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Record of Proceedings

Overland Park City Council Meeting - May 4, 2026

City Council — Monday, May 4, 2026
BodyOverland Park, Kansas
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, May 4, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 26:05

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:03

Then I'm gonna call the council meeting to order.

0:06

Clerk, please call the rule.

0:08

Scrivener, here.

0:10

Ewan?

0:11

Here.

0:12

Cheatham?

0:12

Here.

0:13

Beck.

0:14

Here.

0:14

Eunice, here.

0:16

Here.

0:17

Reese?

0:18

Here.

0:19

Here.

0:19

Matrician.

0:20

Here.

0:20

Antrim.

0:21

Here.

0:22

Pain.

0:22

Here.

0:23

Or Laza?

0:24

Here.

0:24

Scoog.

0:25

Here.

0:26

All right.

0:27

All are present.

0:28

Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:32

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

0:37

And to the Republic for which it stands.

0:40

One nation under God.

0:42

Indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

0:50

Thank you.

0:50

Next on the agenda is our open public comment period.

0:54

And we've had two people sign up to speak.

0:57

Just as a reminder, I'm gonna call uh both names.

1:00

So if the first person would go to the podium and the next uh line up behind.

1:05

Uh we have uh the podium over here on the corner are some lights that are green, yellow, and red.

1:12

We have three minutes.

1:13

We'd love to hear from you.

1:15

Uh when it gets to the red, I would ask for you to uh uh finish up your comments.

1:20

So with that, first we have Sloka Gaines.

1:25

Sloka Gaines.

1:27

Looks like I pronounced it pretty close.

1:29

Uh and then Karen Nations.

1:32

You could line up.

1:33

So Sloka, we look forward to hearing from you.

1:36

Please give your uh uh correct saying of your name and uh address, please.

1:41

My name's Sloka Ghani.

1:43

I live at one four 14959 Outlook Lane, Overland Park 66223.

1:49

Thank you.

1:50

Let's start with a question.

1:52

What would you think of when I ask you to picture Overland Park?

1:55

Many would picture parks, suburbs, good schools, safe neighborhoods, and most importantly, connection and belonging.

2:02

They would picture a tightly knit community, but most wouldn't picture our city as a place where suicide has taken hold.

2:09

Unfortunately, that's a bleak reality for many in Johnson County, a county that struggles with its significantly high suicide rate of 15.7.

2:17

Since 2005, this rate has experienced a near 63% increase, which suggests that current plans aren't working.

2:24

When looking deeper into the data, we see that most of these suicides happen in individuals aged 10 to 24, in people that are my age, people that I talk to, people that I work with, and people that I live with.

2:37

In fact, I myself struggled with suicide in middle and high school, and I wasn't the only one.

2:43

Last school year, mental health staff in Blue Valley completed 282 suicide risk assessments.

2:50

But this situation isn't seen in just Blue Valley.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural██████████████████████████████████████38%
Public Engagement███████████████████19%
Public Safety███████████11%
Racial Equity█████████9%
Parks and Recreation█████████9%
Active Transportation██████6%
Mental Health Awareness████4%
Transportation Safety████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Overland Park City Council Meeting - May 4, 2026

The Overland Park City Council met on May 4, 2026, and addressed a range of topics including public comments on youth suicide and a local eyesore, proclamations for National Police Week and Jewish American Heritage Month, approval of consent agendas, and committee reports on park planning, public safety technology, and bike month events.

Consent Calendar

  • Reappointments to the Independent Citizen Advisory Board on Racial Profiling and Non-Biased Policing were approved unanimously.
  • The consent agenda (unspecified items) was approved by a roll call vote with all members present voting in favor.
  • The Planning Commission consent agenda was approved after a clarifying question from Councilmember Cheatham regarding item 25 (Black and Beach project at 11401 Lamar), confirming that the rezoning vote was separate from any future economic development incentive discussion.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Sloka Ghani (address: 14959 Outlook Lane, Overland Park 66223) spoke about Johnson County's high suicide rate of 15.7 per 100,000, a nearly 63% increase since 2005, with most suicides among people aged 10-24. She noted that last school year Blue Valley schools completed 282 suicide risk assessments and that teen suicide decisions are often made in under 20 minutes. She expressed concern that current school resources (counselors, Sources of Strength) only address the surface and called for a change to address stigma and harsh expectations.
  • Karen Nations, a longtime Overland Park resident, expressed frustration with the corner at 103rd and Antioch, calling it an eyesore and an embarrassment. She stated, "We don't need more apartments. We don't need more multi-use things," and urged the city to take action to clean up the site.

