OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Wichita City Council Meeting December 3, 2024: Rate Hikes, MAC, and FOP Contract

City Council — Tuesday, December 3, 2024
BodyWichita, Kansas
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, December 3, 2024
StatusFILED
Video Record
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21:13

Welcome to all of you here to City Hall and good morning, Wichita.

21:17

We'll call this meeting to order, and with us this morning is Reverend Ben Staley of Chapel Hill United Methodist Church to provide our invocation.

21:26

Following that invocation, we will have the Pledge of Allegiance, and we ask that you please stand for both.

21:33

Reverend Staley.

21:42

Let's pray together.

21:46

Oh Lord, we have much to celebrate and be thankful for in this holiday season.

21:52

We give you thanks for allowing us to live where we are free and are at peace, and we remember those who are not free because of either troubles in their land or in their lives.

22:05

We give you thanks for the way that you provide for us all that we need according to your love and care and promises.

22:13

We give you thanks for the way that you uh touched our lives, but we remember the poor and the homeless and those who are not well.

22:22

We pray that you would raise them up out of darkness to light and life, and help us know ways that we can serve them as well as one another.

22:32

Thank you for our mayor and her gifted and compassionate leadership, and for our council members who all faithfully serve us, and we pray that you would lead them in ways with integrity and wisdom.

22:49

Guide us in every part of our meeting today, and may all of our actions show the character of Christ, in whose name we pray.

22:59

Amen.

23:21

Thank you very much, Reverend Staley.

23:24

Madam Clerk, can you please call the first item?

23:27

Approve the minutes of the regular meeting November nineteenth and the consent agenda meeting November twenty sixth, twenty twenty-four.

23:35

Are there any changes or corrections to the minutes?

23:39

I have one.

23:41

Um for the workshop meeting on November twenty six.

23:45

There is an email address that goes to all seven of us, and it should state DL City Council members, plural, at Wichita dot gov, and that is how individuals can contact all seven of us at once without having to look up each email address.

24:04

DL City Council members uh at Wichita dot gov.

24:10

Any other changes or corrections?

24:12

I see none.

24:14

Is there a motion to approve?

24:16

I motion to approve.

24:24

Motion and a second, any further discussion.

24:28

I see none.

24:29

Madam Clerk, please open the roll.

24:37

Motion passes six zero with one abstention.

24:41

Mayor, I seconded that motion, not Dalton.

24:45

So correct that.

24:46

Madam Clerk will correct that.

24:48

Thank you very much.

24:50

Madam Clerk, can you please call the next item?

24:55

Service award for Patrick McKernan, Director of Horticulture.

25:00

May we please ask Patrick McKernan to please come forward.

25:26

City manager, would you like to?

25:29

Okay.

25:30

Well, this is a distinct honor that I get to do this alongside City Manager Bob Layton.

25:36

On behalf of the City of Wichita, we want to recognize Patrick F.

25:40

McKernan in recognition for his dedicated and meritorious service rendered to the community and the citizens of the city of Wichita, Kansas, for the last 42 years.

25:53

In his 42 years and nine months of service, Mr.

25:58

McKernan has served as a gardening supervisor, landscape supervisor, and is retiring as a general maintenance supervisor.

26:08

So we want to congratulate him on his years of service to the city of Wichita.

26:39

So I I want to just take an opportunity to really highlight uh some of the career of Pat McKernan, because uh he does not grandstand if you know him at all.

26:46

So I'm gonna grandstand for him just a little bit.

26:48

I'm Lindsay Banaka, director of arts and cultural services, and have the great honor of uh working alongside Pat who I've only known for a couple of years, but his uh service with the city spans over 40 years, and while he might uh say he's just a gardener, and that's why he told me three years ago when I met him, he's like, I'm just a gardener.

27:03

Uh, he's really served as the director of horticulture at Botanica for several decades.

27:07

Uh Pat joined the City of Wichita in 1982, where he was a landscape supervisor and he worked in the parks division.

27:13

Uh a few years later, he was assigned to help uh get Botanica off the ground.

27:18

Uh during the development of the gardens, he became the first head gardener at Botanica where uh he's been ever since it officially opened in 1987.

27:25

So uh if you've ever been to Botanica, uh Pat is one of the people that helped make it happen.

27:30

Across four decades, he has tended and nurtured the gardens from a hum humble community garden to now a major regional attraction.

27:37

Pat Pat has a steady hand and his expertise in gardening, has led the organization farther than I'm guessing anyone could have admitted imagined back in 1987.

