On September 15, 2026, the Manhattan City Commission convened for a regular meeting addressing multiple agenda items including a proclamation for Constitution Week, public comments on a new nonprofit for Sunset Cemetery, commissioner reports on federal legislation and local awards, and three public hearings. The central focus was the adoption of the 2027 city budget, which included a debate on the mill levy and revenue neutral rate, followed by amendments to the Manhattan Development Code to comply with state Senate Bill 418, and a discussion on the Historic Preservation Plan, which was tabled for further review.
Good evening and welcome to the September fifteenth meeting of the Manhattan City Commission. Uh, we will now take roll call. Mayor Adam Track. I'm 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. Would you please rise and join me in saying the Pledge of Allegiance? I pledge allegiance to the bag of the United States of America and to the public provision under God with a review of justice for all. Thank you. Thank you all for being here. Whereas September seventeenth, twenty twenty-six marks the two hundred and thirty-ninth anniversary of the drafting of the Constitution of the United States of America by the Constitutional Convention. And whereas it is fitting and proper to officially recognize this magnificent document and the anniversary of its creation, whereas it is fitting and proper to officially recognize the patriotic celebrations, which will commemorate this occasion, and whereas public law nine one five guarantees the issuing of a proclamation each year by the President of the United States, designating September 17th through 22nd as Constitution Week. Now therefore I, Susan E. Adam Chak, Mayor of Manhattan, Kansas, do hereby proclaim September seventeenth through the twenty second, twenty twenty-six as Constitution Week in Manhattan. And I ask all of our citizens to reaffirm the ideals, the frames of the Constitution had in 1787. And I urge all citizens to study the Constitution and reflect on the privilege of being an American with all the rights and responsibilities which that privilege involves. In witness thereof, I have set my hand and cause the seal of the City of Manhattan, Kansas, to be affixed this 15th day of September 2026. Congratulations. Well, thank you so much to Mayor Adam Chack and the members of the Commission. I am Kellen Leepsh. I am the Vice Regent of the Polly Ogden chapter, Society of the Daughters of American Revolution. And it's an honor to accept this proclamation on behalf of all of those in the community that value the principles that are embodied in the Constitution. I promise there will not be a quiz to go over all of the principles in the Constitution, nor of the preamble, though all of us that were good stewards can recite the preamble from fifth grade. So if anybody would like to join me out in the vestibule afterwards, we can recite the preamble together. No takers? Okay. So as the mayor stated, this is an especially meaningful year as we come together and we embark upon the 250th anniversary, just those ideals that are that are presented in the Constitution as we reflect on those principles of a liberty, self-government, and civic responsibility, which, as citizens, constituents, and commission members, you are all doing here today. So once again, I would like to thank you for issuing the proclamation for being here and for accepting this wonderful piece of paper and this proclamation with us as members of the community. So thank you again. Good evening, Commission. My name is Rex Fowles, 2048 Hunting Avenue. As I told the Parks and Rec board last night, there is something exciting happening in the Little Apple. A new nonprofit organization is being started, probably to be named Friends of the Sunset Cemetery. It will promote the cemetery, support their staff, and help do things the city can't honestly budget for. Its focus will be the community education, historic preservation, and landscape and monument care. As a member of the cemetery board, when I travel the state, I visit local cemeteries to see their conditions and how they operate. If you have visited Sunset Cemetery, you will notice the older sections, there's a lot of algae, moss, lichen, and black fungus growing, especially on the marble headstones. Not only can this be detrimental to the monument, some of them can't even be read to see who's buried there. I found it interesting on our travels this summer to walk through the Goodland Cemetery and see hardly any growth on their monuments. It dawned on me that they have a drier climate, and if you've ever been to Goodland, fewer trees. This shows that all cemeteries are different.