OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Olathe City Council Meeting – September 16, 2025

City Council — Tuesday, September 16, 2025
BodyOlathe, Kansas
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, September 16, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:36:30

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Good evening.

0:02

Welcome to the regular meeting of the Olatha City Council for Tuesday, September 16th, 2025.

0:09

The first item on our agenda is the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:12

Would you please stand with me for the pledge?

0:16

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

0:39

Next on the agenda, we have special business.

0:42

But before I go there, we've got one consent and agenda item, item R, that has been removed by staff's request and will come back at a later date.

0:52

So item R on the consent agenda is been removed from the agenda.

0:57

Under special business item A, we have consideration of resolution number 25-1079 reappointing members to the Board of Code Review.

1:05

Our Board of Code Review works with city staff to ensure city codes work for the wellness and success of our residents, our growth, and our community as a whole.

1:14

Tonight we are reappointing three members.

1:19

May I move to approve resolution number 25-1079.

1:24

Reappointing members to the Board of Code Review.

1:27

Second.

1:27

We have a motion and a second with the city clerk, please call the roll.

1:33

Mr.

1:34

Bacon.

1:34

Yes.

1:35

Ms.

1:35

Vote?

1:36

Yes.

1:36

Mr.

1:36

Gilmore.

1:37

Yes.

1:38

Mr.

1:38

Schoonover.

1:39

Yes.

1:39

Dr.

1:40

Felter.

1:40

Yes.

1:41

Mr.

1:41

Vacus.

1:42

Yes.

1:42

Miss Essex.

1:43

Yes.

1:44

Motion passes.

1:45

70.

1:46

And at this time, I'd like to call board the uh Board of Code Review Chair Jerry Bacher to introduce our reappointed members.

1:53

Jerry?

1:59

Gabe?

2:00

Andrew.

2:06

Good evening, Mayor.

2:07

Good evening, City Council members.

2:09

My name is Jerry Bacher.

2:10

I'm the uh chair of the board code of review.

2:12

Uh a little bit about the board.

2:14

So uh we were established by a city adopted building and municipal codes, and it was created by a city ordinance.

2:24

And for the the purpose of our board is to hear and decide uh appeals that have been presented to us.

2:32

And those appeals range from building code, life safety codes to property maintenance items.

2:39

Uh some other things that we do, we also participate in the uh code adoption process, which for the City of Olatha happens about every six years.

2:48

So we engage with the city code official.

2:50

He has a board, uh we as a board collectively give him feedback and comment uh because our board members have various perspectives that they come from in terms of their industry.

3:01

So we offer kind of some insight to help uh give guidance to the code official for making amendments to the code.

3:09

Uh the board of is comprised of seven members, and we are on a four-year staggered term.

3:16

And like uh Mayor Bacon mentioned tonight that we have three of our board members uh up for reappointment.

3:22

The first one being uh Mr.

3:24

Gabe Anderson.

3:26

Mr.

3:26

Anderson, he is a home builder, and he is uh uh he represents the builder contractor prospective position on the board.

3:37

He was first appointed uh in June of 2016, so he's been serving almost 10 years.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Land Use Planning███████████████████████23%
Budget Equity Analysis█████████████13%
Public Safety████████████12%
Procedural████████8%
Engineering And Infrastructure████████8%
Public Engagement████████8%
Fiscal Sustainability███████7%
Transportation Safety█████5%
Community Engagement███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Olathe City Council Meeting – September 16, 2025

The Olathe City Council met on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, at 7:00 PM (13:00:00+00:00 UTC) in the Council Chamber. The meeting covered a contentious rezoning proposal for a cold storage facility, adoption of the 2026 budget and capital improvement plan, and routine business. The council voted 5-2 to approve the rezoning, 5-2 to adopt the budget, and unanimously on the CIP and fee schedule.

Special Business

  • Resolution No. 25-1079 – Reappointed three members to the Board of Code Review (Gabe Anderson, Andrew Huber, and Mike Brussett). Approved 7-0.
  • Proclamation – Recognized September 15 – October 15 as Hispanic Heritage Month, presented to Nieves Uria.
  • Proclamation – Recognized September 21-27, 2025 as Family Week, presented to Jaymi Schap and Tim Kruse from Communities That Care.

