e e e e e welcome to all of our guests here this morning  and good morning witcham we'll call the meeting   to order with us this morning is Pastor Philip  Moore of Eden Fellowship Ministries following   that invocation we will have the Pledge of  Allegiance and I invite you to stand for both first I would like to thank uh the mayor  and the city council for this opportunity let's   pray Eternal God in heaven we praise you and we  thank you for this day the dawn of a new day we   come before you with Hearts filled with gratitude  and hope we acknowledge your presence in our midst   seeking your guidance and wisdom as we convene  for this city council meeting as we stand at the   threshold of a new chapter we humbly ask for  your blessings upon our city and its leaders   grant us the strength to make decisions that will  Foster Unity prosperity and well-being among our   community members May our our actions reflect your  love and compassion for all Lord bestow upon each   member of this Council the discernment to navigate  the challenge that lie ahead and the courage to   make choices that honor Justice and fairness May  our de deliberations be marked by a spirit of   cooperation and mutual spe respect recognizing the  diverse perspectives that the com that contribute   to to the richness of our city as we embark on  this journey into the unknown may your light shine   upon us Illuminating the path of righteousness and  understanding grant us the serenity to accept the   things that we cannot change the courage to  change the things that we can and the wisdom   to know the difference we offer this prayer  with hopeful Hearts trusting that your divine   presence will guide our decis our discussions and  decisions in your precious and holy name we pray amen thank you Pastor Moore Madame clerk can you  please call the first item approve the minutes   of the regular meeting of October 22nd 24 and the  onbon meeting of October 25th 2024 are there any corrections I see none I move to approve the  minutes of the regular meeting on October   22nd 2024 and the UN buunk meeting  on October 25th 20124 second motion   and a second any further discussion I  see none Madame clerk please open the role motion passes 70 Madame clerk please call  the next item proclamations today's proclamations   are National apprenticeship week and witcha  AG friendly initiative may I please invite   the workforce alliance of South Central Kansas  and its Partners to come forward at this time the proclamation reads the city of witto Kansas  founded in 1870 whereas National apprenticeship   week is celebrating its 10th anniversary  of raising awareness of the vital role of   registered apprenticeships and providing in  creating opportunities where apprentices may   earn while they Foster access to well-paying  careers in Witchita and across our nation   whereas apprenticeship programs enable employers  to develop and train their future Workforce while   offering career Seekers affordable paths to secure  fulfilling jobs whereas witcha recognizes the role   of registered apprenticeships and expanding  opportunities in our Workforce that are   inclusive of individuals who have been  historically underserved marginalized   and adversely affected by persistent poverty  and inequality thus providing a path for all   qualified individuals to become apprentices and  contribute to America's industries whereas witcha   recognizes that registered apprenticeships are  a key strategy to improving quality jobs and   creating access to jobs for all starting with  Youth and Young adults while addressing some of   our nation's pressing Workforce challenges such as  rebuilding our country's infrastructure addressing   critical supply chain demands supporting  a clean energy Workforce modernizing our   cyber security response and responding  to care e economic issues now therefore   be it resolved that I Lily woo mayor of the  city of Witchita Kansas along along with the   Witchita city council do hereby proclaim  the week of November 17th through 23rd of   2024 as National apprenticeship week in the  city of wiah and encourage all citizens to   recognize and learn more about registered  apprenticeship programs in the city of [Applause] wiah good morning we would just like to  thank the city of wiah for recognizing   National apprenticeship week uh the workforce  alliance of South Central Kansas has been a   long supporter of registered apprenticeship  programs in the state and we thank you for your partnership may I please ask mie Campbell AARP  Kansas representatives and any individuals who   will be supportive of the Witchita  age friendly initiative along with   our Witchita city council to come forward at this time this Proclamation brings me great joy as this  was an initiative started by the late mayor Carl   Brewer and it stopped during the last two terms  of two previous Mayors but we have reignited the   passion to bring forth a proclamation that will  Proclaim witcha as an agef friendly community in   the United States this Proclamation reads the city  of witto Kansas founded in 1870 whereas the city   of Witchita is committed to fostering a community  that supports the well-being and quality of life   of all residents in particular the US experiences  of significant demographic shift shows that   the number of individuals ages 65 and older is  expected to surpass those under the age of 18 by   2034 whereas witcha previously achieved membership  in the AARP Network network of age friendly   States and communities in 2012 and now seeks to  rejoin the network to reaffirm its commitment to   promoting creating and sustaining a community for  people of all ages whereas this renewed membership   offers witcha the opportunity to lead in uniting  diverse sectors to enhance Community well-being   by prioritizing three domains of livability  housing social participation and inclusion and   communication information and Civic engagement to  address the evolving needs of the Aging population   improve the broader community and position the  city as a leader in age-friendly urban planning   for a more inclusive accessible resilient and  sustainable future whereas active aging is a   lifelong process and an age-friendly community  supports people of all ages by promoting overall   quality of life fostering social connections  and informing and involving residents in   decision making to ensure all individuals have an  opportunity to contribute to the city's growth and   enrich its social fabric making Witchita a more  vibrant place to live now therefore be it resolved   that I Lily woo mayor of the city of Witchita  Kansas along with the Witchita city council do   hereby Proclaim and support the Witchita agef  friendly initiative in the city of Witchita and   encourage all citizens to support and participate  in efforts to enhance an agef friendly [Applause] Community well good morning good morning may  Wu thank you so much and to the members of   the council I am Glenda Duo and I am the state  director for AARP of Kansas and I also would like   to acknowledge I have with us Andrea Boart who is  our staff lead for livable communities here and   she's our associate state director and the members  of our wiar Leadership Council and to everyone   here we are very pleased to include and invite and  accept uh wiah into our age friendly network of   over 700 other communities Across the Nation this  provides uh the opportunity to network with others   with such likemind uh ideas and S and uh agendas  to bring forth a livable Community across wiah   and other communities we are PL pleased to have  you join us and we look forward to walking along   with you in this journey toward becoming an age  friendly with talk thank you so much [Applause] two thank you to all of our guests Madame clerk  please call the next item mayor we do have   a speaker on the board sorry council member  tle thank you so much I would like to just   take a point of privilege if I may um we have  a nice full room I don't think by the time we   get done with all of this everybody will still  be here so I just wanted to make a comment now   instead of at the end of comments but today  is Jamie Buster our city clerk's last meeting   with the city of Witchita um you have been an  incredible public servant an incredible team   member a role model for many I knew you before  I was in Council and I've gotten to know you   more since and I would also like to take a  point of privilege that may we all just wish   her congratulations on her new adventure with a  round of applause for her work thank [Applause] you thank you council member Tuttle  Madam clerk please call call the next   item Heather schroer Downtown parking management   and competitive Advantage among pure  cities best practices in urban Place Management good morning good morning mayor  woo vice mayor Ballard and members of the   city council my name is Heather schroer and  I serve as executive director of our downtown   Witchita I'd also like to acknowledge several  of my board members who are here with me today   Larry Weber with the Garvey Center Joe Tigert  with rt Financial Alan Banta with transpacific   oil Cindy claycomb downtown resident and Jeff  lur with a greater wiah partnership thank you   all for being here um so we're here today to talk  about Downtown parking from a growth perspective I   was talking uh with a downtown business leader  the other day and about the changes happening   downtown and I said if there's one word you could  use to describe downtown at this moment what would   it be he said more there are more residents more  industry sectors more tourism more Development   coming downtown all the time and I have to agree  with that we just solicited proposals for uh Na   from National planning firms to help with the  update to our downtown master plan the first   update in 15 years and we were expecting  maybe four six eight proposals to come in   we got more 177 different firms across the country  have applied to work in our city and help us map   out our road map for growth over the next 10  years those proposals came in from Kansas City   Denver Boston DC La New York Philadelphia Chicago  Columbus Cincinnati wiah is on the radar of people   in all these places coincidentally all those  places have Downtown parking management plans um   but but the point there is that uh there's  way more interest in Witchita than we were   anticipating I think we can all agree that more  activity in wit is a good thing more jobs more   residents more tax revenue more resources  to help grow our city so the private sector   is preparing we're preparing for growth we're  building more housing downtown to accommodate   more residents who want the convenience of living  in a walkable Community KU and WSU are building   the biomedical Center to provide more research  and more innovation in healthcare visit wiat   is attracting more sporting events to our core  like the US figure skating national championships   the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament to bring  more visitors to our Corp more businesses are   opening we just did a tally and I'm proud  to report that we're celebrating 20 new   business openings in downtown wiah this year  alone so business owners understand that in   order to have more in order to grow change  is necessary now we're asking the city to   match these private sector efforts that doesn't  mean providing more parking we want to use that   land for more and better uses but it means  better management of the resources that we have our current system as we know isn't  working I don't need to provide more   examples of uh broken window and foul odors and  unpleasant environments in our current Downtown   parking system um but what we have is a is  a disconnect between this greater use of our   downtown and a lack of of great management  of those resources what we're asking today   is we're asking you to invest in parking  management to enable downtown wias growth to continue we encourage you to select option  A from the choices that were presented at   last week's public parking meeting option A  provides the revenue the city needs to manage   our parking resources going forward so that  we can all have more in downtown wiah thank you madam clerk please call the next  individual Larry Weber parking plan proposal get back to the first morning mayor City Council  Members my name is Larry Weber and I reside at 18   North Beach here in witch toop I've basically been  downtown for the majority of the last 38 years   first is general manager of the Broadview and then  general manager of the holiday in the 26 story   building I worked another hotel outside of dowtown  for a couple years until Willard garby asked me to   come back to reopen the holiday in as another  hotel in 1997 he didn't like the numbers on   what it would take to reopen as a hotel and then  asked me what else we could do with the building   what we could change it into there were no uh  we looked at a number of uh options and we came   up with the apartments there were no apartments in  downtown in 1999 Willard took a risk and he made a   change now look at all the apartments in downtown  think about other changes that we've made over my   38 years in downtown Dave Burke in the Oldtown  uh Entertainment District would Cargill have   stayed in Witchita without that vibrant District  in trust Arena what a battle that was but had we   not changed locations we would not have the  location for Niar I don't even want to think   where WSU and witto would be today without the  conversion of that old Coliseum into the stateof   art facility that Niar occupies today we're  talking about changing how we manage parking in   Downtown the Garvey Center has over 800 parking  spaces I have a 500 car garage I have a 200 car   garage and a surface lot with 163 spaces in the  last three years the owners have spent $4 million   in upgrades on the 500 car garage monthly we spend  $8,000 a month just to maintain the parking so   I know parking is not free talking about change  let's look at a more recent change in parking and   that's at Century 2 we reached out to John hail  with AMS Global who operates Century 2 to find   out how the change from the old parking meters to  the mobile app has gone the first question we as   ask was has parking change affected attendance at  trade shows or the Arts his answer and I'll read   it some of the most attended events over the last  year were also events where we increased the price   of parking to reflect the increased demand these  events Hamilton Matt riff had sold out events and   the 300 parking spaces were completely full the  next question was as time went on have patrons   found it easier to use his answer yes as with all  changes people were resistant there is still a   group that demands that we that there be a way  to pay cash for the parking and we're working   on acquiring a kios kiosk that will allow them  to do so but I would point out that we've had   over 30,000 transactions in the last year and our  complaint rate is under 1% and most of those were   in the beginning I'd like to point out that a  good deal of those complaints were related to   the changing of the lot from free on weekends  to pay this was not actually the case it was   just that the city did not have the Personnel  to Monitor and ticket or staff on those days in   the past 17 days we've had 20 2,35 interactions  with the public and have received no complaints   now there's differences in the C2 system and what  you're looking at today but the point is is they   changed the way parking was done and it worked we  all have traveled we all have experienced parking   Management Systems in other cities so today I want  to implore you to and ask you to go with option A   and to support the pl parking proposal option A  okay that's the script now let me go off script   I walked over here today from the Garvey Center  and I noticed the parking booth has gone out front   I asked the guy out front what happened he said  'oh we upgraded we got rid of that and we went   to electronic way to pay for parking so if you  guys did it why aren't we doing it everywhere   else that's my question have a good day council  member hoisel uh thank you Mr Weber for uh coming   up and chatting with us about this um could  you reiterate one more time they said that   they have not gotten any complaints about the  parking at um cry too in the initially they've   out of the 30,000 transactions they had less  than 1% he said in the last 17 days they had   235 transactions no complaints out of those  transactions so the last 17 days correct okay   yeah because they must have been saving all that  for our inboxes because we get PL complaints all   the time about it so yeah I think their  major thing was the fact of the weekends   that everybody used to think that you didn't  have to pay on weekends because no there was no   Staffing nobody to ticket and that I appreciate  that another complaint I do hear is uh the lack   of options for payment too and the fact that it'  be $5 for all day as opposed to I don't know 75   cents an hour like it used to so I appreciate you  coming up a chance Larry one question for you can   you address how currently people are utilizing  your Lots at times um for events oh yeah uh the   Garvey Center allows all of our parking spaces to  be used after five o'l for any events at Century   2 or any other things that we have going on uh we  do not charge after five o'clock up until 5 o'cl   we do charge so the maintenance we don't pay  for no nor any of the $4 million that I spent   to upgrade the facility but if you want to free  to take that thank you Larry Madam clerk please   call the next individual George Theo Harris  God Bless America and audit mabcd and animal services uh city clerk could before you start  my time I wanted to do some niceties real quick   that's not on my paper and and I'm going to be  pushing the envelope I just want to say mayor   vice mayor city council city manager City legal  and also uh I will send this to your what I'm   reading uh it's going I'm going to have to go fast  so I'm going to read send it to your emails and   then when you get it you can not read it and and  delete it thank you all right I'm starting I have   talked with my city councelor Mr H Heisel and  he has said I am too critical or hard on City   officials so with that being said how do you want  me to be I was kicked off the county animal board   I claimed that there were dangerous dogs in the  county board members in the County Animal Control   supervisor kept saying there were no dangerous  dogs in the county for 5 years I rolled my eyes   as I hope all of you would do so then I asked Mr  hoisel to put me on the witchar animal Advisory   Board I am one of only two people who has attended  every board meeting since it start on July of 2015   he was hesitant he told me no drama well when  you make people be accountable for their actions   there's going to be drama God bless witchar this  city council went ahead and passed ordinances   which I was the chair person of the subcommittee  on dog licensing minus the cat licensing although   six cities our SI currently have cat licensing on  their books so that being said I m I make things   happen I find out the inequalities in things but  yet I can't get a meeting with the city manager I   can't get four of you to direct this city manager  to meet with me I won't be disrespectful to him   I'll ask him some questions and if the questions  are disrespectful they're not meant to be   I'm asking him questions that need answers I  have said that his time has come and gone and   it's mainly because poor TR hutman he didn't get  fired but wink wink he resigned but for $359 JB   remember you did the math one to two million  per year in dog licensing fees not collected   JV can you do that math per month for us please  how much is that times the number of years I've   been bringing this up to the manager and city  council but then and only then after I chaired   a subcommittee and we pushed something in front  of you guys and you voted on it and passed it   unanimously God bless witchar I've been asking  for an audit at animal services for years and   years and it should have been done years ago maybe  just maybe all these cats and dogs wouldn't have   been euthanized you know the 1740 the rescues and  citizens staged their recent walk from City Hall   to Oldtown the one who seemed to be working with  me and few others is Mike hhis thank you for that   I've heard vice mayor ballad has been working  with some of the rescues thanks for that Maggie   now I'm asking for an audit in mabcd to find the  reason why the city portal is not seamless and   without hiccups as Chris laam admitted to us in  a meeting with Jim how and Rusty Leeds he bragged   about 9,000 complaints turned in last year and  worked once again JV the math guy figured the   large number for us there are 17 inspectors  times days days in a year divided into 9,000   calls and you get around 2.3 to 2.4 calls per  day now not so impressive where's Celeste when   you need her God Bless America I have two pilot  programs which we want to launch in each of two   neighborhoods Grand View Heights and metalark  with Mr H Isel is they are appropriately called   mock maintaining our properties this program will  entail inspection inspectors talking with the two   mop leaders since I'm such a bad guy they won't  even have they won't even have to converse with   me at all I'm not saying the portal doesn't work  I can show you all kinds of problems with it but   if you guys want us to keep beating that same  dead horse and it's not working it works some   though mbcd won't talk with me I'll say I'm  sorry to them as they tried to violate My First   Amendment right to peacefully assemble and tell  me that they don't work for me as a taxpayer I   really think they do but now I'm blacklisted  and they won't talk to me and their workload   has dwindled God Bless America and heck while  we're at it God bless witchar two testimonials   first from Chief Ramsey on May 2nd of this year  I guess I'm going fast enough you guys I can   slow down now two testimonials from Chief Ramsey  May 2nd of 2024 from him you are a great partner   for common sense in making things better in which  thought the fact you keep on fighting to make the   city better is a testament to your good character  from retired Deputy Chief of witto and director   of mabcd now currently County Manager Tom sculls  good to hear from you again George keep working   for your neighborhoods so please let me keep  working for my neighb neighborhoods thank you God bless thank you George Madame clerk please call  the next individual Joseph tiger Downtown parking proposal good morning mayor vice mayor city  council bear with me I'm a little nervous I'm   used to speaking publicly and I'm kind of an  introvert but I did want to address first of   all it's a big day it's voting day right hopefully  everybody voted everybody vote I'm sure a few of   you canceled some of you out but that's democracy  right so I'm here to talk about parking one of my   topics is parking and I don't think we have to  argue about the fact that when I heard that we   were the one the only city of our size in the  top 100 cities not have a man a paid uh parking   management system that that's obviously something  we've got to fix and I don't think anybody would   argue about that so Arguments for paid parking  paid parking can help manage The Limited supply of   parking spaces in busy downtown areas by charging  a fee encouraging turnover preventing people from   occupying Prime spots for extended periods can  generate significant revenue for the city which   can be reinvested into public infrastructure  transit systems and other community services   can incentiv incentivize people to use public  transportation uh ride their bikes carpool instead   of driving into the city reducing congestion  and environmental impact uh it ensures that   those who need the convenience of parking in high  demand areas contribute to the maintenance of that   infrastructure it also prevents the misuse of free  parking by non-shoppers and non-visitors now most   of the arguments against bait parking have to do  with overcharging almost all of the arguments or   if we or if we charge too much and I'm sure we're  aware of that and we need to be very mindful of   that uh so I don't think I'm assuming we all know  we need a manage with parking system what I also   wanted to touch on though was who should run that  so if we let me get my notes here sorry so if we   allow a private company to enforce City parking  laws I know there's a there is a a philosophical   belief that that that might not be a good thing  to have an outside company enforce our rules and   our laws but in reality number one it's it's cost  efficiency it reduces the burden on City resources   although these people are amazing over here if we  give them another burden of hiring and training   city employees specifically for parking enfor  enforcement it can be expensive Outsourcing to   a private company can reduce administrative and  operational cost for the city private companies   typically operate on a contract basis which  can save City's money compared to employing   full-time staff with benefits and pensions private  parking and enforcement companies are are focused   solely on parking management which can lead  to faster response times and more consistent   enforcement since these companies often work under  performance-based contracts they have incentives   to maximize listen to maximize compliance and  minimize violations not incentives to make   money from violations leading to potentially  improved enforcement private companies might   bring more efficient ticketing Systems and  Technology helping to maximize revenue from   fines which can be reinvested into city services  services and infrastructure many private companies   can introduce streamlined payment methods and  automated systems making it easier for violators   to pay fines quickly reducing unpaid tickets they  have modern tools often advanced technology like   mobile apps license plate recognition automated  ticking and I know that's what we're looking to do   I get that I'll give you a quick example one of my  best friends has a business up in Kansas City and   Crossroads the neighborhood of Crossroads so he's  a manufacturing plant well Crossroads has become   very popular as a night as a hot spot for for  restaurants Entertainment District and so the   city came to him and said we'd like to use your  lot at night so they put in a QR Code system so   his employees park for free and at night the  people who park there pay and then he gets a   piece he gets paid a little bit from that which is  wonderful that's what the modern technology can do   there's another friend of mine discussed the fact  that he could uh when he went to some City I don't   remember what city it was he looked at his app  and it showed him where there were spots available   which again what a what a great thing to do so the  one argument against having a private company do   it is that you're worried about them not being  trained enough to handle like you don't want you   wouldn't want somebody enforcing our laws like  speeding and and other things that the police   officers do they're trained they know they're  they're they're held accountable well we're not   talking about ever a violator ever meeting the  enforcement officer in parking right that should   never happen so I think that should that should  be a way out and then my final thing one of my   friends had a great idea he said we should  replace all of the parking met meters with   gumball machines because then everybody would be  happier but I don't think it'll raise any money   so any questions Council M Glascock thank you  Mr tiger um specifically uh answering a lot of   my questions about enforcement I've said multiple  times up here my concern is not the master plan   for paid parking it's the enforcement aspect so I  got a lot more answers in terms of enforcement uh   from yours uh president presentation that I have  from a lot of other presentations I do have one   quick question uh for Troy in regards to some  of your comments regarding the four proposals   uh for paid parking I know ABC and D um in June  we added an amendment to the paid parking plan   that had to do with the constitutionality of  it that individuals um that were third party   managers would have to take an oath and also take  constitutional Force um to make sure that they're   enforcing laws appropriately is that still part  of these plans or is that excluded because I   haven't seen that any of presentations or is that  excluded from this we certainly anticipate that um   if we continue to utilize a third party operator  then we would absolutely incorporate that into the   process for sure okay thank you thank you and  thank you Jo council member hoisel thank you   mayor I I did have one question I think this is  more for Troy um just in in terms of the parking   um does the funding that we we receive the revenue  that we receive from the parking funding or the   parking plan is there is it going to be earmarked  for anything or is it just going to be general   fund no it's not general fund um it's what I call  an Enterprise fund but it's a special Revenue fund   so any Revenue that is generated from anything  within the district as it relates to parking rat   meters fines Etc goes back into the parking  system it can only be used within the district   for things associated with parking right so  um Capital enhancements Capital Improvements   to parking infrastructure uh security um clean  and safe initiatives right that are specifically   tied to parking and parking related Revenue so  it stays within the parking fund okay and this   is the common practice as far as this is standard  practice Yeah Across the Nation okay so if there's   excess money is it just sit into the fund or  are we going to try and spend it down or so   if uh implementation strategies are employed and  it generates more Revenue than anticipated uh the   city can then elect to either again reinvest that  back into uh new infrastructure um improvements   to infrastructure or depending on how modeling  um you know trajectories of revenues look you   might be able to reduce fees right and try to  find that balance that the beauty of this type   of system right is that um you're only trying  to recover the costs associated with managing   the system right so it's it's not supposed to  be a money maker it's just supposed to recover   the costs if revenues do come in higher than  anticipated and we're seeing that Trend then   again we can either invest in new and and  better infrastructure and um programs and   services associated with parking or we can choose  to reduce rates and pass that cost saving back   onto the to the end thank you for if I could  just jump in that's a nice hypothetical and   it' be wonderful to be in that position but what  we would do in all likelihood is create a capital   um replacement fund um you heard Mr Weber talk  about $4 million he just invested in a 500 space   um parking garage we know we're going to have  those needs over a period of time so I would   guess that we would be rolling the money back into  a capital replacement yeah just question that came   up well we were talking to one get to thank you  I have a follow-up question regarding that how   much in deferred maintenance do we currently  have regarding parking garages or parking block so we continue to fine-tune  the numbers um we've said publicly   the number is north of 12 million we've seen some  estimates as high as 18 million uh but again we   continue to work with uh staff our Public  Works and Facilities maintenance teams to   better identify exactly what improvements are are  needed and beginning to try to put a dollar value   on that without actually having to go out and  hire a third party um um assessment team to come   in and actually assess that this is just internal  operation just to try to put us in the ballpark um   could be about $18 million at this point so let me  get this correct we have deferred maintenance that   is not accounted for in the capital Improvement  project plan the CIP it's not in the CP correct 12   to18 million that is not accounted for anywhere in  our c CIP or general fund so I just want to make   sure that how will we I guess pay for it moving  forward because deferred maintenance has to be   paid for at some point mayor great question  and that will be part of the presentation   we bring to you on the 19th we have um I believe  at that meeting there'll be five options that we   share with you uh I believe uh all but one would  definitely have this Capital Improvement program   paying for the Deferred maintenance and maybe  even a would have to start that way um and then   the parking plan the parking fund would then take  care of ongoing operations maintenance and capital   replacement after that so again we passed a budget  in August regarding the CIP and this is not one of   the items corre so it would have to be amended or  what would happen no we're going to bring a plan   forward that would be a phased uh plan for Capital  Improvements so it will happen over a period of   time and we can catch that in next year's Capital  Improvement program so would we have to foro one   project to pay for another project or how will  we all of a sudden get additional CIP dollars is   a little early to tell in some cases it may mean  that there are projects that are on the horizon   that we would that were under um consideration  but not in the capital Improvement and maybe we   would not go forward with those uh but there is a  finite number of dollars for capital projects that   we can afford in any one year so in all likelihood  the council will have to make priority decisions   um in order to be able to determine how we phase  those improvements in lastly there is a meeting   on Thursday can you just uh let the community  know regarding this Thursday meeting yeah so uh   there's a second community meeting that will  be hosted at uh the Kansas leadership Center   Thursday night I believe that starts at 530 but  let me confirm that there's six o'clock maybe um   we will make sure that we communicate through all  of the media outlets and all the media what time   exactly that that will occur but I can tell you it  is Thursday night at the Kansas Leadership Center   thank you Troy Madame clerk can you please  call the next individual Alan bant Downtown parking morning thank you council members  thank you staff um I was here a few weeks   ago and talked a little bit about the uh parking  plan and it certainly has been fully ventilated   I think and so I'm going to try to keep  my remarks pretty short and certainly my   colleagues have been very eloquent with their  PR comments so mine are a little more off the   cuff but I have office down my name is Allan  Banta live at 9005 East Crestwood I've owned   the center point building at the southeast corner  of Baine and Douglas for 27 years I've officed   downtown for 45 years that entire time I've  never parked for free we um we have we are in   the process of developing and have developed  five other properties in downtown Witch and   and so I'm very familiar with the situation I'm  very familiar with the issues that people have of   course everybody wants doorside free parking but  parking is just not free we have to be fiscally   responsible with the the parking plan we also  have to keep in mind that there is deterioration   of these properties and these properties are  ultimately owned by the public and so we have a   responsibility to take care of them and to make  sure that it is fiscally responsible one are   that I brought up last time that I think is  important is you know in our building center   point Southeast Corner maina Douglas we're 93%  full we can't get retail we struggle with any   kind of ground FL floor retail which is what  we should be attracting the problem is there's   no short-term parking adjacent to our building we  have no Associated parking lot unlike Larry who's   blessed with the lot parking we have nothing but  the city Lots so so a lot of that free parking or   short-term free parking on Douglas is taken up by  people who are working downtown ultimately we try   to police it for the people in our building and we  give them parking options when they move into the   building and hook them up with the uh City garage  or or with the UST garage but the other thing that   I brought up again last time handicapped parking  or short-term unloading parking for elderly people   I've had have my assistant go down and park cars  for elderly people as they as they came to our   property or when they're being let out there needs  to be a place where they can be you know unloaded   so to speak to come into our building there's no  handicap spots anywhere near my building and this   is something that's increasingly important we  just went through the the Aging uh Proclamation   and I think that it's just a fact that people  are still active when they're in their 80s and   90s and we have to be able to accommodate them  as they come to to use our services downtown   we've got tax advisors in our building we've got  Health advisors in our building we've got people   coming that are elderly and they need to be able  to park or be offloaded into the property so I   think I urge you to adopt uh plan a I I am fully  supportive of it I think we've t talked about   this a lot I'm happy to answer any questions  and uh I thank you for your service and your time count vice mayor Ballard thank you mayor I  just wanted to um thank you Alan for coming down   and for the other speakers to give um their  thoughts and insight from people that have   actually been downtown or have businesses over  a long period of time actually decades while   it's been growing over the last several years  um or decades for that matter um I think it's   important to hear um the growing pains and  you've been there through the whole time and   to know that um what we're doing is not working  and um looking at all the different options and   giving um your suggestions um and thoughts so just  thank you to all of the speakers that that came   down that been part of downtown and Oldtown for a  long time council member tutle thank you I would   just like to Echo that as well and especially  for the greater Richard partner ship your um   thoughts and input are valued so thanking  for sharing your time with us today um on a   separate note I am keeping an eye on the comments  on YouTube and if we can ask staff they're saying   that they can't hear and if we could turn up the  microphone's volume for the guests today thank you um Madame clerk can you please call the next item consent agenda items 1 through 2 I see a lot of um names on the list so we'll begin   with council member Johnson thank you  mayor I'd like to pull item 14 and item 20 council member hoisel thank you mayor  um can we pull item 12 for discussion 12 any further items to be pulled I have  two items to be pulled item six and item seven so the items to be pulled  are items 6 7 12 14 and 20 I move to approve the consent agenda  without 6 7 12 14 and 20 second motion   and a second any further discussion  I see none Madame clerk please open   the rooll motion passes 70 we'll go in  uh numerical order regarding consent   agenda items we'll begin with item number  six I believe that would be Jamie Nicks hi thank you Council um my name is Jamie Nix  I'm the director of libraries I think I'm here   to share a raving fans story um we help customers  of all kinds and our witch Public Library strives   to be exceeding inly inclusive and welcoming um  on the 15th of September a library customer came   in and engaged with staff and shared um that he  had previously been incarcerated and was having   difficulty finding resources to support um his  parenting um I think our staff were um able to   kind of navigate the information request  got them connected with print resources   some Community um information emphasized the  library's um family place and family engagement   Endeavors and passed out um for other  opportunities um the evolved guide we   thought that that was a really nice um way of  making connections across um everyone's needs   Amy I really appreciate seeing the raving fans  uh reviews and I thought that that one was a   very important one to highlight because a lot of  folks don't know that we have this evolv guide uh   which provides youth services and programs and  so can you expand on how you guys um share that   information with Community certainly I think  anytime anyone's looking for ways to spend   their time for an affordable way or a free um low  cost we make sure that we're highlighting parks   and wreck city arts and Library events they're  all um accumulated on a seasonal basis in the   evolv guide um shows dates times details um it's  really robust I think that um the the variety of   of programming that's offered throughout witcha  there's really no reason for anyone to be bored   yeah I do have copies and I'll leave them up  here thank you very much and then the other   raving review was regarding scanning an emailing  documents is that something that you provide at   all your library branches yes we do um we have a  full Suite of faxing printing scanning services   that we assist with thank you to to you and your  staff for doing that for Community appreciate it item number seven yes mayor this is a um settlement of   a lawsuit that arose from an incident  um involving a Transit vehicle in 2020 2020 so item number seven and eight um what  is the total amount of claims that will be   approving in this consent this would be a total of  $71,500 for these two items together one is from   a law suit and the second one is from McAn and can  you tell us how much has already been uh allocated   out right um year to date the city has um expended  $752,000 um for lawsuits um adding in uh $244,000   um for claims that are not lwuit um so that figure  is just under $1 million year to date and how   much is in the city's Self Insurance Fund um the  city's Self Insurance Fund for this year was 2.5 million thank you item number 12 good morning mayor city council memb Paul  gunzelman Public Works and utility hey Paul   I appreciate you coming up um I was driving uh  the other day down I think Market Street Main   Street I'm going under Kellog I'm just curious  what do we have planned as far as the boundaries   under Kellogg where we still have one lane roads  going through my district and then that Kellog it   switches to the two lane so are we putting  up a barrier of some sort under Kellogg or   no no we are not um with uh with the frontage  roads so um the southern or Kellog dri South the   southernmost Frontage Road um for example uh let's  see it would be toeka Street um we would add the   additional um because it's southbound under the  under the Kellogg flyover right now um we would   convert that under the flyover to two-way so we  would add the additional Pole and mastor on the   northeast corner of Topeka and um Kellogg Drive  North for that additional movement but underneath   Kellogg we would not change anything south of  there we would just add the additional indications   north of Kellogg okay yeah I'm just curious how  it's going to work out the first couple of months   anyway how people they've gotten used to the way  it is so correct it would just be those folks   traveling on the southern most Frontage roads  that they could go what is would be Northbound   on the streets that are southbound only so anybody  approaching from the south there would not they   would it would still only be southbound okay yeah  we'll chat up more later I just have that question   no that's fine yes all right thanks Paul all right  you're welcome Paul I had one question for you   um the lowest bid in this exceeded the engineer  estimate by 177% for pavement markings and signage   and the total projects is 8.8 million is this  still on B on budget and on time and are there   any anticipated cost increases still left so it is  the project is on budget and on time this was the8   million or $8.6 million was the overall project  budget for converting the main Market to PE andore   to two-way as well as English Street and we've  bid that in multiple phases um first with the   signal pool bases or first the signal equipment  we had um ordered that in January we've uh had a   phase to do the pole bases pavement repair overlay  and then the striping so um we we will um we are   anticipating one more phase um and that will be  to repair some concrete um portions of the streets   that um have parking on them now um outside the  asphalt um we will make some concrete repairs to   those um but so far we have encumbered um or spent  um which would include this over estimate bid of   just under $6 million when will this project be  complete we are um prior to the NCAA tournament in March thank you Paul item number 14  thank you mayor due to a personal   conflict of interest I have  to abstain from this item council member hoisel thank you mayor is Sally here we couldn't make it that easy on you Sally yes sir uh I just had two quick questions  I think I know the answer I just want to double   check um all the three groups that we're um  helping out here um they are still they still   have to go by the affordable housing standards  correct correct okay and the second question is   are are there any occupants in these homes that we  are um displacing no they're all currently vacant   they're all currently vac okay thank you Sally  a follow-up question so it looks like allocation   is for Witchita Habitat for Humanity residential  Housing Solutions and large Enterprise correct is   it just one nonprofit and the others are private  correct thank you vice mayor Ballard thank you   mayor Sally one more question uh Council rois  alluded to the affordability piece can you talk   a little bit about that sure um we have both home  ownership opportunities and Rental opportunities   and so the uh units will have to be built to the  hqs or Inspire standards so that's the level of   renovation and rehab that has to to occur uh  for four sale properties they'll have to be   sold to households making less than um 80%  of the area mediate income for rentals it's   60% with a preference for 50% because they're  Project based vouchers they will be below 50%   area median income so the Final End users of these  33 properties will all be low to moderate income   yeah thank you and thank you for your hard work  to figure out a project that we could do this   member glasscock sorry I you should stay up here  thank you um for answering the questions um we   talked about acronyms a lot in housing and the  public often they don't know so what is 50% Ami   80% Ami in terms of specifics sure I actually  have that spelled out in one of the council   documents hold on in terms of what actually is  the average Medi income like qu so 80% of area   median income for a because it's just justable  based on household size so for a family of four   is $73,500 50% of area median income for a family  of four is $4,750 a year thank you I think those   numbers are helpful to add little context to  it as well so thank you I appreciate it and   item number 20 due to a personal conflict of  interest I have to obstain from this item as well Ali I'll ask ask one more question since it's  another housing question uh these are different   than the other 33 we were talking about no they  are the same units it has to come to you um in two   different items one for the council to allocate  the funding and approve the funding agreements   excuse me the other for the witto Housing  Authority board is approving the sale of the   properties so they are the exact same activities  the same units but they have to come before you   two different ways thank you Sal y so we'll take  votes um based off of each consent agenda item   we'll start with consent agenda item number six I  move to approve consent number six second Motion   in a second any further discussion I see none  Madame clerk please open the rooll motion passes 70 this one I have a little trouble with  um so I'm not going to move it but someone can I move that we uh take uh council's  recommended or staff's recommended action   with cons item number s second motion  and a second any further discussion   I see none Madame clerk please  open the role motion passes 61 I motion to approve consent agenda  item number 12 second motion and a   second any further discussion I see  none Madam clerk please open the r motion passes 70 I motion to approve consent  agenda item number 14 second Motion in a second   any further discussion I see none Madame clerk  please open the rooll motion passes 60 with one   exstension a motion to approve consent agenda item  number 20 second motion and a second any further   discussion I see none Madame clerk please open  the rooll motion passes 60 with one exstension   Madame clerk please call the next item Board  of bids and contracts dated November 4th 2024 good morning mayor city council Josh  laber Department of Finance the board of   bids and contracts convened yesterday November  4th for the following items for engineering we   have the water distribution system sanitary  sewer to serve Jackson Heights Town Home   second edition for me Construction  Incorporated for an aggregate total of $293,500 subject to your approval  of a new engineers's estimate in   budget authorization we have the  downtown restrooms and hydration   station for Barkley Construction  LLC for an aggregate bid total of DBA pure workplace solutions  for modified aggregate total of $594,500 gross vehicle weight restriction  Cab in chassis 2,000g flusher truck for   Rush Truck Centers of Kansas  Incorporated in the amount of $181,800 18,100 we have the trash recycling containers and  collection for our airport fire Fleet and Paving   maintenance we're requesting to reject all bids on  this one this is the same item we're bringing back   to you we rejected the bids and because there was  a correction under the bidder we're recommending   under no bids received Waste Connections of  Kansas Incorporated for an aggregate monthly   total of 8,585 per month we have the trash and  recycling containers and collection for parks   and facilities for Waste Connections of Kansas  Incorporated for an aggregate monthly total of $   17,7 56 we have the construction of the witto fire  department vehicle vehicle storage and operations   center for Harmon Huffman Construction  Group for an aggregate bid total of 3,784 th400 we have the indirect cost allocation plan  contract change order number two the addition of   cost modeling it and Fleet Services for MGT impact  Solutions LLC for an aggregate 5-year total of 105,000 we have the munic code codification online  code hosting software solution annual subscription   for civic plus LLC for an aggregate 5year total  of 51,000 673 and22 we have one Bobcat model   u56 toolcat utility work machine for Clark  equipment company in the amount of $91,200 cylinder recertification for hexagon  digital wave LLC in the amount of $123,000 and we have the intelligent  transportation system annual maintenance   and support for Avail Technologies Incorporated  for an aggregate 2-year total of $313,500 ities out on the street today and I'd be happy  to try to answer any questions and we have our   requesting departments here to support the items  begin with council member ho Heisel thank you   mayor um is this the longest uh presentation  you've done Josh we've been a little busy yeah   um could we go back to the two SL I think it's  seven and 11 okay where we the recommendation   was to reject all bids um did we get bids on  these and maybe it was six yes uh did we get   bids on on this and um what's the next step  and why did we reject the bids was it pricing   yeah great question councilman hoisel thank you  for the opportunity so we presented this to you   last meeting um the reason that we presented it to  you was we had the recommendation with a different   price after the meeting had occurred the vendor  had contacted the city to notify us that they're   pricing for specifically at alternate 6 deduct  in the specifications that deduction or that ad   alternate was for alternate material for laminate  um when the vendor actually bidded or specified   that out um they deducted the furniture entirely  I don't know why um things happen but um when they   understood what occurred um it was roughly  $100,000 difference so it was a significant   price change that they said we just can't take  that loss so for us at the city what we did was   we reviewed the other there were two respondents  on this bid we reviewed both respondents to make   sure if they had the opportunity to correct  their pricing because both vendors did not   accurately respond responsively and responsively  to the specifications if they were awarded the   opportunity to change their bids this vendor still  would be the low bid and they still would have be   the recommendation so for us procedurally we  needed to reject all bids and then we needed   to have a full disclosure for Council to say  this item is coming back under no bids because   in theory no bids were received um we do have an  aggressive timeline so I think part of the reason   also Al is that we're currently leasing a facility  so we're also FASTT tracking this to keep this   going for our project okay how about slide 11 sure  same situation so um what happened was the vendor   um went on vacation and uh we had an addendum  changing the specifications um