City Council Meeting - November 26, 2024: Public Agenda, Consent Items, and Board Approvals
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City Council Meeting - November 26, 2024
The Wichita City Council met on Tuesday, November 26, 2024, at 9:00 AM in the First Floor Board Room at 455 N. Main Street. The meeting included a public agenda segment, consideration of consent agenda items (with two items pulled for separate discussion), reports from the Board of Bids and Contracts, approval of petitions for public improvements, and council member appointments. The meeting concluded with a transition to a workshop session to discuss encampments and other topics.
Consent Calendar
- Approved Applications for Licenses to Retail Cereal Malt Beverages and other licenses.
- Received and filed Preliminary Estimates.
- Approved Contract Amendment No. 2 for Water Rates Analysis (Item 4A) and Change Order No. 1 for the 2024 Outsourced Pavement Preservation Program (Item 6A) after separate discussion.
- Approved multiple other consent items including agreements, design services, change orders, overestimate bid for Jackson Heights Townhomes, first reading of bond ordinance for Fairbank Equipment, second reading of four ordinances (annexations and zoning changes), planning item SUB2023-00059 (Plat of Apac Addition), and Airport consent item for USDA Wildlife Services Work Plan.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Tony Zavala expressed opposition to the opening of a gentleman's club in East Wichita, citing concerns about crime and family destruction. He asked how the public can have a say in such businesses. Councilmembers Johnson and Hoheisel explained the zoning process and directed him to district advisory board and MAPC meetings.
- An unnamed community member stated that 30 to 50 homeless people die each winter in Wichita from neglect, criticized the timing of shelter openings, and urged faster action.
- Vince Hancock, president of the Delano Neighborhood Association, spoke about homeless outreach, enforcement issues, and the need for compassionate enforcement. He noted that the city's ClickFix tool is used inconsistently by the homeless outreach team and that city code updates (including two Kansas Supreme Court losses) have not been posted online. He expressed support for a draft statute being considered.
- Patrick Murphy, resident at 1786 S. Seneca, shared his personal experience with his 30-year-old daughter living on the streets and emphasized that mental health is the primary issue in homelessness. He urged the council to consider all solutions and avoid criminalization. Mayor and councilmembers responded, acknowledging the numbers and discussing the Multi-Agency Center (MAC) opening December 2, 2024, which will include mental health services and housing.
Discussion Items
- Item 4A – Contract Amendment No. 2 for Water Rates Analysis: Councilmember questioned the cost increase (now twice the initial amount). Gary Jansen (Public Works and Utilities) explained that the new analysis will cover commercial customers and take 12 months, justifying the price. He assured customer engagement would occur.
- Item 6A – Change Order No. 1 for 2024 OP3 Microsurfacing and Street Repair: Councilmember asked about spending on street maintenance. Gary Jansen reported $12.1 million spent in 2023 and similar in 2024, with a proposed 2025 budget of $13.5 million plus $2 million for concrete repairs. The change order increases the project budget by $530,000 for residential streets near Harry & Rock Central and 29th & Amidon.
- Board of Bids and Contracts (November 25, 2024): Approved multiple contracts including stormwater sewer repairs, telescoping sign post systems, building maintenance addition, utility line locating, library shelving, airport de-icer, and tree and stump removal. The tree removal contract covers nine square miles and represents about one-third of the city's backlog.
- Petitions for Public Improvements: Approved new petitions for Clear Ridge 2nd Addition (District II) providing water, stormwater, sanitary sewer, and paving improvements for a new residential development. Signatures represented 100% of the improvement district.
Key Outcomes
- Votes: Consent agenda (excluding pulled items) passed 6-0. Items 4A and 6A passed 6-0. Board of Bids and Contracts approved 6-0. Petitions for Public Improvements approved 6-0.
- Directives: Staff will provide additional information on water rate analysis and engage commercial customers. Tree and stump removal contract to address backlog.
- Next Steps: Multi-Agency Center (MAC) opens December 2, 2024. Workshop session to follow on encampment policies and other topics.
Meeting Transcript
Did you see that I got that contract to reach one yesterday? Yes, thank you so much. Yeah, the the miscommunication is that the county failed to mention they didn't send it over until Thursday afternoon. They tend to do that. So when they called me and they're like, I don't even know what this is, and I'm like, what did you send it? Or did you send it? Oh Thursday afternoon. I'm like, well, that's why it's probably in our basement. So I wouldn't got it. I put a bunch of uh stuff in the council because they're like uh little business cards, how to do this one around like instead of like trying to figure out how to do it, just card. That's awesome. That's super cool. Hi. Good morning. I was just coming in to see the um the new setup. Sure, it probably has been I don't know. Oh my god, and I have two bags. There would be exact same bags like twenty dollars a target. I love for siblings that I can hear everything. Well I grabbed one and you grabbed two. So I was like, I keep like, I didn't realize how much I use this. Yeah, I think that's good, guys. What do you guys think? How do you feel about it? I like it. Yeah, I like it a lot. I like it, but it was a seeming to be a good one. I really do, yeah. Yeah, thank God. You know, I it seems we keep doing these uh vendor events and and workshops and one thing that some of our buyers are wanting is like how can I hand stuff out with just something like QR, something as simple as a QR code. Yeah, no, I think it's a wonderful idea. So I agree on sales using the stuff. Someone from finance uh actually budget office uh taught me the use bookmarks. Like when they did the budget book. Well, and if you know I use them when I read stuff. Yeah, like so I left it just to go down with a rule work. So yeah. So I was like, man, that's a really cool idea. Just give the budget book to get people to read it. Sorry, look, I'm putting them out here, so cool. No problem. Why why is this one? I didn't know I saw that, I didn't know what that was about. I don't know. I don't even know who put it up there. I'll ask Shanna when she gets back. Okay, I'm not gonna touch that. I was gonna move it, but me. So I just know it wasn't me. Is mine on?
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