OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Wichita City Council Meeting Summary - May 26, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, May 26, 2026
BodyWichita, Kansas
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, May 26, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 30:45

Transcript — Verbatim
0:08

Thank you for joining us for this week's city council meeting and workshop on May 26th.

0:14

I call this meeting to order.

0:17

Can we please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance?

0:22

I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

0:30

One nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

0:41

Madam Clerk, please call the first item.

0:48

Public agenda.

1:00

And I apologize, I don't have my public agenda that I read usually, but we allow five minutes for public agenda, and you're not allowed to address the council at the time.

1:13

Anything that you say, you must um you're not allowed to ask questions, but you can leave questions for the city manager if you have questions, and you have five minutes.

1:31

And our first speaker is Brian Clark with the Wichita Public Library.

1:49

Good morning, Brian.

1:52

How are you?

1:58

Hello.

2:00

My name's Brian Clark.

2:01

I'm here this morning.

2:02

I'm not with the public library, but I'm here to talk about the Wichita Public Library, what it means to me and the community both.

2:10

I retired after working at the Wichita Eagle for 25 years in the marketing department.

2:16

There I learned the importance of access to all information.

2:21

I learned the importance of the role that literacy plays in our community, and the need to have trusted sources of information and truth.

2:33

And a changing environment because newspaper business changed a lot while I was there.

2:39

So today I want to share some thoughts about the library and what it means to me.

2:44

First, I would some things I won't be talking about.

2:47

I'm not going to talk about how libraries make economic sense.

3:13

So that's a good thing.

3:27

There's a lot of ways that they make the community healthier.

3:49

But there are more actually more public libraries in the U.S.

3:53

than there are Starbucks.

3:55

So finally, uh, I'm not going to talk about how libraries provide skilled assistance to people that need to navigate vast amounts of information.

4:06

Our librarians are information experts, and they do a great job.

4:10

But I want to talk today about more granular thoughts about the library.

4:16

It's been instrumental instrumental to me.

4:18

The library system in general, the advanced learning library in particular.

4:23

It's helped me uh in traditional and non-traditional ways, continue uh to be a learner in three different ways.

4:33

One's just reading.

4:34

I've always been a reader, but I read more now that I'm retired than I ever have before.

4:40

Last year uh in 2025, I checked out and read 42 books at the library.

4:47

Uh and I often grab a book off the shelf and go out on the second floor and enjoy the sun shine when the weather's nice.

4:54

I'm also a big movie fan, so I've used the library to watch movies.

5:00

I've checked out classics and looked at uh independent films.

5:05

Uh checked out more than a hundred DVDs last year.

5:10

I hope I've gone to a lot of the documentaries and that kind of thing.

5:14

I hope the library continues to support Tallgrass Film Festival, New York Film Festival, Oscar Schwartz, etc.

5:21

Finally, I've I've just learned about uh things I didn't know anything about.

5:26

I've taken lots of classes, I've done 3D printing, I've done sewing machine basics, strengthened computer skills.

5:33

I've learned about Canva and Cricket and Audacity and TinkerCAD.

5:38

I've gone to Witch Dodd Genealogical Society events, I've done Tuesday topics, senior Wednesdays, author events, book club activities, learning circles, book swaps, community writing workshops, art for self-care, all of those free.

6:10

I got my eye on dinosaur trivia night on July 16th.

6:17

Please share my enthusiasm for the library and do what you can to support the important work done there.

6:44

And from a personal standpoint, they keep Brian Clark entertained, learning, growing, and having fun.

6:51

Thanks again for the opportunity to present to you today.

6:54

Keep making good choices and adding to the quality of life in which to help.

6:58

Thank you very much.

7:01

Thank you, Brian.

7:06

Madam Clerk, can you please call the next individual?

7:10

The next speaker is Earl T.

7:13

Anderson with the South Central.

7:15

He would like to speak about South Central Kansas Economic Development District, the fire department, and police.

7:33

I live there.

7:34

Speaking to you.

7:42

I'm better off the cuff.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural███████████████████████████27%
Community Engagement██████████████████████████26%
Affordable Housing█████████9%
Arts And Culture███████7%
Youth Programs██████6%
Public Safety██████6%
Public Engagement██████6%
Mental Health Awareness█████5%
Technology and Innovation████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Wichita City Council Meeting Summary - May 26, 2026

