The Wichita City Council met on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at 9:00 AM in the City Council Chambers. The meeting covered a wide range of topics including public comments on animal shelter conditions and library funding, approval of multiple consent agenda items, public hearings for a community improvement district and airport special facility revenue bonds, and approval of a major housing development for homeless services. Votes were largely unanimous.
And address, and you will be given five minutes to speak. A timer can be viewed on the podium screen. You may speak one time per agenda item. Please refrain from clapping after other speakers. Thank you again for joining us today. Let's pause a moment for our television audience to join us. With us this morning is Reverend Ben Staley of Chapel Hill United Methodist Church to provide our invocation. Following that invocation, we ask that you also stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. Your guidance to help our community grow and go forward in ways that are in keeping with your value and your plan for our city. We pray this for our great mayor and city council members and for us all. In Jesus' name. Thank you, Reverend Staly. Mr. Clerk, can you please call the first item? Approve the minutes of regular meeting June 3rd, 2025. Council members, any changes. I see none. I will move to approve the minutes of the regular meeting for June 3rd, 2025. Second. Motion and a second. Any further discussion? I see none. Mr. Clerk, can you please open the roll? Just in time. Motion passes 7-0. Mr. Clerk, please call the next item. Awards and proclamations. The award this week is a service award for Larry W. Martin Jr. May I please ask Larry Martin and his family, along with public works and utilities director Gary Jansen to come forward at this time. This is a special recognition to one of our three thousand employees at the city of Wichita. This individual has served the city of Wichita and its residents for 42 years. Presented in recognition of dedicated and notorious service rendered to the community and citizens of the city of Wichita, Kansas. Congratulations, Larry W. Martin Jr. Public Works and Utilities Director Gary Jansen has a few words. Thank you, Mayor, and appreciate the opportunity to say a few words. Larry's been through a lot of things over the years, but he's really been an inspiration for a lot of people. And I heard that uh at his retirement party uh when we were at the central maintenance facility. But uh he's brought so much to us, we're definitely gonna miss him. Uh the time that Larry has spent on a construction survey crew, uh, it's a lot of people wouldn't know even what that was or what they do, but uh there's so much that happens with uh public infrastructure getting built around the community every single day. And and those guys, especially Larry, are a last line of defense to make sure that everything gets done the right way, gets put in the right place, gets uh built to specifications, and he's done such a wonderful job for us over all that time and being a critical part of it. Uh just can't say enough about everything he's done for us, and uh, we're certainly gonna miss having him around. Uh I I could go on and on saying so many wonderful things about Larry. I do want to mention because I'd be remiss if I don't say it one last time. Larry has one significant character flaw, and that he's a Dallas Cowboys fan. So I wanted to get that in one last time. I'm surprised he's not wearing a cowboys jersey today, but Larry, thank you so much for what you done.