I think there's something that's missing.

Yeah, that's scary one.

I always need my attorney.

We can switch.

If you want to switch Good morning staff, and good morning, Wichita, and good morning to all of you here at City Hall.

I will call this meeting to order.

We will start with a pledge of allegiance, and we ask that you please stand for that.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States America and to the Republic for which it's under God with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you.

Madam Clerk, can you please call the first item?

Approve the minutes of the regular meeting November 6th, 2025, and the special meetings November 10th, 2025, and November 17th, 2025.

I move to approve the minutes for the regular meetings.

Second.

And the executive sessions.

Second.

Motion and a second, any further discussion.

I see none.

Madam actually, no Madam Clerk.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed, same sign.

Motion passes.

7-0.

Madam Clerk, please call the next item.

Special recognition of late firefighter Captain Steve Atkinson.

I have asked USD 259 school board president Diane Albert and her mother to attend our workshop meeting for November.

I had the opportunity to hear Diane speak at the Veterans Day salute to veterans celebration at WSU's Cook Arena, and her speech and the dedication to her father was very moving.

And this is the month of November.

I believe that the whole month we should be thinking about our veterans and what we're thankful for.

And so I invited Diane to share a bit about her late father, Sedgwick County Fire, retired captain Steve K.

Atkinson.

And in his obituary, uh it said that Steve lived his life in selfless service to others, guided by honor, duty, and an unshakable commitment to helping those in need.

Diane.

Thank you, Mayor.

I originally gave the speech during the JRTC Veterans Day ceremony to the cadets of the Wichita Public Schools on November 12th, 2025, and that day was also my dad's birthday.

The longer you live, the more you start to realize that life is really a collection of stories, all woven together, some small, some grand, but all are meaningful.

One thread of my story takes us back to 1996, where I was a wide-eyed freshman cadet in JR OTC at Southeast High School.

My classmates and I were standing in formation at that same Veterans Day ceremony all those years ago.

We were all standing at attention, proud, nervous, and trying to look the part.

And that is when my dad would step in as a quiet guardian in the back of the room.

He would rush forward, revive the fainted cadet, and calmly get everyone back on their feet.

No fanfare, no spotlight, just service and action.

Those moments weren't about saving a ceremony.

They were a small snapshot of a much bigger story.

A story of a man who lived his life running toward need, not away from it.

His simple act sparked a tradition that lasted 28 years.

Every single JROTC Veterans Day ceremony since 1996.

My dad stood quietly at the back of the room, not for recognition, not for applause, but just to be there, ready to help anyone who needed it.

And because there were so many cadets who had locked their knees trying to stand still and would pass out, that is why today cadets sit during the ceremony.

Because long speeches and locked knees made the ceremony a full contact sport back then.

I stand before you with a heart full of gratitude and a story that bridges my family's legacy of service to a timeless honor that we pay to our veterans.

This day isn't just about parades or poppies, it's about the quiet courage that binds us all.

This year marked the first.

And for me, it is also a celebration of veterans like my husband, Marco Albert, an Army veteran.

My dad's best friend Dan Wagner, a Marine veteran, and the remembrance of my dad, Captain Steve Atkinson, whose life of selfless service mirrored the very spirit of those we salute today, even though he never wore a military uniform.

Ladies and gentlemen, cadets, veterans, and honored guests, thank you for inviting me to be here today as we celebrate the JRTC Veterans Day ceremony.

I am Diane Albert, president of the Board of Education for the Wichita Public Schools and a former cadet.

And it is my profound honor to speak to you.

Today we honor all those who have served our nation with an unwavering courage, sacrifice, and humility.

However, for me, today holds a deeply personal significance.

It allows me to honor my late father whose life reflected the very essence of what it means to be a veteran.

Each of us is living a story right now.

The question isn't if our story matters, it's how we will choose to live it.

And my dad's story was written through decades of quiet service.

Veterans' stories are written through sacrifice, courage, and a love of country.

And your story, each one of you sitting here today, will be written by the choices you make to serve, to lead, and to lift others.

Service is what keeps the fabric of freedom from unraveling.

It teaches us that courage isn't the absence of fear, it's the decision to act in spite of it.

That humility isn't weakness, it's strength expressed through grace.

And sacrifice, it's a love that says send me.

My dad and our veterans live by a simple principle: service above self.

He ran toward need when others stepped back, whether fighting fires, lending a hand to a neighbor, or simply showing up.

He believed that to live fully was to serve faithfully to God, country, to family, and to others.

And that is the same story every veteran tells through their actions.

Because service isn't just about duty, it's about love, love of freedom, of country, and of the people beside you.

My dad lived that story every day, quietly and consistently.

He taught us that courage isn't found in titles or applause.