27:46

Uh, if you've ever visited the gardens and enjoyed the plantings of the designs, know that Pat's bright green thumb is behind all of that.

27:53

Uh his unmatched expertise in horticulture has made it all happen for for several decades for some sense of scale.

27:59

Um, over the last uh this planting season, uh he's responsible for over 17 acres of gardens.

28:05

And this winter alone, uh, the design included the planting of 5,000 mums, 10,000 pansies, and 70,000 tulip bulbs were planted this fall that we'll get to enjoy in the spring.

28:15

Did I get any of those numbers right?

28:19

Hundreds of thousands of plants have been under his care for for the last 42 years.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Water And Wastewater Management███████████████████19%
Public Engagement███████████████15%
Homelessness███████████11%
Public Safety█████████9%
Parks and Recreation███████7%
Public Works██████6%
Tourism Promotion██████6%
Zoning Regulations██████6%
Personnel Matters████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Wichita City Council Meeting – December 3, 2024

The Wichita City Council met on December 3, 2024, at 9:00 AM in City Council Chambers. The meeting lasted into the evening and covered a wide range of topics including a 6.14% water/sewer rate increase, approval of a $5 million ARPA subrecipient agreement for the Multi-Agency Center (MAC), a new FOP contract, and several land-use decisions. The council also heard public comments on homelessness and veteran services.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved minutes of November 19 and November 26, 2024 (6-0, one abstention).
  • Approved Consent Agenda items 1–19, except items 3, 6, and 10 which were pulled for discussion.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Johnny Rothwell (CanVets United) and Kenny Barker (VA social worker) described the partnership between CanVets and the VA to help homeless veterans. They highlighted the bureaucratic hurdles veterans face and the role of CanVets in bridging service gaps. Statistics: 49 homeless veterans identified in January 2023; 195 housed since July 2023; 34% decrease in veteran homelessness. Council members expressed strong support.
  • Ron Rosales advocated for improved traffic flow and economic development along the 21st and Broadway corridor, citing the need for better communication about the Reconnecting Communities Grant (a $1 million study). He also thanked the council for the upcoming overnaming of the 18th Street Bridge.
  • Adam Greenley (homeless, lived experience) urged the council to break down stereotypes and engage with individuals without judgment. He shared his personal story of recovery and called for more inclusive solutions.
  • Shania Austin (homeless advocate) expressed concerns that women are afraid to use the MAC due to potential encounters with abusers. She requested funding for a women's shelter and peer support.
  • Olivia Hayes (Kansas Libertarian Party) urged caution on police funding without addressing other public safety departments.

Discussion Items

  • Multi-Agency Center Implementation Subrecipient Agreement: Approved $5 million in ARPA funding for MAC Board Inc. to operate the MAC. The board will contract with PPMC for administrative support. Council members discussed board composition, oversight, and the need for a city council seat on the board. The agreement runs through December 2026.
  • Water and Sewer Rate Adjustments: Staff presented a 6.14% combined rate increase for 2025 (up from the 5.03% in the 2019 plan). For low-volume users (most customers), the increase is $3.21/month. The increase is driven by inflation, chemical costs, and new plant staffing. The council approved the rate increase but deferred the proposed late fee increase from 1.5% to 5% pending further data. The vote was 7-0.
  • FOP Contract 2024-2026: The 2-year contract, ratified by 88% of FOP members, includes a 4.5% general pay raise in 2025 and 2% in 2026, elimination of code of conduct pay (rolled into base), new maternity/paternity leave, and increased longevity pay. The council received the contract and scheduled adoption for December 10, 2024. Discussions included Jensen Hughes implementation status and budget shortfall concerns.
  • Visit Wichita 2025 Contract: Approved renewal at $2.79 million plus $150,000 contingency. Visit Wichita reported $1.5 billion economic impact in 2023, 17,000 jobs. Upcoming events include the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Prevision Championships and the TBEX Summit (influencer conference). Council members discussed performance metrics and transparency.
  • Crown Uptown Theater PUD Amendment: The applicant sought to increase capacity from 850 to 2,066 persons. The council voted 7-0 to return the case to MAPC for further consideration, citing concerns about fire code occupancy limits, parking, and neighborhood impacts.
  • Conditional Use for Ancillary Parking (College Hill): Approved 6-1 to allow a parking lot on residentially zoned land near Douglas and Hillside. Protest petitions exceeded 20%, requiring a supermajority. The applicant had support from many neighbors and the DAB.
  • CUP Amendment for Self-Storage (127th Street): Failed 5-2 (needed 6 votes). The council turned down the request to allow a three-story self-storage facility due to concerns about design and neighborhood character.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved (7-0): Heavy equipment replacement ($3.5 million), grounds maintenance contracts, well rehabilitation ($6.24 million), golf course irrigation ($3.5 million), Lincoln Street Dam maintenance ($835,000), Chisholm Trail Parkway park designation, Naftzger Park use agreement, golf pro shop contracts, Wichita Intervention Program guard services (Vend-Tech Enterprise), and public comment on consent agenda ordinance.
  • Approved (6-1): Conditional use for ancillary parking in College Hill.
  • Deferred: Late fee increase on water/sewer bills (to be revisited).
  • Returned to MAPC (7-0): Crown Uptown Theater PUD capacity amendment.
  • Denied (5-2): CUP amendment for self-storage on 127th Street.
  • Scheduled for adoption (7-0): FOP contract on December 10, 2024.
  • Changed meeting schedule (7-0): Four evening meetings in 2025 (March 18, June 3, August 7, November 6) with consent agenda and one new business item; removed August 5 and November 4 meetings; set En Banc dates.

