OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Overland Park City Council Meeting - March 23, 2026

City Council — Monday, March 23, 2026
BodyOverland Park, Kansas
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, March 23, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 28:47

Transcript — Verbatim
0:02

Good evening.

0:06

Good evening.

0:07

It is Monday, March 23rd, 2026, and I'm going to call the council meeting to order.

0:15

Clerk, please call the roll.

0:17

Mayor Kurt Schug.

0:18

Here.

0:19

Council member or Council President Cheatham.

0:22

Here.

0:22

Council members Healy.

0:23

Here.

0:24

Grummert.

0:24

Here.

0:25

Patricia.

0:26

Or Laza.

0:27

Here.

0:27

Scridner.

0:28

Here.

0:28

Antrim.

0:30

Reese.

0:31

Here.

0:32

Payne.

0:33

Here.

0:33

Eunice.

0:35

Beck.

0:36

Here.

0:36

Newland.

0:37

Here.

0:38

Ms.

0:38

Jonas has an excused absence.

0:40

Please join me for Pledge of Allegiance.

0:44

I pledge allegiance to the five states of America.

0:49

And to the remote.

0:52

One nation under God.

0:54

Indivisible.

0:56

Liberty and justice for all.

1:02

All right.

1:02

Next we have open public comment period, and we've had one person sign up.

1:07

It's Beatrice Rose.

1:09

Beatrice, are you here?

1:10

Welcome.

1:11

Thank you.

1:12

You have uh three minutes.

1:14

So up here on the front, that little box of lights, right?

1:18

That starts green, and then when the three minutes up, it turns red.

1:21

And if you could wrap up your comments.

1:22

Okay, thank you.

1:23

If you're still speaking, please give your name and address.

1:26

Beatrice Rose Ward 2, 9641 Rig Street, Overland Park, Kansas, 66212.

1:35

If you walk into a land of pause or pet land location in Overland Park, you will likely see puppies for sale.

1:42

Most of us don't give this a second thought, but in 2024, Jenna Moore, a Kansas City resident, sued Petland's Blue Springs location after they sold her sick puppies, one of which died.

1:54

In 2018, the CDC linked a multi-state outbreak of drug resistant Campylobacter infections to puppies being sold at pet lands.

2:05

Both employees and customers fell ill in 17 different states.

2:10

And in 2023, the outbreak still hadn't been fully addressed.

2:14

A family in Ohio contracted the same bacterial infection after purchasing a puppy from Petland.

2:20

But why are these puppies so sick, you might wonder?

2:23

The answer lies in where they are from.

2:26

Filthy, crowded, high volume breeding facilities known as puppy mills.

2:31

As Overland Park residents, we happen to live in very close proximity to Missouri, a state that has been dubbed the puppy mill capital of America.

2:40

The Humane Society of the United States most recent Horrible 100 report found that 31 of a selected 100 most problematic puppy sellers in the U.S.

2:51

were located in Missouri.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural███████████████████████████████████35%
Economic Development█████████████████████21%
Affordable Housing█████████████13%
Animal Welfare███████████11%
Public Safety████████8%
Community Engagement███████7%
Public Engagement█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Overland Park City Council Meeting - March 23, 2026

The Overland Park City Council met on Monday, March 23, 2026, at 6:00 PM. Mayor Kurt Schug called the meeting to order. All council members were present except Ms. Jonas (excused). The meeting included a public comment period, a public hearing on the CDBG annual report, multiple committee reports, and several votes on resolutions and ordinances.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Beatrice Rose (Ward 2, address provided) spoke in favor of a humane pet store ordinance. She cited examples from Petland locations selling sick puppies, CDC-linked outbreaks, and noted that over 500 U.S. cities have adopted such ordinances. She urged the council to make Overland Park the first city in Kansas to pass a humane pet store ordinance, which would require pet stores to source animals from rescues rather than high-volume commercial breeders.

Public Hearing

  • CAPER (Consolidated Annual Performance Evaluation Report): Aaron Oleg, Strategic Planning Manager, presented the report for the 2025 program year (January 1 – December 31, 2025). The city disbursed over $1.4 million in CDBG funds for 12 home repair/weatherization projects, public services for over 200 residents, seven neighborhood improvement projects, and program administration. The public comment period ran from February 24 to March 22, 2026, with no comments received. Councilmember Healy asked about future funding for the weatherization and minor home repair programs; staff indicated that CDBG funds are being redirected to infrastructure and administration, and general fund allocation would be a policy decision. The council approved Resolution 5096 (vote: all ayes).

Mayor's Report

  • The mayor announced a reappointment to the Legacy of Greenery Committee, which was approved unanimously.