It's found in the choice to serve others first.

Sometimes the quietest servant leaves the strongest legacy.

Cadets, look around you.

You're stepping into that same lineage of leaders who turn principles into action, building resilience, showing compassion, and leading with humility.

Because those are the choices that shape your story and to give it meaning.

But true service begins with faith.

Our stories are grounded in faith, in believing that there is a greater author at work, writing a far bigger story than we can imagine.

God sent his only son to show us the perfect example of what a life of service looks like through Jesus.

We see compassion and action, love that reaches beyond boundaries, and the ultimate act of sacrifice by laying down his life for his friends.

Let us always look to Jesus' story for the perfect example of what true love looks like, of what character looks like, and what true service looks like, because he is the perfect example.

Faith fueled my dad and a steady belief that he was called to a service just as Jesus did, to put others first, to show kindness without condition, and to love through action.

Let that same faith be part of your story too.

Because when we serve others and we follow Jesus' example, and our stories begin to reflect his love, that makes us part of a far greater story.

Cadets, your story is just beginning.

You represent the next generation of leaders, soldiers, firefighters, teachers, entrepreneurs, and citizens who will shape the future of this country, this community, and this nation.

But leadership doesn't start when you earn title or put on a uniform.

It starts right now with your character.

Be the kind of person others can count on.

Be the one who notices when someone's struggling and steps in.

And be the one who stands up for what's right, even when it's hard and when it costs you something.

Because that's what veterans do.

That's what my dad did.

And that's what strong communities and lasting legacies are built on.

Ordinary people choosing to write extraordinary stories of service, one act of courage and compassion at a time.

We live in a world that often glorifies fame, attention, and followers, but veterans remind us that true honor doesn't come from applause, it comes from sacrifice and service.

They remind us that freedom isn't free.

Each of us has been created and designed for a purpose and a destiny calling.

God has given us each unique gifts and talents to use in blessing others.

And that's what my dad did.

That's what veterans do every day.

So here's my challenge to the cadets.

Carry yourselves with honor, but serve with humility.

Invest in your character.

Be the quiet helper who steps up, leads by example, and serves others.

Live a life of service.

To the veterans, thank you for showing us what honor and duty truly mean.

Thank you for your sacrifices, your stories, and your enduring example.

You are the heartbeat of our nation, and we are forever in your debt.

And for the rest of us, let's honor our veterans, not only with our words, but with our actions.

Let us live lives worthy of their sacrifice in a divided world.

Let's unite through acts of kindness and courage.

Use your gifts to lift others, just as my dad did, just as veterans do every day.

Because freedom isn't free, and neither is a strong society.

It's earned through service, one selfless act at a time.

Because as long as we carry courage, gratitude, and service, the legacy of heroes like my dad, Captain Steve Atkinson, and veterans everywhere will live on.

Not just in our memories, but in the stories that we continue to write through how we live, lead, and love others.

May God bless our veterans, our family, and our great nation.

Thank you.

Thank you very much for sharing that with all of us.

At this moment, can I just ask the veterans in our room to please stand so we can honor you?

And to every public servant who's in this room, can you please stand?

Thank you very much.

I think that sets the tone for how we all want to serve our communities.

And so thank you very much, Diane, for sharing that wonderful speech, but also the story of your father.

Public agenda.

The public agenda allows for up to five speakers to have five minutes each to address the council.

No action will be taken relevant to items on the public agenda other than referral to the city manager for information as necessary.

Speakers will please state their name and address for the record.

The time clock display the speaker's remaining time to speak.

Order and rules of the quorum will be observed.

The first speaker today is Arthur Stokes, Black Mole.

Good morning.

I'm Arthur Stokes.

The reason I'm here is for the community for Star, but hopefully in dealing with that topic, I'm hoping it expands for the whole state.

You know, we all know that there's issues here with the homelessness.

You know, we all know that there's issues here with uh the homelessness, there's issues with uh well, you know, sort of like the community with housing, and when you get these people off the street, they should have decent facilities and also be free of the environment.

You know, if we don't have safety, you know, we don't have anything.

You know, I notice I see people with hard hats on the uh it's always safety first.

That's in war, that's in domestic, that's in everything that we do.

So in dealing with that, it it has to be addressed, and it's almost like you know, you gotta have a team, you know.

When you when we look at, I know we got a lot of Kansas City Chief fans in here.

When you look at Kansas City, they always supposed to have a plan, and you gotta keep people in check.

And when you don't have that going on, you have a system that fails, it does not work.

You gotta have people to keep these uh landlords and all of these people that's power hungry in check, and when you don't have that, you're gonna have some greedy people, you're gonna have some people that are gonna suffer, and you know, that's what this is all about.

