OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Overland Park City Council Meeting - February 16, 2026

City Council — Monday, February 16, 2026
BodyOverland Park, Kansas
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, February 16, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 19:08

Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

Um it is 7 30 uh on Monday, February 16th, 2026, and uh call the council meeting to order.

0:10

Clerk, please call the roll.

0:12

Mayor Scoog.

0:15

For Laza, Cheatham?

0:18

Beck, Grimmert?

0:20

Here.

0:21

Healy.

0:22

Scrivener?

0:23

Here.

0:24

Antrim?

0:24

Here.

0:25

Newland?

0:26

Here.

0:27

Here.

0:27

Reese?

0:28

Here.

0:28

Eunice?

0:29

Here.

0:31

Great, Mr.

0:32

Mr.

0:32

Matrician has an excused abdomence.

0:35

We have some scouts in the uh audience.

0:38

Would they be interested in leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance?

0:42

Sorry, we didn't talk about it before.

0:46

You don't have to, no pressure.

0:50

No, that's okay.

0:52

All right.

0:52

Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:55

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

1:00

And to the Republic for which it stands.

1:03

One nation under law.

1:05

Indivisible liberty and justice for all.

1:12

All right, next on the agenda is open public comments.

1:16

And so we have two speakers tonight.

1:19

When I uh call your name, if you would come over to the podium, we have three minutes.

1:24

Uh and there's a little um uh colored dots over there that'll count you down.

1:30

Uh when the light turns red, your time is up.

1:32

Please wrap up your comments.

1:34

So first we'll start with Eli Solomon.

1:37

Eli Welcome.

1:41

And then next will be Bethany King.

1:44

So welcome, name and address, please.

1:48

Uh I'm Eli Solomon.

1:50

You want like my actual address.

1:52

I live at 12701 Wordward Street.

1:55

Thank you.

1:56

Okay.

1:57

Good evening, and thank you so much for allowing me the opportunity to speak here tonight.

2:01

It's an absolute privilege to present my thoughts about this problem to my city government.

2:06

My name is Eli Solomon, and I'm a junior at Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy.

2:10

For the AP U.S.

2:11

government class, we were assigned a project to civically engage in some sort of governmental affair.

2:16

My original project dealt with traffic lights around the city, but after my progress stalled, my focus began to shift.

2:23

At around that same time, in October, Duke Almer, a 10-year-old boy, was tragically struck by a car while riding his e-scooter and subsequently killed.

2:32

To me, this was absolutely heartbreaking.

2:34

And as I began to hear more and more people talking about this, I decided to restart my project to focus on e-bikes and e-scooters.

2:42

And if cities could do something to prevent kids from dying or being gravely injured.

2:46

There's a vast difference between riding a normal bike versus riding an e-bike.

2:51

In fact, it would not be far off to say e-bikes are closer to motorcycles than they are to regular bicycles.

2:57

When operating a normal bike, there is a mind-to-muscle connection that is just absence in the overall e-bike experience.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Engineering And Infrastructure███████████████████████23%
Public Safety██████████████████████22%
Parks and Recreation███████████████████19%
Procedural██████████████14%
Transportation Safety██████████████14%
Fiscal Sustainability████████8%
Summary of Proceedings

Overland Park City Council Meeting - February 16, 2026

This meeting of the Overland Park City Council on February 16, 2026, included public comments on e-bike safety and criminal justice concerns, a proclamation for Engineers Week, updates on parks planning and state legislation, and approval of the consent agenda.

Consent Calendar

  • The consent agenda was approved by a unanimous roll call vote (all present members voted yes, with Mr. Matrician excused). Items on the consent agenda were not individually detailed but were approved as a block.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Eli Solomon (12701 Woodward Street) spoke in support of a helmet ordinance for minors operating e-bikes and e-scooters. He cited the tragedy of a 10-year-old killed by a car while on an e-scooter, national statistics showing 90% of 233 child deaths (2017-2022) from micromobility devices involved no helmet, and the recent Leewood ordinance (Section 14-208) requiring helmets for those under 18, with a $25 fine. He urged Overland Park to adopt a similar law to save lives.
  • Bethany King (7218 Concert Street) raised concerns about the handling of crime cases, describing her experience as a victim of a break-in where the suspect admitted guilt but charges were initially filed by police. She alleged that the city prosecutor, Melissa Ratan, dropped charges after she filed a police report against the prosecutor for victim intimidation and deprivation of rights. She requested a review of the prosecutor's office and city staff accountability.

Discussion Items

  • Engineering Week Proclamation: Mayor Kirk Schug proclaimed February 22–26, 2026 as Engineers Week in Overland Park. Councilmember Grummert introduced engineering staff from the city’s engineering and traffic services divisions, underscoring engineers’ contributions to infrastructure and quality of life.
  • Committee of the Whole Report (Council President Cheatham): The council discussed the Playbook OP long-range plan for parks and recreation, an update on state bill HB 2745 (property tax revenue cap) which the city opposed but noted some favorable amendments, and the city being ranked #2 nationally for short commutes, home values, affordable rents, and job market.
  • City Manager Report (Lori Curtis Luther): Announced the official launch of the Safe Streets Plan, a roadmap for transportation safety improvements. The consultant team includes Kimley Horn, Burns & McDonald, and Tool Design. Public engagement (data analysis, stakeholder meetings, focus groups, pop-ups, and a pilot speed cushion project) will begin spring 2026, with the project ongoing through mid-2027.
  • Committee Reports: Community Development, Public Safety, Public Works committees had no formal reports. Finance Administration Economic Development Committee (Chair Newland) noted a meeting on Wednesday, asking members to bring CIP books for a three-hour session.

Key Outcomes

  • The consent agenda was approved unanimously.
  • The proclamation for Engineers Week was adopted.
  • No votes or formal actions were taken on the public comment topics (helmet ordinance or prosecutor review) other than receiving the comments.
  • The city will proceed with the Safe Streets Plan launch and continue monitoring HB 2745.

Meeting Transcript

Um it is 7 30 uh on Monday, February 16th, 2026, and uh call the council meeting to order. Clerk, please call the roll. Mayor Scoog. For Laza, Cheatham? Beck, Grimmert? Here. Healy. Scrivener? Here. Antrim? Here. Newland? Here. Here. Reese? Here. Eunice? Here. Great, Mr. Mr. Matrician has an excused abdomence. We have some scouts in the uh audience. Would they be interested in leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance? Sorry, we didn't talk about it before. You don't have to, no pressure. No, that's okay. All right. Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under law. Indivisible liberty and justice for all. All right, next on the agenda is open public comments. And so we have two speakers tonight. When I uh call your name, if you would come over to the podium, we have three minutes. Uh and there's a little um uh colored dots over there that'll count you down. Uh when the light turns red, your time is up. Please wrap up your comments. So first we'll start with Eli Solomon. Eli Welcome. And then next will be Bethany King. So welcome, name and address, please. Uh I'm Eli Solomon. You want like my actual address. I live at 12701 Wordward Street. Thank you. Okay. Good evening, and thank you so much for allowing me the opportunity to speak here tonight. It's an absolute privilege to present my thoughts about this problem to my city government. My name is Eli Solomon, and I'm a junior at Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy.

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