Wichita City Council Regular Meeting - February 4, 2025
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Wichita City Council Regular Meeting - February 4, 2025
On February 4, 2025, at 9:00 AM, the Wichita City Council held a regular meeting in the City Council Chambers. The meeting opened with a moment of silence for the 67 victims of the recent tragedy, followed by an invocation and approval of prior meeting minutes. The council received the GFOA Distinguished Budget Award for the 37th consecutive year. Major actions included deferring two lease amendments for city-owned property in Old Town, approving funding for sanitary sewer lift station rehabilitation, approving a loan amendment for the Starlite Drive-In, and denying a request to amend the Crown Uptown Theater Planned Unit Development (PUD) to allow occupancy to be set by the Fire Marshal. Public comments addressed a request for grant assistance from American Legion Post 273 and concerns about the 2025 youth football proposal.
Consent Calendar
- Minutes Approved: January 21, 2025 (regular), January 28, 2025 (regular), and January 29, 2025 (En Banc).
- Consent Agenda Items 1–12 (except Item 4A) approved 7‑0. Included: retail cereal malt beverage licenses, preliminary estimates, a loan agreement for a sculpture (Mike Miller), change orders, property acquisitions, advisory board minutes, dangerous structure abatements, a property dedication, and four planning items (subdivisions and a vacation order).
- Item 4A (Carl G. Brewer Community Center Improvements) pulled for discussion, then approved 7‑0 after staff provided an update on the $13 million project (under budget at ~$11.7 million), including new gym, walking track, and public art (murals, mosaics). Councilmember Johnson emphasized prioritizing security spending over art.
Public Comments & Testimony
- LaFonda Gray (American Legion Post 273): Requested assistance identifying grants or donations for building upkeep. Councilmembers offered to share resources; the city manager agreed to investigate.
- Ulysses DeShazer (Coach, Greater Wichita Youth Athletic League): Opposed the 2025 youth football proposal, arguing it would eliminate grassroots coaches and teams, create boundary conflicts, and shift costs to families. Supported middle school ball (7th–8th grade) but wanted to preserve 1st–6th grade community‑based programs. Staff (Reggie) explained the transition aligns with USD 259 and high school feeder zones; current mentors can remain involved. Additional speakers (Coach Knox, Kendall Dean, Lawanda DeShazer) echoed concerns about losing relationships, unpaid volunteer coaches, and lack of community input. Councilmember Johnson noted the plan is still evolving and a meeting is set for February 11.
Discussion Items
- Board of Bids and Contracts (Feb. 3, 2025): Approved 7‑0. Included painting six swimming pools ($182,428) and a transit center security contract change order ($72,732/year).
- Petitions for Public Improvements: Approved 7‑0 for Brookfield South Addition (phases 6 & 7) with 100% landowner signatures.
- Amendment of Lease – 307-309 North Mead: Deferred to April 1, 2025 (7‑0). Extensive questioning revealed the tenant pays $75,000/year ($17.10/sq ft) in a modified gross lease with no escalations since 2018. Council expressed concern over lack of triple‑net structure, deferred maintenance, and unpaid parking fund transfers (~$75,000 owed since 2018). The city manager agreed to review all city‑managed properties and lease structures.
- Amendment of Lease – 303 North Mead: Deferred to April 1, 2025 (7‑0) for the same reasons.
- Funding for 2025 Sanitary Sewer Lift Station Rehabilitation: Approved 7‑0. $1.2 million from CIP for renewal/replacement of five lift stations; no rate impact.
- Starlite Drive-In Loan Amendment: Approved 7‑0. Restructures $200,000 loan from District 3 funds: $50,000 down payment in February, then monthly payments (~$2,100) through June 2031. Owner Blake Smith noted industry challenges (fewer movie releases) and thanked the council.
- PUD2024‑00019 – Crown Uptown Theater (Amend PUD #55): Denied 7‑0 (override MAPC). The applicant sought to remove a fixed occupancy cap and let the Fire Marshal set limits. Current occupancy is 850 (zoning) / 860 (fire code). The Fire Marshal clarified he does not set occupancy; the code does. Fire sprinklers would be required for occupancies over 300 when alcohol is served (variance exists). Councilmember Johnson moved to deny, citing detrimental parking/congestion impacts and lack of accountability to the neighborhood. Protests exceeded 20%, requiring a supermajority.