You know, I was listening at an old school song by cool in the gang, and they was talking about uh all of us doing our part in this, you know, and who's gonna take the weight of all of this.

And you know, that's the way I look at this situation.

Who's gonna take the weight if we don't clean up this this dismiss when you got people in uh a situation where it's really no plan in there in combat, you call that uh broken arrow.

All hell break loose, and that's what's happening in this situation.

All hell has broke loose.

It has happened.

I try to keep this podium as sacred as I can because I'm afraid for we was talking about future generations of kids and families getting this stuff, you're gonna hurt them.

You're gonna wound them.

You know, it's it's it's a very costly price.

Like the young lady was just speaking, freedom ain't always free.

Uh-uh.

We pay a penalty sometime to be free.

So uh I won't be here next month.

My family in Florida uh want me to come home.

I got one uncle left out of all of the siblings I haven't seen.

Uh I'm gonna spend time with them, but I'm gonna try to spend as much time advocating uh next year as possible on this.

Strive for perfection in everything.

Take the best that exists and make it better.

If it doesn't exist, create it, except nothing nearly right or good enough.

Henry Ross from Rose Royce.

That's that's my dedication for the day.

Thoughts, comments, questions.

I appreciate you coming up here, and um hope you have a good time in Florida on the 9th is when we will be hearing property maintenance, I believe.

Which includes things such as uh new safety standards, um cracking down on some problematic landlords and boarding.

The 9th of December.

I may make it also be on YouTube.

So if you are in Florida, watch out for them gators and uh go ahead and pop that on the YouTube during the day.

All right, all right, thank you, sir.

Thank you, Mr.

Stokes.

Madam Clerk, can you please call the next individual?

420 Gym bat officers in the way rights were violated, and how we might fix this 420 Jim here.

He's not here.

Madam Clerk, can you please call the next individual?

Good morning.

So basically, I just wanted to give you all an update of kind of where we are right now.

We've been of course I'm Barb Myers.

I live at 1322 Stackman, and I represent friends of the Woodshaw Pioneers.

We take care of Highland Cemetery.

So in the last six months, we have hosted several very successful tours of Highland Cemetery.

We just finished a collaboration with Cowtown.

So we met the first week at Cowtown and the second week at Highland, so we were able to actually introduce the people and what they did, and then basically where they are now.

So that was a that was a new thing, and we could we intend to follow through with that again next year.

So I think that was that was a really good thing for both of us.

We've had several other tours and work days.

So that's something that we want to find, and we hope to work with you know, maybe get the fire department involved because his descendants were members of the fire department both here and in Hutchison.

So we have large reaching programs that we want to work with other groups on to get these uh projects done.

The last thing uh that I wanted to bring to your attention, and I don't know if you've all seen it yet, is the letter uh from the historic preservation board in support of a cemetery advisory board.

Um I know they they signed it, and I don't know where it is in the process right now, but it was signed on October 13th, basically stating uh that they want to see a cemetery advisory board, and I think they worded it specifically for Highland, but it should be actually for the entire uh five cemeteries that the city actually runs right now.

But what we're looking at is is a greater oversight.

We'd still work entirely uh with the city, of course.

I mean, that's without we're not trying to make it freestanding, but we're trying to make an advisory board of people like myself that know more about cemeteries, know about cemetery law, procedure, preservation, what kind of things have to be done at a cemetery to make it done right.

Um, and I'm not saying that the park department hasn't done a great job taking care of the cemetery, but we'd like to see more.

We like to see more historic preservation as well.

Um I do want to uh commend the parks department um for keeping in contact with me, staying uh we're all being um we're all working with each other to to a great you know to the same goal.

Uh they do contact me, I do contact them, let them know when something is going on, they let me know when something's available.

So I want to thank you all for that.

Um but basically we just want to see more historic preservation done in a in in that manner.

So that's what we're pushing for, and we're hoping that in the process of of your workshops and your budget uh hearings that maybe um more money is found to be able to take care of these cemeteries.

Uh right now it's very minimal, and I know that there's a lot of work that still needs to be done, like with the roads, and um I know there's some issues with security and stuff like that.

So that those are the kinds of things that we're advocating for in the long run.

So anyway, I just wanted to give you all an update of where we are.

Uh we we kind of hit the end of our season uh this week, as a matter of fact.

Uh we don't have any more uh tours per se plan, but if anyone ever wants to come out, they can always get a hold of me.

We will actually uh have the mausoleum open on Christmas Day.

That's something I go out and do, and uh then we start kind of in earnest back about March.

So uh in the meantime, we're just kind of doing the you know, you know, they say everything's done with paperwork.

So that's what I wanted to say.

Are there any questions?

