Wichita City Council Meeting – May 19, 2026

The Wichita City Council met in regular session on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at 9:00 AM in the City Council Chambers. The meeting covered proclamations, consent agenda items, new council business (including fire station alerting and paratransit software contracts), a housing authority recovery agreement status report, and public comments on homelessness and encampment policies. All votes were 7–0.

Consent Calendar

• Approved minutes of the May 12, 2026 regular meeting.
• Approved Consent Agenda Items 1 through 17 en bloc, including: cereal malt beverage licenses; preliminary estimates for drainage and water improvements (Meridian 53, Monarch Landing, etc.); KDOT supplemental agreements; HVAC upgrades for the Historical Museum; Change Order No. 1 for the Multimodal Facility; proclamation votes; Visit Wichita quarterly reports; resolutions for debt financing at Jabara and Eisenhower airports; funding for a generator at the Wichita Art Museum; a public exigency for WWTP2 emergency generator radiator repairs; community event approvals (Automobilia Car Show, The Rain's Pride Party, Blessed Sacrament Parish Festival); second reading of seven zoning ordinances; and consent airport items.
• Received and filed the Board of Bids and Contracts report (May 18, 2026) and approved the associated contracts (7–0).
• Approved petitions for public improvements (Arvada Second, Bridger @ Central, Young East 2nd) and adopted the amending resolutions (7–0).

Public Comments & Testimony

• Darcy Smith (Park City, KS; Hope on the Streets Love In Action ICT) expressed support for unhoused individuals, stating that Second Light shelter turned away a woman because there were only 25 beds. She asked the City to show grace to grassroots organizations that feed and assist people experiencing homelessness.
• Doug Ballard (District VI) raised concerns about the high cost and long delivery times of fire trucks, citing a bipartisan Senate letter that links private equity consolidation to higher prices and dangerous production backlogs. He urged the city to use its legal resources to address the issue.
• Dr. Donna Castillo Garcia (co-founder, Grassroots Bridgebuilders) described the three-phase process to house individuals from encampments, noting each phase can take 4–6 weeks. She stated that Second Light currently has only 100 program beds (50 men, 50 women) and 24 overnight beds, with perhaps 8–10 additional emergency beds. She argued that closing an encampment and expecting people to resolve homelessness in 48–72 hours is unrealistic, and urged the City Manager to work through the summer before posting any encampment closure.
• Sara Cowley (2116 South Seneca; founder, Grassroots Bridgebuilders) reported that people in her neighborhood are signed up for housing services but remain in encampments. She described incidents where individuals in police uniforms destroyed belongings of unhoused people. She asked how the council can help address harassment of unhoused individuals who are not causing crime, and called for more understanding and employment opportunities.

Discussion Items

• Fire Station Alerting and Automated Dispatch – Fire Chief Tammy Snow presented a new station alerting system to replace the current outdated, non-standardized equipment across 21 fire stations. A selection committee (including a non-voting member from Sedgwick County Emergency Communication) chose Purvis out of six bids. The contract cost will be covered by remaining funds from the fire station alerting project ($2.72 million) and fire radio equipment ($55,805). Annual maintenance starting in 2027 ranges from $38,870 to $43,740, fundable within the fire department budget.
• Contract with RideCo Inc. for Demand Response Software – Transit Director Penny Feist explained that the current paratransit scheduling software contract expires in August 2026. The new software will improve efficiency, reporting, and lay the foundation for future microtransit service. The RFP was issued October 28, 2025, and this is the first of several software contracts to be brought forward.
• Public Housing Recovery Agreement Status Report – Housing Director Sally Stang reported that all physical condition requirements of the HUD recovery agreement have been met. As of May 5, 2026, of the 352 public housing properties, 267 have been sold, 28 are pending sale, and one occupied unit is still closing (expected by end of May). The city used a mixed methodology to dispose of properties, including open-market sales, RFPs with affordable housing subsidies, and sales to public housing tenants (eight so far, with a ninth pending). Of the 267 sold units, 194 remain affordable through deed restrictions, rental subsidies, or market-rate affordability. The city received an additional 167 vouchers from HUD and expects $14 million in sales proceeds to be invested in project-based voucher projects, potentially creating 70 to 1,400 additional units depending on deployment. Park Landing, a 75-unit building with non-congregate shelter on the first floor and project-based voucher housing above, is expected to open June or July 2027 after a 13-month build. Capital fund projects are complete.

Key Outcomes

• Fire Station Alerting Contract: Approved 7–0.
• RideCo Paratransit Software Contract: Approved 7–0.
• Public Housing Recovery Agreement Status Report: Received and filed 7–0.
• Mayor’s Travel Authorization: Approved 7–0 for travel to the League of Kansas Municipalities Board Meeting in McPherson, KS, June 4–5, 2026.
• Council Member Johnston requested that the City Manager install signage at City Hall parking lots to direct visitors to free parking at Rounds and Porter, and signage at the Rounds and Porter lot indicating free parking for City Hall. The City Manager will follow up.
• Next Steps: The Affordable Housing Review Board’s recommendations for 20 Country Acres properties and five vacant lots will be brought to the council in June 2026.