City Commission Meeting Summary - January 13, 2026
City Commission Meeting Summary - January 13, 2026
The City Commission convened on January 13, 2026, to discuss legislative matters, board appointments, and major infrastructure projects including a wastewater treatment expansion and Aggieville redevelopment. Key decisions included the unanimous appointment of Commissioner Morrison to the Riley County Law Board, the approval of commissioner external board assignments, and the authorization of staff to proceed with finalizing the Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) for the wastewater project. The meeting featured extensive deliberation on the Aggieville update, particularly regarding trash consolidation, Morrow Street design options, and parking policy, with commissioners emphasizing the need for business feedback and rapid construction timelines.
Consent Calendar
- Appointment to Riley County Law Board: Commissioner Morrison was unanimously appointed to fill the unexpired term of former Commissioner Mata. The motion passed 5-0. Commissioner Fox proposed that Commissioner Morrison's appointment be reviewed with the intent of having more female representation on the board in the future.
Public Comments & Testimony
- General Public & Business Owners: Multiple public speakers and representatives from the Aggieville Business Association (ABA) offered testimony regarding the Aggieville update.
- Support for Construction Velocity: Several speakers (e.g., Scott Sieben, Dennis Cook) expressed support for continuing construction on Morrow Street and the trash consolidation project without delay, citing the toll of ongoing disruptions on local businesses.
- Parking Concerns: Attendees (e.g., Cam Ward, Vincent Tracy, Ellen Riza) expressed strong opposition to options that would eliminate all street parking on Morrow Street, emphasizing the need for accessible parking and the inconvenience to customers who do not want to walk long distances.
- Garage Policy: Speakers requested that the parking garage remain accessible, with calls to eliminate the ParkMobile registration requirement and maintain free parking during business hours to reduce friction for patrons.
- Local Contractor Preference: Cam Ward (Alms Group) highlighted the importance of utilizing local construction companies like BHS Olson City to support Manhattan families, despite the competitive bidding processes.
- Fire Safety & Code Compliance: Amber Starling cautioned commissioners about the dangers of proposing pedestrian-only street options that might violate fire codes, noting fire trucks require specific lane widths.
Discussion Items
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Commissioner Board Appointments:
- The Mayor proposed assignments for themselves (Library Board, Chamber of Commerce) and other commissioners (Flint Hills Area Transportation Agency, Housing Authority, Municipal Audit Board). Commissioner Von Lentel expressed interest in the Flint Hills Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO).
- Commissioners agreed to serve as alternates for the MPO, ATA, and Regional Council boards to ensure quorums are met.
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Wastewater Treatment Expansion Plan:
- Project Goals & History: Randy DeWitt and Corolla Engineers presented a plan driven by the need for redundancy, resiliency, and reliability, noting the plant serves a regional population of over 110,000 people. The project is not federally mandated but addresses future compliance and aging infrastructure (e.g., SCADA systems, biosolids dredge).
- Cost & GMP: Crossland Heavy presented the Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) of $21.7 million, down from a previous estimate of $24.3 million. The team utilized 24 subcontractor bid packages and 13 equipment packages to secure competitive pricing.
- Contingency Discussion: The proposed contingency is 2.5% of the total project cost. Commissioner Von Lentel expressed concern that this was low compared to the typical 3-5%, but the team affirmed that unused contingency funds are returned to the city.
- Funding Strategy: Staff discussed financing options. A 15-year bond alternative was recommended over a 20-year option due to lower total interest costs, with annual debt service estimated at $3 million for the 15-year term versus $2.5 million for 20 years (corrected from initial verbal estimates).
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Aggieville Update:
- Trash Consolidation: Staff proposed a project to install five trash compactors in alleys to eliminate the need for multiple private haulers. The estimated cost for design/pre-construction is $105,000, with a total project cost of $1.4-$1.6 million. Commissioners debated proceeding with the design immediately vs. surveying businesses first; a consensus was reached to pause the $105,000 expenditure pending lower-cost community surveys to gauge merchant and resident feedback.