I don't have a question, I do have a comment.

Is thank you for uh everything that you are doing.

You you do a great job.

Um you actually came up yesterday.

I was meeting with the NAACP, and that fact about Richard Robinson came up.

I know you had met with council member Alex Shepard, and he was talking about that.

Um they might be interested in joining that effort to support one learning more about Richard Robinson and all the history that you have.

So I definitely encourage that I can connect you if you'd like.

I would appreciate that.

Just a quick question on the um the committee there.

Would that be a subcommittee?

Yes, okay.

So it would be the historic preservation board.

It's an advisory board to the historic preservation board.

Okay, all right, thank you.

Is Reggie here?

I'm sorry, he's out of town.

Oh, did anybody from the parks department know Gary's here?

Updates.

Okay, great.

Do you know any updates from the conversation in uh March when she was here talking about?

I know that we've cleaned up the trees and stuff that were down, but um, we talked about security, we talked about um a possible uh closing of the gate.

I know it was closed during um the cleanup.

Marsh was a long time ago.

I know uh yes, the gates were closed during the and after the storms this summer.

Uh Forester did a great job cleaning things up.

Um there's always more forestry work to do in there.

Uh, but the storm damage is cleaned up.

Uh but for public safety, we did close the gates, the case are open now and have been for quite some time.

Um the mausoleum remains locked on a regular basis.

There's no one there to monitor that, so we do keep that locked.

Um, in terms of security, we are exploring several different options.

Uh, we've got some bids from different companies for uh some security options.

Uh we ran into a financial problem with installing electric gates.

Uh that is exorbitantly expensive to do that, and you have the uh design problems with how close the gate is to uh hillside.

So we'd have to completely restructure the entry uh in order to be able to do that.

That became cost prohibitive uh for the amount of uh money that we currently have in the uh in the fund and that would be appropriate to spit on that.

So what about the camera?

Uh that's what that is what we're working on right now.

We we have uh working through a company that I believe it's gonna be a solar operated uh system, so we do not have to run electric lines.

Um we've been working with IT and uh Sandifer uh to be able to get that installed.

We haven't pulled the trigger yet, but we are communicating with that uh with that company and through the planning process right now.

Thank you.

Yes, thank you, Barb, for all your awesome work.

Thank you.

Thank you, Barb City Clerk.

Can you please call the next individual?

Andrew Crane, Housing and HUD vouchers Andrew Crane.

I don't see Andrew Andrew Crane, Madam Clark.

Can you please call the next individual?

We don't have any more individuals signed up.

Madam Mayor Jeanette Peterson.

She rescheduled to December 9th.

Thank you.

I see none.

Madam Clerk, can you please call the next item?

Consent agenda items one through 27.

Council members, are there any items to be pulled?

I have one consent agenda item 5A.

I move to approve consent agenda items one through 27 without 5A.

Any further discussion?

I see none.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed, same sign.

Motion passes.

70.

Consent agenda item 5A is in regards to the supplemental agreement number one and revised budget for Plain View Community Center in District 3.

I had a couple of questions regarding the $300,000 that will now increase the budget to 10.2 million dollars.

Can we address uh what this public art will be for?

Sure.

Good morning, Becca Johnson from the Office of Community Services for the Record.

Uh the 300,000 was designated by the design council as part of their CIP approval process for public art to add to the Plain View Project because they deemed it a project of significance.

We are adding the addendum to our architect agreement to make sure that we can get that art figured out.

We don't have exactly where that will go yet, other than throughout the facility.

Can you address uh so we have another uh center that's opening up, and it's actually really great for our community to know about the brewer center that's opening up on district in district one.

Can you tell us how much in public art was allocated to brewer center?

Sure.

Uh 200,000 was allocated, and that was outside of the CIP process.

There are multiple pieces of art that are part of that 200,000 dollars.

Council member Johnson actually probably the best source on that.

Yeah, um, and also the art budget.

I was hoping to be a little larger.

It was based on in a calculation of the initial cost of the facility.

Um, but for the brewer center, um, there is a combination of uh murals, tiles, lighting, um you'd have to see it.

It it looks amazing, but there's multiple types of art.

Um, there's contract work with two Ghanaian artists from Ghana working with a the artist that won the RFP, um which is from out of town, who also contracted with three local artists.

So there's quite a few people in pieces of the artwork of the brewer center, and looking forward to the same thing happening at Plainview.

Um so yeah, thanks back.

Thank you.

And city manager, just so that everyone has the same information.

Um, how much was the brewer center?

And only 200,000 was given to public art at that center.

Is that correct?

That is correct.

Um, I'm sorry, I don't know.

I I've forgotten the uh total dollar amount on the brewer center.