Key Outcomes
- Deferred: Lease amendments for 307‑309 and 303 North Mead (Old Town) to April 1, 2025, with direction to staff to evaluate triple‑net lease structures, address parking fund arrears, and provide a holistic report on city‑managed properties.
- Approved: Sanitary Sewer Lift Station Rehabilitation ($1.2 million); Starlite Drive‑In loan amendment; Board of Bids and Contracts; Petitions for Public Improvements; consent agenda items (with Item 4A approved).
- Denied: Crown Uptown Theater PUD amendment (override MAPC; 7‑0). The applicant may reapply in 12 months (or 6 months with substantial changes).
- Appointed: Susan Richardson to the Animal Services Advisory Board (7‑0).
- Council Referral: Councilmember Ballard requested a resolution for a one‑year moratorium on home demolitions in the College Hill neighborhood (for parking). Staff to bring forth a resolution.
Meeting Transcript
Thank you, City staff, and welcome to all of you to City Hall. Good morning, Wichita. We'll call this meeting to order. Before we proceed with regular agenda items, I would first like to offer our condolences to the families of the sixty-seven individuals who perished in last week's tragedy. Because of that, and because NTSB and American Airlines will not be releasing the manifest. We only know the names of the individuals from families that have self-reported who those family members are. So at this moment, uh, we would like to ask if we can have a moment of silence, sixty-seven seconds to be exact. Thank you all very much for the moment of silence. With us this morning is men's leader Austin Morgan of the ARC Church to provide our invocation. We will also have the Pledge of Allegiance following that. Austin. Thank you, Mayor Wu and uh City Council members for the opportunity to do the invocation today. It is an honor to be here and stand before you. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we come before you today with grateful hearts, seeking your wisdom, guidance, and blessing over this meeting. You are the source of all truth and justice, and we ask that your presence be with us as the decisions are made that affect our community. Grant each council member clarity of mind, humility of heart, and a spirit of unity. Help them to work together for the good of Wichita. May their discussions be marked by respect, integrity, and a sincere desire to serve. Lord, we lift up our city. Many are suffering in the wake of the tragedy of last week. But we remind ourselves that you, Lord, are close to the brokenhearted. Not one of our tears goes unnoticed, and a bruised reed you will not break. Father, we commit this meeting to you, asking for your wisdom and grace to sustain this council. May all they do bring honor to you and benefit those they serve. One nation, under God, indivisible, liberty and justice for all. Second. Motion and a second, any further discussion. I see none. Madam Clerk, please open the roll. Motion passes seven zero. Madam Clerk, please call the next item. The GFOA Distinguished Budget Award presented to the City of Wichita Finance Department. May I please ask the City of Wichita Finance Department to please come forward. The City of Wichita has received the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association 2025 adopted budget. This is the 37th consecutive year that the City of Wichita has earned this award. Criteria for the distinguished budget award is based on budget documents serving four purposes as a financial plan, a policy document, an operations guide, and a communications device. Each year, the budget is reviewed by peers to ensure that these standards continue to be met. Outstanding ratings were received on criteria such as strategic goals, priorities and issues, financial policies, long-range financial plans, budget process, and the 2025 adopted budget received special recognition for its description of the budget process. This section includes a description of resident engagement in the budget process as well as how the community survey guided decision making. So with that, I want to thank uh Elizabeth and Mark for their dedicated work and for all of the their staff and all of our departments who have uh fed into the budget process. It's always um an honor to receive this award every year. Um, in addition to submitting our budget, I also serve as a peer reviewer, so that means I review budgets every month. And so it's so interesting to review other budgets and to learn best practices from those. Um this wouldn't be possible without the rest of the budget office staff. I attempted to round them up this morning, but they were all in meetings already. Um so they're always listed in the budget book, and many thanks to all their how hard long hours and hard work to make this a reality. Thanks to them. Well, thank you again. Um, and for those that don't know, you can just visit the website Wichita.gov, and if you press on departments, click on finance, and then you will be able to look at all the documents regarding the budget.
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