The Wichita City Council met in regular session on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at 9:00 AM. The meeting included public testimony on four topics, unanimous approval of a 15-item consent agenda, re-approval of travel expenses for the National Civic League's All-America City Conference due to date corrections, and an appointment to the Affordable Housing Review Board. The meeting adjourned at 9:31 AM.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved Consent Agenda items 1 through 15 by a 7-0 vote. These included applications for cereal malt beverage licenses; preliminary estimates for paving and sewer improvements; a supplemental design agreement with Iteris; a change order for hydraulic bridge repair; multiple property acquisitions for drainage and road projects; minutes of advisory boards/commissions; a community event with alcohol consumption for Central Standard Brewing's Sunday Funday Pop Up Market; an overestimate bid and change order limit adjustment for Minisa Bridge Rehabilitation; and two planned unit development (PUD) zone changes. The consent agenda also included the sale of a property at 838 North Grove Street, an amendment to the Wichita RAD Senior L.P. partnership agreement, and two airport agreements (a USPS supplemental agreement and a Reynolds Logistics use and lease agreement).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Bryan Clark (retired Wichita Eagle marketing employee) spoke in support of the Wichita Public Library, sharing personal experiences: he checked out 42 books and over 100 DVDs in 2025, and participated in classes such as 3D printing and sewing. He emphasized the library's role in providing equitable access and lifelong learning, and urged continued support.
  • Earl T. Anderson spoke about the South Central Kansas Economic Development District (SCKEDD) program, which provided a new roof, ceilings, repiping, and HVAC replacement for his home. He praised the program and urged the city to publicize it. He also described mentoring local youth, asking only that they graduate high school and show respect.
  • Wyatt Sheeter, Executive Director of Senior Services of Wichita, highlighted Older Americans Month and the importance of services like Meals on Wheels and senior centers. He commended the city's AARP Age-Friendly Community Initiative and called for continued investment in programs for older adults.
  • Holden Woodward (District 1 resident) voiced opposition to Flock automated license plate readers, arguing they circumvent the Fourth Amendment and represent a privacy risk. He also criticized paid parking at City Hall as a tax on the poor. Council Member Tuttle responded by directing him to the city's transparency webpage for Flock camera data.
  • Following public testimony, Mayor Wu and Council Member Hoheisel acknowledged community service representatives and promoted an upcoming budget town hall (May 27 at 5:30 PM) and a district breakfast (May 30 at 9 AM).

Discussion Items

  • Travel Authorization Re-approval: The council re-approved travel expenses for the National Civic League's All-America City Conference in Denver, Colorado (June 25-29, 2026) because the dates in the May 12 approval were incorrect. Approved were Vice Mayor Glasscock and Council Member Ballard (June 25-29), Mayor Wu (June 25-29), and Council Member Shepard (June 27-29). Council Member Shepard noted his later arrival due to prior commitments. All three motions passed 7-0. (Council Member Tuttle indicated she would submit a separate request; Council Member Johnston is not attending; Council Member Hoheisel's travel was not voted on in this agenda item.)
  • Council Member Shepard's Update on Social Work Practicum: Shepard reported submitting a contract with Wichita State University's School of Social Work to place a practicum student at the Atwater Neighborhood Resource Center, with no fiscal impact to the city. City Attorney Magana stated the contract is under review and expected to be finalized by the end of the week. Shepard also mentioned working with an intern for District One.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Agenda passed 7-0.
  • Three travel authorization motions passed 7-0 each.
  • Vice Mayor Glasscock appointed Traci Terrill to the Affordable Housing Review Board; approved 7-0.
  • Council Member Shepard's practicum contract is under review; update expected by end of week.
  • The meeting adjourned at 9:31 AM via a 7-0 vote.

Meeting Transcript

Thank you for joining us for this week's city council meeting and workshop on May 26th. I call this meeting to order. Can we please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance? I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Madam Clerk, please call the first item. Public agenda. And I apologize, I don't have my public agenda that I read usually, but we allow five minutes for public agenda, and you're not allowed to address the council at the time. Anything that you say, you must um you're not allowed to ask questions, but you can leave questions for the city manager if you have questions, and you have five minutes. And our first speaker is Brian Clark with the Wichita Public Library. Good morning, Brian. How are you? Hello. My name's Brian Clark. I'm here this morning. I'm not with the public library, but I'm here to talk about the Wichita Public Library, what it means to me and the community both. I retired after working at the Wichita Eagle for 25 years in the marketing department. There I learned the importance of access to all information. I learned the importance of the role that literacy plays in our community, and the need to have trusted sources of information and truth. And a changing environment because newspaper business changed a lot while I was there. So today I want to share some thoughts about the library and what it means to me. First, I would some things I won't be talking about. I'm not going to talk about how libraries make economic sense. So that's a good thing. There's a lot of ways that they make the community healthier. But there are more actually more public libraries in the U.S. than there are Starbucks. So finally, uh, I'm not going to talk about how libraries provide skilled assistance to people that need to navigate vast amounts of information. Our librarians are information experts, and they do a great job. But I want to talk today about more granular thoughts about the library. It's been instrumental instrumental to me. The library system in general, the advanced learning library in particular. It's helped me uh in traditional and non-traditional ways, continue uh to be a learner in three different ways. One's just reading. I've always been a reader, but I read more now that I'm retired than I ever have before. Last year uh in 2025, I checked out and read 42 books at the library. Uh and I often grab a book off the shelf and go out on the second floor and enjoy the sun shine when the weather's nice. I'm also a big movie fan, so I've used the library to watch movies. I've checked out classics and looked at uh independent films. Uh checked out more than a hundred DVDs last year. I hope I've gone to a lot of the documentaries and that kind of thing. I hope the library continues to support Tallgrass Film Festival, New York Film Festival, Oscar Schwartz, etc. Finally, I've I've just learned about uh things I didn't know anything about. I've taken lots of classes, I've done 3D printing, I've done sewing machine basics, strengthened computer skills. I've learned about Canva and Cricket and Audacity and TinkerCAD. I've gone to Witch Dodd Genealogical Society events, I've done Tuesday topics, senior Wednesdays, author events, book club activities, learning circles, book swaps, community writing workshops, art for self-care, all of those free. I got my eye on dinosaur trivia night on July 16th. Please share my enthusiasm for the library and do what you can to support the important work done there. And from a personal standpoint, they keep Brian Clark entertained, learning, growing, and having fun. Thanks again for the opportunity to present to you today.

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TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
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