Is it so it is it ended up about 10 million at one point it had inflated to 13.7 million and then back down after construction costs decreased?

Yeah, that was my recollection.

Mayor, you had also asked about the schedule for plain view.

So we are looking at a construction beginning in September, October of 2026 with a completion date by Q4 of 2027.

Thank you.

And then I think it might be a council member Johnson question.

I also asked this would be a great opportunity to remind our community of the grand opening of the brewer center.

Would you like to say anything about that?

Yeah, Saturday, uh December 6th, 8:30 a.m.

All were welcome.

Uh love for you to be there.

I think everyone will be amazed with the facility, not only from what it is now compared to what it used to be, but the wonderful art inside of it.

I think is gonna be very inspiring.

Also, the first 200 guests get a little surprise, so make sure you get there early, and we'll have um some food as well.

The best breakfast in the city of Wichita out of every district, but definitely would love to have folks there December 6th and 30 a.m.

If you don't know where the brewer center is at, sat in Mac Adams Park.

We actually have over a hundred new parking spaces, so you should be able to park close as well.

Will there be brisket at Brisk Breath?

There should be brisket, there should be.

But there's a secret chili recipe that will be given out as well.

Well, thank you all very much for the hard work and getting uh community centers available for our community, not only in district one but in district three and multiple other areas around the city.

I just wanted to make sure that um community understood that it's a small allocation towards public art in the grand scheme of that major project.

Um, and I just wanted to again uh commend council member Johnson, who's been working very hard at the brewer center so that it can be open by December 6th.

So thank you.

Thank you, Mayor.

And thank you, Becca.

We will now open it up for public comment regarding this item.

I see none.

I'll bring it back to the bench.

I know I pulled it, but it is in district three.

Would you like to move it?

Thank you, Mayor.

I move that to City Council approves agreement number one and revised budget.

Adopt the necessary amending resolution and authorized the necessary signatures.

Second.

Motion and a second, any further discussion.

I see none.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed, same sign.

Motion passes, 70.

Madam Clerk, please call the next item.

Board of bids and contracts dated November 24th, 2025.

Morning.

Mayor, City Council, Josh Lauber, Department of Finance.

Uh the Board of Bids and Contracts convened yesterday, November 24th, 2025 for the following items.

Engineering, we have the 21st Street ITS Improvements Cleveland, Cleveland to 159 for Phillips Southern Electric Company Incorporated for an aggregate bid total of $4,223,542.

We have the water distribution system phase one, stormwater drain number 544, Sanitary Sewer Street Improvements Phase 1 for Greenwich Legacy Edition tied for NOAAC Construction Incorporated for an aggregate bid total of 882,579, subject to your approval of the revised engineers estimate, budget authorization for group two.

We have the 2026 utility cut repair of streets, driveways, and sidewalks for PPJ Construction Incorporated for $3,474,030 awarded from the original bid of $2,961,765 within the engineer's estimate.

We have the excavation of soils at Apex site.

This project is being deferred given there is a bidder protest, so I'll be bringing this back to you, but today I need to defer it to respect the administrative process.

For purchasing, we have 19,000 gross vehicle weight 4x4 crew cab with utility bed truck for Rusty Eck Ford Incorporated for an aggregate bid total of 146,814.

We have the 10,700 gross vehicle weight two-wheel drive regular cab pickup truck for Don Hatton Chevrolet Incorporated for an aggregate bid total of 70,000 two hundred and eighty-five dollars.

We have the Century 2 Energy Plant Chilled Water Pump and Valve Replacement for Central Consolidated Incorporated for 515,254 and 12 cents.

We have the 31st Street South Seneca and Meridian Data Fiber Installation for Ideate Telecom LLC for 73,228.70.

We have the Harry I-35 to Greenwich Data Fiber Installation for Ideate Telecom LLC for 159,227.92 cents.

We have the Oliver Harry to I-35 data fiber installation for Idea Tech Telecom LLC for $97,525 and 67 cents.

We have the Pawnee Oliver to I-35 data fiber installation for Ideatech Telecom LLC for $93,505 and 44 cents.

We have the Seneca McCormick to 31st Street South Data Fiber Installation for Ideate Telecom LLC for 174,2135.

We have the Meridian 31st Street South to MacArthur Data Fiber Installation for Ideate Telecom LLC for 82,183.

And I have the four-wheel drive six yard wheel loader for Murphy Tractor and Equipment Company Incorporated for 429,950.

We have the security and video surveillance system for century two, standard for engineering controls incorporated for 116,292.09 cents.com incorporated for an estimated annual revenue of 15,000 per year.

We have the integrated library system service agreement renewal for innovative interfaces incorporated for $82,726 and 78 cents.