the vendor had   already left the estimator for the representing  company had left um they did not include the   items we requested so instead of us trying to  change or modify or present something that was   not accurate we rejected all bids and we had no  other biders so we were recommending this under   no bids received to modify that okay appreciate it  vice mayor Ballard thank you mayor um I was going   to ask you about uh slide 11 could you go to slide  14 I believe sure can you just explain the as the   108,000 mhm yeah great question vice mayor Ballard  uh GDA contractors was attempting to to bid as a   subcontractor for Key Construction Incorporated  um they did not want to be a general contractor   in this instance they wanted to apply as a sub  um this bid was for a general contractor thank you item number five please y can I start off with uh can someone give us  background regarding the down Town bathrooms   and hydration station how many are we funding  and I also had a follow-up question I think I   asked this several weeks ago uh regarding the  bathrooms at the former in front of the former   Heroes at 1:30 North Mosley there's a set of  bathrooms that I believe are locked uh can   someone give us background have Department  operations I can speak to the bathrooms I excuse me mayor Paul gunsman Public Works  and utilities I can speak to your initial   questions regarding um the project itself so  um the project would install um restrooms at   napar Park as well as a prise wter park and  then it would install a Hydration Station   at a price Ward Park as well so let me get  this correct we are paying for one bathroom   at Navar one bathroom at a price Woodard and  one Hydration Station at a price Woodard for few years we had um gone out for design for  the projects four um additional restrooms   downtown one at Navar Park as well as a price  Woodard Park um there were existing restrooms   at a price Woodard Park that are have been um  out of service so this would replace one of   those restrooms and then to put Hydration Stations  throughout uh downtown for uh folks to use those   as they visit downtown and the follow-up  question regarding the 130 North Mosley bathrooms we'll have Aon address that mayor city council uh those restrooms  presently are opened only for specific   events when they were opened all the time  they suffered significant vandalism theft   those kinds of things how are we going to  prevent vandalism and theft of these new bathrooms I don't know that we  have any specific security plans in place mayor mayor I'm not the expert on this but  that was one of the reasons this project took so   long is because we were looking for a model  that is was used in other cities that was uh   that required a lot less maintenance and also  was easier to uh deal with with in terms of U   moving parts and surfaces that could be cleaned if  there was uh vandalism or U paint someone painted   or did tried to destroy you know the interior of  the facility also it has an opening at the top   and the bottom so that would discourage any kind  of Nefarious activities inside the facility um   so there was a lot of research that went into to  what is called the Portland Lou model I don't know   Paul if there's anything else you want to add  in that regard but it was we kind of learned   from what happened in Oldtown with the Oldtown  restrooms that if we were going to introduce A   New Concept downtown it would have to be something  that would have a lot uh it would have a reduced   maintenance uh requirement will they be cleaned  once a day or how will they be cleaned I don't   know that we've established the interval but we  did talk about cleaning them um trying to set a   standard of cleaning them once a day the cleaning  is a lot easier it's basically uh a matter of   hosing down the interior that's why we pick this  model much much easier to clean council member   Glascock thank you mayor um what is the plan with  the restrooms on Bosley street are we going to   keep them closed permanently are we going to level  the facility do we have any plan or we just going   to keep them locked up at this plan our plan is  at this point our plan is to continue opening   them for specific events but keep them closed  in between so are the specific events like farm   and farmer Farmers Market okay yes um and other  City ones the Portland L they're open 247 imagine   I believe they are yeah okay and then the last  question the breakdown in terms of group one and   group two is group one the Hydration Station like  what is the difference between group one group two those were specific sites napar Park a  price water park okay so is the hydration   station so I imagine ascar Park is the 258 group  two the 273 so is the Hydration Station just the   difference in both of those the part of it yes  uh there's some other um items you know to get   the site ready so yes the bathrooms are closer  to $500,000 total while the Hydration Station   the remainder of the difference that is  correct yes yeah thank you council member hoisel I apologize I was waiting for council  member ballor uh just a couple of things here   um this is something that we do here quite a bit  what what's our budget for cleaning up um some   of the the waste that goes on downtown  where people don't have uh accessible   bathrooms isn't that a $50,000 a year that  we we pay to help clean that kind of stuff up they're roughly 50,000 sounds about right yeah  okay so yeah this is just catching us up to where   we need to be to have accessible bathrooms to  deal with the problem that we have I mean we   get hit all the time stuff going on outside the  library and whatnot so making sure that we have   places where people to go use the restroom and  this Portland Lou um it looks pretty good to me   because like city manager said it helps address  some safety issues people being able to see if   anybody's in there um making sure that nothing  nefarious is going on in there and then just the   ease with being able to actually clean these and  hoses down in a a pretty easy fashion here so um   I I think this is definitely a great item to to  poster and I can't wait to start seeing them pop   up so thank you guys vice mayor Ballard thank you  mayor um this is a project that I've been working   on since I got on Council and um I think it's  incredibly important we encourage people to use   NASCAR Park and there's a place for animals to go  to the bathroom and not for people so I think that   um public restrooms you know everybody has to go  to the to the bathroom it doesn't matter how old   you are you know if you take a kid to the park  and the first 5 minutes they're going to have to   go to the bathroom and a lot of the businesses  around there are not open um to utilize their   their restrooms uh during events so um this has  taken a really long time to get us to this point   I think it's incredibly important I know that we  have um some others that have been either shut   down or only open during events but I think we  have done our due diligence and taking a page out   of another community's um book that is working um  and I just feel like we um our community deserves   somewhere to to go to the bathroom it it sounds  ridiculous to say that but it's such a simple   thing that um we you know we can't lean on quick  trip and other Convenience Stores um that are   inconvenient to some of our um areas downtown  we have tons of bike riders Runners walkers   along the river and there's no options so  um yeah this is just really important to   me and like I said it's taking a long time  to get here but I'm glad that we're finally here is there anyone else that would like to  move this or I will I will move to approve Board   of bids minus item number five second council  member glass Johnson thanks mayor I'd like to   make a substitute motion that we approve the board  of bids and contracts uh as recommended by staff   second Motion in a second so we have a motion to  approve the entire Board of bids uh by council   member Johnson and second by uh council member  hoisel any further discussion I will add a couple   of comments I will be voting not in favor of the  board of bids because of item number five um this   was before I became mayor and I respect vice mayor  Ballard's uh plea in getting public bathrooms but   my concern is that there are public bathrooms um  that have been vandalized and safety has been an   issue and when I see an item that is $250,000 for  one bathroom downtown when I see other community   needs in the city of Witchita I cannot vote Yes on  this uh therefore um I will be voting no council   member Glascock thank you mayor I will also be  voting no um I believe we need to utilize the   facilities we have before building more and the  cost the price tack of $500,000 is astronomical   uh for this I think the argument that individuals  um we do have publicly accessible restrooms as   they are now they're not open uh currently and  in addition I think there's a loose line of   logic saying that because we install these rest  rooms it'll cut down on uh public defecation on   our properties especially modeling this after  Portland they have one of the worst problems   public defecation and they have these facilities  as well so I don't think there's a a correlation   between both of these when we're not utilizing  current facilities and so yeah we would love that   intention I don't think the evidence of the cities  that have these when I'm looking at what cities do   have these uh pans out uh to support that concept  vice mayor Ballard thank you mayor I would just   just um be curious what the mayor and uh  council member Glascock do you have any other suggestions council member glas I think for me  let's open up the restroom we currently have   downtown first and see if that solves the  issue that we're trying to address before   establishing new facilities and if vandalism  is the issue let's address the question of   vandalism because that shouldn't be acceptable on  any of our properties as well so let's use what we   have before installing more now the the hydration  station for a $20,000 around their price tack I   think's a good use of funds especially along the  river though I know historically and I haven't   rent along the river recently there are a couple  Hydration Stations that um or some of the water   fountains that were broken but if $220,000 the  full cost of that I think that's probably a good   use along the river but we have facilities  now we're just not using them and I think   the excuse that well they're being vandalized  is not a good enough excuse to spend $500,000   when we should just address the vandalism as  a whole and address that first my concern vice   mayor Balor to answer your question is really  more about the cost $250,000 for one bathroom   two bathrooms $500,000 um and I think we have  not taken into account the operations of this   so the maintenance of this so if it is going  to be maintained once a day or if it's more   than once a day how are we uh utilizing  staff uh efficiently uh anecdotally I've   heard from residents who used to have a porter  potty um near Navar Park um because there was   construction there that there was a fire lit  inside the bathroom concerns me for the safety   of the individual and those around so safety um  is really the one that I'm concerned about it is   about vandalism about other people getting  hurt council member hoisel thank you mayor   um in terms of the safety this is why we're going  with this model is because it is a safer model   than what we currently have and I I I wish we  could have our facilities open the way they used   to be but unfortunately I've seen way too much of  my three years on Council not just vandalism but   also nefarious things going on in those bathrooms  so we've we have to Pivot to find something that   works and I think that's what this is and at a  certain point we have to start investing investing   in these things or else it's just going to be  like we currently have no restrooms around so uh   we don't want to keep falling behind further and  further like we are so we need to Pivot at some   point and move to a new model and I believe this  is what this is so I am supportive of this council   member Tuttle I'm happy to speak but others are  before me everyone else has spoken so I was trying   to give you the opportunity to speak first coun  member Johnson and Glascock are you okay with that   you were first yes okay okay thank you um I was  supportive of this when it came to us previously   um I asked many of the questions that have been  asked here today as uh our city manager mentioned   the difference between this and the facilities  that we have across from the Oldtown Farmers   Market is those are enclosed where these are open  at the bottom they're open at the top and so it's   less likely for for the unhoused to go and and  seek shelter and stay there for a long period of   time whether we open up the facilities we have or  we have new facilities they're still going to have   to be maintained so to me the cost of maintenance  is negated we talked about that when this first   this item came to us previously um as the greater  richw partnership who unfortunately some of them   had to leave us today when somebody asked what  residents want from downtown in one word they said   more we're getting ready ready to open the biomed  Center which means we're going to have 3,000 more   people downtown than we do now um I look at this  as just one more amenity that is needed um yes the   cost is unfortunate this is a pilot project we've  seen other communities that have done this staff   has done a great deal of research to ensure  this is a model that we should try but I just   don't think that with the growth of our community  not adding amenities such as our most basic needs   is planning for Progress so I will be supported  as I was when this was an agenda item thank you   council member Johnson thanks mayor uh council  member Tuttle read from all of my notes so did   O to that um just three points for me as a parent  of a 5-year-old who chooses when she wants to go   to the bathroom and when she does not um having  a publicly available restroom at napar Park when   we take her to events would be um very beneficial  and walking across Douglas and up a block and over   another half block to a bathroom with a 5-year-old  who may or may not hold her bladder um will be   pretty difficult so I think a restroom at napar  Park is important second Point uh anything that   we do is going to cost some money um while it  may look like a lot when you're paying for not   only labor the actual product the installation  connecting all the necessary facilities um the   brand all of those things will cost money going  forward um so Hydration Stations and bathrooms   um so again it may look like a lot but again  we we got to spend money on these um different   things that we may want downtown um and then the  third point I was actually there when that fire   started we were shooting a park video so there  was a gentleman who went into the restroom and   the difference between a porter potty and this  product is that the porter potty is enclosed   like the other bathroom so you could not see  what was going on in there until we saw smoke   once we saw smoke fire department went over and  helped and got the gentleman out and saw what he   was doing with the materials he had this type  of U proposed bathroom again it's open on the   top and the bottom we would know that someone was  in there we would be able to see CU a gentleman   was sitting down when he lit the thing on fire  we'd be able to see all that somebody would be   able to go over there and help out so again the  differences are an enclosed space where people   can't see versus an open um space that's easier  to maintain and clean one of the comments that   has been made is um how are we going to maintain  it well we do rfp's renator Services now so that   would just be added to one of those spaces and  somebody would be contracted to go in and clean   much like our other spaces and facility so I think  um we are moving in the right direction with this   it's going to make downtown better especially  for parents like me with kids who choose when   they go to the bathroom and when they don't even  when you tell them to go before you get somewhere   and I think think this would help out so I am  supportive as I was um first day more supportive   cuz I had some concerns at that time but I'm more  supportive now I'm confident with the product   that's there and I think this would be a benefit  for downtown and I've always heard of folks being   concerned about there were no water fountains and  now we're add in Hydration Stations I think we're   on the right path and we should continue council  member glasscock last comment thank you mayor um   last comment I have I researched quickly  the cities with the highest rates of open   ification if this is one of the problems we're  trying to address they're San Francisco LA Miami   Seattle and Portland with the exception of San  Francisco all of every single one of those cities   uses the Portland loot model every single one San  Francisco has a pit stop program uh which actually   provides publicly staffed uh public restrooms to  mitigate the issue um but I don't know if the data   is driving this decision and so that's my concern  of I'll be why I will be know VI mayor Ballard   thank you mayor this is my last comment um there  seems to be a lot of focus and there was the first   time this came to the bench about the Mental  Health crisis that our community is um facing   right now and that is a very small uh portion of  the rest of our community uh that needs to go to   the bathroom so while I am cognizant of um some  people that may be struggling with something uh   that might be downtown there's a whole rest of  the population that needs to use arrest restro   I will also make one last comment um and it's  more a question also for staff I know that people   who rent out Navar park for instance uh those who  rent it out for football in the park must uh have   a contract to bring a porter potty to the event  so it's a cost to them uh in order to put on the   event so with these new bathrooms or the bathroom  at Navar Park will that now be eliminated so that   those who rent out the space will no longer be  required to buy portter potties for just their event short of having the right staff person here  I'm going to probably guess no it's um the number   of porta potties that are required are based on  the occupancy or the anticipated attendance at the   event and one restroom will probably not be able  to accommodate most of the events that are held   at napar Park only a small event  probably would be able to maybe   wave that requirement so in other words  this does not solve the issue of I'm I'm   trying to again think about events that are  happening at navare Park and the requirement   of a bathroom this will not eliminate not  for I I would guess not for a majority of   the events that are held in naare park which  have pretty significant attendance thank you   we have a motion and a second I see no further  discussion Madame clerk please open the rooll motion passes 4 to three Madame clerk  please call the next item petitions for public   improvements good morning again mayor  City Council Members Paul gunman Public   Works and utilities for the record I have a few  petitions for your consideration this morning the signatures on the petitions represent 100%   of the improvement district and  the petitions are valid per canza statute one rise Edition located in District 4 the  project will provide water improvements for phase   two and three storm water drain improvements  for phase two senary sewer improvements for   phase two and Paving improvements uh for  phases two and three the developer will   also construct the improvements under private  contract to comply with the state statute   regarding the use of special assessment  funding City must acquire the completed projects one rise addition again in  District 4 on October 17 2023 the city   council approved water drainage sewer  and Paving improvements required for a   new commercial development the the developer has  submitted revised petitions with revised budgets   to reflect current market conditions to cover the  cost of the private bid these were initially for   phase one which included the entire site as  you see these adjusted budgets have gone down   and the reason for that is because they had  split into additional phases as I mentioned before it is recommended that the city  council approve the new petition budget   adopt a new resolution and authorize  the necessary signature as well as   approve the revised petitions I will stand  for questions questions for staff I see   none I motion to approve the petitions  for public improvements second motion   and a second any further discussion I  see none Madame clerk please open the role motion passes 70 Madame clerk please call  the next item public hearing and requests for   a letter intent to issue industrial  revenue bonds air Capital flight line LLC good morning mayor and council members I'm  Tim good pasture with the city manager's office   of development services the item before you  today is a request for a letter of intent to   issue industrial revenue bonds from Air Capital  flight line LLC on April 12th of 2022 the city   council approved a speculative maintenance  repair and overhaul program or mro program   this requires that an mro facility would be built  with a minimum of 50,000 Square ft 75,000 Square   ft is preferred a minimum of 45 foot clear height  65 to 75 foot is preferred for widebody jets and   could be developed on a private Runway a military  Runway or a public Runway the guidelines require   that the developer start construction within 120  days of council approval and complete the facility   Within 15 months of council approval the developer  must use industrial revenue bonds to achieve a 95   uh percent tax abatement for the first five years  and a 50% abatement for the second five years   if at least 50% of the facility is leased there  is no abatement for the Land Air Capital flight   line is comprised of two partners Dave murphin  and Johnny Stevens they have built two 75,000   sqt mro facilities at air Capital flight line the  first of which was leased to Kansas modification   Center and the second is leased to the National  Institute for Aviation research the request for   a letter of intent is for a new facility that they  would be building a new speculative mro facility   that would be approximately 111,000 Square ft with  75 ft clear height at a cost of approximately $12   million on this aerial you can see at the very  bottom is 47th Street you can see Oliver along   the left side there so this is the northeast  corner of 47th Street South and Oliver this is   the former Boeing facility the area outlined  in yellow is where the 2 75,000 ft² mro spec   facilities have been built and the area outlined  in black is where the new 111,000 sq ft spec mro   facility would be constructed these images are  of uh the first 25,000 ft² mro facility that's   leased to Kansas modification Center uh this just  gives you an idea of the size of the facility that   is a Boeing trip 7 uh sitting in that hanger  that is being converted from a passenger jet   to a a cargo jet again just another facility  uh another photo from inside the facility irbs   are a mechanism for achieving a sales tax  exemption and or a property tax abatement   for companies that are expanding and may be  hiring new employees the city is not lending   any money and bears no risk the company is  required to achieve its own financing there   are no taxpayer dollars at risk all of the costs  associated with the issuance of bonds are borne   by the company requesting the use of bonds irbs  are utilized for a wide variety of Industries   including for-profit companies not for-profit  companies universities Medical facilities and   affordable housing projects the estimated value  of one year of a 95% tax abatement based on $12   million investment is approximately $370,000  with the city's share being approximately $93,000 a cost benefit analysis was conducted by  the center for economic development and business   research at WIA State University which shows an  overall ratio of benefits to cost for the city   of 2.2 2 3 to1 2.14 to1 for the city's general  fund and 2.44 to1 for the city's Debt Service   fund therefore it is staff's recommendation that  the city council close the public hearing adopt   the resolution of intent and authorize the  necessary signatures Johnny Stevens with air   Capital flight line is here and can answer any  questions specific to the project and I would be   happy to stand for any questions as well questions  for staff beginning with council member Glascock   thank thank you mayor um so I've noticed a few  things on this report that haven't been on other   reports um the there's one line to be eligible  for the incentive the developers required to   begin construction within 120 days in completion  within 15 months of council what happens if they   don't so if they don't the incentive can be  withdrawn the intent is that because this is in   incentivizing a speculative building we don't want  them to wait until they have a tenant to build the   facility because that defeats the purpose of it  being a speculative in in industrial building I'm   very appreciative of that Amendment um or that  addendum to this uh because I think that has the   accountability has the clawback aspect and we  need more spec buildings for people to move in   so thank you for including that um there was one  other question that just a little bit different   than I've seen in other ones um this is an 95%  uh abatement uh first off I know some of them   that come up are 100% but there is a line if  the property is at least 50% leas at the 5year   anniversary it' be eligible for 50% that just is  different language than come before us previously   do we have precedent for that as well yeah so  what the difference is is the difference between   an IRB for a company that is projecting specific  job creation versus a speculative building the   speculative building they don't know how many  jobs are going to be created they don't know   what company's going to go in there what type of  use specifically it's going to be and so it's hard   to hold them to a specific job creation versus is  a typical IRB that you see where a company comes   forward and says we're going to invest $5 million  in a new paint facility and create 12 jobs at   $50,000 a year then we have a benchmark by which  they can go by versus a speculative building where   they don't know what the company is that's going  in there so we tailored the speculative program   for any industrial building to be a 95% abatement  for the first 5 years and if at least 50% occupied   at the 5year Mark a 50% abatement for the second  5 years so they're not responsible for any job   creation that they can't control because they  aren't the company that's going into the building   but this gets us uh this makes our I want to say  somewhere when we look at speculative industrial   buildings and spec mro buildings I think we're  somewhere in the range of 14 or 15 buildings   that have been built under the speculative policy  which is something we very much have needed so if   it is not at least 50% Le at the 5year anniversary  then it would go back 100% tax rules it could go   100% on the tax rules correct okay thank you  that would be subject to city council approval   I I also want to note that that's not subject  to negotiation in terms of the 95 and 50 that's   a part that's Council policy it's in the economic  development uh policy and when the council adopted   it they wanted a different set of rules regul  uh recognizing the speculative nature of the   development great yeah I think this is the first  one like this that's come up at least since I've   been on the council so thank you for answering  all those questions I absolutely council member   ho Heisel thank you mayor uh I got two questions  for you Tim and then maybe one for Mr Stevens um   uh the 50% is that just occupancy that's not  space it's just if we have some attendant for   the building right correct okay just want to  double check on that um how many other mros I   know we've talked about two on here how many other  mro have we uh passed since uh early 2022 yeah   so um since the spec mro facility spec mro uh  guidelines were implemented by the city council   uh the first building that air Capital flight line  built that was 75,000 Square fet that's leased the   Kansas mod Center was not incentivized they had  a lease with Kansas modification Center and built   that building on their own they saw that they  had enough interest in that facility they had   three or four tenants that were interested in that  facility that they requested the idea of the spec   industrial policy being applied to an mro facility  and so the second building that they built we did   apply the uh the spec mro facility the spec mro  guidelines to and so this would technically be   the second mro building being built under the spec  mro guidelines okay I hear you thank you yep uh Mr   Stevens is this thank you sir for coming up here  um is this uh prop prop and Jet or is this just is   this going to be fitted that way we can work on uh  propeller airplanes as well or is it mostly just   chat no this is classified as a widebody hanger  meaning uh uh bigger planes like the Triple 7 the   787 bigger airplanes okay so I'm pretty much all  jet yeah all commercial Jets and uh uh we have a   new company moving to town that will occupy uh  this next hanger that we're getting ready to   build okay I appreciate that sir thank you yeah  any further questions I have one for Tim only um   this question is about I know you reiterated it  multiple times but I just want to make sure that   no taxpayer dollars are at risk regarding this and  that there is no money being exchanged with the   developer there is nothing being exchanged they  are completely financing this on their own they're   paying for everything on their own we are delaying  uh uh any taxes for a 10year period uh again 95%   for the first five years and 50 for the second  five years on a facility that does not exist today   thank you I see no further questions from the  council we will now open it up for public comment I see no individuals in the public comment  section so we will bring it back to the bench this resides in council member hil's  district thank you mayor um I would like   to take staff's recommended action and move  that we close the Public Public hearing adopt   the resolution of intent and authoriz necessary  signatures second motion and a second any further   discussion I see none Madame clerk please open the  role motion passes 70 Madame clerk please call the   next item public hearing considering an amendment  to the center city south Redevelopment District plan good morning mayor member of city council  Mark Elder with Economic Development U this is   a public hearing that was set back in October but  it's to um have a hearing regarding an amendment   to The District plan for centas South um real  quickly I'll go through this with just how   tax increment financing works with the fact  that it's it's tool for revitalization of uh   designated areas uh such as what we've done  for Cy South but does preserve the existing   tax base and it again does not increase sales tax  or property taxes with rates within the district   um I was like to show just kind of the basic  Tiff model of how uh tax increment financing   Works where you can see in that orange where  the existing tax base is uh protected and then   those incremental taxes for the term of the uh  District are redirected back in the district for   those uh Investments but then the end of the Tiff  that's when you have that new tax base based on   all that investment going back into uh the tax and  jurisdictions um so tax increment financing Works   in two steps uh the first step would be where you  do a district plan and you establish the district   so you establish the boundaries of the area and  then you have a district plan which is the overall   plan for the for that Redevelopment District um  and and it may contain actually multiple project   areas within that that's the step two but also  set the district plan sets the overall rules for   which how projects will occur within District  but then that second step is when you actually   have a project for a project area um it gets a  little more specific so that area the project   plan is specific to that those boundaries that  are within the district so you can have multiple   areas um but they're a lot more specific so one  thing to consider is a project area is going to   be more restrictive than the district plan uh  but just can't be less restrictive in that um   which is where we go so what we're looking at  today is the Center City South the original   boundaries were in that red box uh or rectangle  there and then in 2008 um city council took   action to expand it and the expanded area is the  rest of the the black bounders there um but I'll   note the difference here the entire area is what  the re the Redevelopment District the CC South   is and is controlled by the district plan those  numbered areas are the project areas and each   one of those would have their own project area  but right now we're just talking the district   plan of the overall area of the district um so  2008 um again the city council took an action   to expand that area um both in coordination with  the upcoming Arena as well as the upcoming project   downtown for the revitalization of downtown um  but with the expansion um there were negotiations   between the city and the county in which for  the expanded area only so not the original um   there would be some in restrictions placed on the  district plan so any projects that occurred within   that expanded area would have those limitations  that included a 70% cap on the increment so 70%   goes into the district 30% continues to go onto  the taxing jurisdictions and that's above the   base um but then also limited the Tiff eligible  improvements to both specific Street improvements   as well as $10 million for parking improvements  um but over time since this happened in 08 um   we've seen some challenges um we we've seen  a lot of interest in development south of in   that expanded area but those restrictions have uh  made those projects uh challenging to bring forth   um but we also are facing right now with the  biomed school going in a challenge to provide   parking in that same area and trying to encourage  development um so what the proposed amendment to   The District plan today would do is it will remove  that 70% cap so 100% increment but what it does is   it retains the first $370,000 of the increment  which is approximately equal to what the 30% is   today so what you have there is both the the base  that is protected the and the uh Tiff but then   you also have the increment that's been generated  over the last few years uh continuing to go on so   there's no change in what's being distributed  to the taxing jurisdictions but any increment   over that 370,000 does go back in the district to  encourage that investment but then it also does   rest uh remove those restrictions on the eligible  expenses to uh encourage additional investment   and also allow for the investment in parking  that we need downtown um with that I will stand   for any questions questions for staff beginning  with council member hoisel thank you mayor I think   I'm single-handedly going to extend this meeting  by two hours today so um I appreciate that uh   thanks Mark um now on this on that the $370,000  uh we receed some of that money too correct yes   it goes back to us it goes and it's distributed as  normal property taxes would be if we allow this uh   Tiff to expire um what would the county and what  would 259 be getting as far as um an increase in   property taxes collected then so once this uh  Tiff ends what would be the benefit going back   yes sir um I would have to um speak to the finance  department on the expanded area alone right now   we're talking it's about 1.4 million that would be  dist distributed and then the original area it's   calculated separately I don't recall exactly what  that increment is now but at least 1.4 million   as it stands today would return to the conference  at the end of the district to the to the local   government School Board okay um so can you explain  the process I guess it says the the Board of   Education and the CED County Commissioners they  would be able to veto this um and then we would   not be able to continue with this correct there so  there are two options one is that they just take   no action or they could take an action um and  they can actually take an action either for or   against on that um but what what the requirement  is under Tiff is to uh if they make a finding that   has a negative impact um so that's what they  would what their action would be but if they   don't see negative impact they have the choice to  either just let that 30-day uh time period expire   or they could take an action okay so what's  the process of our communication with uh the   other local governments on this um we have been in  communication and that's kind of where We've Ended   up to today with uh the discussions including  the protecting that 370 that's uh being generated   today to again not have a negative impact on those  other jurisdictions okay um so it seems like some   members of the Board of Education anyway are  not aware that this is happening I guess it will   they'll have to be briefed on it between now and  their next meeting correct um that'd be correct   is my understand that we were having conversations  with them okay yeah I'm curious to see what they   they think about it I think the County's been  briefed pretty well but seems like the Board of   Education maybe has some issues there um now can  we earmark our our chunk of money that comes back   to us of that 370 could we earmark that for maybe  the parking fund or um to do some maintenance with   parking or is that going right into the general  fund it's just distributed as the general taxes   so um it's not any separate fund when it comes  back to the city okay thank you appreciate it   council member Glascock thank you mayor um  regarding the life of the Tiff District yes   mrri clarification this was established in 2007  it was expanded in 2008 correct uh it's a 20-year   Tiff District so this expire in 2027 or 2028  um so there are uh this goes back to those two   steps so in the first one uh when we establish  the district the district itself will last 20   years but it allows within that time period to  adopt any project plans that they themselves can   last 20 years so procedurally what happens is  at the end of the 20-year life of the district   you cannot adopt any new plans so you only have  three years left for any new project plans in the   district but those project plans are still allowed  to keep their relative life uh for that 20 years   you just can't adopt any new ones um after the  expiration of the district and so is that number   202 27 or 2028 um 2027 would be when the uh  Redevelopment District uh can no longer have   project plans thank you I see no further questions  from the council we will now open it up for public comment I see one individual I see none we will  bring it back to the bench this resides in both   council member Johnson and vice mayor Ballard's districts mayor I would like to move that the  city council close the public hearing place   the ordinance on first reading and authorize the  necessary signatures second motion and a second   any further discussion I see none Madame clerk  please open the role motion passes 70 Madame clerk   please call the next item requests to set public  hearings for assistance for 333 East English um   good morning again Mark Elder with economic  development um so this again is a request for   public hearing so um we're setting the first stage  of this in which the hearings would be in October   um but this project is um actually asking for a  few different incentive programs and therefore   we have multiple public hearings that would be  requested um of those one of those would be a   a tiff R development project so this goes back to  what I was just talking about with the two stages   um this is an actual project plan for a project  area within Center City South um highlighted here   is Project area 7 um so as we discussed you have  the district plan and now a project plan that's   going to be specific to that project area just  kind of highlighted in there what the project area   7 little zoomed in between uh Broadway andoran  between English and Waterman um so specifically   speaking this uh the building that's going to be  redeveloped is approximately $7 million investment   333 East English um it's going to be conversion  of an uh for no better term underutilized um I   believe there may be some tenants but there are  several floors that are not unoccupied right now   based on the condition of the building um but  they plan to do a Redevelopment with that 7   million that includes um 42 apartment units 5,000  square fet of retail um and then they'll have some   infrastructure improvements but then um in the  project plan for the tip which we'll discuss   in December uh there would actually be some public  uh infrastructure improvements as well included   in the plan that are not part of their specific  investment um so I'll go through real quick the   um public hearings that we'll be setting today  um each program that we'll have so there this   development is requested three different programs  tax increment finance and Community Improvement   districts and then industrial revenue bonds  solely for the sales tax exemption on related uh   Goods for the Redevelopment so with tax increment  financing again this does uh fund a revitalization   of uh the areas especially uh you know this  project area 7 we're discussing again we're   protecting the existing tax base and then that  portion that goes into it is called the increment   but again we are not increasing the sales tax  or property tax rates within uh that project um   specifically to this project the three areas that  we're talking about for the project plan in which   some of those would go to the um project would  be the side preparation infrastructure as well   as a portion of acquisition costs um next would  be a request for Community improvement district   um this is initial sales tax on Goods that are  sold within the district again it's used to help   facilitate some of that private development uh  it's not part of the county and Sal uh City sales   tax additional sales tax just for that area uh  but the developer again is they have to achieve   their own financing and we're not putting any  uh tax dollars at risk um with this some of   the improvements that they're requesting to be  funded through the community improvement district   would be uh Demolition and abatement within the  building um roof repairs facad improvements as   well as tenant improvements for the building  um the the third one which uh is not require   set in public hearing today but there would be  a public hearing on the 10th would be industrial   revenue bonds um I know Tim talks about this  a lot but their mechanism for achieving either   sales tax exemption or property tax exemption  for this project they're only requesting sales   tax exemption nothing related to the property  tax for the IRB so again the city is not doing   the lending they have to go out and find their own  financing for that uh project just real quick just   one rendering for uh what they're proposing that  project to look like I do have representatives   for the developer uh in the audience today uh  but I just also want to reiterate um this is   just a request to set those public hearings  in December for consideration of those three programs questions for staff  beginning with council member   hoisel thank you mayor um could I  have a representative come up real quick hi it's Bruce Rowley I reside at 143 North  Rock Island thank you Bruce for coming up here um   just a couple of questions about the expected  rent as this going to be market value is there   any affordable housing plans in and uh in this  plan or sure so this is this housing resides   directly across the street from the new biomed  campus so we're really looking at this housing   being focused on a lot of the students that are  down there not only in that school but obviously   the do school um half a block away as well  as Niche a half a block away so we looked at   comparable costs of student housing uh around the  campus at WSU and and we're comparable with that   okay I appreciate that I'm sure we're going  to dig into that more as we go along here   sure um another it's just a comment just for  the body um I do appreciate and it has to be   I guess because you can't really do a tiff if  you forgive uh property taxes but I did want to   make that point that there's no property tax um  exemption with this project so um that's a little   more palatable than some of the other projects we  have so just want to make that point thank you sir   council member Glascock thank  you mayor this would be for staff how many active CS do we have City off the top of my head I'd say somewhere  around 12 I believe so before this comes back   before the council could I have a list  of those sent to me so I can comparison   to this project yes we can do that so do you  need any details with that list or just the   the number and at where they're looking just  the list of maybe where they are in terms of   lifespan okay and then maybe what the projects  are used to fund so I know this one was listed   to fund s improvements roof demolition what  some of the other ones were okay yeah and I   mean in that meantime I can I I'd also be happy  to just kind of send the link to our website that   actually has all that list as well if that works  for you whatever's eest so thank you okay this   question is also for staff um there more technical  questions so first question was answered but I   just want you to reiterate it is the developer  asking for any property tax abatement they are   not requesting tax abatement how much in  property taxes is 300 333 English paying   right now I don't have that number don't have  we can have that number for you but you do okay questions I'll get back those the other question  is also Technical and it's also from that email so the two questions I will ask again are how much  in property taxes is 333 English currently paying   and the second question is how much will they be  paying once the renovations have been completed the email is questions for Tuesday's meeting  is the headline council member Tuttle   thank you I'll give you a little help there  are nine Tiff districts and 16 C districts   you bet it's on the website under Economic  Development and then on the left hand side   just for anybody who's watching or wants to  learn if you click on for example example   Community Improvement districts um gives you an  overview of what it is what you have to do to   be qualified and then it gives you all of the  current districts or projects and then you can   also click on them individually to learn more  so go to witch to.gov and then departments and   then Economic Development thank you thank  you there I have them uh currently property   taxes of 2023 obligation was $40,000 roughly  and um the different number that I have from   your email yep I've got a hold on just a second  got a different I'm sorry that I have an update $1,317 um it's anticipated tax obligation  at once this Project's complete will be $89,900 thank you so just to reiterate the  current taxes on this property are $21,000   after completion of these Renovations it  will be roughly 89,900 um and again no   property tax abatement is being asked for  this property corre thank you very much I   see no further questions for staff  we will now open it up for public comment I see none I'll bring it back to the bench  this resides in council member Johnson's District   thanks mayor I would move that the city council  accept the petition and adopt the resolutions   setting the public hearings for consideration  of the establishment of a community improvement   district C and Adoption of a tax increment  financing project plan and authorize the necessary   signatures second motion and a second any further  discussion I see none Madame clerk please open the role motion passes 70 Madame clerk please call  the next item Professional Services for violence   interruptor program implementation subrecipient  agreement amendment number two good morning   mayor woo members of witch city council assistant  city manager Dante Martin I'm here to present an   amendment to the Professional Services agreement  with with witto State University uh Community   engagement Institute to implement a violence  interruptor program um I apologize in advance   for the number of slides I'm going to present I  want to provide a sufficient background for the   discussion we're having today but also since I'm  following Mark and Tim maybe it won't seem nearly   as long as I go through these um in 2021 gun  violence in witto accounted for approximately   74% of all homicides with 33 people killed by  firearms and an additional 207 people struck by   bullets but survive their injuries in addition  48% of gun violence victims were 24 years of age   or younger violent crime in witcha is concentrated  in areas of the city enduring social and economic   distress residents of these communities encounter  three times the rates of violence as other parts   of our city in 2021 the city council allocated  $ 1.5 million in arpa funds to an effort to   reduce gun violence in the communities uh in our  communities using a violence interruptor model   in June 2022 the city issued an RFP for technical  assistance uh with program implementation as the   effort was a new Endeavor cure violence Global was  selected due to its extensive experience and track   record in other communities uh implementing  violence Interruption programs on September   6 2022 the city council approved a technical  assistance contract with cure violence Global   to implement a violence interrupted program in our  community cure violence Global helps communities   Implement violence prevention programs that are  effective in significantly reducing violence   cvg's violence Interruption approach includes  trained violence inter violence prevention   professionals intensive case management and  neighborhood Based Services um it operates in   discrete High violence neighborhoods using a  data driven public health model the CVG model   has been implemented in more than 50 sites  across 25 cities and 10 different countries there are five required components of  the CVG model um the slide lists for   what you don't see there is that CVG Works  closely with the implementing communities to   provide training and technical assistance to  implement their model correctly Fidelity to   the model is key in terms of violence  Interruption using the Cure violence Model A study of cure violence Global in Kansas  City indicated a 42% reduction in gun related   homicides between 200 13 and 14 most survey  participants and this is in Kansas City uh 85%   reported having received conflict mediation  training conflict mediation training excuse   me and 71% of those respondents were satisfied  with their ability to mediate a conflict without   violence all participants indicated they  felt the program had positively impacted   their lives and 70 76% of respondents said the  program changed their minds about gun violence   on this slide you'll see a a graphic of a  um project in Chicago um where it shows the   hotspot prior to the program being um implemented  and then after implementation the hotspot being eradicated in 2023 cure violence Global  conducted a Readiness assessment which included   both quantitative and qualitative data city-wide  quantitative data was provided by the witch Police   Department it included the number of assaults  over a 2-year period 2021 and 2022 the number   of assaults over a 4year period 2018 through 2022  as well as the number of murders and manslaughters   over a onee period and that was 2022 the analysis  resulted in the identification of two areas where   community community violence is clustering those  areas are in district one and District three area   one is located near 21st Street in i135 U area two  in District three is located near Harry and Oliver   um they're depicted on the slide Q violence  globals analysis included intervenes with   community- based organizations to assess their  capacity and cred ility as well as potential   violence interrupts to assess their ability to  serve as credible Messengers in December of 2023   the city council approved a subrecipient agreement  with witto state university community engagement   Institute witto State University CI um CI selected  destination Innovation to lead a community- based   violence Interruption effort and The Institute of  development to serve as an independent evaluator on this slide you'll see our violence  interruptor team um Tri violence Global   trained destination Innovation on its model  uh destination Innovation implemented the   bottle and employed seven staff that are  actively involved in interrupting violence in witto some early returns or early results of  the