The Wichita City Council convened at 3:00 PM to approve minutes, honor fallen firefighters, address public comments regarding homelessness and historic preservation, and approve significant capital improvements and vendor contracts. The meeting concluded with a contentious deliberation and vote regarding the appointment of a new City Manager, resulting in a 5-2 approval of contract negotiations with the remaining finalist.
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.