We have the process server contract change order for Red Spade Investigations Incorporated for an amended amount of $90 for line item one.

And for airport, we have the liquid, the ICER for runways for nature's Alpine Solutions LLC doing business as Nature's Alpine Solutions Industrial.

So $75,720 estimated per year.

This is how to become a vendor with the city.

This is our purchasing calendar of small business resource partner events that the city's hosting or participating in.

And these are uh open public opportunities out on the street today, and I'd be happy to try to answer any questions.

Questions for staff?

Go ahead.

Josh, I have a question.

Could you go to slide five, please?

Sure.

Um, we recently had um a situation in district six um with this company.

I was just wondering after projects if you guys have any type of debrief.

I've never seen a situation like this kind of go a little south, maybe.

Um, but just with them winning the highest bid, which I think is fantastic.

I just want to make sure that we don't have another situation like we did a couple weeks ago.

So is that ever part of the conversation?

Yes.

So in contract management in general, we want to work with our departments to outline deficiency of performance.

So we in those instances we'll work with our departments or subject matter experts to say these are documented issues that we are having at the operating level that we need to outline in the contract as not acceptable.

So if you have instances in a contract where there's concerns, we will document a what's called a vendor-do batter letter, it's a contractual breach of performance.

Um we will work closely with our law department to outline areas of concern to bring them back into alignment.

Um, you also within the contract formation, you can outline a couple different areas um of concern, uh, specifically with that type of situation.

You could have a pollution liability underwriter for certificate of insurance that you can pull.

Um, you can also outline um contractual instruments of liquidated damages or incentives or different areas that you can outline to ensure that type of performance is encouraged or prevented.

Um outside of that, those are the big toolkits that we have in the purchasing office.

Um hopefully that answers your question.

Yeah, I have to say, Gary and uh Paul have been fantastic, but um, I was just curious before if there's anything that can be in place, I guess in general, or unless something has to happen before those extra measures are taken.

So you can um outline in a contract specific considerations and in areas of concern reactively, you can outline that that breach process.

Um we would have to work on a case-by-case basis specifically, not trying to knowing anecdotally some concerns going on, but but diving into the actual contract details of the project and uh and a vendor of concern, we need to work with the law department, the operating department to bring that to our concern of these are the instances we have issues with.

Okay, I appreciate it.

Thanks so much.

Josh, uh I also had a question about this slide.

How'd you get from 2.9 to 3.4?

So that would be something our city engineer need to speak to.

Um, they're awarding it from what the original bid is, they're requesting it to award it above that amount within the engineer's estimate.

Good morning, Mayor.

City Council members, uh, Paul Councilman Public Works and Utilities for the record.

Ice Mayor Johnson, that's uh we wrote it for the engineer's estimate.

Um, the utility cut repair of streets.

We don't know how much work will actually be completed by franchise utilities, so this provides us more quantities to to go above the original bid price.

If we come across additional work that needs to be done, we pay them for the major quantities that they complete, and we won't go above that 3.47.

And Paul basically go to their bids by odd quantities, yes.

Yes, unit price will pay unit price per quantity bid.

Okay, so it may not end up being 3.4.

Correct, that's correct.

In fact, this year's uh utility cut repair of streets was under the uh engineer's estimate.

We hadn't used all the quantities that we originally planned for, so this provides us some opportunity to go above that again.

So the bidding was fair then.

Correct, yes.

Okay, yes.

Okay.

Josh, just a quick question regarding items 10 through 15.

Um, that was the date of fiber with idea tech.

Were there no other bidders?

So this was requested by our engineer department to not bid it out, and the reason that it was requested not to bid out within the packet, um, they outlined rationale that these uh this utility provider will explicitly be in these areas completing work that if was bidd out, they estimated engineers' estimate to be significantly higher.

Um it is that council's prerogative that we are we are happy to facilitate a bid, uh, but it was strongly encouraged to request that we have an opportunity to exempt competitive bidding to take advantage of these prices that would be cheaper.

Um instances outlined within the agenda report was at 50% or greater discounts because they're just so happened to be working within that area.

So that made a strong compelling case for my review to say that this didn't have to go out for bid under high technology.

So that's work being done outside of council's purview.

Not the work that the independent contractor is doing for a utility.

The specific work the city is requesting is all within council's purview being requested today.

Yeah, but that's what what I'm saying is the work that they're currently doing is their own work, right?

Yes, sir.

Okay, and I and I can have a city engineer speak to that, but that that is my understanding as well.

Okay, yeah, we've we've just had uh some interesting phone calls about it over the last month or so.

So I just wanted to make sure I was relaying the correct information to my uh my constituents.

Sure, in any interested public, I would encourage um each each agenda item, each project item has a full paragraph explanation from the requesting product project manager in this instance the public works engineers office.