effort which um was fully initiated or   implemented in September of this year is  93 potential violent conflicts have been   detected there have been 53 interventions  62 mediations conducted 47 documented   cases of discontinued retaliatory events and a  notable 20-day truth achieved between opposing groups in addition to intervention um our violence  interruptor serve as Outreach workers and make   referrals um so there's been efforts related to  education and school support referrals to Mental   Health Services referrals to help provide basic  needs employment as well as housing assistance   117 Community referrals in total a key part  of this model requires there be an independent   evaluation of the effort um the evaluation our  evaluation partner or Ci's evaluation partner   is the Institute of development with Dr Parker  um part of that evaluation goal number one is   to identify and detect potential shooting events  identify detect and engage high risk individuals   interrupt potential violence change behaviors  and norms and then use data to inform form   uh daily efforts The Institute of development  receives data directly from the witcho police department an excerpt from an October 31st  2024 implementation progress report provided   by The Institute development says that which  do show strong fundamentals in core violence   Interruption work there are a few areas that need  to be addressed or improved um the quarterly or   the initial evaluation indicated there have been  three strong ratings several moderate ratings in   two areas needing Improvement um Dr Parker  is with us today and if you have questions   regarding that evaluation I'm sure she'd be  willing to drill down and help clarify for us the subrecipient agreement with witw State  CI expires in December 2024 uh the sites have   been fully operational for a little over two  months we've seen immediate effects such as   interventions and mediations that can be  measured in real time however to conduct   a thorough evaluation more time is needed um we  believe we have enough Project funding currently   to fund the program through June of 2025 however  our agreement with CEI terminates at the end   of December and so to continue through June the  funding we have available we would need to extend CI it's also important to note and this  comes from Dr Parker's report that witw   program current program trajectory mirrors  successful implementation patterns in other   cities suggesting strong potential for positive  outcomes over the next 24 to 36 month measurement period Financial consideration so I mentioned  that we currently have enough funding to fund   the program through June of 2025 however realizing  some of the initial uh outcomes that we've seen   some of the positive outcomes that we've seen  um the city manager's office is recommending or   asking the city council to consider uh allocating  additional arpa funding uh 1.6 million roughly an   addition arpa funding um as we've talked about  related to previous ARA projects it's important   for the city to obligate its arera funding by  December 31st of 2024 this year if not we risk   losing that funding and then in addition to  that it's important that the city expand all   of its arpa funding by December 31st of 2026 so  time is of the essence legal considerations the   uh contract with CI has been reviewed and  approved as to form by the Law Department   and is my recommendation City manager's office  recommendation that the city council approve the   amendment and authorize necessary signatures  um Chad child with the community engagement   Institute is here with us as well as marqua Athens  woods with destination Innovation excuse me Atkins   woods with destination Innovation and Dr Parker  from The Institute of development so I stand for   questions questions for staff beginning with  council member tutle thank you I I just have   one question and I have lots of comments l later  but um and great job Dante thank you for all the   information it wasn't too long I thought it  was just right um slide 83 and this is kind   of a technical question but just to frame it up  a little bit when this first came to us um I had   questions because of evaluation that was something  that I wanted to make sure that we could certainly   make you know data driven decisions and I had  the opportunity to have a conversation with Dr   Parker on Friday just a fantastic evaluator  we had great conversations about primary and   secondary prevention and formative and summative  evaluation and went over a lot of the data and I   appreciate it but I just want to ask so and if  everyone knows this but me I'm sorry where does   Dr Parker fit in this model then because she's  not part of the unless I'm missing it I see the   Outreach and I see the violence interrupts and the  prog manager just explain a little bit more about   the valuation because I think that's so important  the decision that we're making today is about the   efficacy of this program and the evaluation  component is critical so if you could just   let me know where that falls in so I'll give you  a high level overview Chad child's and Dr Parker   may be able to drill down a little bit further  if necessary city of witto entered an agreement   with Community engagement Institute to implement  a VI violence interruptor program CI then entered   agreements with destination Innovation Marquita  Atkins woods and a separate uh agreement with   Dr Parker Institute of development and so  CI has contracts with both of those groups council member Glascock thank you mayor um I  have a few questions but if I see some of my   colleagues names pop up I'll hop back in later um  number one what So currently uh if we extend this   with the funding that is currently allocated just  an extension of it it lasts through June of 2025   correct correct um we estimate the current burn  rate to be roughly $16,000 a month each monthly   and staff believes we have enough budget to fund  us through June of 20 25 correct okay so let's say   we extend to the full length and that comes out  to what June of 20 if we were to do the additional   1.6 million when does what date does that put us  I believe that puts us through September of 2026   September of 2026 okay what happens at that the  end of that funding period because arpa funds are   fully spent what is our plan so great question  uh council member Glascock and I believe Market   Atkins would probably speak to it better than I  can as with any gr program there is an expectation   that the grantee will seek sustainability  sustainable funding and so anticipating the   end of arpa funding no longer being available um  it will be on the grantee and those involved in   the project to find additional funding sources uh  we recognize that at this current point in time   the city of witto is a sole fund but there's  an expectation that those that are currently   receiving the grant would seek outside funding I  have a few additional questions about that that   I'll probably Asko as well um regarding um this  is initiated by the city managers Department not   the police department correct and it's overseen by  the city manager Department correct and and city   manager I have to correct my timeline this  started with a a workshop discussion under   our former police chief that was recognizing an  increase in violence specifically youth violence   uh during Workshop conversations with the city  council several years ago uh there was an interest   in exploring the idea further um Council as I  mentioned earlier was willing to allocate arpa   funding uh as far as the cure of violence model  variety of models in some places you'll see it   housed in the mayor's office the manager's office  local level one tra Trauma Centers universities   uh in our case it's housed in a city manager's  office so Denise Peters project manager in our   office Works closely with CI on the program I'm  thankful for the work that the group's done uh so   far and I'm very supportive of that I my question  is about EIC when we're looking at the long-term   sustainability of this through September 2025 so  when this was presented to the council I'm just   to make sure my dates are right the program  began operation September 1st 2024 correct   and fully functional September 1st 2024 so when  this was presented to us before a workshop it was   24 days it was on September 24th 2024 so 24-day  um efficacy uh understanding and now on I don't   know what today November 5th we're looking  at 65 days so we're looking at an evaluation   period was originally presented 24 days to prove  efficacy and now it's 65 days for an extension   of5 are those correct in terms of the timeline  uh correct so if I could back up just a little   bit so we entered an agreement with CI December  of last year soon after CI entered agreements   with destination Innovation and The Institute of  development been working to stand up the program   the first eight nine months of the year but you're  absolutely correct in terms of the program or the   project being fully implemented that commenced in  September we received a report from The Institute   of development in late October that covers  the first 60 days of activity and I have a   few questions for Rita as well if she'd be able  to come up and answer these as well um I wait till you thank you for being here this morning thank  you for I'd love to see all the orange it's very   vibrant uh have you ex uh secured or had  conversations regarding external funding   sources at this point absolutely one of the first  payments that we got or funding that we got was   actually from Kaiser Permanente um we're doing  research on gun violence we got that money before   we got the money from the city um destination  Innovation as a whole um we operate on a national   level um and we have uh across the country people  that want to model all the programs that we have   um and so coming into this and when we were um  learning about the programming we never came in   into it with the mindset that you guys were going  to going to fund us forever um we always look for   external funding for our programs if you could  speculate what percent of your current operating   budget is third party aside from the city of wiah  outside of the city of wiah we have $60,000 that   we got from Kaiser Permanente and we have uh we  have um sorry proposals that are out right now   that we're waiting to hear back from okay is  that 60,000 holistically or 60,000 per month   60,000 holistically yeah um I might have a few  questions for youer answerers it all now thank   you just let me know council member John ston  Marg if you could stay there I AB compliment you   first on on doing a great job so appreciate  that what what what is your status now are   you a 501c3 501c3 okay and do you have a board of  directors we do how many people are on that board   13 13 yeah okay uh they participate in fundraising  efforts absolutely okay yeah okay thank you thank you I have a lot of questions I'll start with uh Dante Dante can you first start off with um  can you share the the relationship of how   information then gets trickled down to a violence  interruptor so that they can again interrupt um   the incident from actually occurring talk about  the data the next steps can you talk about that   timeline with all respect mayor Mark may be  better suited to answer that question so I   I mentioned earlier the witto police  department provides data in terms of   incidents but I think you're asking  for realtime information how do they receive so I'm going to bring up the uh care  violence manager and site supervisors um and   I just want to note that we just got fully  trained um on the Cure violence model and   the systems on in October they've been doing  a fantastic job good morning so most of the   information in terms of the the pipeline that  we have we've establish that pipeline through   our relationships with the community um a lot of  our information some of the information we get   from online news flash some of the information we  get from witch to.gov but most of the information   we get is because of the relationships that we've  built established um and we can leverage because   of the relationship that our s supervisors and  our team has with the community and we're able   to do so and able to get that information to where  a lot of that doesn't even like reach you because   we get an opportunity to be able to handle those  things before they even get to you not even just   in district one and District three but a lot of  the spillage we're able to handle for the other   districts as well because of the relationships  that we've built and when they spill over into   our communities uh we get that information from  the the community themselves from the community   members themselves from the Partnerships  themselves that see what we're doing they   believe in what we're doing and they trust  us with information to be able to handle it   the right way and turn those confrontations in  the conversations and we're able to coexist yes   we've also gotten referrals from W WPD as well um  especially um with dealing with situations that um   get out of hand um those relationships that  we have I mean those referrals that we get   we dispatch and we address every part of it  every every person we go out and we locate   them ourselves we canvas we do the work we show  up at the schools we show up where they are and   it's just that we're woven into the community  so well and so tight that we're reliable you   know we're trustworthy sources so maybe this  question is for Dr Parker uh Dr Parker with   Institute of development is the independent  evaluator and one of the areas to measure   is use data to inform daily efforts and make  necessary changes to interrupt violence where   are you getting that data and then how does it  filter down to the violence interrupts so that's   not part of the data that I collect what's the  they do use our database yeah but what's the data you go online we go online wi.gov yeah yes so  they use wi.gov to develop their strategies on   where they should be going based off the crime  that has happened within those 24 hours but I do   want to reiterate that even the data that comes  on wi.gov the target areas sometimes it doesn't   happen into our target areas so we have to rely  on our information and our relationship within the   community to identify when it's not in our Target  area to sure that it's not attached to it through spillage again another question for Dr Parker  as the independent evaluator what is your base   and how will you measure success so is it  just the murders manslaughter and assaults   or are there other key measurements that you're  going to say it has been successful because XYZ   so our evaluation plan we have several goals  goal one is to identify and detect potential   shooting events and there's several indicators  of success for that but we'll be here for 15   minutes if I read them all but I can send that  to you if you'd like um identify and detect and   engag individuals in groups at highest risk of  involvement of shootings or killings interrupt   potential Violence by mediating conflicts and  preventing retaliation change behaviors and   Norms of those at highest highest risk  of involvement in shootings or killings   by brokering services use data to inform  daily efforts and make necessary changes to   interrupt violence reduce violent incidents and  homicide rates improve Community perceptions of   safety establish trust within communities with  the vi promote peace and Community cohesion   improve cross- sector collaboration to address  violence in communities can we go to slide number 86 um so again the measure that you just  mentioned that is how we will determine   whether the program has been successful  or not successful is that correct yeah so   those are the goals now they're indicators of  success within those goals and that's how we   will determine the progress um and the impact  that the program made but we do know from a   prevention model that any program is going to  be successful it's just to what degree right   because what we're doing now is we're trying  to save lives we're and this is a formative   so there's a difference between formative and  Summit of evaluations and so Forma is if we're   looking to improve determine the continuing  need we're not really looking to measure   impact now when we get to 36 month or 24 month  that's when we're going to look at more of the summative member tutle thank you um I I just  wanted to highlight that I have the um project   Quarter Two and program operation quarter  one and in here it does it starts on Page Six   it does a fantastic job of going by each of  the five different goals and not only providing   data L for the first of identify and detect  potential shooting victims there's 88 documented   interactions regarding potential shootings and  as we saw 93 potential violent conflicts detected   and then it also has what the implementation  strategies are the current challenges and then   the recommendations and I've been doing this kind  of work not only prevention but Public Health work   and also Grant making and seeking for 30 years  and this is some of the most detailed work that   I've seen so kudos to you and again thank you for  the report it was very helpful and helps identify   the progress that's being made on each of the five  goals thank you I think this question is for Dante now in our report uh the quotation said had   a major impact on violence  reduction can you quantify that may so you're referring to the Agenda  Report I assume um can can you help direct me   to where you're looking in the gender report  under analysis it is a again an opinion so I   want to quantify had a major impact on violence  reduction are you talking about for the current   progress over just the last I guess one month is  that correct one month and a half and so right   now the key achievements um they have detected  93 violent conflicts completed 53 interventions   62 mediations conducted I want to  say it's about 53 to 57% success   rate 47 documented cases of discontinued  retaliatory events and notable success in   establishing and maintaining trues between  rival groups and I saw that it was a 20-day   truce yeah which was actually 30 a  30-day truce yeah it was 20 at the time you the other question is um it has already  been asked but I know that Marquita has mentioned   that you've already worked with kaiso Permanente  I also saw support letters from community members   including uh usd259 um resource officers as well  as Kansas Health foundation so my question is uh   Kansas Health Foundation is a gr tour of Grants  um and they do have dollars what is the plan to   sustain the program with grants uh that locally  deal with health so we know already know that the   Kansas Health Foundation has a goal of making  Kansas um the top 10 going from 29 to the top   10 in the healthiest states um getting in front  of gun violence is a deciding factor for I mean   is a contributing factor to that um we're already  a part of the building power and Equity um found   uh funding with the Kansas Health Foundation  um which they're going to support us for the   next 10 years um to um in that funding that's  the way it goes right so um in that funding so   we have support from the Kansas Health Foundation  we also have support from the stflower Community   Foundation um and then uh actually while I was  in here Kaiser sent an email because I allowed   them to know what was going on today um to let  you guys know if you need any information they   they've elevated to their top team and if you  guys need any extra information they will gladly   support and give you information that you need  so we do have the support that we need I I'm not   worried about 2026 it it should also be noted that  right now these types of prevention models um have   shown High success so federally they are rolling  down um a variety of different types of fund to   address a violence prevention models and from my  evaluation standpoint the most important thing   is such programs having the time to collect the  data like to tell the impact so they can secure   the additional funding and I like to add that um  when it comes to O jjdp um Liz um we were a part   of her initial program youth first initiative  and still is a part of that program um she is   now the director of ojjdp um and she is one  of the people that trained us to be who we   are today and thank you for um saying that in  2026 you'll be you've gotten support verbally   that others will help fund we we're not an  organization that sits and wait around for people   um and so we're actively pursuing funding but I  also want to add and incorporate into that um when   we were initially approached to do this funding  that violence is still a city issue and so I want   to make sure that we we collaborate um that we  work together always say community moves um and   I don't want to be in a position where we're  letting our community down with the trust that   we've already built up and I would like to know  when you look at like historically based off the   implementation of such models one of the things  that helps improve success one of the things   that helps improve success is typically funding  and support from uh the government like that is   something that helps them be more sustainable  um does it mean that they're solely relying on   that no but when you scour the evaluation and  the research on these types of programs that   is what you see and thank you to the violence  interrupts who are here today I know that Marita   says that uh I should be referring to the group  as cure violence ICT not violence interruptor   yeah violence interrupts they are a position um  with cure violence ICT and they are a very very   powerful group and one of the things that I I want  to say this um as a leader one of the things that   I know well is that being in a position of power  does not make you the expert of everything and   so when we were looking to hire The Cure violence  program we went to The Experts um our communities   are the experts of their own experience expences  and it's been proven in the work that they've done   thus far so I just wanted to note that and while  I have you guys up there can you talk about how   you are collaborating with for instance usd259  has a future ready Advocate mentors program the   Fram group um whose mission is again to help  disproportionately um at risk students achieve   success in school um and again prevent some  of the um negative uh effects of violence and   so I want to know how you're collaborating with  Fram in addition to how you're collaborating with   mckin vento um mckin vento provides assistance  with uh kiddos who may be facing um homelessness   and the way that they Define homelessness is not  necessarily uh living uh on the streets but rather   even intergenerational living is considered  homelessness according to mckin vento how are   you uh working with those groups in addition to  uh groups like the greater witcha ministerial   League the body of Christ hope for the Hood um all  nonprofit or organizations in the community that   are also doing work with youth at risk youth um  get this real quick then I'll give it to you we're   cross-sectional um and C violence is not the only  program that we have at destination Innovation Inc   so we've already worked with Future Ready advocate  through our um word to Life program that we have   that works with mental health with young people  and we did that through Future Ready Advocates um   using music and spoken word as an outlet for young  people to express themselves um you know it's hard   when you bring in a therapist but it's easy when  they're writing things down or they're expressing   themselves through music um of course we have  work with Jose Jose is a friend um and the work   that we do is very similar um and I think we've  already had one of our VI exis did a performance   um with uh hope for the Hood um and when it  comes to the greater mysterial League um uh   sorry uh Michelle Van is actually on our board  so that is a natural and organic relationship um   I already sit on different um committees for  the unhoused myself um I also sit on the uh   Step Up initiative around Juvenile Justice um I  also sit on the board of the ACLU I also sit on   KAG for the can is Advisory Group for Juvenile  Justice and delinquency um we are very I I am   very Community focused and Community investment  so those intersections have to happen for us to   be successful and then I'll give it to our manager  brel so some of those organizations um we've only   been operational for two months so we haven't had  the opportunity to spill into all of them and we   look forward to those Partnerships as well because  we're always constantly seeking ways to partner   with other organizations so we don't reinvent  the will one thing that I do want to highlight   is that while we have been in the schools we've  been working and following our participants and   uh working through those situations and being  supportive to our administrative staff um and our   um and the officers at the schools so the work  that we've been doing in the schools although   we haven't made it around to all of those  organizations we are open to Partnerships   and we will be looking forward to those so we  appreciate those suggestions but the work we are   doing has been really effective so far with the  participants thank you uh Dante this question is   maybe a collaborative answer but you mentioned  on average per month the burn rate is $16,000   can you talk about maybe Marquita um how $16,000  is utilized each month yeah one thing I want to   clarify is that we have a staff at 13 um not seven  so initially uh we have two sites so we have a a   site on the south side and we have a site a  site on the North side um and I didn't catch   that when they submitted the information but  we have two s can you go to that slide is that   slide 86 83 I think oh there we go so this  is wrong yeah can you uh for the record what   is correct so that um cor cler correct uh  correct we have two sites so it's duplicate   so we have two site supervisors four Outreach  workers six violence interrupts in one program manager if I could mayor to answer your question  so Marquita can speak to the piece of the   agreement that goes to destination Innovation  our contract is actually with CI so there's   administrative costs that are paid to witto State  CI that's part of the 106,000 uh it also funds the   uh destination Innovation the program that Marita  uh has implemented and it also funds the evalu   so that included in that $16,000 is  the funding the city provides to CI   and that CI provides the destination  Innovation as well as the Institute of development thank you council member Tuttle  thank you and we were thinking along the same   lines I had questions about financial too um and  I read the Cure violence Global in which public   health approach to violence prevention document  um that Dr Hill and Dr perker developed and one   of the sections that I found personally the most  interesting was the cost Effectiveness oftentimes   people forget in public health prevention  especially primary and secondary prevention   and tertiary that there is a cost Effectiveness  in this and Dr Parker in your work you say that   for every Pro for every dollar that we spend in  one of these programs in the Cure violence um   Global model that for every dollar $33 is saved  um for those of us on the bench or watching or   in the audience to today who may not have had  the opportunity to review this can you just   explain a little bit of how to the community and  specifically the city of wiah that what that ratio   means and where the savings comes from thank you  and so that's data collected by every town like   they are and Nationwide known for gun violence  so feel free to access that and so a lot of the   savings are due to one um Healthcare cost um  dispatching law enforcement as well as um it's   escaping me man and I didn't write it down um I'll  Circle back to it what was the other part of your question that's pretty much it but in here um and  I'll just kind of throw you since you don't have   it there but it talks about the criminal justice  system emergency transport Medicare government   portion Mental Health Care ceration Y and then um  um supplemental security um so I I just thought   it was really interesting because sometimes  we forget if we can prevent one shooting that   individual then gets there's a call potentially  to 911 that's city or county Services well that's   County service but Municipal services and then  there's going to be a police fire we're going to   be sending to them and then you know potential  health care costs which isn't as much absorbed   by the city but it's absorbed somewhere um and  then if there's judicial system which again is   you know part of government so I just think  it's a really interesting conversation to be   had of $1 spent is $33 in savings and we call  it the ripple effect right like the the goal   is for the change we know that gun violence is a  systemic issue it's happening across the system   and to solve it is going to look different at  whatever different level of the system that   you're looking at and these types of programs  enable this ripple effect right and so it's   not just isolated to the individuals living in  those communities it can have a broader impact I think these questions are now for the city  manager thank you very much again for all the   good work that you guys are trying to do and I  know that I've seen you guys uh at many community   events um whether it's at boxing or um even  our unity in the community walks uh you've been   present and we appreciate it and I know that again  um the council will continue to do these unity and   the community walk because the whole purpose is  to reduce violence and connect our young people   to the resources that are available to them and  another reason why I asked Jamie Nicks to provide   the Evolve magazine uh which is available right  up here um because there are a lot of resources   that the city of witchta through Parks through  libraries uh provide to our young people and uh   again I commend staff for doing that good work  uh these questions are now for this city manager   um so these are the arpa dollars or federal  dollars that were allocated to the city of   witchta totaled roughly $72 million um and can you  tell us the purpose of arpa dollars uh in helping   municipalities get back up from the covid-19  pandemic thank you mayor it's a a good question   uh arpa dollars were intended to do a number of  things first of all to um help cities themselves   their organizations get back on their feet a as a  result of uh the efforts uh actually the impacts   of covid on those organizations themselves to help  us provide services during that period of time and   to position us for Recovery one um aspect of uh  arpa that I think the council really focused on   it was also to look at Community impacts of our of  covid and to address those populations that were   especially hit um hard during uh covid period  and that were going to have difficulty during   the recovery period and many of the programs  that have been funded by the council have um   uh purpose statements and measures that look at  how we uh address the desparate impacts of covid   in the community and the what we what you have  have here in terms of violence interrupts uh or   this program is recognition of the increase in  violence um and the impact of violence in the   community and uh it's what happened postco in  terms of our violent crime numbers and as you   know also concerns in the community about  uh crime prevention and about um uh violent crime so my question uh now is of the s  2 million that we have and I know we're   about to get another agenda item in the next  um few minutes can you tell us how much is   still remaining of the $72 million that the  federal government gave to the city of wiah thank you for the question mayor I had a  chance to talk briefly with Mark Manning   our finance director he mentioned there's 20  currently there's 22 million um that hasn't   been obligated U understand we have this item we  have the healthy Corner Store initiative that's   going to be presented next and I think there's at  least one more item uh connected to arpa funding   on today's Council agenda so prior to this action  22 million you also you you'll be committing money   from the affordable housing fund that has not  yet been committed that's that's another I   think over three million if I remember correctly  and in regards to this additional ask um so this   program received $1.5 million uh that is set to  expire December 31st of this year correct and   so one of the action items we must do is first  and foremost um make sure that the 1.5 million   can still be spent up until May 31st of 2025 is  that correct yeah mayor I think that dates Chang   we're looking now June 30th of 20125 so vote  number one or one of the decisions that this   Council must make is extending the $1.5 million  to continue to be spent until June 30th of 2025 is   that correct that's correct with which does State  because they're our contractor and again that's   just for the 1.5 million original um spend on the  violence interruptor program the second question   now is about an additional $1.6 million and um  I wanted to know if $1.6 million is spent um   to again continue funding the violence interruptor  program um that is a tradeoff so we would choose a   what would we foro what are the options  that we would foro if we choose to fund   the program at 1.6 million um that 1.6 million  is available because we have some projects that   were originally anticipated to be funded that  will not be able to be committed by the end of   2024 so that money is available and needs to be  reprogrammed by the council before the end of the   year if we're going to be able to fully uh take  advantage of the arpa funding and primarily that   was the uh West substation police substation and  our inability to get that to contract before the   end of the year so again the 1.6 million would  be available to reprogram whether to violence   interrupts or what are the other options uh mayor  you've asked before uh regarding Capital options   and that's probably the most practical when  you think about it um given our limited amount   of time we need to be looking at projects  that have already been committed uh or the   we've already in the case of capital case  uh projects where we've already received   bids council's committed to move forward  and then what uh you could look at would   be using arpa funds to replace uh City  dollars that have been planned for those projects so again for the 1.6 million you could  utilize according to your email that that was   sent to all of us we could utilize the 1.6 up  to 1.6 million to pay for instance the fire   storage building with arpa dollars instead of  go funds does that mean that this would free up   1.5 million do in the CIP projects that have  been identified including but not limited to   the projects such as the 12 to18 million  deferred maintenance and parking um CIP   projects that would then be delayed would  the $1.5 million be freed up for CIP projects yes council member Glascock thank you  mayor I think I have one last question   I have no problem extending the project uh  to June 30th when the original commitment   was made I think that's fair to Pure violence  to be able to show a return on investment and   the efficacy of the pro or the project  my concern and um I think we'll have   a um conversation over here is an extension  of double the amount of funding source of   1.6 million with only when this came before  Council the workshop only 24 days of data to   prove efficacy for the project so my question for  the manager is can you recall and if not for arpa   funding expiring is there any other project or  grant that came before the council 24 days after   or with 24 days of evidence that then we doubled  their entire funding stream with just 24 days so   question is if not for arer funding would  you have brought this forward after 24 days um in all likelihood not unless we had an  available funding source have to be the same kind   of circumstances um a program that we believe  has significant community benefit and one where   we have funds that would be available in order  to continue a program to allow it pro to prove   itself and we knew that we're going to be short on  funding to take it through an appropriate period   of time so the reason is because of arpa funding  this was brought at probably a quicker timetable   than other Grant renewal or Grant increases right  it's pretty unusual to have uh Grant programs that   you're going to have other funding for you um it  I can only think of a Federal agency approaching   us saying we have additional funds if you're  willing to provide the match we'll come forward   but that just doesn't happen very often thank you  I appreciate it council member hoisel thank you   mayor um Bob so the fire apparatus and the fire  storage are in the CIP that's correct so that's   going to get done irregardless it's just this is  more of a discussion about the mechanism as to how   to pay for that right probably shouldn't talk  about fire apparatus because there's some that   you've already approved we've got some delivery  date problems or concerns on apparatus and we   because of the long lead time we would be a  little nervous about getting it all delivered   to us by the end of 2026 but the fire um the the  fire storage facility that you just referenced   you just approved the bids for that earlier this  morning so yes we had money in the CIP for that   and you now approve the the bids okay thank you  yeah council member John stun thank you mayor I   know during the workshop and I do appreciate the  the workshop that we had um it really let me uh to   really embrace the leadership of Marquita I think  she's an outstanding president CEO I can just tell   how she leans on her people that that she trusts  them leans on them and does absolutely a great   job um I said then too um I don't think it's  prudent to fully fund something and then all a   sudden go to zero expect to raise all the funds um  I would rather see a a phased approach um possibly   get you through 2025 a little bit diminishing  towards the end of 25 um then I would even be   open to a budget of of providing some limited City  funds even in 26 27 28 because like councilman uh   Tuttle said uh it does does reduce their need for  police force court system medical there's lots of   benefits to reducing gun violence so I appreciate  that but it's kind of like a parent and your kids   you know you don't want to give them everything  make them work for something um I think they're   better off in the end that's how I raised my Force  um I think maybe a phased approach might be more prudent might be offering something like that  later but I I I believe in the program I think   it's a wonderful program um I think it doing  a great job I think with more data you will   be able to get support Kanas Health Foundation  from Wallace Foundation from a lot of different   foundations thank you council member Johnson  thanks mayor um just wanted to clarify a couple   things it's my understanding that there were no  other option it was presented to extend this with   the 1.6 million dollar until one of us asked for  some other options because we see the impact that   this program can make um a little more history  it was Chief Ramsey that um talked about this   this quite a bit in multiple cities and prior  to his departure had even talked about trying   to have council members go visit those cities  to see the impact of programs like this and it's   telling that in 24 days you could already see  um some impact from this program and it sounds   like potential to make even more impact um I  do have a little concern about the giving them   everything I think any program that is looking at  reducing violence and stopping youth shootings and   and murders uh probably should get quite a bit  um I think that they we should be funding them   not only at this level but I've continued to  say um an effort like this should be funded uh   every year with an allocation from the city  not only this but a higher allocation um we   need to challenge the group definitely to raise  some additional funds but there should be some   form of permanent funding from the city of witch  talk crime is something that uh impacts all of us   violence is something that impacts all of  us there there's no reason we should see   13-year-old children being shot uh and killed at a  gas station and I believe that this group can kind   of help with reducing that will it be perfect ever  probably not but um reductions are reductions live   saves or Liv saved and um funding is something  especially with this and we see the potential   benefits of it just from the data that has been  presented already this is something that needs to   continue on throughout 2026 and Beyond in the city  if we're concerned about violence in our community   this is also a city issue and the city should be  at the table with some dollars of partnership to   make sure that um this no longer continues so um  I do believe that again as I began with this was   the option um because it's arpa funds there were  some questions about other projects that could be   funded but this is what was going to be presented  that's why the recommendation is what it is um   I'm happy to hear more from the community but we  received a lot of support letters we know about   the Partnerships people see benefit in this and  one of the things I would challenge us uh before   we do go out to the public is lived experience  is important and I don't know how many of us   have um experienced some of the things that many  of the violence interruptor have or um lived in   places where we might understand this but I will  tell you you need folks with lived experience to   um engage in this way I've seen it firsthand um  and I can tell you from all of my years working   I started working with young people at the age  of 18 I served on the state Advisory Board a   lot of these young folks aren't listening to  people like me um and I don't have the type of   experiences that many of these individuals do and  they listen to and respect everything that's going   on they're doing the work that law enforcement  can't do and if we are truly considering the what   if uh what happens when we don't fund them that I  believe is shortsighted on government I've raised   it before with the weed and seed issue government  stopped funding the weed and seed program and   we saw violence go we saw a lack of prevention  programs we saw a lack of Engagement cities and   states tried to engage a little more but they  didn't do it at the level that they needed to   this is something that is extremely important to  the city of Witchita this is something that as an   activist way before I was on Council I wanted  to see people with lived experience doing the   work because those are the ones that can reach  the people that need to be reached it's not us   in our suits it's not a um it's not even some of  our ministers it's going to be people who lived   that experience who've learned from it and can  relate to the young folks and try to help them   to think differently I have more to say I'll  say more after public comment but I really want   us to think about um how this is framed and  the the necessity of it and saving lives is   truly important and again too many young people  have access to weapons too many young people are   thinking about using violence as a response  rather than peaceful resolution this group is   able to do so and it's something different that  the city of witch hasn't done in years past yes   there are other groups no those other groups are  not 247 like the violence inter council member   Tuttle thank you um I I also will have more  comments later and good job um but I did want   to ask a question I'm sure not sure if it's for  Dante or for Bob and then the from what I learned   from that Miss Marquita I'm going ask you another  question okay um so please remind me because it   isn't something that we are immersed in every day  it's more of the you know the administrative part   of it to extend this contract and then if to the  you know this current and then if we we voted to   enhance it if you will and add more dollars to it  is there I'm assuming there's anou or a contract   or something between CI and and the City of witch  talk correct yes I'm seeing heads not okay um and   then the second part of that is can you tell me  a a little bit about the reporting requirements   for the arpa funded projects I know that we had  a workshop in September I learned a great deal um   it was very impressive but just remind me what the  arpa reports are I remember correctly we received   quarterly reports performance reports from all of  the agencies that are receiving have received arpa   funds um some programs have completed their  work and no longer have to report to us but   those that are still open and still expending  funds do provide that and then we provide that   information to the Council on a quarterly basis  when we provide the quarterly financial report   in fact today we'll be giving you a quarterly our  put report okay thank you Miss Marita could could   you join us for a second so I can ask you one  more question so I mentioned I'm old and I've   been doing this kind of work for a long time we  don't say old we say seasoned seasoned um and I   one of my the guests in the in the auditorium with  us today is from the health and wellness Coalition   and we had the health and wellness Coalition had  I'm just giving this as an example to frame up   my question so we had um significant funding  from one entity for years and years and then   we lost that funding and now we're trying to  figure out our plan so you mentioned you have   a 13 member board sounds like you've got all the  right people on it sounds like you're in all the   right places for networking but I KN do know from  a fundraising perspective right that it it takes   a plan so could there be a possibility because  I'm also worried about sustainability I always   anytime we allocate funding it's one of the  questions that I ask from this bench is what's   going to happen when our money's gone because in  this case the money is gone our money is gone so   would you be willing in your quarterly reports to  us or when you provide updates to number one agree   to develop a sustainability plan like what you're  going to do and by 20 if this funding is allocated   until September of 2026 is what I heard that  by however you decide the quarters but by June   of 2027 you will have a plan to raise this much  and these you know whatever but to develop a more   formalized plan and could we say that that's maybe  part of your contract that you will develop a plan   by a certain date and that in your quarterly  reports between now and September of 2026 when   the funding is expended you will provide updates  of the the strategies that you have implemented to   raise funds to ensure sustainability absolutely  okay and I don't know administratively with Bob   and Dante I mean we got a verbal here which is  great but it it might cause some peace for my   heart maybe for others on the bench maybe for  others in the community who are listening that   you know you are going to have a plan and you  understand that that is is is the you know not   only to keep doing the great work you're doing but  also to develop a sustainability plan is part of   the work that will be completed by September of  2026 yes that's part of the collective work of   destination and innovation in general okay um and  one of the conversations we had last year when we   were at Columbia doing research with Columbia  University as how to build beyond the drop   great um and so sustainability is one of our top  priority issues so that's something that's already   incorporated into the work that we do especially  with cure violence too okay thank you so much   thank you for answering my question you're welcome  this is followup questions to the city manager's   office uh first and foremost um the options that  you provided on October 7th 2024 were from um   Elizabeth gold tree and these requ questions I had  asked of the city manager immediately after the   workshop on September 24th so I have been asking  for um how do we prudently utilize arpa dollars   because they are again a one-time infusion by the  federal government and it's not ongoing uh dollars   so I did ask the question immediately following  the workshop of what are options regarding um the   1.6 uh million dollars that could be uh increased  uh for violence interrupts because we have a   budget deficit so city manager can you please  explain to us if we are going to face a budget   deficit how much is that budget deficit and how  do you utilize CP dollars to help with a budget deficit mayor it's a it's a it's not a direct  one to one dollar savings um in if you were to   let's just use the fire storage facility that's  the project that I think has been talked about   the most if you were to take 1.5 million dollar  and move it from arpa use that arpa funding to   reduce the Geo funding by one and a half million  that frees up capacity in the future CIP for you   um and if you have savings like that that you  want to move into the operating budget you'd   have to reduce your debt Levy in order to be able  to capture again assuming the council wants to   keep the total Levy the same you reduce debt  Levy and then increase the general fund Levy   in order to be able to make that happen um but  uh the other way to do it is that you're freeing   up some future capacity um and um it's either you  can pick up another project or as I said you can   reduce your debt needs in the future 1.5 won't  make make as much of a difference as 15 million   but it it it can help in that regard 15 million  is the budget deficit um well it depends what year   we're talking about next year um we're uh close to  we're balanced for 25 in 26 I've gone blank on the   number is it three three to four million doll um  and then it increases um to around 10 million if   I remember right after that on the ball in ball  park yeah thank you that was thank you and then   one more followup question the fire storage  facility again 1.7 is what I see as an option   but it looks like the most recent email that you  sent out said it's 1.5 million but the board of   bids showed a $3 million project so can we get  clarification on how the arpa dollars would then   just help with the fire storage right I can staff  to give you a little more information right now if   you want but the fire storage is actually being  built in phases and I think it we comfortable   with the one and a half million phase being under  contract and committed in a way that we can get   you could get the relief thank you council member  Johnson thanks mayor um I'm just curious um we've   had a workshop where we heard some really good  initial data again 24 days I get that but why of   all the 22 $2 million of arpa money that's  not committed why are we singling out this effort I would have to defer to city manager  Leighton who I asked where else can you provide   uh 1.6 million and he only provided these  options I I don't know that the question   is the options is it or or is it why ask the  question about violence interrupts yeah I was   specifically saying why are we targeting  the violence interruptor after a workshop   that I thought we all received really well and  some really good initial information I don't   know that that's a question to the city manager  because the recommendation is to fund it so I'm   just wondering why we're focused on violence  interrupts at this point I specifically asked   city manager what are options regarding these $22  million of arpa dollars that have not been spent   and so he bullet pointed down what are the options  for each of the dollars and so again I have always   been very very clear that I think Community  deserves to know that if we choose a we're not   choosing B so it's options and everything that  is made right here on the council is a tradeoff   so if we fund this we don't fund this and that is  what I've asked the city manager to provide more   of options for us so that we can discuss that  these dollars again are onetime infusion by the   federal government they're not going to continue  giving us these dollars so how do we utilize   the dollars to the best benefit to the entire  Community but that that's not accurate though   because the CIP projects are funded and in the  CIP so that's going to happen this is a program   that's recommended to get funded so technically  we could get everything the apparatus the storage   and this if we vote for this item so I feel like  we're we're being forced to make a choice that we   don't have to make because it's already in the  CIP it's going to happen I'll give a perfect   example the CIP last year showed $6 million for  a pickle ball complex and as you can see the new   CIP project does not show the pickle ball complex  so CIP can change and it unfortunately it changes   based off of priorities and so city manager can  you explain how CIP works because it's a 10-year   plan and it's thoughtfully created by the staff  regarding projects that need either maintenance or   uh further infusion to continue being a resource  for the community yes mayor