The Wichita City Council met on March 4, 2025, at 9:00 AM in City Council Chambers. The meeting included proclamations (American Red Cross Month, Procurement Month, Women in Construction Week), public comments, consent agenda items, and numerous discussion items. Key actions included approval of a 25-year lease for the Multi-Agency Center, failure to set a public hearing for a Community Improvement District in Old Town (leading to paid parking implementation), restoration of a 1.5% utility late fee effective April 1, and extension of interim controls on the Crown Uptown Theater until August 4, 2025. The council also denied a short-term rental conditional use, approved a utility major with additional conditions, and authorized a Section 18 disposition application for 137 public housing units.
Good morning, Wichita, and welcome to City Hall. We'll call this meeting to order. With us this morning is Minister Nina Shaw Woody to provide our invocation. Following that invocation, we will have the Pledge of Allegiance, and we ask that you please stand for both. We do not have Miss Shaw Woody, so we will ask Councilmember, actually, Vice Mayor JV Johnson will provide the prayer. Let us all bow our heads and put us in in the presence of God. All of us who attend today, Council members and the audience, that we will always do your will, whatever we ask. Also, let us pray for all the uh people who are more unfortunate than us, that they will have the basic needs that they that they need, uh, to survive and hopefully eventually prosper. All this we pray in your name. Amen. Mr. Clerk, can you please call the first item? Council members, any items to be corrected from the minutes. I see none. I move to approve the minutes for the regular meeting, February twenty fifth, twenty twenty-five. Second. Motion in a second. Any further discussion? I see none. Mr. Clerk, please open the roll. Mr. Clerk, please call the next item. Awards and proclamations. The proclamations this month or this week are American Red Cross month, procurement month, and women in construction week. The proclamation reads the City of Wichita, Kansas founded in eighteen seventy. Whereas American Red Cross Month recognizes the compassionate acts of people in Wichita and renews its commitment to lend a helping hand to neighbors in need. Whereas Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross more than 140 years ago to bring out the best of humanity in times of crisis, advancing this noble mission, the volunteers, blood and platelet donors and supporters who give back remain unwavering in their commitment to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of today's emergencies. Whereas the American Red Cross shines a beacon of hope in people's darkest hours by delivering shelter, food, and comfort during disasters, providing critical blood donations, supporting service members, veterans, and their families, saving lives with first aid, CPR, AED, and other skills, or delivering international aid and reconnecting aid and reconnecting loved ones separated by global crisis. Today, the American Red Cross works to uplift our community and is made possible by those who selflessly answer the call to help. Now, therefore, be it resolved that I, Lily Wu, mayor of the City of Wichita, along with the Wichita City Council, do hereby proclaim March 2025 as American Red Cross Month in the City of Wichita and encourage all citizens to reach out and support its humanitarian mission. Thank you, Mayor Wu, and I would like to thank you for coming to our Sound the Alarm event too on Saturday and to the Wichita Fire Department for your partnership with our free smoke alarm program. Our mission is to prevent and alleviate human suffering, and we do that globally across the nation and obviously in Kansas and right here in Sedgwick County. So I want to take a moment to thank all of our volunteers, our financial donors, and our blood donors for their commitment to our mission. Thank you. Thank you once again, Shannon and the American Red Cross team and volunteers, along with city staff who volunteered their time throughout the year. You can still get a free smoke alarm by calling 211. And that effort continues, and it continued this weekend in North Wichita by providing those free smoke alarms. I would like to now ask the City of Wichita's finance department and purchasing division to please come forward at this time. The proclamation reads the City of Wichita, Kansas, founded in 1870, whereas the public procurement profession plays an important role in obtaining the greatest value for each taxpayer dollar spent in the procurement of goods and services. Whereas the purchasing division at the City of Wichita provides logistical and operational support to all departments within the City of Wichita and works to ensure fair and transparent procurement practices, procurement in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Whereas the purchasing division is committed to providing high-quality services efficiently and effectively, strengthening supplier relationships and promoting emerging and disadvantaged business enterprise program opportunities. Whereas the Institute for Public Procurement has proclaimed the month of March as procurement month to further expand the awareness of the procurement professionals' role to government officials, the public, business, and corporate leaders. Now, therefore, be it resolved that I, Lily Wu, Mayor of the City of Wichita, along with the Wichita City Council, do hereby proclaim the month of March 2025 as procurement month in the City of Wichita, and encourage all citizens to recognize the role of the procurement and supply chain profession within business, industry, and government. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you for providing us with this proclamation today. Procurement Month highlights the contributions of our many diligent and experienced procurement professionals that make our organization successful. Really, the procurement professional has four objectives. One is to facilitate the achievement of departmental goals by helping them purchase goods and services, everything from paper clips to uh sewer treatment lift stations and everything in between. Another thing that our procurement professionals try to do is we take this very seriously.