Um, that I would defer for any members of the public also interested in these items.

Okay, so this extra work that's going to be done on our behalf now.

If there are some concerns as far as they're not getting filled in the holes completely or anything like that, we send them to our engineering department to kind of rectify any of the concerns.

I'm having an engineer shaking their head, yes.

Okay.

All right, thank you.

And lastly, I think we have a lot of folks who are tuning in that don't know the process.

Uh, this is exempt because it is at a lower price, and I'm sure you guys did the research uh regarding the justification.

So, whatever this amount is, according to what we're just talking about, would be twice as much as what this would be uh estimated.

Um, but normal process of business with the city of Wichita is an open bid process.

Is that correct?

Sure.

So thank you for the question.

City council outlines in our purchasing ordinance and then city code 2.64, the purchasing policy and procedures.

Um, within that, it it it bests it within a purchasing officer, which is myself, the purchasing manager to review any time a department request is exceeding 50,000.

There's a review with a very specific parameters or criteria that say there are I listed explicit definitions of exemptions to competitive bidding.

Uh, this specific item is a high technology item, so that in city code outlines instances of high technology can be exempted.

Um, this specifically was reviewed by myself.

Um, our project managers uh review the need, the identified need, the market research to provide that to us for our consideration as all inclusive review.

Um within their preliminary review, the engineer estimate outlines the project cost estimation, and that project cost estimation would be significantly higher, causing them to request this today.

Thank you for your team and all um in purchasing.

I see no further questions.

This does not get public comment, so I move to approve the board of bids and contracts dated November 24, 2025.

Second.

Motion and a second, any further discussion.

I see none.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed same sign.

Motion passes 7-0.

Madam Clerk, please call the next item.

Petitions for public improvements.

Thank you.

Good morning.

Mayor City Council members Paul Gunsman of the Public Works and Utilities for the record.

I have a few petitions for your consideration this morning.

Signatures on the petitions represent 100% of the improvement districts.

So the petitions are valid per Kansas statute.

Northgate 5th edition located in district six.

Project will provide water drainage, sewer, and paving improvements required for a new commercial development, and to cover the cost of a private bid.

Northgate fifth edition again located in district six on May 18th, 2021, and November 9th, 2021.

City Council approved water, stormwater sewer, sanitary sewer and paving improvements required for a new residential development.

The developer has submitted revised petitions with increased budgets to reflect current market conditions and the revised petitions.

Also shift the project financing from public weak bid improvements to acquisition of privately constructed improvements.

Whispering Creek edition located in District 2 on January 17th, 2024.

The city council approved sanitary sewer and paving improvements required for a new residential development.

The developer has submitted revised petitions and revised budgets to reflect current market conditions.

And it is recommended that the city council approve the new and revised petitions and budgets to adopt a new and amending resolutions and authorized necessary signatures.

And as a reminder, we have quite a few folks in the audience that these are all paid by special assessment.

Thank you for that added note, Paul, because I was about to ask that question.

Are there any comments?

I see none.

Second.

Motion and a second.

Any further discussion?

I see none.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed same sign.

Motion passes.

Madam Clerk, please call the next item.

Council member appointments and comments.

Council members, any appointments.

I have one.

I'd like to uh appoint Andrea Scarpelli to the what's the library board?

Advisory board, I guess.

Is that right?

I'd like to appoint Barb Myers to the Historic Preservation Board.

I see no one else.

I move to approve the two uh appointments.

Second.

Motion and a second.

Any further discussion?

I see none.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed, same sign.

Motion passes 7-0.

Council member comments.

I have one.

Um this last week.

Uh I was in Salt Lake City with a couple of my colleagues for National League of Cities.

The City of Wichita actually won second place in the digital city survey.

So shout out to IT.

Um, we are second place in the city, the city group of 250,000 to 499,999.

So I was able to get that brought in here today.

I'll give this to Mike later, but City of Wichita second place.

It's always awesome to go collect a plaque or trophy or award on behalf of the city.

We do great work, and uh total few people will be a part of us next time.

So we'll be back.

Mayor, if I could just add to that, I'm really proud of the work that's been done by IT and the uh amount of uh effort that's gone into developing policies specifically around AI and cybersecurity.

Those were things that we are recognized for.

Uh and uh the they felt that we were were exceptional in terms of the work we were doing right now.

This is the highest we've uh uh finished in this uh award competition, and we're still shooting for number one.

Uh Long Beach is uh a great competitor, but we'd love to knock them off next time.

Um but with if you look at the list of cities that were also recognized in our category, it's a who is who of those are that are involved in uh I think advanced IT work around the country.