and we try to do that   in consultation with the council and of course  ultimately the planning commi Planning Commission   reviews it as before you adopt it so there are a  lot of people that are involved in it a majority   as you know a majority of the co of the projects  in the CIP are aimed towards maintenance we do   have uh capacity and expansion projects that  are in and then we have new projects usually   that are initiated uh at the request of council  members or Council of council districts residents   in districts and after a lot of study Council  ultimately determines what the priorities are   when we bring the document to you we try to do it  early so that again as I said it's a collaborative   effort we don't just drop the document you know  on in August and ask you to approve it so council   member Johnson thanks mayor um appreciate the  explanation U Bob uh what what I believe what   I've heard from the council is that this Council  would be supportive more so of fire storage than   pickle ball uh pickle ball was a political issue  uh the fire department is not so I believe that   this Council would fund fire storage anyway we  have an opportunity right now to fund a program   that's doing something unique in Witchita and  just to be blunt what we were doing before   wasn't working and if we're looking at just  hoping that this group can get the level of   funding that they need and here's a here's a bone  hope you guys do good and you know good luck uh   I think that's the wrong approach again violence  is something that impacts us all violence is   something that we should be funding and supporting  and as I said I believe fire is a priority I would   support that in the CIP next year I think that  the majority of this Council would and I think   that this is the right thing to do to fund this  program and I feel like again we are being forced   to make a choice that we don't have to make and  again pickle ball is not the fire department I   think the fire storage would take priority over  pickle ball anyway council member Glascock all   plenty of further comments but I'm interested in  hearing from the public so I move that we open   a public comment um I think we're done asking  questions I think we're just talking up here we   can do that after the public so they can get going  with their day so with a motion to move to public   comment I'm moving to public comment do I see any  further questions from the bench I see no further   question well council member Johnson thanks mayor  um we could just go to public comment without a   motion I could be quiet um but I wanted to  make sure it was known what I thought and   when I shut up if nobody else gets on the board  we can go to public comment but we don't need   a motion for that we will now open it up for  public comment please state your name and your address good afternoon my name is Josiah Williams  my address is 2349 North Gentry Drive I'm actually   employed by the city of witow want to give  uh honor to uh city manager mayor woo vice   mayor and the commissioner um there are a few  things that are troubling me right now because   uh this is my first time actually being at a city  council meeting and I saw earlier that you all um   did away with um half a million dollar toilet  and we're talking about gun violence they will   never stop making guns this is a political this  is a political standpoint that continues to come   up um year after year day after day violence is  something that is very real um my position in   the city is I'm a bus driver I run Transit I run  the the kids to school I bring them um home from   school um I can't tell you how many times that  I have children on the buses that are having   incidents just from words just from things that  are on the phone that escalate they take them   home the parents do not know how to emotionally  deal with the things that are going on in their   lives as a bus driver uh we are required to  report not only to dispatch when there is a   fire but also if there is a shooting if the lights  are out um the interruptor I'm not a part of them   but I do agree uh with what they're doing they  have the ability just like the bus drivers to   communicate what's going on within the city um  this uh book evolve I've never heard of it um   if this is something that the city is wanting to  uh get out into the public why not utilize the   interrupts to do that and there are other things  that are going on in the city that the council is   not uh like Mr Johnson said able to get out and  reach those people but for the people that can   be reached utilize what you have at the time  that you have it um moving forward I would   like to see the city absolutely put the finances  behind them whatever they have to do uh if it's   not a pickle ball court um if it's not anything  that has to do with fun and games it should be   serious business we're talking about lives we're  talking about um funeral costs we're talking about   um people being admitted to the hospital  we're talking about post-traumatic stress   PTSD mental health issues the ability to uh  to allow families to eat and the interrupts   can do that they can actually tell the people  in the community where to go to receive this   help whether it be mental health whether  it be food assistance whether it be housing   assistance why because they're taking the time  to go to the places that other people will not   thank you council member hoisel thank you mayor  uh just one question for you sir yeah um first I   just want to say I appreciate your service to  the city and your work doing this I'm sorry to   make you walk back every oh no no problem I'll sit  on the bus all day I don't have a problem walking   well I I just wanted to ask ask uh one question  here um this is your first time in this chamber   yes sir what do you think about democracy and  action um it's a little it's a little confusing   for me especially when I hear you all talk about  the ability to clean up a toilet or what it will   cost dayt day and we're talking about half a  million dollars and we're debating I'm sorry   no disrespect we're debating on whether or not  you're going to save lives or if you're going to   come up with the money to save lives we're talking  about for the next 20 years these are the people   that could quite possibly be sitting at District  4 district 6 and nobody seems to want to take the   time to do it so as a humble servant to the city  is quite confusing for me and it's distressing   I appreciate your honesty sir thank you thank  you Josiah we'll continue with public comment hi my name is Janette de I um I am the parent of travius Hutton he was killed  at the mall a couple of years ago and I feel like   um the cure of violence I mean since his I'm  since my son been dead um they the only ones   that stepped up and Tred to help me with my other  kids I got like I had six boys and two girls and I   got a I'm raising a 15-year-old boy I'm a single  parent and I'm raising a nine-year-old boy right   now and like half of the stuff that goes on in  the city I don't know about and since they've   been in my life I'm more in tune on what's going  on when um stuff happens they call and check up on   my son um one of my sons um was just in trouble  with the system and got expelled from us 259   AJ came and support he was the one that was  in the room with me talked but all of the Cur   violence came and showed their support um we had  um Court last month all of them came to support   my family um it's just hard like we need more  of them around here to help us because a lot   of us don't know you know they always say it  starts with the um parents well I'm like one   of the older parents and I still got a lot little  kids at home so I really don't know you know know   what's going on people say that us parents do know  no but literally they are around and so they tells   you know like a lot of people say they don't want  to know the truth I want to know the truth I want   them to tell me what my son is doing I mean it  was Halloween that little boy got killed at um   quit trip luckily my um 15-year-old wasn't there  you know because that's aoup age group that he   hang around with and so by y'all saying that y'all  want to cut the funding then there's going to be   more parents like me you know like I go through  a whole lot because of what's going on in the   city with these kids and these firearms and stuff  like that do not cut the funding help them I mean   y'all going to see more parents like me if y'all  don't if y'all cut the funding y'all GNA see more   parents like me and this this this is not this  is hurtful I wasn't trying to bury no for year   old kid I wanted to see my son grow old I mean but  don't cut the funding cuz I need them and there's   more parents that need them too and also one of  the first meetings um with my kid and some other   kids they kind of got it squashed you know like  we don't even hear no more about the other kids   and my kids and their friends fighting so that's  a plus you know like they really support us and we   need them around that like they say it ain't just  they not going to talk to y'all they Ain going to   talk to the parents but they talk to them and I  appreciate them this this is this this is family   now out of the whole two and a half years ain't  nobody came into my life to try to be a better   role model for my 15-year-old son and he's a  statistic out here you know what I'm saying and   they getting through to him we need the funding  we need it and I ain't never been to one of these   meetings neither and probably won't ever come  back to another meeting but um yeah we need it [Applause]   thanks Janette we'll continue with public comment AJ Bohanan uh today I stand before you on  behalf of cure violence an organization that I am   fortunate to be a part of and one that has  become a vital force in the witch community   especially within our schools and neighborhoods I  serve as one of the Outreach coordinators within   the organization cure violence is a global  initiative dedicated to reducing violence   and fostering safer and healthier communities  founded on the belief that violence is a public   health issue that can be prevented our approach  is evidence-based and has proven effective in   cities around the world with your partnership  support and continued funding we believe we can   continue to create a significant lasting impact  in even more families schools and community   in this city our work in violence prevention and  intervention particularly with our young people is   one of the most transformative efforts our city  has seen to date at cure of violence we take an   Innovative approach to addressing Violence by  treating as an epidemic much like the spread   of disease violence can be interrupted and it  can be prevented from taking hold in at risk   areas our highly trained team which includes six  violence interrupts four Outreach workers two site   supervisors and our program manager all have  deep roots in the community that we serve this   allows us to be effective we work to detect early  signs of tension and intervene before violence   escalates through counseling mediation long-term  support and numerous wraparound Services we have   helped reduce shootings and retaliations in  various neighborhoods while also creating   safer environments for families schools and  local businesses cure violence operates on   the front lines responding immediately to  incidents that could otherwise stabilize   families and neighborhoods our team has stepped  in on several occasions as First Responders to   mediate conflict provide counsel and offer hope  to those who may feel that uh violence is their   only path forward by identifying and addressing  the root causes of violence we work tiously to   reduce retaliation and stop the cycle of trauma  that so often impacts our community's youth our   model has shown remarkably success successful uh  but the need remains great communities in witch   continue to face daily challenges due to cycles  of violence that impact lives strain resources and   prevent growth through our presence in schools Cur  violence has worked diligently to foster a sense   of safety and support we are not only helping  young men and women in times of Crisis but we are   also providing mentorship guidance and a positive  presence that makes a real difference in the lives   of these students when young people are given the  tools to resolve conflict and are shown that they   matter to their Community the impact ripples far  beyond one incident it's an investment into wit's   future the work that we do at cure violence is  not only courageous but also incredibly effective   by reducing violence uh at its roots we offer an  approach that saves lives and introduces lasting   peace investing in cure violence is ultimately an  investment into the safety health and resilience   of our city I hope you consider the value that  this program brings especially as we work to   uplift witch's young men and women empowering  them to Envision a future free of violence   to expand our impact we are seeking the support  of you the dedicated members of the city council   who share our vision of a city who every person  can have the right to feel like they are safe I   respectfully urge you to keep this program funded  ensuring that we have the resources we need to   continue making a difference and keep this city  safe in closing there was an article that said   our funding would potentially be given to the fire  department for a storage unit I find it severely   unfortunate that two public health and safety  organizations are being pinned against each other   for this funding because we are both necessary  but a storage unit and kids lives are not one   and the same we respect support and appreciate the  work that the fire department does on a day-to-day   basis but please consider this fact before I  take my seat at cure violence we put out fires   every single day the only difference is our fires  don't involve Flames they involve lives God bless okay trying to follow those two few people um I  can't do it well but i' I've got words to keep   me be grounded um but these folks I don't know how  to describe the feeling that I feel when I'm with   the violence interrupts with the her violence wit  to team but I I feel like I'm glowing I feel safe   I feel proud I feel like things are okay things  are good so even in being in here um yeah they're   they're incredible people and so I yeah I really  appreciate this time to to support them so I wrote   a statement good morning witon um good morning  City Council Members staff and mayor woo my name   is Chad Childs and I worked for the past nine  years with witto State University's Community   engagement Institute located in Oldtown 248 North  me um I am the provin initiatives manager with   expertise in the prevention of substance use  suicide problem gambling Community violence   and the promotion of Behavioral Health every  day we support the strategic planning by local   community members at the most local levels  possible to implement effective strategies   designed and implemented by local people to serve  their neighbors in the best ways possible I thank   you for your service and acknowledge that you  have a very difficult job you work with limited   Revenue that cannot always increase enough to  meet the rising needs of of our growing city you   must decide how much goes to streets parks parking  fire safety law enforcement Staffing the services   investment and reinvestment in the city that  you serve your work can save lives and improve   well-being and the wrong decisions can have grave  consequences this is another one of those critical   decision points the American Rescue plan act arpa  as we've talked about was in intended to combat   the covid-19 pandemic including the public health  and economic impacts and it's important to keep   in mind as we're thinking about long term and  thinking about prevention and investment here   babies born during the pandemic are three  to five years old now and they're learning   what's going on in their neighborhoods um gun  violence is a Public Health crisis and impacts   the economy significantly the city carefully and  wisely invested arpa funds in an evidence-based   strategy uh this community-led public health  prevention Focus to reduce gun violence here   this is an incredible approach really thoughtful  and is already saving lives and inspiring hope   for continued safety on our streets after just  a few months of implementation Alternatives and   evidence-based gun violence prevention include  things like firearm purchasing license changes   firearm removal laws regulating public carry  more strict background checks extreme risk laws   and holding the gun industry accountable these  strategies are often met with public outcry in   billions of OCC opposition dollars none of  them are as celebrated or if as effective as   respected respected adults teaching young people  how to survive and stop killing each other I grew   up outside of Yoder rural Reno County my dad  worked in Witchita we came to town for shopping   I grew up in a time when my mom warned me that  what I was wearing was going to get me shot in   Witchita and even today people who live outside  Witchita have never asked me aren't you worried   about the fire aren't you worried about parking  costs or property crime what they have asked   me repeatedly even months ago is isn't there a  shooting there every day violence interrupts is   changing that the funding extension that we've  requested can serve as a foundation needed for   Destination Innovation to Champion and sustain it  with other funding into the future if you don't   fund violence interrupts as a program but decide  to use those arpa dollars to increase funding of   other services the city already provides it will  likely result in higher increases in City costs   moving forward into future years because those  departments that get additional funding this   year probably aren't going to ask for a decrease  in future years those costs are going to continue   to increase and where it's Unique that destination  Innovation Institute of development are doing this   in a way that's incredible and building for the  future while they're while they're starting we   know that arid dollars are not meant to continue  funding programs long term we are actively looking   for other ways to sustain cure violence Global's  violence interruptor program in wi atah we believe   the city of wia's use of arpa dollars to fund this  program into 2026 can give our communities the   best chance to continue reducing gun violence in  a way that state local and National funders will   compete over the opportunity to be involved  in their sustainability funding violence   interrupts is a great example of investing  in the community to invest in itself thank you good morning good morning um a lot of words  have been said this morning um and I just want   to take heed to one sentence that we all have a  chance and a choice my name is Desmond Bryant I   am a program manager of proing with destination  Innovation destination innovation's mission is to   provide young people with the tools and resources  to be successful that starts from the top down   our mission is to provide our young people  with the tools and resources to be successful   it's hard to pour from an empty cup so we're  asking our city to help pour into our cup a lot   of times we move forward and we're not thinking  about the things that are happening on the ground   level having a 13-year-old son my heart sunk  into my stomach when I read on social media   that 13y old boy I've been shot at quit trip I  live in Northeast Witchita um born and raised   so to hear that a 13-year-old was shot you  know first thing I can do is to call him I   was out trick-or-treating with my my daughters  but my son had told me that he wasn't going   trick or treat he wasn't going he was going  to stay home and play video games and watch   TV why is that because that's where he felt  safe as a 13-year-old he doesn't feel safe   to go trick- or-treating anymore that hurt me  because that's the only reason he didn't go is   because he said I'm glad I didn't go to College  Hill we're talking about College Hill College Hill   is one of the most prominent communities in wiah  if I'm not mistaken when I was growing up that's   a place that where we can go to and make sure we  had a big old bag of candy but my son's youth is   being taken from him all because he doesn't feel  safe to go into the community I want to support   and give thanks to cure violence I hear another  story of a 13-year-old a fully automatic handgun   where are 13-year-olds getting these guns from  is the first question I that I want to ask not   only is that but okay that gun was taken from him  given away you know they see the program of cure   violence and the mentorship the leadership last  month may you read a proclamation for the city   of Witchita for all people to have leadership for  all young people to have dignity and respect for   all young people to be put in these positions and  through our lived experience to catapult on that   the governor signed the same CL Proclamation for  the state if that's coming from the city that's   coming from the state that all young people  deserve investment why are we talking about   not investing in the same young people that  we pled to the city of wiah that the governor   just pled to the state of Kansas that this is  our mission is to give all young people the   resources and the tools to be successful this is  a great opportunity and we have a great chance in   a choice to make here it's tough that we have to  decide between fire and policing our communities   that's a tough choice that we shouldn't have to  make and I hope that's not the decision that's um that's not the line that we're having to  draw in the sand if we're going to support   this or this it can't be black and white  because nothing is ever black and white   and I believe that we can all agree on that  we have to be able to be Innovative and we   have to be able to be creative in the  solutions that we're um bringing up to   this solution so I want to ask city  council I want to ask the community   for November being youth Justice action month  what is your investment in the youth thank you good morning I only came here to talk about  AARP that was my goal was to get up early and   talk about AARP my name is Levant Williams and  I was a 35e educator all middle school all one   school and I was that person that I wanted them  to emulate when they grew up in teaching Middle   School we started an after school program 35  years ago 35 years ago we started an after   school program that after school program was for  10 Middle School schools it was to keep our kids   safe it was to keep our kids busy after school  so they wouldn't go home to an empty home to   make sure they had a snack so that they weren't  hungry but they could do their homework and then   they could engage in after school activities upon  retirement somebody said oh run for city council I   said no but my steps were ordered and I did what I  was ordered to do but when I came to City Council   that was the first thing that I wanted to make  sure we were looking out for and that was our   young people that was my goal no cigarette smoke  in the in the bowling alleys many other things   that we were saying that we were trying to do for  those that were coming after us and then I um and   then the school district comes along and they say  let us see how we can make sure sure that we're   helping in that area we now have two Future Ready  centers in usd259 I meet with usd259 on a regular   basis one of those is manufacturing so that a  child can come out of high school and make more   than some of us make the other was in health  being nurses going into the Health Arena you   have one that's coming now it'll be construction  and your next one will be uh digital and it 259   is looking out for our kids I've been looking out  for our kids as long as I can remember when I came   to council there was no mayor's youth Council we  went to the National League of cities and we come   back and I'm like where are our kids in the cute  little t-shirts that say wiah city council mayor's   youth Council we had none and so you have to take  those steps in order to move forward sometimes   those steps hurt but God creates those steps for a  purpose and we need to think about that we need to   think about future ready as a city council that is  our responsibility in making sure that our young   people grow up to be able to say yes I'm in AARP  we have too many things that are going on outside   of this Arena and we have got to think not only  our SE our streets not only our safety by fire   and police but we also need to think about safety  of our young people that 35e after school program   still continues to this day to this day along with  the partnership of the YMCA and so we need to be   thinking about something that the city council  can say we do this and it's still going on what   do we have what do we have right now we have  mayor's youth Council it's still going on my   after school program it's still going on what  do we have from the city what do we have that   is saying we are investing in our young people  we need to be thinking about those things sit   down and talk more with the people that are out  there doing these things looking at money saving   lives fire storage saving lives fire storage  for me our young people come first that was the   only thing I was thinking of when I was in your  seats is making sure that they come first or we   have no future city council members again I I  only came for AARP and thank you for thinking   about us and making wiah an age friendly City now  please think about making in a youth friendly City   we need that please look at the money and  invest where you see your investment later   AARP youth friendly City it's it's no question  for me which comes first thank you [Applause]   thank you former council member Levant may I ask  a follow-up question um the middle school after   school program actually asked the city of Witchita  for $115,000 this year um but the city cut their   funding by $50,000 so they were not fully funded  this year um so I I just want you to know that   the city did help with middle school after school  but not at the amount that they requested they're   actual budget for middle school after school  is $290,000 and again um now they're having to   look for additional funding funding has been going  down year after year but if we don't put something   aside that says this goes here this goes to fire  this goes police this goes to youth we're making   a big mistake I I can't see that I can't see that  we're going in the right direction so yes the YMC   does need it for the after school program but  I guarantee you we're saving those kids thank   you it's a great program and uh this is now a  question for staff um I would like a followup uh   to be sent to the council regarding the amount  of Investments we make on youth specifically   through the city of Witchita I know that  during the budget process uh there was a   whole presentation about crime prevention uh which  included Library uh parks recreation Cultural Arts   so can we get an amount of how much is actually  being spent on youth uh through the city of wiah we'll continue with public comment good morning uh Twilight Purity District  1 I live in the Polo Club I fully support full   funding of this program and I want to bring to  your attention something that you might not have   thought about when you asked um Miss Atkins Atkins  Woods to go get funding elsewhere I know a little   bit about what you're asking her because uh my  oldest daughter has a PHD in science uh black   women after she left Howard University she went  to UC San Diego to pursue a degree and first   of all as a black woman in science it was really  really difficult but then it has developed in her   a passion of um what well I guess a bias in grant  funding for people of color right so that's her   passion and uh she is contracted to work with  uh green 2.0 and she studies that for them so   when you ask um Miss Atkins Woods to go get  her own funding I just did a quick Google and   here are some things um that came up let's see  here this systematic racism reflected in Grant   allocations researchers argue and this is just  Google right I didn't spend a lot of time looking   at this kind of stuff um now this is from Green  2.0 environmental Experts of colored database so   um this is from their data uh actually from  their website just currently in 2022 a US   House Office of diversity and inclusion survey  found that 60% of non-governmental Witnesses   who testified at White um at house hearings  identified as white the implication is that   the voices of communities communities of color  are rarely represented before vital government   bodies even as decisions are being made that  directly impact their health livelihoods and families racial here's another headline racial  inequality and grant funding from US national   Institutes of Health and then this is kind  of my favorite um seven ways to reduce bias   in grant funding so right there you know  there is an assumption that there is bias   and grant funding and these biases are False  Consensus bias gender bias conflict of interest   bias confirmation bias race ethnicity and  cultural bias Affinity bias attribution   bias and language bias so a lot of those I can  imagine that Miss Atkins Woods is going to run   into right it's not easy as I mean it's you don't  understand sometimes your privilege if you're not   of color so I just want you to be aware of  that and consider that when you can uh think   about how much or actually I just hope you'll  fully fund their program thank you [Applause] good morning mayor councel uh for car K State  Representative uh 84th District uh and I wasn't   even going to speak today um I was just coming  to to to listen to the comments um however I will   say this um I'm concerned when uh it appears as  though the city or or any governmental body um uh   doesn't support those things that support the  community um that young man that died uh just   a short time ago uh at the quick trip that several  people have referenced before that's that's that's   in the middle of my district So This concerns me  uh and I understand how important these programs   are I'm not extremely familiar with with this  program but what I can tell you is that these   individuals are in the community and they're  trying I may not even agree with everything that   that they do but these individuals are are trying  you know I'm a product of some of these kinds of   programs in the past um I was fortunate enough  to be shot at but not shot but I stand before   you today because of some of those programs that  I went through um as a young man and because of   that every chance I get every opportunity  I get I try to give back to the community   that's what we have here we have an organization  that is attempting to give back to the community   and everybody's not doing that the only way  we can save people the only way we can save   our youth is to give back and what I employer  of the council to do today is simply give back   fund this program um they're out there trying  uh you know we all make mistakes in life and   and and I'm not even saying that that that that  that everything that they're doing is the right   thing but when you know that there's someone that  cares because as I was coming up that's what kept   me going you know that's what uh that's what led  me to go back to school for another semester right   and to continue going and then I look up and and  and and I've become exceptionally educated since   then only because I was in programs that in many  ways mimic this one and had individuals in it   that cared this program cares and I feel  like the city council and all levels of   government for that matter including  the state should care as well thank you how you doing my name is Quinton McIntosh  I'm not a part of that program but I am a member   of the community um I run a business in that  same Community I'm also a father of a child   that was part of that 2021 statistic that got  murdered and so I'm telling you I've had some   firsthand experiences with this organization some  different kids that's you know being involved in   this program and I'm telling you we need this  program in our community we need to fund it   the number one responsibility of any government  is Public Safety and so they're doing the job   of helping keeping this community safe and so I  agree with you know Congress uh councilman Johnson   this needs to be a part of consistent funding  every single year because they're doing part   of the job that is the responsibility of the  system and if you know I understand the due   diligence of what else can be accomplished with  this money but it's offensive to a lot of people   in the community where we're talking about  you know uh storage units you know for the   fire department we're talking about pickle ball  when you compare that to lives what it feels like   when your child's life is ripped from your  heart it's not a comparison that's all I got to say so Marita Ain swoods 3236 South silver  I'm southsider and so first off I want to   thank everybody that's yet gotten enough to speak  on our behalf I have to stop myself from crying   because um this issue is super super important  and I'm super passionate about our community   um and as we were leading up to this time I was  being reflective um of having to be in the space   where I have to defend wanting to help kids um  and wanting to help our community um and it made   me on social think about pull up a picture of me  at 16 years old holding obituaries of my friends   that were being murdered every single week in  the 90s um and being in the newspaper for that   advocacy that I was doing at 16 years old and  here I stand as a grown woman doing the same advocacy twil I wanted to thank you for  saying the things that I can't say I have   to edit myself and the response of saying that  we will do the due diligence is because I H I   have to as a woman of color as a leader of  a mostly black Le organization I have to   because sometimes when we come up here and we  ask for investment it feels like we're asking   for a handout and we're not cure violence is  doing the work and mayor when you speak to   the uh giving the task to your your staff to  see what kind of Youth or how many youth you   guys are impacting cure violence which is the  youth that you guys cannot reach care violence   reaches the youth that does not show up for  the things that you guys put out they reach   the youth that are not a part of what I call and  we need them and they're necessary the sidewalk nonprofits you cannot take people who had did not  have permission to get off the sidewalk and think   they're going to be able to communicate with kids  that are living on Survival every single day care   violence has managed to reach those youth and  their parents and bring them into a space they   are working with these young people every single  day and what they're showing their young people   what they're showing young people that they  are worthy of being invested in whenever you   listen to them talk about young people on the  news the message that they send is that young   people are out of control the message that they  send is that young people are a threat without   us as adults and Society taking accountability  for the world that we're given them so imagine   being a young person feeling like you have  a city that you don't belong to a city that   does not care about you and you're looking for  a place to belong imagine being a young person   that is living your life based on S survival  but having somebody finally come to you and   reach you and tell you you're worthy you're worth  more than a gun you are worth more than going to   prison because we don't just lose one child when  a child di dies we you we lose the children that   was a part of that accident too their brains  don't develop young men brains don't develop   until they're 25 years old it only takes one  second to change that child's trajectory one   second and our kids are under tremendous amount  of stress and this team is impact I always say   impact over Optics we can take a picture all day  but that does not mean that we're acting the way   that we do it's very rare that they take pictures  because they protect the young people that they   serve but their impact in this short amount of  time is immeasurable so I want to uplift the   care of violence team thank you for all that  you've done thank you for believing in this   work thank you for sharing the vision thank you  for dedicating your time the way you do day and   night and I also want to really really my phone  is going off and off because people are watching   our young people are watching and the message  that you're sending to them is whether they're   worth it or not and they should know for their  city that they are worth it thank you [Applause] I'll try to uh keep this short um my name is essic  Sims uh address 7400 West 37 Street north um I'm   a violence interruptor with cure violence um  so I get to go to work and do the work every   day um just real quick by showing hands how many  people have had that question if you could talk   to the old your your younger you what would you  say if everybody heard that expression and we all   every day I go to work I get to talk to myself  unfortunately for me I can't undo or unlive my   experiences so I go to work every day knowing that  I can make an impact on some young life somebody's   young life so they don't have to go through what  I want went through for what I put my community   Through for I put what what I put my family  through so many of us all these guys in Orange we   all take that approach every day we get to make a  difference we get to save people because we can't   save ourselves from some of the things that we we  endured some of the things we went through we get   to save young people and I got all the confidence  in this team that that's exactly what we're going   to do that's what we've been doing we've been  saving lives and we're GNA continue to do that   if you ask Janette who got up here and spoke would  she spend $1.6 million to have her child back she   would say yes if you ask them parents who just  lost a cat child at Quick Trip would they give   that money to have their child back they would  say yes if you ask my sister my nephew who was   murdered by gun violence would she give that  money to have her child back her answer would   be an emphatic yes because our comfortable homes  that we go home to every day and we block out the   world and this stuff that's going on out here  in these streets that are real um those homes   become uncomfortable when there's pain in those  homes when you can't put your arms around your   child anymore it becomes very uncomfortable and  unfortunately there are a lot of families right   here in the city of Witchita who are living  uncomfortable right now we can change that   the decision we make today can change that we can  start changing and start mending our community and   that's exactly what we are seeking to do that's  the work that we are doing every day we go through   this man and it's hard yes it's hard but we show  up every day mentally emotionally it's draining   it can be draining but we are invested and we  are invested into the community we're invested   in the people of this community and that's all  we want to do we just want an opportunity to   do our jobs our jobs that we're passionate about  and that's it that's all I wanted to [Applause] say my name is brel Chamberlain and I'm the  program manager for cure violence my address   is 619 East William when we came up before you in  September we were proud of the work we did in such   a short time right but we don't we don't show you  everything you know we don't celebrate all of our   wins because we're too busy doing the work my  team gets up in the middle of the night if we   hear about something and we go check on it my team  will get up if there's a party we'll work even if   we worked all day we'll get up again and go make  rounds and check and tap in with our participants   to make sure things are okay right when we when  you think of a violence Interruption you think of   an interaction or a mediation that we might do  but the residual impact of that mediation like   AJ said it has Ripple effects right because once  we mediate that situation we keep in contact with   both parties we follow up with them we make  sure that we know a state of mind they're in   if something happens that we know that might be  connected to something that will affect them we   go follow back up and we touch base and we do that  with every person we interact with if you look at   the numbers the things that we are doing has a  exponential impact on the community so it's not   just what we're doing within our community in  district one and District three it's how we're   helping y communities it's all the district  so it's a Citywide problem that we're working   effortlessly and we're not complaining about it  one thing in working in call centers all these   years that I've learned is that we always have to  let everybody know what's in it for them right and   when you look at Public Safety as a whole this  isn't something we should be debating because   what's ining for you it's not it's not even just  for you it's for your families it's for your your   relatives for your kids the work that we do with  individuals it impacts everybody and everyone   benefits in this room everyone benefits in the  city when we offer wraparound Services the stuff   that we do when we work with our individuals when  we work with our participants when we're getting   them mental health therapy when we're getting  their parents jobs when we're working with them   to get their GED or get those educations that's  a that affects everything when you were look at   this when you were talking about uh let me pull  this up real quick when you look at how it impacts   the court systems the police systems the medical  systems the city of wiah events our events will   be able to go from start to finish because of the  work that we're doing every day and to be debating   about about whether or not we want to extend it  through 2026 it shouldn't even be an end date   on this on the funding because at the end of the  day the work that we're doing is making Witchita   safer and everybody's going to benefit when you  have a event that people put so much money into   and it gets disrupted by a VI intervent I mean a  incident that calls out police it could end up in   someone being harmed or shot or anything the work  that we're doing today is going to have a residual   impact and has the capacity to be able to impact  us as a city to bring more Revenue into the City   by us having safer events and being able to have  safer places to go so to come back here today and   to be fighting for the the future of our funding  is it is confusing because we should all be on the   same page when it comes to this public safety is  a city of witch our thing and it's something that   we shouldn't be debating here our funding should  be secure because of the work that we're doing   and because of how it's going to impact everybody  in this room that's one thing we should be all on   the same page about my team we don't have office  hours from 9: to 5: whenever we're needed we show   up and we show up ready and we're doing this out  of our hearts and sometimes out of our pockets and   we don't even complain and the reason why we do it  is because we love the people and the love that we   have for you guys and supporting Public Safety  we just want that back today that's [Applause] it hello Council my name is Tyler Williams I  am a resident in the deleno area and I would   just like to say you know this is something  that the community has been looking for for   a long time now we have been looking for extra  support for the Youth police have been asking   for extra support from their community and  I believe that this is the opportunity that   best fits the bill I mean this is the missing  public piece that the community needs I feel   like now is the best time to continue to invest  in our future thank [Applause] you council member Johnston sorry mayor I'll wait till you bring  it back to the bench we'll continue with public comment I see nobody else from the public who  would like to speak we will bring it back to   the bench with questions first and then I guess  more comments council member Johnston thank you   mayor I don't think it's a question of if  it should be funded I think it's a question   of how it should be funded um is government always  the answer that's a fundamental question and we   probably disagree with that about that on the  bench here um I will give Marquita more credit   than just giving you a phone and asking you to  raise it that's not what you would do I know   you develop relationships you already have and  I have a lot of faith in you be able to raise   the money I don't think it's a choice between  uh kids and fire department or fire storage   unit like it's a choice of how we how we spend  our money as a government and taxpayers and we   should invest we should invest in kids and  we should invest in this program that's why   I would Advocate to continue to invest in  it in 26 27 28 29 not to the level that we   have now with arpa money that's I know it's  it's it's government money but it's not money   in our budget so but I would invest in it but I  think how we invest in it and the timing of it is important disparities in health are very very  important very important I live with it every   day probably know I run galupe Clinic  where 78% Hispanic uh people of color   were over 83% people of color maybe more than  that I raise $1.9 million every year for that   clinic and I I I take exception to to Twila I  know you pulled up some articles you can pull   up articles on anything you want um but there  are a lot of agencies and people who care about care about minorities in this community want to  help I call on every single day I do and they will   invest not everybody I understand that they will  invest something that has the track record of just   matter of days really that you have and seeing the  results that you have people will invest in that   personally I will invest in that they will  invest in you uh you have a dynamic uh Dynamic   leader that I have complete faith in they have  obviously have a wonderful staff I can just   seem to be able to tell that uh I have faith in  you and and I would like to give you some money   maybe not all of it um but I I think I think  your mission is important very very important   I do want to support it and I'll help you  even outside of the council offices if I   can relationships and things we glad to do that um  but it's just it's a it's a matter of how we spend   our money too it's important I think you can do  well fund you all the way through 25 to a certain   degree um I think 14 months you can figure it out  I have complete faith matter of fact I would say   you could probably raise couple $100,000 a month  I have that much faith in you so I think you can   expand it so I don't think it's a question  if I think it's a question of how how it's funded so I appreciate the work you've done  appreciate the work you're going to do I think   it is so important I I'm one of my sons is a  principal middle school he was at North High   and he was at Hamilton and I get it I get it  I heard stories from you I get it you know   and it is important um but how it's funded  is also important so I have I have a lot of   faith in you I really do thank you council  member hois thank you mayor um first off   I want to do what the kids I guess say give  people flowers so thank you to all your all the   Cure violence uh employees here all the violence  interrupts because I've already seen it firsthand   um we have excitement from people in plane view  first time in a long time that's a hard crowd to   to really get jazzed up or to let them know that  we are investing in them because on the south side   we have hardly any programs like this going that's  one of the most difficult things I've found in the   couple of years I've been on Council is working  with outside Partners who have invested in this   outside because there there's not very many at all  so thank you for being there like again I've heard   you guys helped with the unity and the community  March you guys were helping pass out flyers a   lot of the other services that you do this isn't  just about violence this is about letting people   know that we care that we're going to invest in  you um to your points violence spreads it might   start in the Third District it might start in  the first district but violence does not know   these boundaries it it can be somebody from any  other District who ends up getting hurt by a lot   of the violence that starts in these target  areas um council member Johnson asked earlier   about people with lived experience with this one  of these boundaries in this sou side includes my   neighborhood my neighborhood that I grew up in Mrs  hoisel was driving around with the hoisel family   van with bullet holes in the side of it because  of violence that happens in my neighborhood um I   was the only thing I can think of is just how  grateful I am that some of those spare bullets   did not go and take out some of my family some of  my younger sisters and brothers and um kids that   we played on the playground with so this this does  register with me 100% um I appreciate all the work   that you have done WPD has talked about it usd259  you guys getting out there at football games you   guys getting out there when they have something  to send to you guys as well so you guys all across   the board are are doing the work that you need  to be doing now people ask us electeds I get   asked this all the time especially talking about  violence in our communities what are we doing what   are we doing this is one of my my response is  right here and this is a program I believe in   100% that it will have an impact and we have a  responsibility for Public Safety that is goal   number one that is the truth that is goal number  one with our job um so nothing is free everything   takes investment everything takes investment and I  understand the challenge it is and council member   Johnson you you are in this area you understand  and it from a lot of people that talked to there's   an increased number of nonprofits going for  a decreasing amount of dollars out there it's   getting a lot more competitive and we have a  chance right now to make sure that you guys   are going through 2026 to put the investment  in you to really dig into again a lot of the   other things that you guys are accomplishing  here you're trying to dig into generational   issues here you're trying to break down barriers  that we have you guys are going outside of just   the the mission that we've we've given you here  you guys are working as the the mother said   earlier access to Mental Health Services access  to housing access to a lot of other things helping   people who do not know how to navigate the system  teaching them how to navigate the system um again   institutional barriers that have been up for quite  a long time um this is not a competition between   fire and Public Safety here the fire Services  the everything like that the storage facility   the apparatuses those are in the CIP those will  get paid for those will get bought if we want   to trim something from other programs we can have  that debate but this is not a competition between   Public Services here um this is not a competition  between Public Safety priorities the last thing   I want to talk about here is the impact we're  going to have on the kids again I talked about   this any number of kids could have been hit  by some straight bullets that went off in my neighbor during my time on Council the most  difficult thing that I've had to live with is   a one-year-old child getting murdered in my  district because of nonsense people not not   able to deal with some other issues that were  going on if we had gotten to that individual   who pulled that trigger five six years ago with  a program like this to teach them how to behave   appropriately how to work through their feelings  in a responsible manner giving them an alternate   path that one-year-old could be here right now and  so the decisions we're making right now are going   to have an impact on an Untold number of people  there's no Earth be out there we cannot come back   and say oh we saved this many people because of  this the only thing we can do is try try try be   held accountable for results change our plan as it  goes along if there are flaws in it but we have to   try we have to invest this is the investment in  public safety that we need this is an investment   for our children and the children of the future I  am 100% in favor of fully funding you guys through   2026 if I'm up here then I I would definitely like  to have the conversation of continuing to fund you   guys in some degree provided we have the results  and we are on the right track which I have fa   that we will be so uh these are my comments  from the bench I I'd just like to see this get   done thank you council member Johnson thanks  mayor thank you council member hoisel I too   want to thank you all