Meeting Transcript

Welcome to all of you here to City Hall and good morning, Wichita. We'll call this meeting to order, and with us this morning is Reverend Ben Staley of Chapel Hill United Methodist Church to provide our invocation. Following that invocation, we will have the Pledge of Allegiance, and we ask that you please stand for both. Reverend Staley. Let's pray together. Oh Lord, we have much to celebrate and be thankful for in this holiday season. We give you thanks for allowing us to live where we are free and are at peace, and we remember those who are not free because of either troubles in their land or in their lives. We give you thanks for the way that you provide for us all that we need according to your love and care and promises. We give you thanks for the way that you uh touched our lives, but we remember the poor and the homeless and those who are not well. We pray that you would raise them up out of darkness to light and life, and help us know ways that we can serve them as well as one another. Thank you for our mayor and her gifted and compassionate leadership, and for our council members who all faithfully serve us, and we pray that you would lead them in ways with integrity and wisdom. Guide us in every part of our meeting today, and may all of our actions show the character of Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen. Thank you very much, Reverend Staley. Madam Clerk, can you please call the first item? Approve the minutes of the regular meeting November nineteenth and the consent agenda meeting November twenty sixth, twenty twenty-four. Are there any changes or corrections to the minutes? I have one. Um for the workshop meeting on November twenty six. There is an email address that goes to all seven of us, and it should state DL City Council members, plural, at Wichita dot gov, and that is how individuals can contact all seven of us at once without having to look up each email address. DL City Council members uh at Wichita dot gov. Any other changes or corrections? I see none. Is there a motion to approve? I motion to approve. Motion and a second, any further discussion. I see none. Madam Clerk, please open the roll. Motion passes six zero with one abstention. Mayor, I seconded that motion, not Dalton. So correct that. Madam Clerk will correct that. Thank you very much. Madam Clerk, can you please call the next item? Service award for Patrick McKernan, Director of Horticulture. May we please ask Patrick McKernan to please come forward. City manager, would you like to? Okay. Well, this is a distinct honor that I get to do this alongside City Manager Bob Layton. On behalf of the City of Wichita, we want to recognize Patrick F. McKernan in recognition for his dedicated and meritorious service rendered to the community and the citizens of the city of Wichita, Kansas, for the last 42 years. In his 42 years and nine months of service, Mr. McKernan has served as a gardening supervisor, landscape supervisor, and is retiring as a general maintenance supervisor. So we want to congratulate him on his years of service to the city of Wichita. So I I want to just take an opportunity to really highlight uh some of the career of Pat McKernan, because uh he does not grandstand if you know him at all. So I'm gonna grandstand for him just a little bit. I'm Lindsay Banaka, director of arts and cultural services, and have the great honor of uh working alongside Pat who I've only known for a couple of years, but his uh service with the city spans over 40 years, and while he might uh say he's just a gardener, and that's why he told me three years ago when I met him, he's like, I'm just a gardener. Uh, he's really served as the director of horticulture at Botanica for several decades. Uh Pat joined the City of Wichita in 1982, where he was a landscape supervisor and he worked in the parks division. Uh a few years later, he was assigned to help uh get Botanica off the ground.

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