So very proud of that award and the work that our staff has done.

Congratulations to the IT department.

Are there any uh further comments?

I see none.

We will move on.

We are not adjourning.

Um we are now moving on to the workshop portion.

City manager Leighton.

Mayor, thank you very much.

Um, over the last year, council's had a number of discussions about um homelessness.

Now we move to the next phase of this meeting, and that is we're gonna have uh two executive sessions.

So we will have one motion, complete that motion, and then do that executive session and then come back.

So read a motion first.

Um I move that the city council recess into executive session for 20 minutes to receive information on a contract pursuant to KSA 75-43192 for legal consultation with the city attorney, which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship for legal advice.

The executive session is required to protect attorney-client privilege and the public interest.

This executive session will begin at one o'clock and end at 120 p.m.

So that we have room for a break.

Second.

Motion and a second.

Any further discussion?

I see none.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed, same sign.

Motion passes, 7-0.

We will return at 120.

I will move that we direct staff and the consultant, along with our attorney, to enter into negotiations on a contract for city manager with Dennis Marstall.

Motion and a second discussion.

And all of them recommended that you know proceeding with with a current candidate in this pool would be their recommendation.

So with that, I'll be supportive today.

As for me, I am deeply concerned about this process.

I will not be supporting either finalists moving forward.

To be clear, this is more about the process than a specific finalist.

Mr.

Frytag is a quality individual.

Grateful for his service to our nation, but I do not feel this is the best place for his leadership.

Mr.

Marstall is a quality individual as well.

I share a similar sentiment.

Initially, my concerns were minor, but within the last two weeks, my concerns have grown significantly.

I am concerned about potential undue influence by elected officials on the process and potentially the selection committee.

I am concerned about an expectation that immediately excludes one of the finalists.

I am concerned about how finalists were scored.

I am concerned about significant differences between one group versus the others within the process.

I honestly believe that we should stop the process now.

Clearly state the expectations that the council was looking for, all of them, and go back out on the search.

I believe that when that occurs, all elected members of this body should abide by what was outlined and refrain from speaking with any member of the selection committee until they have completed their piece of the process.

Lastly, my hope is that the information we receive as a council, specifically the summary of input document be made public forward.

Quick comments.

I look forward to working with uh Mr.

Marstow if contract negotiations move forward and are able to extend an offer next week.

I think this is a unique opportunity for Wichita since 2008.

Um we've been under the leadership of Mr.

Leighton.

I want to thank him for his service to our community.

I think he's guided us through a lot of difficult times and cast a vision for our community.

The last time we went through this process as a council, I was in eighth grade and in middle school, and so it was an honor to be part of this process.

I look forward to working with whoever our new manager is to move forward together with this council, and I'm excited for uh the next chapter in Wichita's history.

I would like to thank every individual on the selection committee that helped select the consultant, go through 89 applications, narrowed it down to 17 individuals, and then down to three finalists.

Um I want to say that all three finalists were fine candidates, and I do believe that they have the best at heart in public service.

I am very grateful to the service of both veterans, um, Mr.

Frytag and Mr.

Martin, who both served in our military.

Um, Mr.

Marstall uh brings with him multiple different experiences from local government to nonprofit sector and from smaller communities to larger communities, including a large metropolitan city.

And so I am really grateful that this process allowed for someone that will bring a new perspective and leadership into Wichita.

Um, as someone that just joined the council last year, I know that many folks don't understand the difference between what a mayor does and what a city manager currently does here in the city of Wichita.

The city manager, Mr.

Leighton has served our community for 16 years, and we are grateful for his public service in leading an organization of 3,000 people within 16 departments while also working collaboratively with this council.

I want to make mention that in our form of government, it requires seven individuals on the council to reach some sort of consensus in order for us to move forward.

And in this situation, there was a consensus, and so I am hopeful that the negotiations will be successful so that the city of Wichita can have a new chapter beginning next year with a new city manager.

And again, thank you for the service of Mr.

Leighton, who again has served 16 years here in our community.

With that, we have a motion and a second.

Any further discussion?

I see none.

We'll do a vote call uh for voting.

Um council member Johnson.

Nay.

Councilmember Tuttle.

Aye.

Councilmember Hoheisel.

Nay.

Count Vice Mayor Johnston.

Aye.

Councilmember Glasscock.

Aye.

Councilmember Ballard.

Aye.

And Mayor Wu.

Aye.

Motion carries five to two.

We will now adjourn this meeting at 328 p.m.

I move to I move to adjourn this meeting at 3.28 p.m.

Second.

Motion and a second.

Any further discussion?

I see none.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed, same side.

Nay.

We are adjourned six to one.

Thank you.

Yes.

No, that's okay.

I'll take him.