for the work that you were  doing I've seen it firsthand I've heard about it   secondhand and third hand I see the Facebook  post I see the impact that you are making so   I appreciate the time and investment that you've  made even those times when you're up at 2:00 and   3: in the morning when the rest of us are sleep  so I want to thank you for that I also want to   provide clarification um twila's comments were not  too um about organizations that serve primarily   people of color it was about organizations  led by people of color um and just keeping   it real like I always do um I have one of those  organizations I know those organizations often   times we talk about who is our white friend who  can go help us make those connections because   we can't always get those so that was what  twiler was referring to it's definitely real   she found some real quick Google stuff but I can  tell you from experience that's true I want to   highlight um one of the comments made this this is  about government's role and I'm I'm glad that came   up because I've continued to say it government's  role is to provide Public Safety that's one of   the main key things and that is not just law  enforcement that's also intervention that's   prevention and that's these types of efforts and  our role is not necessarily to do it ourselves   it's to put the money out there for the folks who  have the expertise to do it which is what we are   talking about today crime prevention intervention  folks who have lived experience folks who know   how to reach these young people as council member  hoisel said that is absolutely what we should be   doing and honestly outside of again just voting to  extend this to next year voting on the additional   funds to go to 2026 this should have permanent  funding in the city budget going forward past   2027 if we you're serious about crime prevention  and intervention if we're serious about getting to   those young people that the organizations may not  reach then we have to fund this I've said this for   years there's a lot of great organizations out  there but a lot of the young folks that they're   talking to don't care about those organizations  they're not going to walk through those doors   and they don't want to hear from those folks they  want to talk to the people in the orange shirts   and the people in the orange shirts can get them  to think about maybe going to those organizations   and making different choices in life but they're  not going to walk into those organizations freely   when we talk about even the kids who aren't going  to school how are you going to reach them well I   think the people in the orange shurts know how to  reach them and where they are sometimes teachers   and counselors don't this program is essential  for us if we're really talking about reducing   gun violence if we're talking about safety if  we're talking about prevention and intervation   this is just as important as our police budget  and if we're serious about increasing that and   giving law enforcement all the tools they need  they also need the violence interrupts because   the violence interrupts get into places where  they cannot um I really hope that we strongly   consider both actions today but my challenge to  all future councils and I said this even before   I was on council at every level of government this  is the type of stuff that has to be funded if we   want to see a change and it can't just be we hope  it happens and it's great that you all started   we gave you some seed money and now hopefully  folks in the community uh contribute they need   to raise some funds as well but government's role  is Public Safety that means government has a role   in funding this every year just like we do law  enforcement and yes they should be challenged to   raise some additional dollars I know they won't  have a problem doing so but if we're serious as   a government a local government about that then  we need to truly commit to funding them and we   need to fund them every year going forward  council member Tuttle thank you um thank you   so much for being here today and for sitting this  long it's it's been been a bit and we have a long   way yet to go I'll challenge anyone to stay till  the end um and and thank you for the work that   you do truly and I truly mean that because you  are not only impacting lives but quite possibly   saving them and potentially putting your lives at  risk while you're doing it and that is absolutely   not lost on me I say this often for those of you  who haven't been here before I refer back to the   mission of the city of witcha almost every time  I make any vote and the mission of the city of   witchta is to be an exceptionally well-run City  and one of the four pillars of how we do that is   to provide Public Safety I understand this is not  a program within theop Police Department it's a   public safety program but I think it's a tool in  our tool belt for Public Safety we've invested   in any and in other I would say non-traditional  policing strategies other than just you know boots   on the street with officers and and I think that  this is an Innovative program that from everything   I've read and did some research this weekend is  a program that is being modeled Across the Nation   because it's working other communities like Kansas  City and Baltimore etc etc etc aren't implementing   it because it's not working they're seeing other  communities have success um one of the things that   we built our entire budget around was based on  the community survey and we had four quadrants   and they were things we do really well things  maybe don't do as well things that are really   important to the community things that were not as  important to the community crime crime prevention   and violence prevention was one of the things that  our community said was the most important thing to   them they didn't think we doing it very well so  when we spent 10 months nine months developing a   budget we referred back to straight maintenance  crime prevention and economic development more   times than I could ever count that's also in the  back of my mind when I'm making this decision uh I   received as my colleagues I'm sure did several  emails including the Kansas Health Foundation   I didn't receive any emails or communication of  someone who was not supportive of this that also   matters to me I do want to see and and I hope my  colleagues will potentially agree that as we move   forward and especially in the potential second  phase that there is something for a sustainability   plan and a funding plan um I am optimistic for  you as well but fundraising is hard and we don't   want to come back in a few years and they not  be funding because we won't have funding this   is a one-time opportunity I am also cognizant of  the fact that one-year funding and prevention is   uncommon uh for every prevention Grant I've seen  in public health over the last how many years it   usually gives you two years to get up and running  and develop your sustainability my final comment   is you know my public health background is woven  into these thoughts but equally as important to   me is I am a fiscal conservative and I believe  the return on invest assment that the research   shows of $1 spent is $33 potentially saved is  important in the decision that I'm making um   I I want to make decisions with my heart but I  also want to make decisions with my head and the   cost effectiveness of this program is something  that will be driving the decision that I make   and I will be supportive today thank you council  member glov thank you mayor every vote that this   body does is a tradeoff to something and there's  funding sources for in operating budget there's   CIP there's arpa and fusion that's been brought  here but every single thing we make every single   thing we do is we choose one thing over something  else regardless of what bucket of money it comes   from and today showed that as well resources are  limited they're going to be more limited in 25   26 and 27 and just earlier today four members of  this body voted over $500,000 to fund two public   toilets more than a price of one home in the city  of the average funding of a home in the city and   that's $500,000 with your operating budget that  500,000 can go to funding $100,000 of operations   every single month and so we have to ask ourself  when we're funding things from this bench it is a   trade-off because there are limited taxpayer  resources regardless of what bucket money it   comes from and today we made the choice to  fund bathrooms at $500,000 when money can be   spent in different ways and that's incredibly  upsetting because it is a choice anybody that   says it isn't it's not being truthful to me this  comes down to one thing 24 24 days and 65 days I   don't believe that 24 days can prove the efficacy  of Any Grant or program but I do believe in the   potential of your organization and that you can  have the return on investment and that you will   make a measurable difference in this community and  I fully do believe that and I support full funding   of the program to the levels agreed to that would  extend it to June of 2025 um and really extending   the funding agreement this body still has to  vote to extend that funding agreement until   June of 2025 and I do support that and the only  reason this is coming to us today is because we   have to burn through this money and arpa money  because there's a timetable on it otherwise we   could be having this conversation months down  the road in terms of the efficacy of your program   and the Cure violence initiative and we should be  having this conversation months down the road not   now because of stipulations on federal funding  we're having having this conversation way too   early to I think give you justice and to prove  the efficacy of your organization and so um I'm   conflicted at this time of voting for 100%  increase in funding and we only have 24 days   of data by the time this was presented as to a  workshop and 65 days to this point now that's more   than $1.6 million 100% increase of funding again  with only about a month to be able to show for it   and the manager said specifically when I asked the  question that if it was not for this deadline we   would not be having this conversation right now  um and so I will support extending the funding   through June of 2025 and I either and I'll even  support an extension of funding through the end   of 2025 so full additional six months extension of  funding um with a caveat that I think we should be   able to wean down funding sources um because  I believe in the potential of cure violence I   support I will support the extension of more than  a half a million dollars and because I believe in   your potential that you can't fully depend  on the city um and you cannot fully depend   on City support and we should help guide you on  sustainable funding model move forward I see you   I hear you I see the work you're doing and I think  there's a way that we can make sure to wean you   off of our funding specifically because government  is not the answer you are the answer Community is   the answer and the work you're doing is the answer  every single day and that's why it can't be fully   riing on us because we'll fail you this body will  fail you this building will fail you government   will fail you and it's failed you multiple times  before and so I think we can try to empower you   to have a sustaining model in the uh future but  if we're going to fully sustain it in 25 26 27 28   we have a budget deficit and we're going to fail  you and so that's kind of my thought up here I'm   interested in seeing if you're further discussion  if there's a a proposal or a motion to extend this   is not about choosing Public Safety or something  else uh this is how do we fully fund programs that   are doing a good job in our community and how can  we use our money efficiently and spend money on   resources like this and not spending money um in  ways that we shouldn't be spending M vice mayor   Ballard thank you mayor I would just like to share  I'm not just a leader of the city I'm a mother I'm   a mother of a 14-year-old son hearing some of  these stories today are devastating absolutely   devastating we know what happens when programs  like these are not fully funded we know we hear   it we see it daily our community survey much like  council member tutle says uh results show crime   prevention is one of our top four priorities of  the city the magenta block is low quality High   importance and that happens to be crime prevention  I just want to say thank you from the bottom of   my heart for the work that cure violence is doing  and I'll be fully supportive of fully funding this program I will just add um a couple of clarifying  questions as well sorry comments um one of the   speakers and I want to say thank you to the 13  speakers who spoke up during public comment also   thank you to all the letters of support um that  were shared To Us by Marquita uh we appreciate   community members school resource officers and the  Kansas Health Foundation again for supporting this   initiative um one of the comments by one of the 13  individuals said we're pitting one or organization   versus another and um I want to clarify that  by asking the city manager uh this question uh   the email that I asked um immediately after the  workshop was in regards to um these arpa dollars   that need to be spent and the results of what  could be used were presented by the city manager   from Elizabeth G tree so they were not created by  Lily woo I asked staff what were the options and   they gave us the options of fire storage facility  Patrol East as well as buyer apparatus City Hall   elevator rehab and playground Renovations is  that correct city manager it is correct that   those were options that that would meet the arbit  guidelines so again I did not pit one organization   against another organization I know how important  Public Safety is that is the number one role of   local government public safety and so I'm very  appreciative that cure violence Witch Is Here   is showing results appreciate the relationships  you're building in community I know I will further   Echo that there are wonderful organizations that  again Marquita mentioned you guys have reached   out to and have relationships with including but  not limited to this list which top Public Schools   Future Ready Advocate mentors McKinny vento usd259  greater witcha ministerial League the body of   Christ hope for the hood Heroes Academy Urban  League of witcha Big Brothers Big Sisters Boys   and Girls Club and as Levant mentioned the middle  school after school program which is now funded uh   primarily through the YMCA and people who donate  to the YMCA so I'm very appreciative that there   are so many organizations that are trying to help  all types of Youth uh whether at risk youth or   youth just in our community including the city  of witcha which I have asked uh staff to present   to us what are initiatives that we as a city uh  entity uh help in terms of Youth whether it's   libraries parks recreation um so so that we have a  clear understanding that we are making intentional   investments in youth we care about youth many  of the decisions we make here we know impact   daily lives so we have to be very thoughtful  about voting yes no or abstaining and so I um   asked again the city manager for options because  I knew that we're going to face a budget deficit   in 2026 and Beyond and so I asked um how those  federal dollars which were meant for one-time   infusion um would help the city of witcha and so  I believe that it's generally a bad practice to   use temporary money on what could be perceived as  a permanent program until as a body we've decided   that it is a permanent program and how will we  funded moving forward now the program um may be   great and I'm so excited that pure cure violence  wiah is off to a great start and I hope that it   is successful I just want to make sure that we're  prioritizing and spending money wisely especially   when we're facing a budget deficit this money  could be used for a capital Improvement project   and the example that again the city manager  provided was a storage building for fire which is   necessary and is part of our strategic plan which  then would free up dollars that could be used for   another CIP project many of these CIP projects  are maintenance projects we've already invested   in the project one time and now we need money to  keep it up so that it continues being an asset in   community and if the program cure violence witch  proves to be successful and I hope it does we can   always reconsider additional funding at a later  date so I will be supportive of again extension of   the current 1.5 million to June 30th 2025 as well  as supportive of a a balance scheme uh that would   support violence um cure violence but also help  us with our CIP projects council member Johnson   thanks mayor um again the the point I made earlier  was there was a um a staff recommendation that was   coming to the council after the workshop uh with  arpa fund supporting the violence interrupted   program because there were uh because there was a  request for additional options we received those   options that means that for whatever reason um  there was a question about should we fund this   program and can we do something else with those  funds is how I see that so if I saw something and   then I asked staff for options that means I'm  really not in favor of that I want to see some   other options for us to fund so that was just  clarifying what I was saying earlier it ends up   being kind of an either or thing in that situation  the other thing I point I want to make we haven't   talked about arpa in depth um in quite some time  but being on the council during the pandemic and   when these funds came in there were a couple  points around the country that arpa really   wanted to to make one the federal government  understood that we were going to have some real   budget issues based upon a pandemic recession and  if we wanted to keep staff um service levels up   then we would need some of those funds to pay our  people so we spent about half of the arpa dollars   on making sure we didn't have significant  layoffs or furlows or things like that and I   appreciate the manager leadership on that and the  finance team the other thing was um as a city we   committed over $20 million to invest in the  community but more importantly around the country   cities were investing in new ideas bridging  Equity gaps maybe even starting new programs   and it happened Nationwide you can Google that  not my words you can look that up this is one of   those things that we saw around the country that  worked you can look at Baltimore there's crime   reduction there Dr Parker can probably give you a  lot more examples of that but in those different   areas folks had some dollars to try something  new or things they had aspired to do over time   and it's working these investments in cities that  made them actually made impacts this is one of   those things as well and I hope the council does  have the conversation of what our role is in this   because I think we continue to look at destination  innovation in the black and white sense of it's   a nonprofit but it's truly an extension of our  crime prevention and intervention efforts it's an   extension of that that means it's necessary it's  important it needs to continue it's not optional   let's give you a little bit good luck it's a if  we are serious about reaching the young people   that these other organizations can not and will  not reach then we need to make that investment   it's really not an option it's not an option to  me it's something I'm going to bring up every   budget time with this Council and future councils  this type of effort has to continue to be funded   if we really want to see true um violent crime  reduction in the city and giving young people   more opportunities to engage in nonviolent ways  and understand how to problem solve in ways that   are not physical um and definitely not permanent  with guns or other violent actions like that this   is something that has to happen and it should  be a part of every conversation going forward   when it comes to crime prevention intervention and  again Youth Empowerment because a lot of the young   people that uh the folks in Orange will reach out  to they do need to be empowered they do need to   see some other opportunities they need they need  to be challenged to think a little bit differently   and I think this is the group that can do  it we've seen it already so I wanted to   provide that clarification on comments I made  earlier and again um definitely support this   program um with the staff recommendation  because it's necessary and it needs to continue this resides in part in Council  district one and Council District 3 thank you mayor um I do want to take  some language that my colleague brought   up council member Tuttle so I would  make a motion that the city council   approve the amendment um authorize the  necessary signatures and provide that   quarterly reports uh are provided to the city  of Witchita and a sustainability plan developed   and updates on funding be provided to  the city second motion and a second uh we'll open it up for comment council member Johnston thank  you mayor thank you mayor I would like   to make a substitute motion uh to include the  additional reporting requirements to extend the   grant through June of 2025 the original 1.5  million Grant through 20 20 June 2025 then   I'd like to recommend funding from July  25 through March of 26 in the amount of 600,000 uh expenses will re be reimbursed  at 100% of the current burn rate uh in   July August and September of 25 first  three months not to exceed $106,000 that's total of $318,000 the remaining 182,000  would be reimbursed at 70% of the current burn   rate in October not to exceed $74,000 and 50% of  the burn rate November and December not to exceed $54,000 then there would be an additional  $3 33,333 in January and February and March   totaling $100,000 uh this is a tapering  effect um to get them on their own uh   funds not expended each month could be carried  forward and ex extend extended as a contingency funding second thank you   we have a substitute motion and a second any  further discussion I see none so that means the   substitute motion gets the vote first that's  correct mayor Madame clerk please open the role motion does not carry at 4 to 3 we are back we're back on the first motion  motion and a second by uh council member   hoisel any further discussion I see none oh  council member tutle thank you and council   member um Johnston I do appreciate your efforts  I think that it really it shows you're being   a good thinker you're trying to help with the  viability of the program so I do appreciate that   um I I prefer instead of a phased in approach  which you know I I appreciate it and like I said   I can tell you put some time and thought into  it I think the the clearer easier message for   this program is like I said this is a one-time  opportunity this is unique funding as council   member Glascock mentioned we wouldn't be in this  situation if there wasn't a deadline that's why   I'm appreciative that sustainability was put  in there and the fact of developing a sustain   stainability plan so um I do want to thank council  member Johnston for for providing that option   but I think this is just an easier path to move  forward and to have the very clear understanding   that this at this point is onetime funding after  2026 we'll look at the results and see what   happens but at this point this is the arpa dollars  that have to be expended now so thank you council   member Glascock mayor I would also like to offer  a substitute motion um I may need legal cons a   for this first is it permissible to offer another  motion under the rules of parliamentary procedure   that the council's adopted only one substitute  motion is allowed is there another form of motion   to offer make an amended motion an amended motion  okay I'll make an amended motion to the motion on   the floor from councilman Johnson um that right  now the funding sources 1.6 million I would move   that we amend that to 1.1 million redirecting  $500,000 and change I think it's $538,000 from   the bathrooms voted on earlier today redirect that  funding to fund this project to an amount of 1.1 million that's an amended motion so it would  be a motion an amended motion and then we   would have to take a motion to reconsider  the vote earlier today regarding the 500   38,000 that we have accepted in the bid so  it be a redirect of the bid accepted today   to fund this project at 1.1 million instead  of the 1.6 million uh but to fund it at 1.1 million council member Johnson  thanks mayor uh Jennifer two   quick questions one would I have to  accept that Amendment since it was my motion there's any rule on that so it's up to the  chair to determine okay no in the parliamentary   procedures that we've adopted well I personally  don't accept that Amendment um two don't you   have to be in the prevailing party on an item  to bring it back up that is correct okay thank   you so would anybody in the prevailing party wish  to redirect $500,000 spent on bathrooms towards   an essential function of Public Safety no okay  thank you for the record council member Tuttle it's not working there we go um I appreciate  creativ creative thinking um appreciate fiscal   responsibility um I do see the value of having the  restrooms um not just for the homeless but also   for the visitors to our community the part that is  again it's the same thing of putting Public Safety   with this program it's fire now we're putting this  program against restrooms it they it's not Apple   to Apples there's oranges in this bag too right  and so I am not going to be supportive even though   I was the the prevailing party I just think that's  a a slippy slope for us to go down so but thank   you for the creativity council member Johnston  thank you mayor I just don't think it's prudent to   do something two years and then go to zero I just  don't think it's prudent um so I I do support you   will support you and I I will contribute to your  mission personally um but I but I won't support   full 1.6 million I do support you council member  glassock I just want to give one last opportunity   for anybody in the prevailing party there's  two members that said they would support it opportunity okay draw my emitted motion so  we have a motion and a second um any further   discussion I see none before we cast The Ballot I  just want to make mention that again I asked a lot   of questions regarding the CIP and the budget  so I would like to know how we will fund um   a program if this carries with arpa dollars how  they would be funded in 206 Beyond 26 um so that   would be more of a staff question at some point to  answer mayor as I understand the motion they will   be required to submit a sustainability plan that  assumes that there is no one-time money available   from the city at the end of 26 that that's what  I understood the motion to be so there will be   no funding Beyond 2026 I I can't I wasn't the  author this is the way I interpret what was   here in terms of the development of the  sustainability plan council member Johnson   thanks mayor U the motion is that they will  submit a sustainability plan it may assume   that there is no funding that does not mean that  it won't be funding because I think that this body   should commit funding to them um but they are  working on a plan they're already fundraising   so they will submit a plan to show that they  can be sustainable I will make the argument   that we should continue to support them at  at least a million dollars a year anyway we have the motion in a second and no more  discussion so Madame clerk can you please open the role motion carries 4 to three Madame clerk  please call the next item mayor my stomach's getting it is almost 10 till 2 can we  take a short break 15 minute break and   just declare recess as 15 I will  declare a recess for 15 minutes we   will return at 205 sure you don't want  to just power through get this whole me e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e good afternoon mayor and city council members   my name is Brooke couck I'm in the office of  community services within the city manager's   office here to present today on the  healthy Corner Store Initiative Program implementation some background is as early as  2017 the health and wellness Coalition raised   alarms about the lack of access to healthy food  in witon neighborhoods the Coalition commissioned   a report to build off the 2013 Community Food  assessment and they found that approximately   a quarter of residents living in Witchita did not  have access to healthy food and found the cost of   basic food items to vary greatly across the city  many food items being more expensive in lowincome neighborhoods traditionally a food desert is  defined as a lowincome area where a significant   number of residents have low access to grocery  stores or supermarkets the USDA describes low   access for an urban area like Witchita as living  more than one mile from a full service grocery   store while much progress has been made in  our community to increase the availability of   healthy food options significant opportunities  are available to continue the momentum in 2020   the city of Witchita sedick County and Community  Partners created a food system master plan with a   key goal to improve access to healthy food and  an objective of addressing areas of the city   considered food deserts and lack access to grocery  these neighborhoods are low income are low access   and have low vehicle access in early 2022 both  governing bodies adopted the food system master plan in the fall of 2021 and spurred  by recent grocery closures excuse me   the city council contracted with new Venture  advisors to evaluate potential solutions to   addressing food access challenges  recommendations included leverage   Lessons Learned From peer cities to create a  healthy CornerStore initiative in the city's   lowincome and low access neighborhoods and  utilize American Rescue plan act arpa funds   to support food access initiatives based on  these recommendations and a proposal submitted   by new Venture advisers in May of 2022 the  city council allocated 1 million in arpa   funding to support the design and creation  of a witch healthy Corner Store initiative   new Venture advisers partnered with the food  trust to facilitate the creation of a Witchita   healthy Corner Store initiative pilot program  implementation plan plan which was informed by   stakeholder feedback and best practices this  report informed the creation of a request for proposal the city's Review Committee received  two proposals after a thorough review the   committee decided to reject all bids due to  the proposer lack of experience with Grant   Administration food distribution at scale and  proposed performance measurement and monitoring the proposers were debriefed by City staff and  City staff re-engaged the healthy Corner Store   initiative steering committee and stakeholders  for guidance and feedback to retool and improve   the process from this the city learned more  about the community's needs and opportunities   to provide services in the city as a result City  staff and Consultants adapted to a request for   appli application process seeking a program  administrator to develop manage and coordinate   a Consortium of organizations to implement a  healthy Corner Store initiative food Access   program as part of a sustainable system for  addressing food insecurity in the community   the RFA was released in February 2024 City staff  convened food system consultants for additional   feedback on applications per Consultants review  of the three applications received by the City   Witchita State University's Community engagement  institutes was the strongest as evidenced by their   capacity to manage arpa funds coordinate  partners and Implement a program Citywide   nevertheless both processes uncovered Community  assets and strengths in the local food system   the healthy Corner Store initiative will  create a model of embedding fresh fruits   and vegetables into accessible already existing  small businesses in the neighborhoods that need   them most the healthy CornerStore initiative  steering committee identified five program goals per the proposal 11 corner stores will  participate alongside three community-based   organizations or neighborhood Liaisons  Witchita State University's Community   engagement Institute will serve as as the  program administrator uh sedick County kstate   research and extension will serve in the role  of nutrition consultant Mr MC's Market will   serve as the corner store activator and  act as the main liaison for interested   and participating stores Mr MC's Market will  also gather orders from stores and purchase   items in a centralized order to distribute to  the stores neighborhood liaison will provide   additional Community level support in the  areas the program is being implemented the   model will increase Community capacity by  connecting local resources to entrepreneurs   in the Target communities and community-based  organizations seeking to expand healthy food access as you can see this is the program timeline  once the contract is executed from December 2024   to June 2025 will be initial program development  and implementation starting July 2025 additional   corner stores will be onboarded and October  2026 final reimbursement requests will be due   and the program will close in December 2026 with  recommendations for sustainability and Lessons Learned Financial considerations include that  the city of Witchita allocated 1 million in arpa   funding for food system initiatives available  under category 2.32 business incubators and   startup or expansion assistant an allocation of  $49,000 was utilized for the contract with new   Venture advisers a remaining balance of $950,000  excuse me Dollar is available to fund wiah State   University's Community engagement institutes  implementation of the healthy Corner Store   Initiative Program the law department  has reviewed and approved the agreement ment it is recommended that the city council  approve the agreement authorize the necessary   signatures and authorize staff to approve future  budget revisions between classifications I will   note the proposal has been shared with members  of the food and farm Council and they have been   engaged throughout the process I'll stand for  any questions questions for staff beginning   with council member hoisel thank you mayor uh  thank you Brooke I appreciate the presentation   um do we can we identify any of the up to  three neighborhood Liaisons who might be   helping out with this program um that is  a good question I do have Joanna sabali   with WSU Community engagement Institute to  potentially speak more on that yeah thank you hello I'm Joanna fa I live in District 2 um  so we haven't fin fin ize the selection of those   neighborhood Liaisons because it really depends  on which corner stores end up participating we   want that to be very neighborhood specific um so  that if in the end when a store commits to being   in the program they have the support within their  actual neighborhood so what would the neighborhood   Liaisons be doing the neighborhood Liaisons are  helping um with kind of community um engagement so   they'll be using their networks that already exist  to provide um information to the community U that   local community about the program and what's going  on we do have some organizations that we've spoken   with but we haven't finalized stores and we  haven't finalized the neighborhood leum at this   point okay um in regards to the stores uh it looks  like we have two different kind of kind of uh   pushes here five stores each each Brown um do we  have any target areas for these stores I I mean I   see the map and everything but is it are we going  to focus in one area of town first or is it just   as they come up the best possible locations yes  that's a great question so we our first store will   be Mr MC's Market they will be a demonstration  site um and they're located at 21st and Grove 1 35   um and Grove like well around 21st and 135 um I've  visited before so I've been a customer sir awesome   so um they'll be receiving the intervention first  and then with their Lessons Learned they'll helped   recruit additional Stores um I know um Mr McIntosh  has already spoken with mini stores so kind of   generated some interest um but we haven't made  those final decisions yet so it will depend on   really their level of Engagement and um buy into  the um the mission of the you know the program   uh when are we shooting for the first round like  what's the target to kind of get the first batch   going the first batch the target after the um  initial pilot store will be five um stores and   then the second round after kind of those Lessons  Learned and have have gone through through it will   be five additional stores well Target date oh  Target date um yeah so we want to on board those   first stores before June um yeah last question  or two two questions left I guess um affordable   food how we going to make sure that the food is  Affordable because a lot of times especially with   kind of homegrown I can get a little pricey  with some people yeah the focus will be on um   um introducing items kind of more slowly to see  what those specific um corner stores customers are   interested in um and yes the focus will also be on  not um having elevated prices we're also working   on an incentive program for customers to uh help  make it more affordable to try out the programs   so that um they can be incentivized to come in  to the stores and get to know what's going on   okay the last question um pertains to the  freezers themselves um in section four um it says over here um if the non-federal  entity is authorized or required to sell   the property proper sales procedures must  established to ensure the highest possible   return so it would a business term out or  would they they disengage themselves from this   process or maybe the business just isn't doing  well um could you talk about that process and then   what happens to the freezers and any potential um  Reclamation costs on our behalf yes um so we will   be working um in the Contracting process with  the or theou with the stores the stores will   commit to participating in the program and if they  decide not to at some point or we identify through   visits that they are not uh we would take back the  refrigeration units um our our best estimate right   now is that we would have whoever we purchase  those from ask them to come and take them back   so that we can then um send them to a different  store that could uh on board thank you council   member Glascock thank you mayor um when was  this originally passed by previous Council uh   the million dollars of arpa fun funding was passed  in July 2022 so there's no additional extension of   so the last case we had is extending it because  the deadline extending it because we could not   reach the deadline by December 2025 of um Le this  doesn't have a similar extension associated with   it correct this wouldn't be an extension of  the funding you've allocated it would just be   allocating the remaining amount to implementation  from the processes of ID identifying potential um   program administrators and building Community  relationships I have a lot of similar questions   that I did with the last because it's using arpa  funding we're just trying to I think get money   out of the door at this point um when we look at  the financial considerations on the last page says   WSU CI implementation of the healthy cor Corner  Store initiative food access program is WSU have   express interest that they'll fully cover the cost  to extend this project um come this time next year   or will the project just go away completely so  I imagine in a year they would probably need to   build a sustainable model to be able to fund this  I doubt they just have a million dollars offand   right now and so is that already Incorporated in  wsu's model or are we going to have an Ask back to   us a year from now yeah yeah good question council  member I can't speak to wsu's intention with the   program beyond the funding I will say we've agreed  to have them evaluate the program program for   different performance measures and impact and they  will provide ongoing budget uh recommendations   for needs and additional funding sources for  sustainability once the funding is uh used   thank you Brooke looks like the manager might have  something to this program we're going in with our   eyes open go dates back to the original discussion  with the council uh council member Tuttle talked   about the importance of not using this money to  buy food to create a model that is definitely not   sustainable going forward that's why the capital  investment that's why we're trying to build the   market in the areas for each of the stores um  that are we're tailoring it to the residents   in those areas and that there at the end there  will be a sustainability plan but it's not we're   anticipating that there'll be a model that will  be able that it's attractive enough that it'll   be able to be sustained especially because we  help them with a capital investment on the front   so can we not with 100% confidence but can we  say with some level of confidence that there will   not be an ask a year from now for us to continue  funding this program that it'll be self-sustaining   by that point I I never say never because those  words come back to haunt me but at this point I   do not anticipate that this is a proof of concept  to then see if the plan if if it if this concept   can continue in the market on its own or with some  other assistance but not from not built into the   city of wtw's budget so it' be an understanding  if the market can't support this moving forward   then there would be not a will staff to present a  recommendation for continued funding that is not   my intent yeah I will say that they'll be working  with the Farm and Food Council continuously over   this period of time and I'm going to hope that  the council is also going to be providing some   kind of technical assistance and guidance as  well as possible funding going forward but I   don't look at this as a public initiative after  we've established the concept really this is just   one Avenue to spend arpa money have arpa money  spending it to see if we can spur the market no   this one is was based in the work of the Farm and  Food Council as well as other work that was being   done on the development of the food plan actually  I think Brooke and member Tuttle could actually   talk more about the history but it it came more  Grassroots uh and then um when the issues of   food insecurity became more apparent during covid  then we said okay let's match what's been going on   in the community with these dollars in order to  be able to move the concept forward but we were   trying to figure out how do you deal with the food  deserts that's how this all started and um uh we   started to learn about what other communities were  doing this concept had appeal because some cities   were trying to buy old grocery stores and get  in the grocery business themselves or subsidize   that operation and we were very uncomfortable  with any of with a model like that and then   when we saw using stores people are already  going to that have unhealthy food challenge   or opportunities can we then bring something in  that comes alongside that where people are already   shopping and that's why we got to the dollar  stores and and convenience stores those type of locations council member Johnston thank you mayor excuse me in in in this model  I noticed that uh between program   management expenses and Consultants is 52% of the budget is that I think I think that's correct   according to the numbers you provided us  um can and then equipment materials are 14% $137,000 participant store cost Corner Store  incentives and Resident Patron incentives can you   talk a little bit more about those are you going  to pay the stores to to handle the food um that's   a good question uh Corner Store incentives will  take more of the form of like marketing support   and Community nutrition engagement potentially  that could look like having our nutrition   Consultants do inore demonstrations with healthy  food items taking blood pressure potentially   engaging with residents to let them know that this  program is happening helping with Corner Store   incentives like marketing could look like signage  could look like shelf wraps um additionally uh   corner stores can be uh engaged with with our  Corner Store activator and that could look like   pop up popup markets outside of the store  to get people walking through the door um   customer incentives look like affordability  and helping with the costs of healthy food   and having a program to offset that depending  on residents ability and the cost of food in   their areas okay this this agent is going to  distribute the food correct our distributor   Mr MC's Market will MC Market who's going to buy  the food uh Mr MC's Market will take orders from   each store and purchase in a centralized order  and if it doesn't sell excuse me who takes the   loss uh the corner stores will take the loss and  any spoilage or food waste will try to compost   or uh kind of return in a sustainable way so that  is a risk to business owners so if it loses money   in a month I'm out of here right potentially  uh our Consultants the food Trust have been   working with corner stores nationwide and have  different uh Case by case for each store ways to   help them sell and Market healthy food options  it might be kind of looking like a different   product or fresh fruit or vegetable that might  sell depending on the populations in that area   what's culturally appropriate what's affordable  it's not if something doesn't work or done it's   if something doesn't work we'll try something  new okay um I know the component that education   through Kate um I'm in this space diabetes at the  clinic we have we do education just beat our heads   against the wall to get people to come and our  success rate is less than way less than 10% get   people change their habits um and we we've given  them $50 gift cards to come to that and everything   and nothing seems to work so I don't I don't see  how that's going to work with you um so are you   going to upfront the cost then to distributor  there will be some arpa funding for the initial   purchase of food as uh not buying food directly  but paying our distributor an incash incentive   to purchase food as a first order for stores then  the stores pay him yes and it should keep rolling   it keeps going underwater and then it won okay um  I know councilman Glascock act about asked about   sustainability after 2026 again no plan really  after 2026 our plan will be to gather lessons   learn and seek additional funding sources um even  after 2026 this program is going to introduce a   new distribution Source in the community uh  parti ipating corner stores will have their   equipment our distributor will have a truck and  refrigerated truck it's not going to go away after   the funding and we hope that that can support  ongoing program work and that'll be a property   of the city that will be property of them upon  successful completion of the program they get the   truck they maintain insurance on it yes they  hit somebody then we're not liable that's my   do you have legal in the room in case there's  a different understanding there is that correct   thanks Nate Johnson assistant City attorney so  nice preview for some other stuff later but um   the title will be with the distributor  um so the only kind of Interest we have   is effectively like a lean on the truck in case  there's not performance of the agreement then we   can dispose of it and recoup some of the value  of it depending on what happens but insurance   other requirements for operation that is on  the distributor as part of the the exchange   for being able to get it do you require proof  of insurance uh I don't think that we have that   in the agreement I believe that is required  though legally otherwise and we can make sure   yeah and I mean that's kind of part of probably  yeah we can add that as well into making sure   we're monitoring that kind of thing but I mean  that again a legal requirement of operation is   to have insurance on the vehicle anyway so after  2026 if it no longer goes forward a truck's his   and he can sell it or whatever he wants to do  with it uh yeah once the agreement is completed   that is true it is an asset for the distributor  yes okay it's interesting okay thank you council   member Tuttle thank you and thank you Brooke  for the presentation thank you to my friends   with the health and wellness Coalition I know  you've been here for for a bit and appreciate   hanging in here with us um if anybody would like  to learn more about this initiative I'd be happy   to meet with them um one of the things that I'm  certainly proud of is the health and wellness   Coalition in 2013 did the food desert study after  that then the following year about year and a half   we did the hurdles to healthy food access where  we did key informant interviews with residents   and districts that were uh predominantly food  deserts to find out more information of if they   eat healthy how and if they don't eat healthy  why not what are the barriers um that became   really the Genesis for the kind of the call to  action to have a master food plan um and also   the creation of a publicly appointed food and  farm Council so those have all happened within   the last couple years as with everything else you  know the pandemic slowed some things down and made   us pivot a little bit but provided the opportunity  for some potential funding arpa funding for this   initiative and so we worked with um New Market  new adventure advisers sorry um new venture   advisers one of the best in the nation who have  developed plans uh food plans Master food plans   but then also healthy Corner Store initiatives  Across the Nation and it's on our website but we   developed then the pilot program implementation  plan for the healthy corner stores initiative   so this is sort of our guide book if you will um  again like Bob I don't anticipate that after the   end of the arpa dollars another request would  come for the city this is kind of the kickoff   to get things going and to help with the plan  that's been developed my favorite thing about   this work including the master food plan and also  the healthy Corner Store initiative is that it's   Community Driven we have staff who are identified  to be able to assist with the logistics and the   work with the food food and farm Council and with  the plan but truly this is a community-driven   initiative the community told us is something  they were interested in it's something that they   want to address 25% of our population lives  in a food desert as you mentioned in 2013   and so really the Genesis of all of this work is  getting people to food and food to people um after   covid all of the changed a little bit and had  some different opportunities but um this is just   great work that many community volunteers have  participated in and and um again thank you for the   presentation and if anybody wants to learn more  I'm more than happy to share what I know thank you I have a couple questions um I was the  one that asked city manager to make sure   that um the food Council received this proposal  and had time to form comments um so I know that   there are several that will be speaking uh  during public comment but um have you heard   of any strong support or even opposition  or changes from that Council yes thank you   for your question mayor woo uh upon engaging  and Sharing The Proposal with the 14 members   of the food and farm Council I have heard back  from three members who are supportive and think   this would be a wonderful idea additional  members have not uh sent me information or   feedback yet but I will be engaging them for  additional questions or concerns thank you   I see no further questions from the bench  we will now open it up for public comment thank you mayor woo and members of the city  council my name is Shelley rich and I live   in District 5 at 3310 Northwest W Bay and I  facilitate the health and wellness Coalition   which promotes physical activity and healthy  eating and when I learned about this significant   investment in health in our community that  was passed in 2022 I was very excited and   have followed this process um and am excited that  there has been a program administer that has been   identified I think this is is very good spending  of arpa dollars it is an opportunity that we have   to test out these models at convenience stores  and as a chronic disease risk reduction Grant   coordinator in this community it is very important  that we invest in the health of our community I   appreciate City staff for all their time keeping  this program going in my experience working in   this field I believe that kstate research and  extension and WSU C CI are very trusted and   respected Partners in our community and have no  doubt that they will be able to bring this um   program successfully to our community um I know  that it is hard for people to change their eating   habits um there are a lot of competing factors and  I don't believe