Discussion Items

  • Reappointments: The council approved reappointments to the Independent Citizen Advisory Board on Racial Profiling and Non-Biased Policing via a motion and second, with a unanimous voice vote.
  • Proclamations:
    • National Police Week (May 10-16, 2025, as stated in the proclamation) was proclaimed by Mayor Kurt Schug, honoring the Overland Park Police Department's service and the sacrifices of Officer Michael Mosher (2020) and Officer Deanna Rose (1985). Police Chief thanked the council.
    • Jewish American Heritage Month (May 2026) was proclaimed, recognizing Jewish contributions to Overland Park's history and culture. A representative from the Jewish Community Relations Bureau/American Jewish Committee (JCRB/AJC) spoke, providing statistics: anti-Semitic hate crimes have risen 400% and now comprise 70% of all religious hate crimes; 86% of American Jews say anti-Semitism has increased since October 7, 2023; almost one-third have been personally targeted; 42% of Jewish college students experienced anti-Semitism; and one in four have been excluded from campus events. He urged allyship and asked the council to speak up against hate.
  • Mayor's Report: The mayor recognized Leadership Overland Park participants and highlighted community fundraising events over the weekend by Great Plains SBA and Growing Futures.
  • Council President Cheatham's Report: She reported on a Committee of the Whole discussion on universal design in the Playbook OP long-range parks plan. Staff was directed to: (1) establish at least one universal park in each of three city areas (north, central, south), (2) include universal design elements in all new or significantly renovated regional parks, community parks, and regional attractions, (3) establish a steering committee for universal parks, and (4) define universal design components. Future discussions on Playbook OP are scheduled for July (aquatics), August (trails and pedestrian access), and adoption vote in August/September.
  • City Manager's Report: The media preview of the new clock tower landing facility was successful, with over two dozen stories and half a million views. The project remains on time and on budget, opening for the World Cup. Ribbon cutting is June 5, 2026, with the farmers market opening June 6.
  • Public Safety Chair Reese: Announced the opening of the Real-Time Information Center (RTIC), which integrates live traffic cameras, drone feeds (DFR program), and body/vehicle cameras via "Watch Me" feature. Quick Trip is the sponsor. A community open house is scheduled for the next evening.
  • Public Works Chair Healy: Highlighted May as Bike Month, with a bike rodeo on May 9 (9 a.m.-noon at City Hall), Bike to Work Week (May 11-15) with free breakfast pit stops on May 13 (Tomahawk Ridge Community Center) and May 15 (City Hall), and bike donation drop-off days May 26-29 at the recycling center and May 30 at Tomahawk Ridge.
  • MARC Report (Councilmember Grummert): Noted the Mid-America Regional Council meeting covered World Cup safety preparations and a regional e-mobility study on e-scooters and e-bikes, codes, and infrastructure.

Key Outcomes

  • The reappointments to the Independent Citizen Advisory Board on Racial Profiling and Non-Biased Policing were approved.
  • Proclamations for National Police Week and Jewish American Heritage Month were issued.
  • The consent agenda and Planning Commission consent agenda were approved unanimously.
  • Staff received direction on universal design elements in the Playbook OP parks plan, with specific actions to be taken.
  • The Real-Time Information Center is operational and open for public tours.
  • Bike Month activities were announced and encouraged.
  • The meeting adjourned without further business.

Meeting Transcript

Then I'm gonna call the council meeting to order. Clerk, please call the rule. Scrivener, here. Ewan? Here. Cheatham? Here. Beck. Here. Eunice, here. Here. Reese? Here. Here. Matrician. Here. Antrim. Here. Pain. Here. Or Laza? Here. Scoog. Here. All right. All are present. 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 God. Indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. Next on the agenda is our open public comment period. And we've had two people sign up to speak. Just as a reminder, I'm gonna call uh both names. So if the first person would go to the podium and the next uh line up behind. Uh we have uh the podium over here on the corner are some lights that are green, yellow, and red. We have three minutes. We'd love to hear from you. Uh when it gets to the red, I would ask for you to uh uh finish up your comments. So with that, first we have Sloka Gaines. Sloka Gaines. Looks like I pronounced it pretty close. Uh and then Karen Nations. You could line up. So Sloka, we look forward to hearing from you. Please give your uh uh correct saying of your name and uh address, please. My name's Sloka Ghani. I live at one four 14959 Outlook Lane, Overland Park 66223. Thank you.

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