Council President Report (Melissa Cheatham)

  • Reported on the Committee of the Whole meeting focused on 2026 FIFA World Cup preparations, covering administrative readiness, public safety, and transportation (including a free airport express shuttle and the JOCO United Link Circulator with six Overland Park stops).
  • Encouraged participation in two open engagement opportunities: the Safe Streets for All Plan (opkansas.org/safe-streets) and the Unified Development Ordinance update survey (opkansas.org/udo-update), both open until April 30, 2026.

City Manager Report (Christy Staley)

  • Reminded council of upcoming meetings: a Committee of the Whole on April 6, 2026 (topics: five-year CIP, community survey results, Playbook OP) and a strategic goal-setting session on April 10, 2026.
  • Announced that the Farmstead will open for the season on April 1, 2026, daily from 9 AM to 5 PM, with baby goats named after soccer terms (e.g., Boots, Striker, Sweeper, Goalie).

Consent Agenda

  • The consent agenda was approved unanimously via roll call (all present voting yes).

Discussion Items

  • Resolution 5110 – Blue Mass as City Sponsored Event: Chair Reese of Public Safety Committee moved to approve the resolution declaring Blue Mass a city-sponsored event for 2026, 2027, and 2028. Councilmember Cheatham moved to amend by striking “2027 and 2028,” limiting sponsorship to 2026. She argued that the city sponsorship resolution was intended for events with city resource use (e.g., parade fees, stage fees) and that staff had no plans to use the authorized resources for Blue Mass. Councilmember Healy expressed concern about overreach and a slippery slope, stating he would abstain. The amendment passed 6-5. The main motion (as amended for 2026 only) passed 10-1-1 (10 yes, 1 no, 1 abstention). Cheatham voted no; Healy abstained.

  • Finance, Administration & Economic Development Committee (Chair Newland):

    • 2026-2027 Property and Liability Insurance Program: Approved (unanimous committee vote 5-0). Council approved without dissent.
    • Ordinance PTRP-3508 – Property Tax Rebate Program Agreement with Community Capital Fund: Passed unanimously via roll call.
    • Bid Award – Tomahawk Ridge Community Center Rooftop Unit Replacement: Awarded to South Town Glass Inc. for $1,013,500 (project MB-2873). Approved unanimously.
    • Waiver of Bid Process – Wi-Fi 7 Network Solution for Convention Center: Authorized negotiation with Clarity SSU for up to $616,541. Approved unanimously.
    • Ground Lease Agreement – 1280 Foster Street LLC: Authorized staff to negotiate a new ground lease and terminate the existing lease with U.S. Bank. Approved unanimously.
    • Resolution 5117 – Stone Manor Economic Development Revenue Bonds: Authorized the sale and conveyance of the city’s leasehold interest back to the owner, unwinding the bonds. Approved unanimously via roll call.

Key Outcomes

  • Resolution 5096 (CAPER) approved.
  • Resolution 5110 (Blue Mass) approved for 2026 only, with amendment.
  • Ordinance PTRP-3508 (Property Tax Rebate Program) approved.
  • Bid award for Tomahawk Ridge rooftop unit replacement approved.
  • Waiver of bid process for Convention Center Wi-Fi 7 network approved.
  • Ground lease agreement with 1280 Foster Street LLC approved.
  • Resolution 5117 (Stone Manor bonds) approved.
  • No old business or new business; meeting adjourned.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening. Good evening. It is Monday, March 23rd, 2026, and I'm going to call the council meeting to order. Clerk, please call the roll. Mayor Kurt Schug. Here. Council member or Council President Cheatham. Here. Council members Healy. Here. Grummert. Here. Patricia. Or Laza. Here. Scridner. Here. Antrim. Reese. Here. Payne. Here. Eunice. Beck. Here. Newland. Here. Ms. Jonas has an excused absence. Please join me for Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the five states of America. And to the remote. One nation under God. Indivisible. Liberty and justice for all. All right. Next we have open public comment period, and we've had one person sign up. It's Beatrice Rose. Beatrice, are you here? Welcome. Thank you. You have uh three minutes. So up here on the front, that little box of lights, right? That starts green, and then when the three minutes up, it turns red. And if you could wrap up your comments. Okay, thank you. If you're still speaking, please give your name and address. Beatrice Rose Ward 2, 9641 Rig Street, Overland Park, Kansas, 66212. If you walk into a land of pause or pet land location in Overland Park, you will likely see puppies for sale. Most of us don't give this a second thought, but in 2024, Jenna Moore, a Kansas City resident, sued Petland's Blue Springs location after they sold her sick puppies, one of which died.

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