that one program is the answer to   solve that however there is a lot of motivation  in our community to support this in to support   this program we've already talked about the  food and farm Council the cedri county health   department has a community health Improvement  plan and food access as one of their work groups   wiah was selected as one of eight food secure  communities through the Kansas food Action   Network um that is a three-year program that  is going to be working on the root cause of   hunger and I just see all of these programs  working together to improve our local food   system so I just wanted to say thank you for  your time and I hope that this is approved good afternoon it has been a long day and  I can read it all in your guys' faces I'm   privileg enough to know several of you so I I  hope you guys get rest because I feel like it   already and I've been out there so uh my name is  Thomas montil I'm the founder of ICT Farms a local   nonprofit that actually works in food insecurity  I'm also the mayor's appointee for both both may   woo as well as mayor Whipple on the food and  farm Council uh so I've got to see this in a   few different perspectives and I hope even for  my I get a chance to provide you maybe a little   different point of view now I am here speaking  in support of approving this uh as it is proposed   as there's a lot of federal guidelines with arpa  funds as we all know that kind of restrict certain   pieces of this but what I am here to speak about  and I'm going to make it brief because now I got   to get get my son I had to go leave to get my  daughter and now I have to go get my son from   another school um this is one piece of the food  and security puzzle so uh council member Johnson   when you mentioned about sustainability I am  a huge sustainability person when it comes to   Solutions I am not a big fan of temporary uh  pieces myself and I tend to always ask what's   next uh the conversations I've been able to have  with I've actually had uh Dante's been out to some   of my farms and I've been able to talk about this  I've got to meet with Joanne I've got to meet with   just about everybody involved in this process at  some point and they're doing an amazing work uh   with the proposal they have uh for the corner  store uh the healthy store Corner initiative   excuse me I mixing these words like crazy I'm  tired too but this is one piece of the puzzle so   what I wanted to spend my time with is give you a  little bit of information for what food insecurity   looks like as a whole and why this is one piece  and we can't stop the conversation here as a city   so this for me is like step three of one through  three that needs to be done almost simultaneously   so we got to grow local food you mentioned the  idea of spoilage and things of that nature which   is step two uh big part of what I've been working  on the last three years is growing food up to date   in the last two years we've put up over 100,000  pounds of fresh food back into the community   through our Farms we grow at six different sites  it all all volunteer ran uh we actually support   trying to Target the more than 86,000 of our  residents that are actually considered food   insecure we don't really speak in terms in my  world of food deserts food deserts is kind of   becoming a term that's very outdated um in fact  even the county now uses a term called Laya low uh   low income low access so if you hear those terms  it's based on tracks it deals with Transportation   it deals with income it deals with a lot of other  social issues besides just nutrition so what we   do is we try to build farms in areas and teach  people how to farm we teach people how to use   the food and we use it as a place of contact for a  lot more than that we start finding out how to get   things into people's hands we partner with common  ground Growers and producers the Salvation Army   and many other groups to get our food out what  the second step is that we are missing in this   puzzle which is something I've got to talk to a  few of the people I mentioned before about was the   idea that we don't have a great wave of making uh  food available year round from a fresh grown piece   to something available to corner stores all year  from local Growers so one of the big pieces that   I'm going to start talking about now and don't  be surprised if you don't hear from me in the   future is the idea of things like freeze drying  dehydrating canning ways that we can connect   real local Growers to this initiative I do grow on  Parkland uh we actually have a pilot program that   we set up with the Parks and Rec Department on the  old Bridgeport soccer fields in the North witcha   it's pretty close to railroad tracks and some  of the areas that are pretty low income and over   the next year we're building that out to actually  have Orchards and Farms that people can walk and   pick themselves that is a great step but it still  requires people to get to it that second step and   the part with the corner store initiative really  comes in handy about the deliverables to the   people where they are because at the end of the  day that's how we make a difference is it's not   just about growing food growing food in my world  is easy I'm a systems guy I'm actually did not   grow up growing and farming uh my masters is in  something called organization development I like   multi aled systems I'm about sustainability  how do you make effective change and how do   you make it to scale the way we do that as a  group is by bringing everybody together in a   meaningful system and multier systems for that  matter so like I said I'm a I'm all for what   is currently proposed based on the restrictions  they have for the federal guidelines um and I'm   looking forward to my ability to support them  in that nature like I said what you're going to   hear from me and just like with the groups I work  with uh the health and wellness Coalition I've had   conversations presentations with chip several  other groups here in town you're going to con   here is talking about not just food production  but how are we going to get them to places like   the corner stores how are we going to make  those connections this is an entire economy   that we have not really touched based in witch  in many decades we used to be an exporter in the   state of Kansas of fruits and vegetables we can  do that again we just have to be able to put in   the work this is uh and kind of just the last  20 second piece one of the conversations I was   able to have with Maru uh Maru after the uh uh  Mac meeting this past time was the idea of even   what does look like like to put freeze dryers in  the kitchens at the multi- agency Center use that   as a job training center so you can actually grow  freeze dry and sell as a new Revenue source for   that Center for future funding those are the  kinds out of the box thinking I would love to   continue to have with you guys so thank you  thank you Thomas can I have some follow-up   questions regarding some of your comments yes  ma'am you talked about freeze drying how much is   that investment um and what does that look like I  know that this is specific to this program but as   alluded there are several pieces to this whole  ecosystem yeah so the prices I've been able to   get for commercial and these are not like the big  freeze dryers like people like producing Warehouse   full of food but a commercial freeze dryer to  put in a place like the Mac costs about $10,000   for each uh each one is supposed to handle about  90 pounds of food a day it could actually produce   90 pounds of freeze rice gos a day um and can  operate roughly about 320 days a year so it's   a little bit of math so you can actually get  up there a lot of food pretty quickly you do   a handful of those you're talking about shelf  stable products that can actually rtain 96% of   its nutrient density without Refrigeration for up  to 25 years so that is a a big food impact that   we can make for the longevity of our food supply  whether that be at the Mac local food pantries I   mean honestly your boy program it'd be great to be  able to put fresh nutritious Foods directly right   in the packs and blessing boxes those types of  things are a big world changer especially when you   deal with people in recovery addicts mental health  it changes the way their brain chemistry works and Thomas that type of investment I know that  we just alluded to an investment to a vehicle um   which I'm sure is more than $110,000 was this ever  discussed within uh the council within the council   or within you talking about the corner store  initiative pieces the food Council okay uh no   this is all some conversations that we've had kind  of more on the ICT Farm side not the food and farm   Council directly food and farm council is still  relatively new we are now just getting from the   food and paral side into policy uh working through  City policies that most often are actually um like   animal raising I I know this is a little off track  but if you want to raise chickens it goes to the   police department for you know all those types of  pieces like things we're trying to make sense when   it comes to food growing for City policy those  are the pieces that we're focused on currently   from the from the council side and then lastly one  more question Salvation Army already has something   like this and freeze uh well that's part of what  they Grant writing for right now so Salvation Army   we actually put an urban farm in right beside  their building right beside the recovery homes   the people in the recovery homes actually use  the Farms as part of their daily activities um   they already cook with it they're doing cooking  classes their leadership at Salvation Army has   actually now got to where they can help provide  food handling licenses to those people in their   homes as part of their job training programs and  they are grant writing to have freeze dryers so   the goal is that you would actually have a smaller  model of something that we could Implement in   other places around the city uh between Park  resources Mac other things there's other   City assets we could actually utilize to bring  these types of programs into neighborhood based   functions versus just one central location  thank you Thomas we'll continue with public comment hello again I'm Quinton McIntosh I'm the  GM at Mr Max market and uh we're definitely in   full support of this initiative it's been a long  time coming but I think the current you know RFP   kind of puts it in perfect position you know with  the CI serving as administrator as well as us   boots on the ground I know you guys talked about  sustainability I think the only way um to make a   program like this sustainable is to partner with a  for-profit business like ourselves because what it   does is create capacity to allow us to continue  the program long after the money is gone so   we we have experienced you know importing in  fresh fruits and vegetables from all over the   country whether it's a Texas Rio Grande  Valley and Florida you know all of those   allows us to kind of extend our Seasons when  produce isn't available in the Kansas area so   we're definitely supportive of it of you know  we've looked in some to some different things   like the gentleman before talked about freeze  driving and preserving things um I just think   it's a program that's needed in our community you  know you drive up and down 21st Street you know   there's a thousand liquor stores a thousand  smoke shops nowhere to get a tomato and so I   think you know we provide that infrastructure  for different corner stores in our community   people will begin to make you know healthier  choices and it won't be a you know overnight   you know 180 degrees but slowly people begin  to introduce more culturally appropriate you   know fruits and vegetables into you know their  system and eating habits so that's all I got no further comments from the public oh there making sure I got my five minutes  here um hi there my name is Carrie Rinker   I'm with the American Heart Association  um I'm do their government relations   work I also live at 7925 East Carney  place so I live right here in Witcher   um and we do you know I've been aware as a  witchin working in health policy for a long   time in the community I've been aware of the  food deserts that are here and the good work   of many of the members of the council uh and our  community members to getting to this place and I   stand here to support that uh the American Heart  Association does believe in the right to healthy   food for all people to live their best lives uh  it nutrition security is our priority um and the   healthy Corner Store initiative is is an important  step and I think everyone else has stressed that   here today that this is just a step uh that there  should be more to come I'm excited more about what   is to come uh even Beyond this vote here today  um and that is because uh food insecurity uh is   at a really remarkable really devastating uh and  avoidable point in this state right now uh you   know a Topeka based nonprofit called Kansas Action  for Children just came out with a kids count book   uh you can Google it 2024 new data just came  out one in five Kansas kids is living in pover   and faces food insecurity um so that's what we're  talking about here today is feeding kids because   50% of the children that are currently on programs  like supplemental nutrition assistance program   snap uh which is a federal uh State partnership  it can be a federal Community Partnership uh 50%   of those folks that are on it are children right  now so that is again what I hope that the council   will consider uh as they're casting their vote  here today is putting mouths into into kids for   kids uh putting food into the mouths of kids and  also our seniors I was also very glad to see the   AARP recognition here today and I know Mar wo  has stood in strong support and leadership in   that initiative uh and seniors are another one of  those demographics that faces more food insecurity   in this community and we need to be taking care  of our elders in that way and this is a step   towards that you know I so I am looking forward  to continued conversations with the food and farm   Council and other community members as a matter  of fact I was supposed to be presenting there   today and this meeting went long and I dashed over  there and I dashed back and I'm getting heart rate   alerts on my phone because of this today but it's  good stuff right I mean so I'm thankful for these   opportunities and I'm hopeful to continue  the conversation with the council members   as well as all these sort supporting community  members such as uh the Kate extension and research   we have a good relationship and partnership with  them now on some other health initiatives the   American Heart Association does uh I also want to  talk just really quickly with my last couple of   minutes about uh the financial incentives for snap  that that should be a consideration in the future   uh that a lot of that can be offset with Federal  funding at a very low cost uh or investment by   a city um and uh the economic uh the economy the  return investment on the economy is pretty pretty   amazing as well with those programs every $5 spent  using snap generates as much as $9 in economic   activity this is money that's going to come back  in the community when people have more money freed   up that they are not having to put towards grow  you know groceries in this inflationary time um   so you know those are just a few things that I  wanted to mention um also through the lens of   the current uh landscape you know again snap is  a federal program uh states do have a flexibility   though in how they administer this program uh and  right now Kansas has some of the most most onerous FR and vegetable prescriptions or snap  incentives things like this you can be   assured these are going to the most needy people  because the people that are qualifying are needy   because you know the stats show that with  our ranking in the nation um so again I   just want to say that uh you know we support  equipping vendors with the ability to accept   Snap um and even you could include that  to co-ops community supported agriculture   and as a matter of fact uh some of these places  that currently offer double up food bucks in the   state of Kansas are losing their funding I'm  hearing so it's imperative more than ever for   the city to be a part of this and I'm thankful  for the conversation and opportunity to support   council member hoisel thank you uh mayor um  I don't know if this is for you uh Carrie or   anybody um you did bring up a good point though  about um snap um I I think there's quite a bit I   can't remember the statistic off the top of my  head but it seems like we're underutilizing um   SNAP benefits here and again that could bring  money back into our district into our city um   so just in general what is that part of the  programming that we're going to reach out to   is just letting people know the benefits that  are out there and how to access and utilize them um so there's two parts of that um as part of  the support to to the corner stores themselves K   State research and extension will help them um  do those applications to become snap and Wick   vendors um and then they also have um and I need  to double check and sah here but they also have   um a program where they help people enroll um  and so so they have snaped um people who work   within the community and they'll  be able to support folks within   those neighborhoods also to make sure  that they have the benefits okay thank you we'll continue with public comment good afternoon I'm Teresa Kelly I live in  Andover but I work for the Kansas Rural Center on   the Central Kansas food Corridor project which is  is the USDA funded program um I want to address   one segment of this um the distribution part um  in the pandemic we all saw distribution channels   break the supply chain broke and everybody  panicked over where their food was coming from   it caused a lot of uh angst and anxiety and  confusion and it was a a boom for local food   producers because they had they had food here and  they could get it to people so csa's boomed once   farmers markets opened again that boomed home  delivery boomed um I know because I ran the   Kansas City Food Hub during the pandemic and we  had off the chart sales now as things calm down   and people realized they were still going to be  able to get food we're left with the after maath   of that um so I want to talk about food hubs  that term has not come up in this project but   that's exactly what's being developed with Mr  C's Market we have been working in the food   Corridor to encourage infrastructure development  and identifying existing infrastructure and   distribution outlets and customers to help build  the network in the Central Kansas food Corridor   so that means we've identified producers and uh  the need for infrastructure mostly moving food   around um in the olden days um I'm well seasoned  so I can say this they used to say that there   wasn't a food shortage in the world there was  a food a food distribution problem so I think   that that's still part of the problem and so with  this gosh I'm so nervous I haven't done this since   2019 an official capacity um anyway so this is an  opportunity for a trial run for a pilot program   like any new business that's serving a multitude  of issues in the community that I've been sitting   here first council meeting since 9:15 this  morning listening to basic needs issues and this   is addressing another basic need issue getting  food to the people that need it um the logistics   of how that works that's why it's a pilot program  we I the popup markets I've had conversations um   based on my experience in this food policy and um  distribution and growing I was a producer at one   time so I've kind of worked around the whole wheel  um so I'm encouraging supporting a pilot program   this is a once- in a-lifetime funding opportunity  um it can grow and provide the beginning of the   infrastructure for more food in this community  it's not going to stick with the corner store   initiative if this infrastructure is put in place  it's going to grow to support other channels and   I think it's also a good investment in your  community to strengthen existing businesses   which is what this is want this wants to do yeah  you're going to have to Market you're going to   have to educate you're going to have to help  people discover what eating fresh produce is   like you're going to have to tailor the program um  that's all part of the excitement of implementing   a new program and not having to worry about  where your next nickel is coming from for the   next year um I think it will build com Commerce  I think it will build um excitement and I think   it will build sustainability over the long  term taking into consideration they're going   to be doing realtime evaluation oh gosh  why am I so and we're on YouTube right um   anyway um I just I'm real passionate about  this and I think it's a real opportunity   that shouldn't be passed up and wiah um for  strengthening the food system here thank you okay um I I also wanted to just comment on some  of the questions or comments um so the fact that   this is a pilot provides um the opportunity  for the program to be of an experimental   nature so we're implementing and also looking  for how can we do better um what can we shift   and change and what can we imp mement that's  creative um in order to bring increased food   access so um the example that Thomas gave um  who spoke from the food and farm Council of you   know freeze drying I think you know what we'll  be looking for is what are the opportunities   within the community itself we want to listen  to the community members and um members of the   neighborhoods that we're serving what are some  ideas and interests in terms of entrepr rurs   within those spaces um that are interested  in sourcing healthy food options within the   commun their their own communities um so um just  wanted to address that that that's one advantage   of this initiative is that we can you know try  out smaller things like that within the funding are there any other individuals who would like to  speak I see none we'll bring it back to the bench   council member tutle thank you um I could talk  for hours and I promise you it'll be minutes but   just a few comments um one of the things that  again I I just wanted to highlight is this is   a community-driven initiative which I think is  very important the other thing is that this is   steeped in data and research and best practice um  um initiatives such as this stem from the trans   theoretical model of change what council member  Johnston referred to of getting people to change   their behavior and so you know this isn't just  what the community has wanted but it's also like I   mentioned data driven and considered best practice  so I'm excited about that the other thing that I   think is really important to highlight is this is  a braided approach this is the master food plan   this is the food and farm Council and this is the  healthy Corner star initiative working together if   it were just one of those it probably wouldn't be  successful but because there's three interventions   truly happening at the same time for this pilot  project it increases the likelihood of success   um just so I can keep assistant city manager Troy  Anderson awake um one of the things that we found   during um some research that we did with the  health and wellness Coalition in 2015 which is a   few years older so the data would look even better  I suspect if I know but within Cedric County   we spend about $1 billion dollar annually on  food and less than 1% of that is sourced or   grown locally if we could get that number and  part of the goal of the master food plan is to   get that to be 5% which is still incredibly  low but changing people's behavior to get 5%   of the food that we consume and our count be to  locally grown it would be a 54 million boost to   our economy each year and that's something that is  significant so this work is not not only quality   of life which I am certainly supportive of again  with the city of Witchita and our mission being   to be an exceptionally well-run City one  of those pillars is to provide conditions   for living well and I believe that everyone who  calls themselves a witchin should have access to   food so I will not surprisingly be incredibly  supportive of this initiative today thank you   councilman Glascock thank you mayor I asked  myself one question when I'm deciding on this   and also the rest of um the ARP allocations today  is would I vote for this if it wasn't but use for   ARP of funding and my answer is no I would not  um and so that's where all side with this today   I believe it's Mission creep uh from the function  of local government um I believe that we saw this   earlier today and I think um comments from the  previous meeting where this was discussed there'll   be pressure to continue to support this with  local tax once the arpa funding is expended um   and I believe that's created an un unsustainable  financial burden one of the quotes from a previous   council meeting this was discussed in July of 2022  just looking at the meetings is that we would need   continue service Beyond arpa um I believe uh with  votes that have been taken thus far with arpa   funding that that's the will of this body and I  can't in good faith support something that doesn't   have a sustainable funding model apart from this  body of government later um that we would feel   pressures when we're facing deficits in 26 27 and  28 uh to be able to continue this and so well I   believe it's a incredibly important Initiative for  the community and a community-driven initiative I   don't believe that is um the purpose or the will  of this body to make that decision um and so it   comes down to by one question would I support  this if it wasn't for arpa funding my answer is   no so that should be my answer when I vote today  council member Johnson thanks mayor um I will be   in support of this uh item this was something that  um we've talked about for quite some time and if I   give my history in um Laya food deserts all of  those terms when Walmart and Dylan's closed in   district one we heard from community that there  were some challenges so I've been uh active and   supportive of whatever we could do um since then I  will tell you that this issue um at the time food   desert was so important that Senator Moran  got involved himself um and sent a support   letter on Senate letterhead to multiple entities  working with myself and other activist to try to   uh address this so I I think it is imperative that  us as elected officials respond to our community   while it may not be government's role to support  this longterm um with these one-time funds from   arpa I do think we need to be responsive to our  communities and make the Investments necessary   to start to address those issues and again as I  said on the last item cities around the country   with arpa funds looked at ways to address these  types of food insecurities through multiple ways   healthy Corner Store initiatives other initiatives  um that is in some of the research that we've seen   over the years I think this is a good first step  but again it's just one step it's one piece of the   puzzle there's a lot more work to do the food and  farm Council has a lot more work to do but if we   can do a small part with the funds that we have  available right now then I think we should so I   am supportive of this this is uh responsive to  our community uh and even though uh Mr Mack is   here we also have a lot of other folks in district  one that would say that this really isn't enough   but this is what we can do so I think we should  do what we can do we should work with entities   that um get awarded from this to see what we  can do to help out more and support with other   foundations or other funding opportunities but I  think it would be um a travesty if we didn't go   forward with this given that we've contined  to hear about all the challenges to healthy   food access throughout our city this is something  that touches our entire city and initially when   I got started it was only about district one in  Northeast Witchita when the research comes out and   shows that it touches every District in our city  um but especially the core I think it's something   that this body should do what we can to address it  so I'll be supportive I thank the team and council   member Tuttle for all the work on this and I'm  looking forward to supporting this council member   Tuttle I promise quickly I'm just going to pile  on council member Johnson's comments just a little   bit um Senator Marshall has also been incredibly  supportive of this and interested in this not   necessarily this healthy CornerStore initiative  but when we went to the National LEF cities and   did Hill visits two years ago one of the main  topics of conversation was the implementation of   our Master food plan and his work in supporting  Agriculture and um especially locally grown and   sourced food so um this is something that  you know as as council member Johnson has   mentioned um goes just beyond our own City and  our state but even some national recognition so   thank you vice mayor Ballard thank you mayor um  thank you Becky and to all the speakers that are   here to to speak on behalf of the healthy cornor  initiative Bob's probably really glad that we have   a plan now so I can stop bothering him about  it um I think this is incredibly important um   food insecurity is very prevalent in the core  unfortunately which um I think to the grocery   stores um in our neighborhoods are closed and it  is a detriment to some of our our neighborhoods   to provide healthy accessible food um and the  other thing that I just been thinking about is   today we've talked about a lot of basic needs  and then it seems like everything has been a   fight to provide basic needs to um the citizens of  Witchita so I appreciate U my colleagues that are   in support of this I think it's incredibly  important and I will be uh supportive   I'll add a couple of comments um and  also some questions um I know that   council member Tuttle mentioned that this  is a collaborative of multiple different   entities coming together um how much are the  other entities putting forth towards this initiative mayor Ru are you asking funding wise  uh everything will be uh allocated and PID paid   for with arpa funding beyond the grant period  or program year that is completely uncertain the   only arpa dollars so as of now even though it's  Partnerships there's no Financial uh obligation   from the other entities is that correct correct  and just so that Community who's watching I don't   want to um muddy the waters but the city  of witcha doesn't have an actual Department   regarding food or health that is Cedric  County they have a Cedric County Health   Department so my question to that is how  Has Cedric County Health Department kind   of also worked in collaborative regarding  funding for this program yeah that is a   great question Mar woo the cedri county health  department has been working closely with their   Community Health Improvement plan and they  have developed per Community input a food   access work group and several staff members from  the health department sit on that work group uh   we meet monthly the third Monday of each month  and healthy Corner Store initiative is one of   our goals for expanding food access and building  infrastructure I can't say any funding has been   put in Beyond staff time and effort not to say  there won't be in the future and since I have   you up Brook um the ask is for 950,000 and and  290,000 of the 950,000 is for program management   expenses so a large majority or a good portion  of those dollars are not directly uh impacting   the actual individual is that correct these are  program management costs uh mayor woo I have $ 25,151 for program management or Administration  program evaluation will be around $6,750 and indirect costs will be 5,250 I  believe that's the total you spoke about   those are separate categories but that is program  management yes I have concerns uh regarding that   dollar amount um as I asked from a previous  agenda item I do believe that the purpose   of arpa dollars is to help us recover as a city  and I understand new initiatives also get funded   with arpa dollars um but I believe that it's  mudding the water yet again that people will   have an expectation that the city of wial will  be responsible for food insecurity and I don't   believe that including one of the six individuals  who spoke I understand completely that um these   are basic human needs shelter we're about to have  a housing a couple of housing items come forward   to us as well food housing um safety these are  all things that everyone is saying are basic   so I don't believe that we're in disagreement  that these are NE necessary but I think it's   the question of who should be paying for it that  we are having a debate over and because these are   arpa dollars I am very cognizant that they won't  reappear two years from now and so we have to be   very prudent with the dollars that the federal  government is allocating to us which is why I've   been asking many more questions regarding the  budget for arpa dollars whether it's the last   item this item as well as future uh Council  agenda item so I just want to be cognizant   that again these are only a one-time allocation  of dollars um and then my other uh concern is   the appointee for the food Council who spoke  Thomas Montiel um in ICT Farms I know that   we're talking about experimenting and this would  be a great first step in having a pilot program   I would like to see the whole ecosystem being  talked about not just um at the third ring uh   what he was talking about was freeze drying food  so that again you could repurpose that food before   it gets spoiled and I think it's really important  that we continue thinking about how we can reduce   waste um but also provide the healthiest options  for our community uh so I guess I'm going to also   challenge if this uh looks like it's going to get  approved that we do more experimentation regarding   freeze drying and maybe allocating some dollars  towards that I think he also mentioned that the   multi-agency center would be a great opportunity I  see more collabor ation um so again if this passes   I hope that there's going to be opportunities for  um our individuals who are facing homelessness to   get some job training regarding um freeze drying  but also continuing to have these healthy food   items available to them as well council member  Johnson thanks mayor um I just wanted to shout   out it looks like about a quarter of the  funding goes to administrative pieces um   that it's tough to allocate money to organizations  without paying for the people to make the effort   work and that's been a struggle over the years  and the various boards I've been on to allocate   money where nonprofits will sometimes cheat  themselves just to make sure that they can show   that the smallest amount of possible of funds  are going to actually making the effort work   versus the population they're trying to serve and  I think it's um it's unrealistic to think that we   can continue to cut what folks can use to pay the  people to administer the program and take care of   all the the needs and necessary reporting that we  might ask for so I personally don't see an issue   with that amount I think people should be paid  for the work that they do and to make something   like this work um you got to pay somebody to  do it it's not just all about equipment so uh   I just wanted to say I am supportive of that  I think that we need to be more realistic um   in all bodies governmental foundational um when  we say you can only use 5% or 10% of an award to   administer a program that's really tough on the  people doing the work and it really hits home on   another topic with some of the effort that we're  doing around addressing some of the issues at the   29th and Grove site you ask a bunch of nonprofits  and organizations to do a bunch of work but you   won't pay for the people to do the work then it  really puts them in a bind going forward so again   I think this is uh the right plan the right step  it's the right allocation I think the funding isic   efficient and I'm confident that people will get  paid what they need to to administer the program   successfully so that the reports that come back  to the city of wiah are not only good but the   community has served as well council member  Glascock yeah this was my last comments about   the arpa just allocation and more justification so  I looked at how the county spent their arpa funds   which I think was a much more responsible model  uh than the city of Witchita um regarding Public   Health response uh the health uh Department  receive funding Emergency Management EMS   respiratory Protection Program and Communications  and these were for Logistics to coordinate PPE the   outfitting of ambulances fit testing and training  and then also Health Department Community recovery   in addition recruiting costs that had to do  with Ada coordinators regarding health PP   for County departments cleaning services for  County departments during Co early virtual   meeting software uh Court backlog and Public  Safety Regional fic Science Center the da   a court backlog courts Court backlog Corrections  Court backlogs the sheriff positions renew   courtrooms and address the backlog as a result of  covid jail cameras and locks the CIP to install as   a result of that Courthouse remodel um the  criminal justice coordinating Council arpa   management has to do with tent position purchasing  Revenue replacement and then covid contingency I   think those were all applicable to the work  of the County government they're all one-time   expenses they're all infusions into the actual  um core functions of government and I know a lot   of these decisions were made before I was member  of this Council um but I still have to stand by   what I believe is the function of government  spending I believe the county addressed this   properly um meanwhile the city um in terms of our  allocation spent 4.5 million to various Community   initiatives addressing quote the negative impacts  um probably speculative in some ways uh set aside   20 million to assist small businesses money  into the affordable housing fund the city   did dedicate 40 uh 6.9 million to infrastructure  cost including new police stations and Improvement   public facilities which is a one-time allocation  I think a good use of the 72.4 million of arpa   funding um that we received the county received  100 million 100.2 million in arpa funds um and I   just I think when we look at Future programs that  the federal government is going to bring down   to local municipalities um we should be modeling  what the county did in terms of one-time expenses   and Investments and core functions opposed to the  city's philosophy addressing these issues council   member tutle thank you um while I appreciate  your opinion um I think that one of the things   that I've said from this bench several times  one of the things that I'm most proud of is how   we allocated oura funding from the city of wiah  and Bob and I am I correct when I say did we not   also have Community engagement opportunities for  the community to let us know what was important   to them is is that correct that's correct and  that was a requirement of the program yeah so   we listen to what the and and keep in mind when  arpa dollars were allocated the world was a much   different place and we were thinking about how  do we keep our small businesses alive especially   our entrepreneurs what can we do to make sure  people have basic needs we're talking about   PPE um I'm quite proud of how the the funding  was allocated and and this is one component of   it and the reason that this was brought to the  table is you know I think we forget back in 200   20 2021 we would go to the grocery store and all  you'd see were empty shelves and we thought that   this would be a strategy so that if heaven forbid  we're ever in that situation again we might have   Alternatives so again I I'm I'm quite proud of  the way that the city allocated our funding um   I think that we took a very uh Council approach  there was never a money grab from one District   or another there was never a money grab from  one council member or another I think it was a   collaborative approach with their Community giving  input and then just on a a high note mayor um one   of the things that you've talked about several  times is freeze drying and within the master food   plan there's actually a section on food waste and  food disposal um so it does address different ways   that we can educate the community and get them  more engaged so that you know they don't throw   away a strawberry that has a one blemish thing  or whatever so food waste and food disposal is   also part of the plan so thank you council member  Johnson thanks mayor um I was going to shut up   but I just find it unfortunate that the comment  was made that the witch city council at the time   looked at taking the manager's recommendation of  taking care of In-House needs with arpa dollars   and then the council for whatever reason chose  to go out to the public and say how should we   spend this money what investments should we make  um I guess it's unfortunate that the city council   listened to the public the people who voted Us  in the office and gave us some feedback on how   we should spend a $20 million investment  everything that we invested in looked really   good the reports that we got back from the small  businesses and nonprofits those were good not   everyone was perfect there might have been one  or two issues but we listened to the public you   I continue to hear people say we need to listen  to those that we serve and we did I'm not going   to get into criticizing another governmental  body they made the decisions that they made but   we invested in the community and if I recall right  we might be the only municipality that made those   public invest uh investments in the state or if  not in the region but either way we listen to the   people that we serve we made those decisions we  came together as a council and uh we did what we   were supposed to the criticism of former councils  it it's just confusing because that was a very   public process we went to dabs we had public input  on social media we got our emails we went out   and gave presentations about this some of those  dollars that um we remaining are actually helping   us now so um I just question where where that came  from again cedri County can do as they please 46   departments and everything that they have I  get it they have a lot of tough decisions but   we chose to be responsible to the people that we  serve and I stand by that I think we did a really   good job I appreciate our staff for listening  and coming up with everything that we voted for   and I'll continue to stand by that council member  Glascock will also be my last comments but having   been the only member of this body to serve both  of the county and the city um I was involved in   similar conversations at the County as well and  I can assure you that they also listen to public   input with their money um as a result of how they  spent it they were able to provide the community   with 109,000 covid tests 297,000 doses of the  vaccine at no cost to Residence uh 4,7 uh or 4795   cases of Jud IAL process including 2,13 family  law cases in addition they were able to spend   uh help Frontline workers with 2100 Frontline  workers receive premium pay and recognition of the   critical sources they were perform they performed  uh so taking care of their employees in addition   90% of the County's expenditures were spent with  local businesses and out that only eight or 8%   with women myor minority owned businesses as well  and they are able to provide recovery connected   Community Navigator with more than uh 2,150  residents so I would also say that our friends   across the street also effectively spent their  Co relief money on internal core functions of government see no further comments from this bench council member Tuttle thank you um thank you to  everyone for their robust discussion um with all   of that I would enthusiastically move that the  city council approve the agreement authorize   the necessary signatures and authorize staff  to approve future budget revisions between   classifications second motion and a second any  further discussion I have an amendment to that   motion I would like to see uh that include freeze  drying uh equipment um I don't know how you would   adjust the budget but I would like to see at least  a test to show that a freeze drying process can   be not only viable so that there's less food  waste but also an opportunity to see if it   can be viable at the multi- agency Center uh where  they again also can get some food um in the future do I oh council member hoisel um yes can I call  up um and just understand the process from their   point of view if they want to do the the freeze  drawing could you uh yeah uh could you elaborate   a little bit on what that process would look like  on your guys' end for freeze drying yes um I'm   not an expert on that uh I've had one conversation  with Thomas so I think that um in that case um it   would be purchasing equipment which he mentioned  earlier in the meeting might be around $110,000   um identifying a community based location to  set that up and a partner who's interested in   doing the actual work of that um supplying the  produce and spending the time to freeze dry um   and then incorporating that somehow figuring  out packaging and um being able to supply that   to corner stores as they're interested I  don't know how many of the corner stores   would be initially interested in you know  selling those items but um yeah so it would   be just kind of better understanding what that  looks like how how bur burdensome would that be   would that interfere in your guys's effort  to um go through with the program I don't   think it would interfere um I think if we were  to need to stand up the operations of that it   would be challenging but providing some funding  allocated for equipment to a community partner   that's already interested in doing that I don't  think would be burdensome but if we were to have   to incorporate okay now we have to manage and  run a freeze drying operation that would be challenging okay thank you yeah vice mayor  Ballard thank you mayor I'm certainly not   opposed to looking into that but I think we  need to be more responsible about actually   getting um a quote or seeing what those I  mean $10,000 maybe maybe not I don't know   um I love the idea of it um but I just I  think that's throwing a whole new wrench   into an already long well thought out plan  so I think it's definitely something that I   would be interested in learning more but um I  think it's a bit much to add it on at the last second I will just add one more comment before  voting I know that uh council member Tuttle   mentioned that it is part of the master plan  freeze drying I'm just trying to be cognizant that   again this is a onetime uh arpa dollar federal  dollars being spent on a pilot program uh that we   could utilize those dollars to help fund some of  the other pieces of the master plan and at least   see if it's viable or not viable I know that um Mr  Montiel mentioned that commercial freeze drying uh   equipment would cost about $10,000 and that 90  pounds of food could be saved and so I feel like   like that is something prudent to do um if  it's burdensome then I again would Challenge   and say you uh earlier you said this is about  experimenting and we're wanting to experiment so   this would be another experimentation um which is  why I've asked for this amendment council member   Johnson thanks mayor um procedural question for  Jennifer what exactly are we voting on the mayor   has made an amendment but not a substitute motion  and the original motion from council member Tuttle   was to approve the item council member we have  the mayor's motion to amend but I did not hear   a second there was one I didn't there was a second  okay then we would be the motion before you is the   mayor's amended motion okay and for clarification  on the amended motion it sounded like there was   conversation around freeze dried is the motion  to change the agreement that has already been   negotiated um and agreed upon by WSU to add freeze  dried equipment or process to that I would ask   WSU CI to explain how if possible we could have  at least one commercial freeze drying operation   to test it out so we don't have anything in the  current agreement but we do the initiative is the   focus of the investment is in small business and  so if that would be part of investing in a small   business it would already fit um guess I default  to legal on that um so I mean that's already   something that we were kind of interested in  considering and looking at um it's not something   that was written into the agreement or that we  had said like yes we already have a plan for how   that would work so I think the flexibility to be  able to explore that and see I mean unfortunately   Thomas left so we can't call on him to say you  know are they wanting to be a partner for that   um from a business perspective but it's not that  we're not open to that Jennifer I think we need   clarification clerk did not hear a second to that  motion to amend no I second but you did second it   so thank you for the record I seconded the first  motion the first one right but I'm talking about   a motion to amend a second to the mayor's motion  to amend that's where there was no second need to   have a second for discussion so I have an amended  motion that would include within the allocated   dollars of $950,000 to find it within that budget  to experiment with a freeze drying equipment piece   so that we will not have food waste  is there a second for that amended motion okay there is no second for that  amended motion so now we are back to the   first motion that was moved by council  member Tuttle and seconded by vice mayor   Ballard I see no further discussion  Madame clerk please open the role motion passes 4 to3 Madame clerk please  call the next item quarterly Financial   reports for the period ended September 30th  2024 uh good afternoon mayor members of the   city council Mark Manning with  the Department of Finance today   I'm here to present to you the third  quarter financial report for uh 2024 oh sorry uh the financial report as you know  includes unaudited activity Financial activity   in this case through September 30th of 2024  uh the annual report or the quarterly report   is also posted online it's 127 pages of a lot of  really interesting information that I would love   to share with you today Page by page but in the  interest of time I'm going to answer two questions   for you today and and make my presentation around  those two questions are we going to finish 2024   as we expected based on the information to date  and the answer spoiler alert to that is yes the   second question that I want to present on is  is our long-term forecast that we talked about   a little earlier today looking out to 2026 27  is there any activity that's occurred to date   uh that would affirm that forecast and the answer  is yes everything is pretty much on track on both   of those cases so in the general fund again uh we  look for outliers there are very few outliers for   me to tell you about court fines are a little weak  if I have to find something wrong I'll tell you   that court fines are a little weak I think there's  a variety of reasons there primarily due to lower   enforcement activity but that really is our main  uh underperforming Revenue in the general fund   Public Safety costs are increasing uh overtime  is increasing again all of that is not something   we did not expect uh basically we're covering  that because our interest earnings continue   to be off the chart and because because we're  under spending and park and public works again   everything I just told you is very consistent with  what we thought was going to happen and what we've   said in in Prior presentations so let's look out  in the future a little bit again we'll keep an eye   on court revenues uh I think they're probably  going to stay low for a while but we'll see I   will tell you that I think interest earnings have  peaked which again is something we expected uh so   I think we're going to see those start to decline  the degree of that decline of course is subjective   but I think that Peak has occurred I think you'll  see wages and benefits continue to increase uh   based on some of the activity that has occurred  uh you're probably going to see higher benefit   rates in the future and we're more successful in  filling positions which is a double-edged sword   that's a good thing we have more city employees  to provide higher level services but that's going   to put a little pressure on our wages again all  of that is consistent with what we thought would   happen so what's the bottom line uh we should  be in manageable condition in 2025 uh which is   to say we have a balanced budget at this point  and we I don't see a reason to deviate from that   forecast and as the manager mentioned earlier  I think in 26 right now we think we'll be out   of balance