- Morrow Street Design: Staff presented three concept options for the Morrow Street reconstruction, all of which involve a mandatory 20-foot drive lane for fire safety. Options range from parallel parking on both sides (65 stalls) to a pedestrian-focused design with fewer parking stalls (as low as 32 stalls) to accommodate wider sidewalks and amenities. Public commenters strongly opposed removing all street parking.
- Parking Garage Policy: Staff presented data showing that the garage operates at a net loss (approx. $800,000 expense vs. $280,000 revenue in 2025) due to free daytime parking and operational costs. Commissioners discussed removing the ParkMobile app requirement to reduce friction and allow free parking during daytime hours to boost usage.
Key Outcomes
- Motion Passed: Appointment of Commissioner Morrison to the Riley County Law Board (5-0).
- Wastewater Project: Commissioners authorized staff to finalize the GMP amendment and contract with Crossland Heavy, targeting construction start in Q1 2026 and commissioning by end of 2027. Staff was directed to focus on a 15-year bond structure.
- Aggieville Trash: Staff directed to pause the $105,000 design contract execution until a cost-effective method for gauging merchant sentiment (e.g., targeted surveys) is implemented.
- Aggieville Parking: Commissioners directed staff to explore removing the ParkMobile app registration requirement for the garage during weekday business hours to improve patron access.
- Aggieville Construction Timeline: Commissioners expressed a strong desire to award the Morrow Street construction contract in 2027 to minimize further disruption to the district.
- Budget Projections: Updated fund balance projections indicate a beginning 2026 balance of approximately $15 million due to delayed projects from 2025, providing a cushion for the wastewater project financing.
Meeting Transcript
Welcome to the January thirteenth um meeting of the city commission. Um you please call the role. Oh shoot, and I forgot what Jason said already. Chelsea, would you call the role, please? Mayor Adam Track? Here. Commissioner McCullough, yes. Commissioner Fox. Here. Commissioner Morrison. Here. Commissioner Von Lentel. Here. Mayor, we have five commissioners present. The quorum of three is met. Thank you. Um could you please join me in saying the Pledge of Allegiance? I pledge allegiance of the United States of America. And the Republic for which it stands. Thank you. Our first item on the agenda today is to appoint a commissioner to the Riley County Law Board. This person will be uh completing the term of former Commissioner Matta. And um we had a brief discussion last week. The Commissioner Morrison is interested in this position. Uh is there anyone else on the commission who is interested? And Commissioner Morrison, can you um just give us an idea of why you are interested in this position and what your qualifications are. Well, I was on the first law board in nineteen seventy, whatever. Um practice law here for fifty-three years. Have been involved with law enforcement for the fifty-three years in various forms. I think I have an idea of what accountability and responsibility to the community is. Um I think I can bring maybe some critical issues that need to be discussed. So that's my plethora of information. Someone pointed out something interesting to me today in that um there's sort of an inherent conflict of interest with commissioners, both county and city being on the law board, in that as a member of the law board, you have a fiduciary responsibility to uh be clear about their budget and uh and yet as a city commissioner you also have a responsibility to be concerned about our budget. How will you handle those competing interests? Well, I would I would assume the city commissioner's going to give me some instruction to what they think reasonable financial ability is. At times I've even leaned to the fact that because of that issue, we ought to have three commissioners that can speak for the budgeting process for both rather than two laymen. The lay folks there are doing a good job, and I don't see that's a time now, but and I do know it rotates and the next time around there may be two city commissioners and one layperson. Um but um there are inherent conflicts in finances. Yeah. I I think next time around it'll be two city commissioners and two lay people appointed by the city. We get go four and three back and forth. Um I you know, I think that you you've expressed a lot of good reasons. Um I would just say that would I think it'd be nice if we had more than one woman on the law board. We um you know need to have some representation from the female too. Well, I can tell you I'm not apparently the exception because I get a lot of women calling telling me what they think I ought to do. I didn't, you know, I'm not trying to detract from your counteresse, I'm just saying we need to think about these things, and women do hold up half the sky, so is there anyone from the public who would like to make a comment on this issue? I think we have to decide if we're gonna allow public comment. Um tonight is actually a legislate a legislative meeting, so it's already on there that will have public comment. Okay, so since this is a special city commission meeting for this specific item. Yeah, but it does say if if allowed not this one.
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