madam clerk, please open the role. Motion passes 70. Madame clerk, please call the next item. That pursuant to section 2049, mayor lose travel expenses. on the travel authorization and expense form to attend the National Police All American City event, Colorado June 25th through June 29th, 2026 for the purpose of attending and participating in the National Civic All American City Conference 3.1 approved upon return to the office. Move to approve. Second discussion seeing none. Madam clerk, please open the role. Motion passes 70. Madame clerk, please call the next item. Approve that pursuant to section 204090, Council Member Shepard's travel expenses as estimated on the travel authorization and expense form to attend the National Civic League's All-American City event in Denver, Colorado, June 27th through June 29th, 2026 for the purpose of attending and participating in the National Civic League's All-American City Conference consistent with AR3.1 be approved. Upon return from travel, actual expenses shall be reported to the controllers's office. to approve. Second discussion. See none. Madame clerk, please open the role. Motion passes 70. Madame clerk,
please call the next item. Approve that pursuant to section 2.04-90. Council member's travel expenses as estimated on the travel authorization expense form to attend the National Civic League All American City event June 26 through June 29th 26 for the purpose of attending and participating in the National Civic League's all American city conference consistent with 3.1 approved upon return to the controllers office move to approve second discussion seeing none madam clerk please open the role Motion passes 70. Madame clerk, please call the next item. Approve that pursuant to section 204090, Mayor Woo's travel expenses as estimated on the travel authorization expense form to attend the Barnboro International Air Show June July 16th through 24th, 2026 in London, England for the purpose of representing the city of Witchah for economic development purposes consistent with AR3.1 be approved. Upon return from travel, actual expenses shall be reported to the controllers's office. Move to approve. Second. Madame clerk, please open the roll. Motion passes 70. Madame clerk, please call the next item. Appointments and comments. Council members, are there any appointments? I have one. I sent it via email. I apologize for the tardiness in it. Um, but I will read it. Um, I move to approve. Well, I want to approve Council Member Joseph Shepard to the Witchah Area Metropolitan Planning Organization and want to thank Council Member Hoheisel's service in that role. I also want to appoint Arthur Allen to the cultural funding committee. Second. Move
to approve. Second. Uh discussion. See none. Madam clerk, please open the role. Motion passes 70. Council members, any comments. Council member Shepard. Yes. I heard that someone is graduating this Saturday. So Josh, congratulations on your graduation. Looking forward to cheering you on. Then we're going to put you right back to work. Council member Johnston. Thank you. I'd like to thank everyone came out to our district five breakfast city manager for being there. Uh we had 65 people there. Really good turnout. So uh a lot of people were happy about the engagement and the transparency. So just thank everyone who came out and we must highlight the food from that event as well. Food was excellent. Yes. Provided by by my wife. She made it all. So yeah, thank her. I will note that that breakfast cost $200 a year ago and this time it cost $325. So it's costs are going up dramatically. Thank you, Council Member Johnston and Council Member Glascock for hosting those breakfastes. And then uh want to say kudos and thank you to Council Member Tuttle for hosting hers yesterday uh with the city manager. That means that there are two more left when it comes to these uh town halls. The next one will be Wednesday, May 27th here at city hall in the council chambers from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Again, Wednesday, May 27th. And the very last one will be hosted by Council
Member Maggie Ballard in the District 6 breakfast at Evergreen Community Center and Library um on Saturday, May 30th from 9 to 10:00 a.m. She said she'd like to save the best for last. With that, um, I see no further comments. I move to adjourn. Second. All those in favor say I. I. All those opposed, same sign. Motion passes and we're adjourned at 10:56 a.m.
This transcript was automatically generated from the official public meeting video and is presented unedited. It reflects remarks made on the public record by elected officials, staff, and public commenters. Transcript accuracy may vary; view the original recording for reference.