somewhere in the3 to4 million range  and that's probably still consistent with what   I would tell you based on the information I have  at this point uh we always talk about debt real   quick take away on this slide is very simple  property tax funded debt is a very very small   portion of our total debt portfolio it's about 4%  and secondly our debt is growing it's growing on   the Enterprise fund side and that's because we're  in two Capital intensity business businesses water   and sewer and we are issuing debt in that area uh  last slide is about arpa we submitted our third   quarter report which we've referenced earlier  today it is super interesting if you have time   to read it it is online it talks about all the  programs that were funding a lot of which we've   talked about today talks about what we're trying  to accomplish what the performance measures are   and a variety of things in that manner uh we have  spent to date about $38 million of our 72 million   uh we have oblig ations to bring that up to  50 million and as I mentioned earlier today   or Dante mentioned we have another 22 million to  obligate I will point out that obligate doesn't   mean we haven't budgeted it or forecasted where  it'll go obligate means that we've that you have   taken the formal official action to approve a  contract or something of that nature so just   FYI on that and obviously that 22 million is  a little smaller based on some actions you've   already taken and it probably will be a little  smaller at the end of the day today again based on   actions that or items that you're going to be  presented as soon as I'm done here uh so that's   the my presentation uh I'd be remiss today if I  didn't address one more topic uh my understanding   is based on the rumor mill that Jamie's not going  to be here too much longer so as a Department of   Finance person I just wanted to thank her for her  service to the Department of Finance because she   has bailed me out many more times than you'll ever  know so I want to publicly acknowledge her so with   that I'd be happy to answer any questions mayor  thank you Mar Mark we'll begin with council member   Glascock thank you mayor uh mark this was great  reading uh this weekend so thank you I appreciate   it um on page 25 of the recovery plan uh document  it's just noted at the top of projects been   completed for the healthy Corner Store initiative  implementation which I think is probably outdated   based on an RFP that wasn't fulfilled previously  just says that the entire funding's completed   not accurate based on today so I think that  was more of just a a clerical aspect of here   unless I'm reading the completion wrong  um some of the other items for example   the violence interrupts doesn't say completed  obviously we allocated one day so that was the   only thing that I noticed in the entire packet  I appreciate that like I said we we printed   this probably two months ago so it's say it's a  little bit out of date but thank you for reading it Mark um can answer that um we actually Swit  categories sorry Nicole Babcock Department of   Finance um we actually switched  categories so it was in category   2.1 that's where the initial with the new  adventure visors was and then it switched   categories to small business to 2.32 so  that's where the rest of it was so thank you Mark yes ma'am um you mentioned that uh  one of the first two questions was what has   been projected is happening including 2026  2027 can you explain uh what you mean by   2026 and 2027 where we will have a deficit yeah  fundamentally to summarize the discussion we've   had earlier this year and throughout this year  uh we have uh two challenges that are going to   impact us into the future uh one is that  we've been sustainable currently because   we've had abnormally large interest earnings  those most likely are going to diminish in   the future which means our general fund revenues  are going to Flatline or grow at a very slow pace   so our revenues are going to decrease most likely  into the future or the increase will start to   decrease the other thing that is a challenge  for us is as I mentioned wages are increasing   and that's due to inflation it's due to a variety  of factors we're more successful filling positions   but fundamentally we expect our revenues growth to  decrease because primarily interest earnings are   going to decline and we expect our expenditures  to begin increasing at an accelerated Pace based   on the wage pressure that we've had past and  those two lines if you think of an expenditure   and revenue line those two lines most likely will  be out of balance sometime in 26 to some degree   and can you tell us what that budget deficit  again is in 2026 and 2027 uh yes ma'am in 2026   again based on the budget that we adopted back  in August I believe it's about $3.6 million I I   think I rounded to three million earlier we deal  round numbers I maybe I rounded the wrong way   about about 3.6 I think in 27 we would expect it  maybe to grow a little closer to about $10 million and again that's precipitated on when interest  earnings start to Crater how how soon they   drop and how far they drop and a variety  of other things thank you very much Mark   yes ma'am I see no further questions  for staff we'll open it up for public comment the public left um thank you very much  uh Mark we'll bring it back to the bench I see   none so I will move it um I will move um that  the city council receive and file the quarterly   financial report for the period ending September  30th 2024 second motion and a second any further   discussion I see none Madame clerk please open  the rooll motion passes 70 Madame clerk please   call the next item American Rescue plan act  emergency rental assistance to closeout plan good afternoon honorable mayor and councel  Sally Stang with the Housing and Community   Services Department for the record the first item  that I have for you today is a closeout plan for   our ER emergency rent assistance 2 program so  included in the uh arpa funding of 2021 was 21.25   billion for emergency rental assistance across the  country this is com absolutely separate from the   the arpa funding that came through as the state  fiscal uh state and local fiscal Recovery Fund   so this was a completely separate funding stream  the funding was distributed by formula based on   population and we received just just under $9.5  million to provide rent and utility assistance and   housing stability Services by regul excuse me by  regulation no more than 15% of the funding could   be used for administration and 10% for housing  stability Services leaving 75% of the funding   for rent and utility assistance payments and all  funding needed to be expended no later but than   September 30th 2025 by September 30th 2023 a  little over 8.6 million had been expended in   rent and utility assistance payments on behalf  of nearly 2500 households representing 91.5%   of the Grant and exceeding the 75% Threshold at  that time we decided to hold on to a little bit   of money because we weren't sure what was going  to happen with covid-19 so we held the remaining   funds in case there was a CO Rec recurrence but  we're at that point now where we need to make   sure we expend every dollar So currently there's a  little over $369,000 remaining in that fund so to   expend the funds by the September 30th deadline  and to address urgent Community needs at this   moment the following two programs are recommended  a security deposit in housing application fee   escrow program this Pro this program would be  specific for clients staying at the emergency   winter shelter this winter um to give them an  opportunity to earn a a service stien deposited   in escrow to be used for a security deposits rent  utility aers or application fees stiens equivalent   to $10 an hour are earned by completing tasks at  the shelter those tasks are are could include but   not limited to grounds and neighborhood trash p  pick up check-in Services laundry meal services   sweeping whatever needs to be done uh and the  funds would be and will be used for stiens and   administrative expenses to administer that program  we find um I've used stiens in other uh housing   situations and we find it also actually can help  people have a sense of ownership in where they're   staying the second program is a rapid rehousing  bridge to the housing Choice voucher program this   is the first winter since I've been here that  we have zero vouchers zero housing vouchers for   people at the time at which the winter shelter  is going to open and that is just because of   rising housing costs and we can't house as many  people with the dollars that we receive and so   to try and address that we're proposing the  first 50 persons or households on the waiting   list for the housing Choice voucher that have  a homeless preference referral that we verify   have continued homelessness and a commitment for  case management from either internal staff or a   community partner will be provided six up to six  months of rent assist and utility assistance we   can promote a six-month lease with landlords  to help encourage them to lease to persons   coming from homelessness and that they'll have  dedicated case management and that six months   of Rapid rehousing assistance will Bridge the  time until their names will likely be pulled   from the housing Choice Voucher Program waiting  list and will provide immediate housing to 50   homeless uh persons or households the funds  will be used for rent utility assistance and   administrative expenses there's not no impact  to the general fund all er2 funds must be fully   expended by September 30th 2025 the use of  these funds for rent and utility assistance   housing stability services and administration are  all El eligible uses within the award terms and   it is recommended that the city council approve  the arpa emergency rental assistance to closeout   plan the funding allocations and authorize staff  to make necessary budget adjustments for related   expenses and I stand for any questions questions  for staff beginning with council member ho Heisel   thank you mayor Sally do you need a stool you're  about to be up here for another I know three or so   um can I ask about the process to come up with  $10 an hour um is that what the other programs   that you've referenced is that about what they  pay or it's about what peer supports uh get paid   like through our peer support contract we have  with breakthrough Club they get paid $10 an hour   so to actually provide stiens beyond that would  have been wouldn't have gone over well okay so   it it goes into like an account that follows a  person around what if that person moves what if   that person that that's right in in written into  the program plan that they will have a period of   time in which to use them the only eligible use  is uh is going to be for housing supports if we   don't get them housed before we have to expend  the the the funds they would come back they   would come back into the program to potentially  either be used for the bridge program but we have   to have them fully expended by September 30th  okay so if if it comes back into the fold can   we use it for housing Choice vouchers or no we  cannot strictly for yes for this okay um and in   reference to the uh the 50 persons on the housing  choice voucher waiting list how long is that list   current there's over 10,000 households on the list  for a voucher right now it's gone up 400% since 2022 are these people is it strictly people who  are homeless or is it people in danger of becoming   homeless it's it's it's all low to moderate income  um households right now we have 247 people on   the waiting list that have been referred for a  homeless preference voucher which means means   confirmed homelessness tied to uh case management  agreed by uh an agency so of the 10,000 households   only 247 right now have a homeless preference how  long would it take us at the current rate to help   address the 10,000 um we currently can't issue  any we haven't issued any vouchers other than   specialty Vash vouchers and Foster youth because  they're a separate funding stream since May   because we don't have the funding D we're actually  in shortfall um we are have a moratorium from HUD   that we cannot issue any new vouchers uh until we  get into a new funding cycle and we have capacity   to do so at the rate we went this year it would  take 20 30 years to get through a list of 10,000   people on the list what are some of the other  um um pools of Revenue to help fund the housing   to vogr there are to fund that program in itself  it it's Congress allocating funds and we're not   I about three months ago I had heard that a  quarter of housing authorities across the country   were in shortfall because of the rise in rent  costs and the amount of funding is not keeping   up with that um in in speaking with the field  office just yesterday it it's closing in on 50% of   housing authorities across the country don't have  enough funding to support the people currently   housed let alone trying to H uh house additional  folks I know we had talked about um I guess   we raised the the value of each voucher right and  then but narrowed how many people is that still   something we're looking at because it's we're kind  of in a catch 22 here like well with the with the   implementation of the small area fair market rents  which were mandatory for us to to move to that in   January of of 2025 we are going to see 55% of the  person's housed right now their payment standards   are actually going to decrease if they were to  move now mind you we held them harmless that   the new payment standard only comes into play if  they go into a new contract and and only 45% are   going to actually see an increase in that payment  standard right thank you vice mayor Ballard thank   you mayor um thank you for uh helping create or  taking a page out of another um community's book   on bringing them alongside to earn some money  or credit whatever you whatever you want to   call just a program for their them to stay busy  um maybe while they're working on getting an ID   or whatever but keeping their their hands busy  and um I just appreciate that thank you thank   you Sally it looks like we don't have any further  questions but I will ask maybe the city manager   this question um I know that council member hoisel  asked the question what can be done about vouchers   and they come from the federal government and  last last couple of items we have been talking   about federal dollars arpa dollars could any of  those arpa dollars could have gone to housing vouchers it's a creative approach to use of  those dollars um we talked about addressing   housing through the affordable housing fund  and freeing up homes for people to be able   to move into either as homeowners or as rent  ERS and so that's the we did take $5 million   to put aside in fact you're going to talk about  that today on two separate items u in terms of   how we've used that money um and so by freeing  up how units for rental we're doing basically   the same thing and also assuring that they'll  be affordable housing units um hadn't thought   about a direct voucher program at least that  I can I don't know that we talked about that   s we hadn't talked about that and it's similar to  what we do in the housing first program for homel   where it's not an official Federal program it  is a a local funded housing assistance program   um and that's exactly what I'm talking about  doing with the with the bridge program is a   local subsidy program to bridge till people would  be pulled from the waiting list but we're talking   tremendous tremendous need um the dollars needed  to make a dent in the waiting list is are big very   big thank you again for your work Sally I know  that housing is the number one thing uh among   the top four priorities um and knowing that the  weight list is 10,000 households for a Housing   Voucher and that you have zero currently and have  been basically at zero since May of 2024 deeply   concerns me because I know from presentations  regarding the homelessness task force that a   large majority of individuals that are incoming  to homelessness are our youth um aging out of   the foster care system as well as our seniors um  our older citizens and so that deeply concerns   me um that we've been making decisions up here  when there are 10,000 households that are in   need um and so that that again concerns me a  lot and so again thank you very much for what   you and your staff do I see no further comments  from the bench we will now open it up for public comment I see no one from the public who would  like to speak will bring it back to the bench   council member Glascock thank you mayor thank  you Sally for your presentation we're talking   today a lot about how to use arpa funds and I  think this is a perfect example of how to use   it appropriately and effectively ly um I believe  this uh one it's an internal Department to the   city provides relief from Co especially you talk  about the growth since 2022 um in the voucher   program excuse me addess as homelessness people  at the BR brink of homelessness it offers sions   for work it's an essential function it's long-term  it's one-term lasting impact it reduces government   dependency it strengthens Workforce Development  so I hope we can look at Future projects like   this as well and I think this is a perfect use of  how to spend arpa funding and I want to thank you   and your staff for um Coming Up this uh program  and I think it's Innovative and uh hopefully it's   something that we can continue um because I really  do think it reduces government dependency and also   strengthens the workforce so thank you very much  for this thank you again I see no further comments   so I will move to approve the arpa emergency  rental assistance number two closeout plan and   funding allocations and authorize staff to make  necessary budget adjustments for related expens   second motion and a second any further discussion  I see none Madame clerk please open the role motion passes 70 Madame clerk please call  the next item multi- agency Center development   sub agreement and allocation of American Rescue  plan act funds thank you once again Sally staying   with Housing and Community Services for the  record uh the second item I have for you is   the development agreement for the buildout of the  Mac very exciting on um August 22nd 2023 the count   city council approved the master development  agreement with our development partner Petra   for the development of the multi-agency center  and Associated affordable housing once again the   vision for the multi-agency center is to provide a  One-Stop shop for people experiencing homelessness   a place where programs can collaborate and to  provide ease of access into various services   including congregate shelter non congregate  shelter housing navigation housing housing   case management benefit enrollment assistance  and employment assistance and anything else we   can collaborate on we're excited to do uh  public consultation and due diligence led   the city to acquiring the former Park Elementary  School property at 1025 North Maine from usd259   on September 3rd 2024 the city council approved a  subd development agreement in the amount of $2,252   250 for the renovation and expenses necessary to  prepare the property for winter shelter for the   2425 winter season and that work is currently  underway so our fire uh sprinkler lines are   are moving along quickly um with the main branch  lines installed and continued um overhead ruins   continue we are focusing on the Riser room in the  gym the first area we're hoping to have um ready   and available the fire alarm HVAC security and  video surveillance system all of those contracts   have been awarded some selective demolition has  occurred um the we are evaluating options for   that north wall that is going to separate the  the property the Park Elementary property from   the the Residential Properties to the north and  they're dealing with plans to remedy the overlap   so that that property line Jigs and Jags as  we come through and so we're going to be um   addressing potentially deeding little remnants to  acient property owner so that we're not having to   maintain small areas outside the the uh the wall  that's going up and then uh the fire dampers those   are critical and those are ordered and they  have to be received and installed before we   can get any type of occupancy permit and we're  currently Contracting for showers and restroom   trailers for the winter shelter inspection of the  the school structure by mabcd trades inspectors   the Fire Marshall and hfg Architects as well as  engagement with neighbors and service providers   has concluded the following Renovations will be  necessary to convert the building into the full   Mac so it's renovation of the 30,000 square feet  of the Interior Space that is actually the north   building the two-story building the installation  of access controls in that space complete uh   boiler and Chiller system upgrades environmental  remediation fire suppression system and risers   for that remaining 30,000 square ft we're not  working on that side of the building for winter   shelter so we're going to have to look at that  for for the next um phase commercial kitchen uh   re remodeling in the receiving area for that  upgrade pavement expansion and Rehab external   security controls additional exterior walls  for um really securing off the site Furniture   fixtures equipment uh architectural engineering  soft cost compliance contingency and the developer   fee and the the development agreement sets  forth Petra's responsibilities which are   engineering design construction structure budget  schedules reporting Staffing all of it it is a   Cost Plus fixed fee contract which provides  the developer to be reimbursed for all actual   expenses not to exceed the amounts authorized  plus a developer fee and that developer fee   is 4 and a half% um in accordance with that  Master development agreement that we executed   last uh year ago August and this provides a  breakdown of a need of just over $6.3 million the total estimated cost of 6,373 756 we're  recommending 5,762 in 5,762 295 in arpa funds and $11,400 East 21st Street North in accordance with  city council discussion when the the sale of that   property was approved so the law department has  reviewed and approved the development agreement   as to form and it's recommended that the city  council approve the allocation of 5,762 295 in   American Rescue plan act Revenue replacement  funding $1,461 in general funds from the net   sales proceeds from the sale of the property at  2221 East 21st Street and the development sub   agreement with Petra in the amount of 6,373 756  as a sub agreement under the master development   agreement for renovations at the Park Elementary  School location at 10:25 North Main Street to   convert the facility into the multi-agency center  and authorize the necessary signatures and tylon   Dyer from Petra is here also if you have any  questions and I stand for any questions thank you   Sally we'll begin with council member hoisel yes  thank you mayor thank you Sally again um I just   quickly here um do we expect the fire suppression  system to be ready by Thanksgiving we that is the   goal is somewhere around Thanksgiving so we think  we're on track for that yeah we do think we're on   track okay thank you um second one is are all  the improvements expected to fit within this   budget yes all of the improvements are expected to  fit within this budget including and I it wasn't   spelled out on here um the building of kennels  that's been in the discussion from the get-go yes   okay thank you Council member Glascock thank you  mayor two quick questions um looking at the Green   Sheet you received or received it says March 31st  2025 the newly formed beginning on April 1st 2025   and that then it says it'll take 12 to 18 months  to complete yes can people still live there or   not live there but reside there from April to  whenever the full completion that is the intent   um we creating great cooperation working with the  the you know Construction to try and keep a level   of shelter still going at that location during  construction but the full buildout of the Mac is   not g it's not going to open as the Mac on April  1st 2025 um because there's so much work to have   to get done but we don't want to have to shut  down entirely shut down shelter services so is   the plan to operate a pseudo MAAC and the interim  at that location maybe even outside or how are we   going to use that facility still offering maybe  like a tester Mac until um it part of that's just   going to depend on the construction because if  they're actually working to build out the north   building it's going to be hard to have agencies  in there um we can absolutely intend to keep going   with the neighborhood resource fairs that we've  done under project hope to keep those going to   try and keep all the different service providers  engaged and have a resource but there'll be some   some providers on site during winter shelter  as well as during construction but we won't   have the space to have all of the partners there  during construction okay thank you last question   I have brief question I also think this is a  good use of arpa money the 5,762 295 question   for you or Bob what did that reallocation  from arpa money come from to fund this project the while okay Here Comes yeah thank you  Nikki because I there's there's a wild card here   on the pickle ball I'm trying to think how the  two are in uh uh intertwined go ahead Nikki yes   so this is coming from uh a reduction in the  patrol West for arpa funding it'll be switched   back to geof funding okay and that's primarily  because um it wouldn't be in time to obligate   it under the arbit deadlines if I remember pickle  ball allows us flexibility to be able to do that   okay yes yes correct I knew it was a connection  I was just trying to think through it thank you   Nikki okay I yeah I wanted to figure out  what that connection was because I knew   it had to do with reallocation of not doing the  pickle ball or pickle whatever we're calling no   can't whatever it was going to be moving that  to this was part of this decision so thank you thank you uh Sally I have several question  questions for you I'll start off with this $6.3   million uh you mentioned the kennels I ALS  also wanted to make mention um of the 6.3   million will this take into account Plumbing  I know that we're Contracting for showers and   additional restrooms can you talk about Plumbing  sure that the additional showers and restrooms are   really for the shelter side while we're doing  shelter before the full buildout because we do   need we need to add there's no showers in the  building at all right now um a and as well as   additional bathroom facilities but yes the all  of the plumbing requirements are included in   this price and in Project number two will this  include non- congregate housing or will it still   be congregate housing this is all congregate  housing that the non- congregate housing piece   is in Project number three which would be in  the new build directly um behind which would   have 50 you know in the plan would be 50 units of  Housing and 25 units of non- congregate shelter   and project number three which is the non-  congregate Sheltering plus um some additional   housing opportunities how is that and uh can you  talk about the litech credits sure so we applied   for 4% low-income housing tax credits in the  second round despite having the highest scoring   project tied for first we were not selected for  funding um it is our hope to move forward with   utilizing the other funding that we have um and  we are re-evaluating whether we will try to apply   for litec in the future we have have funding  the AR the homart funds as well as the public   housing sales proceeds um that can you know we  can put towards the build of that building on   Park we don't have the resources to do the other  125 units that was in the um application that you   know a couple blocks away at uh tenth and Topeka  area so we we will continue to evaluate uh and   whether we will put in a an application either  under 9 or 4% next year council member hoisel   thank you mayor um the ltech credits we spoke a  little bit about that it was because it's within   a mile mile and a half of another ltech project  which 98% of the state is not going to have that   issue correct correct yes and you know when we  reached out to khrc on that issue they told us   just to request a waiver of that and how our  clientele would not you know wouldn't be affect   we wouldn't be affecting the marketability  of either project we have a whole different   demographic going into those two projects but they  still landed that way um can we get this up for um   discussion to add this to our legislative agenda  just make the rounds with other council members   and see what what the uh the temperature is to to  put this on there to ask for some changes the way   the agency is set up I believe it's um meant to  have no influence by the legislature so we need   to I'm not quite sure what our approach would be  in this regard um we'll have to visit with our   lobbyist some explaining the issue don't know  if there are any regulations that are imposed   by the legislature that govern their behavior  but I think when it comes to issues like this   I believe they're an independent body that is not  influenced by the political process okay yeah if   we can check into how we can spur some change  there does this uh is the 9% under the same   standards there they do not have that limitation  on the 9% the 9% are much more competitive um they   generally fund smaller projects except in the  unique opportunity category and I do believe   this is a unique opportunity um so we are still  having conversations about um you know what our   plan will be going forward the 9% applications  are due in January the next round of 4% are in   February and we will be collaborating with our  partners on on what what we think would probably   be the best move going forward we are aware of  several other projects that are um intending   on applying in the 9% round in January yeah  I hear some too yeah thank you s vice mayor Ballard mayor thank you Sally um couple questions  um do we get any type of debriefing or any type of   feedback when we are denied the tax credits  there is no appeal process but we do we did   request a debriefing we have not received it yet  okay um what is the plan if we do not receive it   the plan at this point would be to continue  to scrape together the funding to be able to   do the it's a total of 75 unit un on site um I I  do believe we can get there um but we'd have a a   much stronger um product with more resources if we  got the tax credits doesn't other not at all okay   um and then the mayor alluded to uh bathrooms  and showers a little bit uh for the um winter   shelter we're collaborating or the plumbing will  be done for extra bathrooms or we doing something   yeah we're bringing in bathroom trailers and  shower trailers for to to augment what's there   for winter shelter so those once the full build  out's done those won't be necessary any longer   but they'll likely be there through until that's  all built out project two as well right because   they'll be you know we're going to continue to  try and provide shelter during the construction   which means the construction's not necessarily  all done for those facilities as long as they're   needed we'll keep the additional facilities there  wonderful thank you sorry more questions Sally   uh the 6.3 million for project number two um it  mentions a commercial kitchen have we not secured   a food source uh regarding kitchen Services I  know that there is a kitchen already there there   is but this says a commercial kitchen so I'll ask  that question in addition to the 6.3 million the   kennels um is just the buildout for the kennels  what about the operating cost for the kennels   operating cost this is is all capital investment  so operating cost for the kennels will have to be   absorbed into the operations budget for the Mac  yes and then as far as the commercial kitchen   that's why it says commercial kitchen receiving  upgrades because we're still having conversations   with the providers with the uh architect team  and saying you know we definitely right now are   looking at the food being delivered but is that  a long term should we you know is that going to   exist long term is there a way to collaborate  with the partner is there more that they need   in that space to make that work better and we're  just leaving a little bit of flexibility in there   so that we can get the best product in the long  run can you also um reiterate just the capital   Improvement um dollars so for project number two  is 6.3 million what is it for project one and   project three uh project one was 2 2,252 250 um  for project one project two is the 6.3 in total   um project two project three is unknown at the  moment even the workups we have right now to build   out the 75 units in the 120 in the 12 or five um  those that number will change whether we have tax   credits or not there are a lot of financial  uh Bond issuances and things that are kind of   expensive um when you do tax credits is still a  benefit to receive the credits but it does push   up the cost so we're having further conversations  about um whether or you know what those costs are   going to look like with or without tax credits  we've also had the conversation about should we   build the foundation of the the 75 unit building  um so that it could withstand potentially going   up further in the future could you adjust it from  three to five stories in the future if the demand   was there and if it's a much less um investment  now to do your footing 8 feet deeper maybe we do   that just so that we're ready if in the future  that's needed because you can't do it after the   fact so just thinking trying to be thoughtful  about what we're doing and Sally a followup to   project number three I know that the number  is unknown yes to build uh the 50 units plus   25 non- congregate units uh you mentioned home  AR dollars that are available how much is that   it's just under $5 million we had uh in in funding  for the project itself and that uh is limited to   being able to fund um housing and non- congregate  shelter it cannot be used to fund the Mac or the   congregate shelter space thank you Sally council  member Johnston thank you mayor Sally I presume   you've talked to L Diner about food things Monday  through Friday food on Saturday Sunday what's   the plan for that um at this point we're still  reaching out and going to be having to coordinate   with the community I mean that's really what's  happened every year in the past with churches   things like that they come in and and uh humankind  in the past has coordinated all of all of those   donations there's a little bit of well you'll see  in the next item funding or some meals thank uh   and then lastly uh project one which again should  be operational by November 28th project one being   emergency winter shelter I think you'll speak  about it at the next item but can you just uh   let us know updates wise I know you had a whole  list of the things that need to be done before   November 28th um are we on budget on time uh  maybe it's a question for Petra you want to come up thank you Sally thank you mayor I'm tyon  Dyer with Petra thank you all this has been   an incredible day so um this is fun to watch so  yeah it's not over we're we'll hang out all night   um so just to update real quick the as Sally said  she did a great job of just condensing everything   into one thing we have a ton of stuff going  on at this site um C Gordon our construction   partner has a bunch of other folks going on and  we've been working diligently with with the city   and the staff to make sure that we bring other  stuff in like Sandifer and all those folks that   weren't originally in what we were talking about  just to get everything stuck in here so to answer   your question we are ahead of schedule on a lot  of stuff we're fighting like heck to get through   a lot of other things the fire dampers as she  mentioned U we have to make decisions and I'm   going to go in just a little bit of detail I think  it's fun for you guys understand but fire dampers   can be both mechanical or electrical um they both  serve the same purpose but one ties into into the   fire system the other one is actual has melting  points right so when you have a fire they operate   automatically and you don't have to depend on  the electrical side I prefer the mechanical   ones everybody else likes the electrical ones  if we put the electrical ones in we wouldn't   open until February you just can't get those  in time so we bought the mechanical ones and   are installing those right now so that's part  of what we're cranking through is all these   little finite decisions that you guys don't need  to worry yourselves about we will get through um   but the point is we will have a piece of this open  um one other little thing I did want to clarify is   continuance of service is a very important thing  that we're trying to do Springtime isn't that   big of an item item with the providing emergency  winter shelter right or emergency summer shelter   which is the other thing we've talked about  but that little window in there thankfully we   do have two different buildings that are in play  they just happen to be stuck together so we're   doing our best to phase everything we keep going  so that answer the question okay council member   hoisel thank you mayor uh just one quick question  you talked about um doing the Footers with the   foundation about another 8T lower do we have  a price tag with that uh I'll address that one   thank you um no we don't have a price tag but we  are trying to be very diligent on that we don't um   we don't expect there to be any extra money from  Project number two but as we're trying to figure   out what we can do and how we go get it done um  if doing a little bit of concrete work provides   us a big savings while we're doing the rest of  it we definitely do it at this point um adding   a little extra concrete and a little bit of extra  rebar isn't that big of a deal that's what Sally   was alluding to um for us to make sure we could  go up another level it does change a lot of design   aspects which could massively affect this but in  the end we are trying to be as smart as we can on   that and we're throwing other AD alternates into  the bidding process as we go through every piece   of this project um and then the other thing I  want to clarify to that piece there's a lot of   design that's going on right now so as of today  Project two will start design if approved um and   we'll crank through a lot of those details there's  a lot of questions you guys probably have that we   can't answer today we have a lot of work to do  over the next couple months thank you and Sally   one last question for you before we open it up  for public comment um you mentioned project one   these are capital costs project 1 2.2 million  project 2 6.3 million project three unknown   now I want to know operational so that's just  Capital dollars operationally how much are we   allocating for project one project two operations  dollars we're not we're not allocating any funding   for project one and project two um towards that  Capital Improvement now another item on the agenda   is the allocation of funding for winter shelter  operations which isn't the buildout and I think   we're just talking cross purposes yeah yeah so  um you're right about an item here following   for the winter shelter that'll be the only time  this will be your last time that there'll be a   winter shelter budget and then um there is an  estimated annual operating budget of of $4.5   million at this point um in on the 19th we'll  be bringing a contract asking the council to   allocate $5 million in arpa funds for the first  two years of operations two and a half million   year and then um there's ongoing work that's  being done on our behalf by ppmc working with   providers to see if there can be offsetting cost  for the remaining $2 million thank you very much   city manager and Sally uh just to reiterate  the estimated operating dollars is 4.5 million   and the city is expected on November 19th or the  council is expected to vote on arpa dollars to be   allocated for two years at 2.5 million each year  for a total of 5 million to help offset operating   which then still means there's a $2 million gap  um for both of those years so again um that is   just to reiterate where are we going to find the  other 2 million mayor as I mentioned that work   is now being done with the providers to see how  much existing providers in the community can um   provide services that will reduce the $2 million  um the meals our food costs are in that budget and   we you know we've had ongoing discussions with the  dicese and Lord Steiner uh board members and staff   so that's one that would be an offset for instance  and thank you for mentioning uh the Catholic dases   or the Lord's Diner and that um they stepped up at  the very beginning and said we'll commit to some   sort of food providing food of some sort um and  I appreciate again that you gave them a shout out   because that is how the city plans to close the  gap the 4.5 million in operating the city is going   to pay a large majority of it through arpa dollars  at 2.5 million which then again requires Community   to help us with $2 million whether in kind  services or donations from Community but thank   you I have no further questions and I see none  From the Bench we will now open it up for public comment I see no one from the public who  would like to speak so we will bring it   back to the bench I don't see any so I'll go  ahead and move to approve the allocation of   5 m762 295 in American Rescue plan or arpa  Revenue replacement funding and then $61,200 East 21st Street and the development sub  agreement with Petra in the amount of   6,373 756 as a sub agreement under the master  development agreement for renovations at the   Park Elementary School location at 10:25  North Main Street to convert the facility   into the multi-agency center and authorize the  necessary signatures Council uh vice mayor Ballard   thank you mayor I just like to speak to the  motion I just want to reiterate over and over   and over thank you so much for everybody that's  working so hard on this I know we are um under   you know special time limits and also trying  to get this um up and running for our community   before the winter gets here so um since it's in  district 6 um I just um appreciate that we're   able to provide this facility for um the whole  community and we need it so desperately and   second we have a motion and a second any further  discussion I see none Madam clerk please open the role motion passes 70 Madame clerk please call  the next item affordable housing fund program   plan updates in expenditures good afternoon Sally  staying with Housing and Community Services once   again for the record the item we have is an  update to the affordable housing fund plan some   background in May of 2021 the city was awarded  72.4 million in American Rescue plan act funds   to support response and Recovery to covid-19  investment in quality safe affordable housing   was identified uh through Community engagement  as a high priority and the city allocated $5   million for the creation of the affordable housing  fund and on April 12th 2022 the council the city   council approved the affordable housing fund  program plan and enabling ordinance Staffing   Resources were assigned to implement the project  and the city council has appointed board members   to serve on the affordable housing review board  for a while staff was monitoring additional US   Treasury guidance and affordable home ownership  initiatives presented major challenges including   lengthy affordability periods re what what we were  seeing is that if we provided the funds under the   category of arpa funds the original category  there would be a 20-year repayment period so if   the homeowner sold the property within the first  20 years they'd have to pay every penny back and   that put most homeowners upside down until like  year 16 and what we we see in the community is   people aren't staying in their houses for 16  years and we really did not want to implement   the program that put people in a detriment in  the long run and so we actually did some Outreach   to our nonprofit developers um and we held two  stakeholder engagement sessions and could not come   up with a viable solution using that category of  arpa funding so the budget office thank goodness   um identified other qualifying arpa expenses  Citywide and that it was able to switch the   funding to the revenue replacement category which  gives us a little bit more flexibility it allows   us to uh better interface and align to existing  programs enhance that accountability the program   equity and give us uh monitoring opportunities  without putting families upside down so that was   really critical on September 10th of this year  the city council approved an allocation of 1,   320,000 in affordable housing funds to three  organizations for the preservation of 33 former   public housing units and you had two of those  items come back today on on consent the funding   agreements as well as the sales agreement so those  are moving through but following that RFP the   applicants reached out to us two of the three and  said could they apply the affordable housing fund   dollars to the acquisition costs and at that time  we said no because that would be significantly a   significant deviation from what we put out in  the RFP and other developers may come back and   go well if I known it could be used for the acquis  acquisition we would have bid so we didn't want to   cause a Ruckus there but we took their information  um what they told us was that um it caused   problems with their cash flow to having to come  up with all of those funds towards AC acquisition   at the beginning so that feedback in addition  to we knew the the obligation deadline on arpo   was coming uh we decided to go back and retool  and take a look if we could retool the way the   affordable housing fund works for to to meet many  positives so the goal of the updated plan Still   Remains to improve the quality of existing housing  stock while expanding quality affordable housing   options and it's still um you know set up to  benefit low moderate households um but we've just   kind of change flipped around where the funding  comes in um but and here are those affordability   requirements so for home ownership opportunities  households have to have an uh annual gross income   at or below 80% of the area median income which is  73,500 for a family of four and for rental housing   it's under 60 with a priority for under 50%  area median income at 549 and 45750 respectively   for a family of four the eligible use are for  acquisition and Rehab that's the change right it's   not just Rehabilitation it's acquisition and Rehab  it can be for units that are for affordable home   ownership for sale or for rental opportunities the  applicants must be non or for-profit developers   having $40,000 available for per unit but they  also must utilize either the homeown payment   assistance program or project-based vouchers  or low-income housing tax credits for the   affordability restrictions in monitoring so key  updates to the plan for right now it eliminates   it eliminates the home repair as an eligible  activity just due to the timing but that could   come back in the future with a future um update  the affordable housing funds will be used to   acquire 56 properties from the Witchita Housing  Authority for the appraised value of 3, 67,341 North Minnesota and 2520 2528 East mosman  were complete losses due to Fire and so there   a combined appraised value is only $9,900  for the land but it is going to cost us 20   just over 24 under $25,000 to uh demolish  the existing structure so that we can sell   the land for redevelopment uh $40,000 zero  interest deferred forgivable mortgages will   be filed on each property to ensure project  completion with affordable home ownership or   affordable rental outcomes and net proceeds from  the sale of the properties to developers as well   upon as upon sale to qualified home buyers will  revolve back to the affordable housing fund for   additional investment in affordable housing now  once it comes back there's not an obligation   expenditure so we are free of that as it comes  back the city will make the affordable housing   uh funds for these types of projects uh available  through another RFP process it'll allow them to   request the subsidy Project based vouchers we only  have five that were left that were approved that   we could put towards these for rental units um and  bid on particular units uh the council appointed   affordable housing review board will evaluate  applications make funding recommendations and   provide guidance and support so I have two sample  uh examples these are straight from the plan right   um that go if if a developer proposes to buy a  unit for the appraise value of50 $3,000 and sell   it as affordable home ownership at 90,000 after  renovation you can see that acquisition cost   and closing cost come to 545 we pass a $40,000  forgivable mortgage and the developer pays 145 at   the time they buy it then they invest in the rehab  it's the hard cost soft cost site improvements so   they're completely in at 74,500 on this on this  project at the second closing this is when they're   going to CL close with the affordable with the  low-income household the sales price is $90,000   we have a little bit more in closing cost because  often times they have buyers agents and so they'll   get a commission um the developer gets reimbursed  their their investment of that 745 plus their   capped developer fee they're making $7,200 for  doing this and then that leaves $4,800 at closing   that would revolve back to the affordable housing  fund so in this example 19,3 $300 comes back to   the affordable housing fund um great thing about  it is that that affordable housing fund mortgage   is Forgiven at the s that 40,000 Is Forgiven  once they sell it to that low-income household   the documentation of rehab expenses still have to  be submitted monthly and inspections will occur   with that the qualified home buyer will receive  homeown payment assistance for up to 20% plus   2,000 for closing costs and that places a 10-year  affordability restriction on it after which 50% Is   Forgiven at 10 years and the other 50% gets paid  when they sell it that's just how our down payment   assistance works we kept it consistent with home  down payment um that mortgage payment on that loan   for that homeowner with a 30-year 6 and a half%  mortgage to a loan com buy is approximately $65   a month that includes principal interest  taxes and insurance that's a three-bedroom   house with a mortgage of $65 a month that is  better than you can do in the rental market   second example exact same scenario except they're  going to sell it for 85,000 instead of 90,000 in   the end there's no money to come back they're  actually overspent by 200 $200 which actually   comes off the developers um their developer fee  so they're only going to actually earn $7,000 not   7200 this is to keep them from overspending  um the 145 does come back to the affordable   housing fund but after the second closing  there's still there's not excess to come back   uh everything else Remains the Same except  because they sold the house at $85,000 that   that um mortgage payment drops to $580 a month on  that particular and then the third example is a   rental situation so in rentals it's a little  different because you don't have that second   closing it's a little different because with  project-based vouchers there's more administrative   work King HUD gets involved we're going to have  administrative work so there's an additional   environmental review additional uh underwriting  subsidy layering review and the execution of   what they call an ahap which is an agreement to  enter into a long-term housing assistance contract   which is a 15 to 20year Commitment again same  acquisition cost 53,000 1,500 for closing cost   do it closings would be 545 we file the $40,000  mortgage the developer pays the 1445 they invest   the 60,000 in repair so they're in for 745 um  at there is no second closing in they're just   at that point going to do an affordable rental so  documentation of rehab expenses must be submitted   monthly will execute a full haap contract after  the repairs are done the Project based voucher   payment standard is no more than 110% of the small  area fmr which for a three-bedroom unit in zip   code 67214 is$ 1,331 less the utility allowance  of $38 means that the rent would be $1,020 $3   for a three-bedroom house is pretty decent um  the principal in interest at 7% advertised for   20 years on the developers investment of 745 is  $577 60 a month which makes this actually doable   for them uh the affordable housing fund mortgage  is Forgiven at the expiration of the hab contract   either 15 or 20 years whichever they decide and  if during the term of the H contract they sell   that property to someone else same thing holds  true at that point they could at closing at the   sale the half contract has to carry by regulation  um but they could