Consent Calendar

  • Items C and P pulled for separate discussion; Item R removed by staff.
  • Item C (Resolution No. 25-1080) – Established official newspapers (Legal Record and Johnson County Post). Approved 7-0.
  • Item P (GMP Amendment 1) – Approved $1.1 million? (not specified) for Phase 1 demolition of the animal shelter site. Council supported demolition but requested future presentations on the new shelter. Approved 7-0.
  • Remaining consent items approved unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Doug Doerfler (Nottington Creek resident) – Opposed the rezoning, arguing the city cannot enforce rules and that the project is wrong for the location.
  • Jeff Walters (217th St) – Opposed, citing safety risks and a 140-foot building, and called on council to vote no.
  • Brian Sweetman (217th Terrace) – Opposed, alleging a bribe offer of $275,000 from the developer to the HOA, and warned of class-action lawsuits.
  • Nancy Halpin-Sadick (217th Terrace) – Opposed, suggesting the land could be used for housing and criticizing the city’s motto.
  • Kendal Cook (217th St) – Opposed, asking council members if they would allow such a project in their own backyards.
  • Kate Guimbellot (General Issues) – Raised ongoing flooding issues in College Meadows, citing city code that she argued obligates the city to enforce stormwater system performance.
  • Janice Walters (General Issues) – Apologized for disruptive behavior earlier, reiterated opposition to the rezoning, and expressed disappointment in the 5-2 vote.

Discussion Items

  • Rezoning (Ordinance 25-32, RZ25-0007) – Proposed rezoning 145.78 acres from County Rural (RUR) to C-2 and M-2 for a cold storage facility by Lineage Logistics. The planning commission had recommended denial (2-5). Staff presented history, traffic studies, and fire safety. The applicant argued the project is inevitable and better under Olathe’s standards. Council debated safety, truck traffic, building height (140 ft), and ammonia refrigerant. The vote was 5-2 in favor (Bacon, Vogt, Gilmore, Felter, Vakas yes; Schoonover, Essex no).
  • 2026 City Budget (Ordinance 25-33) – Budget manager Clara Bernauer presented a $627 million total budget, a 2.6% increase over 2025. The general fund is $227 million with 71% for public safety and infrastructure. The mill levy remains at 23.317 mills. Property tax rebate program ($250,000) and utility discount expansion (from $4 to $12 per month) were highlighted. Council discussed senior tax relief, alternative budget approaches, and inflationary pressures. Vote: 5-2 (Bacon, Vogt, Schoonover, Felter, Vakas yes; Gilmore, Essex no).
  • 2026-2030 Capital Improvement Plan (Resolution 25-1082) – $741 million over five years, including I-35/Santa Fe, 119th Street, and sewer projects. Approved 7-0.
  • Comprehensive Fees and Charges (Resolution 25-1083) – Established a listing of fees. Approved 7-0.
  • City Auditor Activities – Caitlin Clark presented an update on audit charter revisions, risk-based audit planning, and a survey for the 2025-2026 audit plan. Council welcomed her work.

Key Outcomes

  • Rezoning approved (5-2) – The 175th Lone Elm Center will be rezoned to C-2 and M-2 for a cold storage facility. The preliminary site plan was also approved.
  • 2026 Budget adopted (5-2) – The $627 million budget goes into effect January 1, 2026.
  • 2026-2030 CIP adopted (7-0) – Includes $741 million in capital projects.
  • Fees and charges adopted (7-0) – Effective immediately.
  • Consent items approved – All except those pulled individually.
  • Next steps – The 2026-2027 audit plan will be presented in October; staff will explore senior tax relief options and road improvements on Lone Elm.

The meeting adjourned at 10:36 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening. Welcome to the regular meeting of the Olatha City Council for Tuesday, September 16th, 2025. The first item on our agenda is the Pledge of Allegiance. Would you please stand with me for the pledge? I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. Next on the agenda, we have special business. But before I go there, we've got one consent and agenda item, item R, that has been removed by staff's request and will come back at a later date. So item R on the consent agenda is been removed from the agenda. Under special business item A, we have consideration of resolution number 25-1079 reappointing members to the Board of Code Review. Our Board of Code Review works with city staff to ensure city codes work for the wellness and success of our residents, our growth, and our community as a whole. Tonight we are reappointing three members. May I move to approve resolution number 25-1079. Reappointing members to the Board of Code Review. Second. We have a motion and a second with the city clerk, please call the roll. Mr. Bacon. Yes. Ms. Vote? Yes. Mr. Gilmore. Yes. Mr. Schoonover. Yes. Dr. Felter. Yes. Mr. Vacus. Yes. Miss Essex. Yes. Motion passes. 70. And at this time, I'd like to call board the uh Board of Code Review Chair Jerry Bacher to introduce our reappointed members. Jerry? Gabe? Andrew. Good evening, Mayor. Good evening, City Council members. My name is Jerry Bacher. I'm the uh chair of the board code of review. Uh a little bit about the board. So uh we were established by a city adopted building and municipal codes, and it was created by a city ordinance. And for the the purpose of our board is to hear and decide uh appeals that have been presented to us. And those appeals range from building code, life safety codes to property maintenance items. Uh some other things that we do, we also participate in the uh code adoption process, which for the City of Olatha happens about every six years.

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