get their 12% developer fee if   there are if there is um net proceeds at that  point any additional net proceeds still comes   back to the affordable housing fund so this is  not a way to sell it to my brother and then making   sure that that's always cycling back so no funds  will be distributed or rewarded to developers or   nonprofits as a a result of the program plan  approval uh following the solicitation of the   RFP submittal will be reviewed by the affordable  housing review board recommendations would be   presented to the city council for final review  and approval an increase of $2,972 in the arpa   allocation to the affordable housing fund is  necessary to meet the appraised value of all   56 units as well as fund the demolition of the two  units destroyed by fire the proposed plan has been   reviewed and approved by the law department and  it is recommended that the city council approve   the updated affordable housing fund program plan  the increase of $2,972 to the affordable housing   fund allocation of arpa funds the expenditure of  3,696 272 of arpa affordable housing funds for   the acquisition of 56 single family homes from  the witcha housing authority and demolition of   the two structures that were a total loss due  to Fire and approve the memorandum of under   understanding with the Witchita housing authority  and authorize the necessary signatures and I'll   stand for any questions thank you Sally we'll  begin with council member hoisel I think she knew   thank you mayor I think she knew it was coming she  looked directly at me um are are the uh the home   ARP funds and the um the vouchers the hpvs um are  those do those have the same oversight as far as   keeping in an affordable project as litech credits  so the you Project based vouchers Yes actually   we're in there more frequently than um low-income  housing tax credits are because we're more local   tax credits are us monitored by the state they're  not here as frequently okay yes um so uh do do do   the regulation for it to stay affordable housing  does that depend on whether it's the vouchers or   the litech or right it is that those agreements  it's either the project-based voucher agreement   or the low-income housing tax credit agreement  that will put the land use restriction on the   property and requires it to stay as affordable  for the so there's a difference between the two   as far as time there are what's the difference  between the two well the low-income housing ta   there tax credits are the same that we're talking  about we don't get a lot of applications here um   those are all administered by the Kansas housing  resources Corporation and they do have different   rules and regulations 10 years I'm sorry 10 years  15 15 15 and most actually commit to 30 because   you get bonus points um when you do an application  minimum is 15 but if you commit to doing 30 years   you get bonus points so most applicants are like  I'm in this business to do affordable housing I'm   going to commit to 30 so we know we'll get at  least 15 out of the tax credit yeah um I I see   here we talk about elimination of the home repair  program that's different than what we have with   the cdbg funds correct we had in the affordable  housing plan we had a component that would allow   us to do targeted in those pilot areas a home  repair program that could cycle back it could   be one of the uses when we we're going to have to  come back with another program plan because all   that income that's revolving back we're going  to have to have the plan for that next step we   could consider a a a further home repair program  or we could do more of what we're doing which is   investing in those houses okay I'll wait for those  recommendations um how much do we currently have   in the fund is it I know it's pretty fluid but  in the affordable housing fund the the 3 million   600,000 is what's left in that that we're asking  to allocate through the purchase of those houses   okay thank you Sally yes I have a couple of  follow-up questions can we go to slide number 156 yes this is in regards to the two fires do  you know what caused those two fires uh people   breaking into the units and lighting fires inside  and then we often hear from Community um sometimes   regarding houses that have been abandoned or just  vacant um can you reiterate the demolition costs   is that standard or is it because there was a  fire can you just explain the demolition cost   um that that cost is for two different properties  that's pretty standard we're seeing 10 to 15,000   per is um very common those we actually went out  to bid and got bids and those were the lowest   bids so there's even a cost and very expensive  cost just to demolish homes and again we want   to keep homes uh we know that we have a housing  shortage and so we need to keep as many of the   homes as possible um so I really like the method  of this program of asking uh those who are more   of an expert regarding developing homes to have  this forgivable loan um so I I really like this   approach and I was very appreciative that um you  mentioned what you're asking for right now from   the council is to allocate an increase of $2,972  from arpa federal dollars to this project and I'm   going to be very supportive of this as this  is again housing um so I just wanted to say   that I really appreciate this program thank  you we will now open it up for public comment I see none we'll bring it back to the bench I see none so I will move to approve the  updated affordable housing fund program plan   the increase of $25,988 to the affordable  housing fund allocation of ARA funds the   expenditure of 3,696 $272 of arpa affordable  housing funds for the acquisition of 5 56   single family homes from the witcha housing  authority and demolish and the demolition   of the two structures that were total losses  due to fires and approved the memorandum of   understanding with the Witchita housing  authority and authorized the necessary signatures second motion and a second any further  discussion I see none Madame clerk please open the rooll motion passes 70 I think you have two more  items is that right Sally yeah one then a break   and then I'll be back okay more we'll do one more  and then we'll take a short break okay thank you   Sally no problem all right clerk please call the  next item arpa Revenue replacement allocation   humankind Ministries Inc winter shelter once  again Sally staying with the Housing and Community   Services Department for the record the item that  I have for you now is the funding agreement for   operations at the emergency winter shelter for  this winter season so for more than 20 years   humankind Ministries has provided emergency winter  shelter from November to March last year the city   learned that humankind would face challenges to  operate the shelter at its its original facility   in response the city provided the city-owned  property a 2220 East 21st Street North as a site   for winter shelter for the 2023 24 winter season  only and the city has since sold that property   since August of 2023 the city's been working with  its development partner Petra Inc to identify a   site for the multi- agency Center to include  congregate shelter non- congregate wraparound   services and housing and on September 11th 2024  the city closed on the far former Park Elementary   School property at 1025 North Maine and began work  to renovate the property for use for the Emergency   winter shelter for the 2425 winter season back in  2021 and 2022 the city made emergency Solutions   grants cares funding available for winter shelter  activities through a request for proposal process   in both years humankind Ministries was the only  respondent in 2023 the city used arpa funding   to support the emergency winter shelter operated  by humankind which was determined to be the sole   source for such services in 23 this year we did  once again again went out to bid through an RFP   process to utilize arpa funding to support  an emergency winter shelter in at the park   elementary school property and again humankind was  the only respondent the estimated cost to operate   the shelter 24 hours a day 7 days per week with  24-hour access and no door times for approximately   18 weeks from the end of November through  the end of March 2025 it's actually $967,500 which includes in kind donations and support um  uh in kind donations and volunteer support of $ 27,1 the advanced payment subrecipient agreement  provides $600,000 in arpa Revenue replacement   funds category 6.1 government services to  humankind to operate the winter shelter and   cover contract labor insurance food janitorial  and paper goods telephone internet security pest   control and office supplies there is is no  impact to the general fund the city of witch   received 72.4 million in American Rescue plan  act funds to support the res the response to   and recovery from covid-19 this funding allocation  utilizes arpa Revenue replacement funds to support   a subrecipient agreement for winter shelter and  represents the maximum obligation from the city   the subrecipient agreement has been reviewed in  approved as to form by the city's Law Department   and it is recommended that the city council  ratify the sub recipient selection approve the   arpa funding allocation and authorize the funding  agreement and necessary signatures I stand for   any questions and we have representatives from  humankind here as well to answer any questions   we'll begin with council member hoisel thank you  may I swear I'm not trying to drag this out I have   questions I'm I apologize yeah Phil Buster um um  okay couple of quick questions here um just want   to just reiterate page 17 of the the new contract  that we got in um people can enter at any time   there's not going to be a staggered enter entry  time correct correct We spelled that out in the   RFP there specified that people need to be able  to be allowed to let into the building but if   they come in after lights out or before lights  up they're going to have to sit in a sitting   area because we don't want them disturbing  people who are sleeping okay um we talk in   page 18 I believe um we believe that there will be  around 800 unduplicated participants going through   um during the winter time is that about what we  saw last year last year was 11 1,119 so separate   people individual unduplicated individuals yes and  the point in time count was somewhere around 700   it was yeah just under six 694 um but we did see  an increase and unsheltered in the point in time   count so although we saw a decrease in the total  number the the number of unsheltered actually   increased by 27% yeah and that point in time it's  hard to to Peg how many people are out there that   really need assistance yes um looks like we're  going to have a 24-hour office space there for us   um is that helping with some of the oversight so  yes we uh have a dedicated staff person who will   be working at the shelter uh we will have staff  there every day of the week including weekends   and holidays part of that is to help administer  the um security deposit and utility stien program   as well as the um the bridge program so we we need  to have people on site to be connecting with folks   besides that that one staff member our teams will  be rotating in and out all week long okay um is we   had one applicant respond um is it just simply  like the scope is too big for a lot of other   organizations or are there other barriers that we  should take a look at we did send we sent it out   nationally too to see if there was any interest  it's this is something very challenging to stand   up in a short period of time for a short  period of time because this contract only   is from whenever it opens around Thanksgiving uh  through March 31st and then it's going to change   right once once we start working with the the new  organization that's going to oversee the Mac that   they could they'll be doing their own process  to identify partners to provide services and   or hiring staff to do it themselves okay um  and what does the partnership with Addiction   Counseling look like do we have Transit set up  for that so we have we have an integrated uh   addiction counselor in that works with our care  teams and so she works out of our she actually   works out of the office here so as the teams are  coming through that's one but sack has always   been a uh a huge partner and showing up at at the  winter shelter to assist folks they generally are   they're not providing Treatment Services there but  they can identify people to do assessments on and   then get them connected and then we can also use  the dedicated uh intreatment beds that we have   for the care teams as an Avenue and just thank you  to our partners who did step up in the community   um this is a big project I appreciate you guys  stepping up in the roles that you have in the   past and that will happen over this winter  as well so just wanted to say that as well   Al I have several questions I'll start off with um  I saw on here that inine donations and volunteer   support uh amounts to about $217,000 how will  volunteers be engaged so that they can come   and help out they would be engaging with  with humankind you want to come on up Don good afternoon Don sheppler humankind Ministries  could you repeat the question one more time please   sure um one of the items um is $217,000 worth  of in-kind donations and volunteer support I've   heard from community that would like to help out  I wanted to know how will volunteers get engaged   or uh come and help out absolutely there's m  multiple opportunities for um engagement there   is setting up the emergency winter shelter once we  are allowed to get into the building um two there   is going to be volunteer opportunities of bringing  in food um meals for the individuals and or snacks   for the individuals um from that point we haven't  really clarified all the volunteer opportunities   but as soon as we have those we'll have those um  published on our website very appreciative can we   go to slide number 16 seven while we have you Don  so um can you give us a little bit more background   on the last 20 years of providing this service and  again just last year the city stepped in the Gap   um can you talk about has this been part of the  humankind mission for the last 20 years to provide   Emer emergency winter Sheltering absolutely um so  I just want to make it noted I've only been on the   job for five months now so um the last 20 years is  not any part of my responsibility uh but I do want   to say that humankind has been working with the  community and serving um the vulnerable population   for well over 20 years in fact our uh organization  was established back in 1885 so one of the longest   term um nonprofits here locally for the last 20  plus years for um emergency winter shelter this   is when we started um placing individuals  in churches and different congregations   s would assist in housing individuals while they  during the winter time um to keep them out of the   cold elements it modified when we purchased the  church uh and we used that for about 12 years   um last year was unfortunately uh not be able to  we were not able to use the church as it was not   deemed habitable for human residency um with the  construction um stability of the building um and   that's when um human partnered with the city of  Witchita uh as we made the decision to file for   this RFP this year um it's within our mission  to assist those that are in the community that   need help very appreciative of the work of  humankind Ministries and many of the other   partners who provide uh Sheltering for individuals  facing homelessness um may I ask uh last year   what was the maximum number of individuals  that were at the emergency winter shelter 192 was that I'm gonna let Erica  Davis she was here during that time frame good afternoon thank you Erica Davis  with humankind Ministries we served 1,119   in total we had um the space nightly to serve  up to 250 individuals so we have bunk space   for that we did not come close to that um  I think our highest night was close to 180   190 I me that was over the MLK weekend  when we had the winter storm that came   in so you guys never reached capacity  correct um while that is the case do we   know um how many unhoused individuals of  the 694 from the pit count is that right six we know how many of those 694 stayed no I yeah  that's that's one bit of analysis we haven't done   um to cross reference the 6994 people with who  stayed at the shelter so no we don't have that   number will we have those numbers for 2024 um  we can try because I mean they're considered two   separate projects we can try and see if there's  a way to to compare compare and come figure out   how many people get counted in the pit count um  that's a challenge um pit count day is is we're   really focusing on trying to get out to where um  people are not wanting to be found um so that's we   see a lot of folks at pit during the pit count  that never come into shelter and we just know   that because when you're doing the assessment  and they're not in hmis already we know they   haven't been to the shelter because they're not  you know not in there already but they do focus   on getting out in into you know wooded areas  and along the river and under bridges to try   and count as many people as possible all  yes you just uh made mention that unhoused   population did go up but we never reached the  250 no 192 is the number that was the maximum   number the maximum yes what will be the maximum  capacity for the 2024 Park Elementary location 230 beds thank you so in 2023 up to 250 and in 2024  up to 230 right if it were to go above that we   would have to have a I mean a conversation about  is it time to throw mats down somewhere is there   you know can we engage other organizations and and  they do I mean a Union Rescue Mission does that   when their capacity hits they're putting mats down  in other areas we just rally the troops to figure   out how can we avoid having to turn anybody away  Council sorry vice mayor Ballard thank you mayor   um this might be a question for Erica I'm not sure  or maybe Sally you know um we know how important   location is and so sometimes I think it's fair to  compare last year maybe not I'm not sure did you   guys often meet capacity um at your old location  so is that something you're worried maybe we might   surpass the 230 being that more people might not  um no um in historically we've been two to three   blocks away from the current location so we've  been in this area already operating for the last   15 years um so um I am not concerned that we will  reach our s um overpass that however we have plans   in place if we do um in Community Partnerships  collaborating with others Open Door Ministries   Union Rescue Mission we all work together very  closely to be able to meet that challenge thank   you council member hoisel real quick thank you  mayor um the point in time count we hear a lot   of discuss question from some of our colleagues on  the state level about it being a Witchita problem   the homeless population here I was wondering at  the next point in time count that we could if   possible maybe just get like a quick sampling of  where you came from like just in that way we can   again have a little bit of data to show I'm  just I know it's a lot going on during that   count but just if we can I if that's a little we  can put in the ask to have that question expanded   further to get deeper into it as to where they  originated from okay thank you I'm GNA go back to   the hmis so uh will this be a system process where  every individual that comes through emergency   winter shelter will be input into hmis yes it is  absolutely and uh there was an item about uh six   weeks ago that we brought forward as an update  to the hmis system um part of that was to update   the B system so that people when they're coming  into the shelter can actually scan in um if they   don't have their if they've lost their badge  which we know will happen um they'll actually   have a book of badges so that they could actually  scan from a book uh we are trying to get faster   more accurate data up front we do know though  that the timing on this is going to make it a   little rocky they're planning the hmis upgrade  right around December 1st so we are putting in   contingencies we know that is probably going to  be a little bit delayed there at the beginning as   the new software launches I appreciate uh the data  keeping I think that that will be helpful moving   forward and so thank you for having a process and  moving forward with the new hmis which will have   an opportunity for um IDs yes and I know that  that is a major concern from community members   including Justice together so I just wanted to  make mention that the new hmis system will have   a capability regarding identification cards we  are working towards that yes and then last but   not least I just wanted to say that this will be a  really um impactful day when this emergency winter   shelter opens because from that moment on there  will be a 247 shelter available even when Mac is   being constructed and I think that will be a first  for our community that we should all uh be mindful   of because we don't have that right now we don't  have a 247 shelter uh that goes beyond the winter   months and I think we have to be cognizant that  that is a a point in this council's um 10 months   I guess that we've been together uh that we  will'll be able to celebrate something very   impactful for our community um and so I want  to just say thank you for the one applicant   to um step forward and then to the city for  continuing to make homelessness um and this   topic um a priority but it's really about housing  so thank you so very much uh for all the efforts   by everyone involved I see no further questions  from the bench we'll open it up for public comment I see none we'll bring it back to the   bench council member Tuttle thank  you um I just want to thank Sally off assistant city manager Anderson um city  manager Bob Leighton all of your team Sally   and housing for making this day come to fruition  I remember going to too last January a couple   times and and advocating for this work and as a  team we went and we said it was our number one   priority and we have made it come to fruition  thank you to humankind for being such a great   partner um Don again congratulations on your new  role even though you've been there for a bit but   um we just couldn't do this without your your  work as humankind and um just so grateful for   you being interested in in being a partner  to serve our most vulnerable and then just   one final comment we mentioned the point in  time count and I try and do it every year and   certainly we account for those individuals but  it always weighs heavy on my heart that there   are so many people in our community who  are unhoused who are couch surfing or who   are sleeping in their cars or other vulnerable  positions that don't become a part of the point   in time count and don't even fit into the criteria  from the federal regulations to be counted and so   while we're serving some we know there's more  to serve but this is absolutely a great first   step and one of the votes that I'm extremely  proud of during my tenure on Council thank you I see no further questions I will just  throw out one more though um and this is   more for staff um one of the questions that has  been asked by Community is how will individuals   be transported to the emergency winter shelter  if they need help I know that the witch toop   Police Department during the coldest weekend of  this year in January did go around the community   asking individuals will you like um a ride to  the emergency winter shelter and more than 75%   of the individuals asked said no so I don't  want anyone to freeze or to die on our streets   so what will we do in order to transport and help  people get into the shelter we really uh look to   the entire Community for that I mean there are  the hot team has brought people to the shelter   my care teams if they run across somebody who's  willing to go we transport people to the shelter   Outreach workers from other organizations the  VA humankind when they come across someone who's   willing to go will'll get them there and it really  is a responsibility of everybody in the community   to try and help I thought I also  think we're benefited from having   this location versus what what we had last  year and I I think that will help in terms   of walk-in business thank you this is in  vice mayor Ballard would you like to thank   you I'd like to take the recommended action  ratify this subrecipient selection approve   the arpa funding allocation authorized the  funding agreement and necessary signatures second we have a motion and a second any further  discussion I see none Madame clerk please open the role motion passes 70 we will take  a 10-minute break and return at 515 e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e us will'll continue uh with uh Madame clerk   can you please call the next  item Veterinary Care Services I don't know if it's evening now but mayor  city council I am Derek bcel I'm out at the   animal shelter and I am covering the  topic of Veteran care services uh the   witch toop Police Department uh provides  V Animal veteranary Care Services through   the animal shelter operations we actually  carry two vet contracts one for inside the   building and then what we're talking about here  which is our Veterinary contract for outside   operations um the care provided provided  the animals falls under the responsibility   of the witch animal shelter um the outside  Veterinary contract if we have an animal   presenting symptoms that can't be taken care of  with the inside contract we will take them to   the outside provider who typically has uh more  resources and this also covers injured animals   that are presented as Good Samaritan cases um  at the uh provider uh the specific criteria for   what constitutes a Good Samaritan case is when  a citizen of the city finds an animal within   the city limits that's in need of Veterinary Care  they can take it to the provider um and then the   city will will cover care of that animal up to a  point it's considered an intake to the shelter and   then the shelter is responsible for that animal  over the last two years we've struggled to uh to   reliably Contract Services um we worked with  uh purchasing to uh identify veterinary care   providers in June of 2024 the incumbent provider  notified the shelter that they wish to terminate   the contract uh and so we went through the  RFQ process and reached out to 156 Veterinary   providers in South Central Kansas and as of August  2nd only one uh submission was received uh we met   with that Soul um responded and we we discussed  the contractual concerns and terms uh and the   goal is to maintain a positive relationship  between the city and the vendor uh we negotiated   prices those Good Samaritan cases uh our cover  our our cap is $450 for Animals presented in   that program and then we capped uh the cost of  Care at $900 for cases that we bring to um the provider Citizen and customer feedback  for um the responding was uh positive   and um the improvements in operations in effic  improvements in operations and efficiencies was completed City satisfaction and purpose  uh Veterinary Care Services uh Ure the   purpose of the veteran care service  is to ensure um the community animal   and public health and administer  contractual Services responsibly and effectively uh the veterinary care services  financed in the witch Police Department Animal   Services is sorry Services financed in the witch  Police Department animal services division budget   and the award is consistent with the amounts  included in the 2025 adopted budget uh this   contract has been reviewed by the law department  and the recommend we recommend that you uh approve   the selection of Veterinary Emergency Specialty  Hospital of wiah approve the agreement and ratify   the Department's purchase of Veterinary Services  Under city code and authorize the necessary   signatures with that I will stand for questions  we'll begin with vice mayor Ballard thank you   mayor um could you explain what the $900 for  each animal control case as opposed to the 450   I know it's Good Samaritan but can you explain  the difference between those two yeah so um the   the cases that we bring to the to the veterinary  care provider are cases that we identify in the   shelter that exceed the need the the ability of  the in-house vet to to care for so we typically   it's going to be like amputations and more  involved care than what we're able to provide in   house do you you currently that often uh it's it  it varies based upon the season um in the winter   time typically not so much um in the springtime  and summertime when animals more active they get   hit by cars things like that and we we do use it  more okay and those um prices are significantly   higher than the previous contract correct yes so  the the immediate previous contract the one that   we had with with hotus um was $300 for uh the Good  Samaritan cases and $800 for the cases brought to   the veterinarian by animal services so about  a 12% increase over the previous contract for   that 12.5% increase for the previous contract  for Animal Care Services and a 50% increase um   over the previous contract for um Good Samaritan  cases and how many um vs did you say that the   rfu went notzi uh I think it was 156 I can go  back a couple slides and we got one yes do we   know why that just sounds wild uh there's a lot  involved when dealing with an animal shelter um   it's politically a Hot Topic so there's there's  a lot going on on there okay thank you there's   15 council member ho Heisel thank you mayor uh  thank you Derek for your your work on this um   just a couple quick questions before I Get Stoned  by my my colleagues here for dragging this meeting   on um can vich deny admittance to any animals  that are brought in um I I don't believe in the   contract that there's language that affect  I'm I mean they're a private business that   can they're going to maintain the their ability  to operate right um has there been any instance   where they've denied anybody to your knowledge not  that not comes to mind right now are they Bound by   um the non-disclosure I mean V is bound by the  non-disclosure how about the Good Samaritans   that bring them in they're free to talk about  whatever circumstance they found the dogs lying   in the road or yeah they're going to have to  that's they're going to have to give as much   information as they can on the animal to provide  adequate care okay um and I know that there was   some concern about the previous contract and  how that all went through and I don't know   if you want to touch on that process or anything  real quick or um I've got Josh lbert here he can   speak to that he's in purchasing he's gonna  be way more versed at that than I okay thank you uh good afternoon evening it's evening  at this point evening I think oura funding is   actually expiring before this meeting is over with  so Department Finance I I apologize to repeat the   question um could just walk through the process  with the previous uh recipient of this contract   and kind of what what happened with all that I  know there's been some discussion and angst in   the community about that sure so this conversation  stems from 2022 so we've struggled to contract for   these Services we've had on three separate  occasions a request for qualifications that   we've published um I can tell you specifically in  2024 156 is the ones that we notified that Li that   list was pulled and aggregated from the state of  Kansas licensing agency um that was a conversation   we had that um we we kept trying we kept trying  and we could not get the vendors to respond um so   my suggestion was let's go directly to the state  and we pulled all the licensed dvms doctorates of   veter medicine and that's where we get that  156 is the South Central Kansas metro area   um so our process was is that we've gone out for  two different occasions um we've had vendors who   um would respond um and not complete the paperwork  not allowing them to be responsive is how hotus   was awarded on January January 2024 and then this  most recent one we had one submission after we uh   solicited 156 providers in South Central Kansas  okay so um in the process you talk talked about   with the previous recipient that was also  the only recipient that had applied the one   that just exited this contract as well uh yes  yes sir uh that was the only contractor or DVM   that in indicated any interest in the contract  that submitted um and the submission was deemed   non-responsive they indicated interest um because  of that interest they didn't file the paperwork   they didn't complete the uh all the appropriate  forms we negotiated with them directly as the   only person who indicated okay and that's why we  have some of the changes that we have is because   they were the only recipient but it's also how  to keep them in the game uh they were the they   were the only um contracted responded they're the  only person that responded um and they terminated   the contract causing us to go back and come back  to you today um we were working with hodus um   and they had they had provided termination for  convenience to the city okay and and was it some   of the issues that were addressing here today was  some of the concerns that hodus had uh so we won't   be contracting with hodus we'll be contracting  with vash's big hess's reasons for termination   in the termination for convenience letter was  having concerns um with billing understanding   communication and billing and um citing resident  um verbal abuse or abuse oh okay um that's strange   yeah I was just making sure that whatever we took  from that that contract kind of them exiting that   contract that we're making sure that we're  identifying the issues there and trying to   cover them as best as we can that's a great point  and thank you for for bringing that up what one   thing that we did do in early September was we  actually met with fesh um and that was part of   the discussion was these are concerns that the  city has um we would like to work with you as   a respondant that submitted but we have these  identified concerns will you work with us as a   city to sure that we can ensure sustainability of  this program what would that look like how do we   ensure that good City vendor relationship moving  forward so if the contract is completed um we can   have a hopefully long and fruitful relationship  okay thank you for that should I have follow-up   questions regarding that so um hodus was approved  on January 8th 2024 and they notified the city   June of 2024 of the termination of that contract  and you alluded to uh two concerns one regarding   billing was that costs was one of those uh issues  regarding billing costs too little or too much can   you address that and then the second question  really is the more concerning part the reason   why they terminated their contract was quote  resident verbal abuse can you expand on that   can't speak to that definitely could you I wasn't  there at the time that the contract terminated but   my understanding around the billing was they  were there was some issues in a new contract   where um you're presenting bills we have to  review the bills review them for accuracy and   make sure they that they're meeting the criteria  before we pay the bills um and that had taken some   time and there were some current concerns there  and you know just Animal Welfare in general uh   is a very seems to draw a lot of emotion from  a lot of individuals and that gets taken out on   just generally staff anywhere staff in the shelter  staff staff at a vet um most people don't want   to subject their their staff to that kind of  verbal use and it just apparently became too much that concerns me because we now have  a new um proposed uh individual or group   vesh will they be subjected to this type of  verbal abuse to them um it it's possible um   I don't know what the future holds I can't  predict that far in advance but um we'll do   what we can to mitigate any issues that that  we have the ability to and then I think it's   a follow-up question to vice mayor ballards um  regarding the Good Samaritan cases I actually   want to know how do you or vesh determine if a  Good Samaritan case is within the city limits   of Witchita so for instance if someone maybe saw  an animal in Elo and knows that we have services   here in Witchita how do you uh prevent other  communities from just utilizing city of Witchita   and city of witcha taxpayer dollars thank you  mayor that's a great question I'd like to thank   our Law Department specifically for helping us  with this contract this contract you will notice   is very different in terms of the amount of effort  and work that was placed into the document any   animal that is presented under the Good Samaritan  program will have an intake form as a part of   payment and receipt a payment by the city and  acceptance of those Services those animals will   have to have an intake form a comp compy excuse me  can't speak a compy them and um they are outlined   very specifically under what is defined as  a Good Samaritan within the city limits um specifically so again this new contract has  safeguards moving forward that individuals   that see animals within the city limits of  Witchita can then bring those animals to   this Emergency Care yeah within the intake form  there's actual certification and it identifies   who presented the animal and then who presented  the animal the information uh of the individual   and then them signing that they're certifying  the information to be true and accurate thank   you Josh I see no further questions for  staff we'll open it up for public comment I see no one from the public who would  like to speak we'll bring it back to the bench I will go ahead and move to approve the  selection of NVA wiah Veterinary Management   LLC doing business as Veterinary emergency and  Specialty Hospital or VES of Wich approve the   agreement ratify the police department's purchase  of Veterinary Services Under city code section   2.64 c and authorize the necessary signatures  second motion and a second any further discussion   I see none Madame clerk please open the role  motion passes 70 Madame clerk please call the   next item appeal hearing on application of spacing  requirements for Correctional placement residents   request by W request for waiver by mayor Inc  thank you mayor uh city council uh good evening   everybody this is kind of an appeal but also kind  of not I'll explain that in a little bit it's more   trying to appeal to the exclusive authority  of council to wave spacing requirements for a   license for operation of a facility that this  Council already considered on the zoning side   of a piece of property so try to get into that  in a bit more detail earlier in September on   the 10th the city council unanimously approved an  amendment to the provisions of community unit plan   DP 62 to allow use as a correctional placement  residence and that's on the southwest corner of   East 21st Street North and North Broadmore Street  specifically parcel 12b a resolution was passed   by this body to allow the correctional placement  residents use there and Mir Incorporated intends   to operate a type of Correctional placement  residence on that subject site it not only has   to pass zoning requirements but this was previewed  at that meeting as well that there has to be a a   license as well to operate and the the type that  they've described is to serve juveniles with   substance abuse disorders and I mean substance  abuse uh centers or facilities were allowed   already on that site but Mir intends to provide  services uh to juveniles or uh younger folks with   uh that are placed there because of a condition  of parole or probation or some other interaction   with the court system so while that action on  September 10th addressed the zoning issue so that   Correctional placement residences could be placed  on parcel 12b it didn't necessarily address the   licensing requirements and our licensing code has  spacing requirements that are kind of similar to   zoning but a little bit further uh with Provisions  for waiver as well so uh city code 20.08 8.1 120a   requires that Correctional placement residences  not be located within 1,200 ft of certain uses   such as schools including daycare centers  and residential zoning districts and as you   may recall from the September 10th item laati  Academy a daycare center is adjacent to parcel   12b and then there's a few different residential  zoning districts that are adjacent to that piece   of property as well with some other mixed use  commercial uh so City staff have determined   based on the same findings that were presented  to Council on September 10th that because under   the zoning code those uses are within 700 ft they  are also within the 1200 foot spacing requirement   uh that would prevent issuance of a license  in this case uh City staff under the code are   authorized to wave up to 25% of that 1200t spacing  requirement but that's not sufficient to authorize   issuance of a license in this case and again just  like kind of the the math going from there if it's   within 700 ft and we can only reduce it 25% down  to 900 ft then we're still within kind of that   uh that spacing distance requirement and again  there's the law Petite Academy we've not heard   any objection uh adjacent to that as well as a few  residential zones right next up to the property um   but city code section and I've got here 20.08  120e it's subsection D my apologies allows an   applicant to appeal to city council which has the  exclusive Authority to reduce or wave specific   provisions of this section uh including subsection  a above pertaining to the location and spacing of   Correctional placement facilities so while staff  can only reduce 25% city council is authorized to   wave those requirements entirely uh we received  an appeal of that uh of the spacing requirements   asking for a waiver that was submitted by the  app an agent for the applicant on September   25th because that code section again sub section D  rather than e refers to an appeal this is governed   by section 2.04 235 of the city code wherein the  city council serves in a quasi judicial capacity   to decide whether to uphold the decision overrule  the decision or modify the decision of City staff   um city and applicant can both present evidence  following presentation of evidence Council can   make a decision by way of motion I'll have some  proposed findings of fact for consideration as   well you can adopt those or just do a motion to  approve the waiver request as well but this is   kind of an odd situation where we've got a piece  of property that Council specifically zoned for   this use and it's not an appeal necessarily  of City staff's ultimate conclusion that the   property should be licensed for a correctional  placement residence but city council is the only   body or AG any part of the city with authority  to fully wave the requirements so it's a bit of   a combination of the two so it's recommended that  city council uh based on staff consideration Grant   the appeal to wave the spacing requirements for a  correctional placement residence license requested   by the applicant mirror Inc and there's a couple  conditions written into the code that based on the   zoning decision are supported here as well for  a waiver of that spacing requirement we believe   the intent of the spacing requirement is met  through factors that mitigate the reduction in   spacing distance and something considered at the  7 September meeting was the necessity of having a   correctional placement residence especially in  that location to serve different areas of the   city and then also the type of residence that  is being pro that is being proposed to serve uh   juveniles with substance abuse problems that have  had Court contact as well another consideration is   how strict application of the spacing requirements  could work in Injustice due to the location of   applicant facilities and this is the same a  similar kind of consideration and was brought   up in a different capacity at the zoning hearing  we believe where this is an important place to   provide these kind of facilities mirrors invested  in the city as well as this specific location and   there doesn't seem to be necessarily a lot of  uh push back or objection from those use sites   that are adjacent to the facility as well uh  so we kind of thinking city council effectively   decided similar issues on September 10th when  it amended the zoning of this specific site to   allow the specific type of license or use that  is we're asking for a license uh here that we   is asking for a license here so if the waiver goes  through based on similar considerations then miror   miror Inc can apply for the license without  being subject to those spacing requirements   so while it's properly zoned now for Correctional  placement residents the proposed residents cannot   be licensed by the city and thus cannot operate  without a waiver of the spacing requirements now   now i' I've mentioned just kind of the September  10th hearing and I've got kind of the documents   that were presented there if we do want to go  through that evidence again it includes the   findings from mapc uh District advisory 2 board  meeting things like that evidence submitted by the   applicant um but basically it's going to be the  same sort of information that was provided before   and we believe supports a similar determination  in terms of the spacing requirement for licensing   so it is recommended that city council issue a  determination Grant in the appeal to wave spacing   requirements for the correctional placement  residence license requested by applicant Mir   Inc and again I do have proposed findings of  fact to support that determination which can   be a part of uh the motion or for consideration  by Council uh or a motion uh just on this issue   as well and any questions or I I can hand this out  to you if if we want to consider that as well just   kind of depends on what council would like to De  questions for staff beginning with council member   hoisel thank you than you mayor what do you guys  say we want to hear the whole presentation from   Nate again all right just joke okay I'll let  Becky make that recommendation um just wanted   to reiterate um you said it I think I just want  to make sure I heard you um no issues from any of   the neighbors or anybody nearby yeah there was an  objection that was uh there was a letter objection   that was submitted for consideration by the mapc  uh an apartment comp nearby and a presentation on   that was made or a comment was made to council I  believe from the same entity and attorney at the   September 10th hearing so there's an objection and  I I maybe should have been more specific from one   of the residential zoning District areas but just  the one there's a few other kind of adjacent ones   that would be within the spacing requirement and  none from the daycare center that we've received   okay the uh building the apartment building how  close are they I believe they're across the street   of Broadmore um so so the parcel 12b is on the  west side of Broadmore and the it's an apartment   complex that would be on the east side across the  street and are they aware of this going on right   now this hearing uh it we've posted notice of this  hearing they should be aware I don't believe we've   reached out to them specifically we were more in  touch with the applicant and their agent um but we   did not provide and are not required under the  code to provide notice to adjacent land owners   similar to a zoning action that was dealt with a  bit more in the zoning side of things okay thank   you vice mayor Ballard thank you mayor that was  those were some of my concerns and you mentioned   maybe a daycare uh yeah La Petite Academy the  one along 21st is right next to there there   was no opposition or that you're aware of no and  nothing we received with the zoning case either   so again kind of combining the two and looking  at what community input we might have received   but it I I haven't seen any objection and didn't  see anything in the dab meeting or mapc notes uh   from that as as well thank you I see no further  questions for staff we will open it up for public comment hi my name is Jay cook I work  with boffman company 315 South Ellis   I'm not really here to comment but just here  to represent Mir Inc I have some of their uh   uh staff here as well if you have any specific  questions you'd like to ask but didn't want to   sit here for the whole meeting and not get  a chance to talk to you so I appreciate the   opportunity Madam mayor and Council so if you  have any questions we'd love to answer them um   that was a great uh a great just synopsis of  what we're W to do you've already approved the   zoning now we just need this to get our license  and start helping the witch ofah Community I'll   ask you a question great um for those at miror  Inc I know you do great work but maybe some of   our community members don't know what you do  can you talk about this year uh what you faced   so far any challenges and why this project is  so critical in your long-term plan to help our community G to bring up Dez Martin She's the CEO  of of mirror Inc hello thank you haven't talked   for a while um you know mirror is committed to  meeting the needs of communities and individuals   we've been um doing this kind of work substance  abuse treatment for over 50 years with multiple   locations around the state we do believe that  people can and do change and we see hundreds   of people go through our program and go on to  live lives vibrant lives in their families and   communities and it was brought to our attention  recently that in the 2023 juvenile Corrections   Advisory board annual report identified Adolescent  Treatment as the number one need in sedu County so   as we as we always do we looked at how could we  meet the needs of the community so the Broadmore   is a good location and it will serve adults and  adolescents and the way the buildings are split   it will be perfect for that and I want to make one  clarification Correctional placement residents can   be a bit confusing because not all of our clients  are involved with a Judicial System but because   of the nature of elicit sub substance use some are  and so that is why we have to have that kind of a   classification but it's voluntary purely volunteer  everybody that comes they are there on their own accord thank you for what you guys do are there  any other individuals from Community who would   like to speak during public comment I see none  thank you very much we'll bring it back to the   bench C member Glascock thank you mayor um and  thank you for the presentation um just wanted to   have on the record that expart communication  uh with the applicant we had a scheduled meeting irrelevant to this and obviously the case  just got brought the course of the meeting as well   council member Tuttle thank you I also have had  experte communication with the applicant um after   the original item passed I didn't know that we  would have any further discussion on it and so I   actually provided a letter of support for a grant  for funding for this facility um I have checked   with legal and even though I did take that action  they said it's completely fine for me to steal be   able to vote on this I just want to make a comment  too you've been sitting here all day um and we had   some conversations out in the hallway and there's  at least two and maybe three items that resonate   with the work that you do when we talked about the  violence interrupts and the fact that they make   referrals for youth who may be having issues and  adults um we talk about homelessness one of the   main causes of homelessness is mental health and  substance abuse and so while you've been sitting   here all day I hope you've been thinking about all  the different places that you touch other items   within our agenda and certainly our community  and that was not lost on me so thank you for   being here all day thank you for what you do and  I wish you nothing but luck in the future thank you see no further comments from the bench  this resides in council member tuttles   district thank you very much I move that the  witcha city council conduct a hearing and issue   a determination granting the appeal to wave  spacing requirements for their Correctional   placement resident license requested by  the applicant mayor Inc second motion and   a second any further discussion I see none  Madame clerk please open the role mayor with   a quick question I think council member Glascock  the motion as read by Council Tuttle just asked   us to issue a determination oh it is granting the  appeal okay I missed the word granting so never mind motion passes 70 Madame clerk please call  the next item amendment to sections 2.4.1 180   and 2.4.2 200 of the code of the  city of witw regarding city council   Workshop meeting location good evening  council members Jennifer Maga City attorney the council meetings um every detail  of them are governed by your city ordinances   whe where you have them what um the order of  business is the schedule um they're set by   multiple ordinances and there are four different  kinds of meetings one is regular one is Workshop   one is special one is on bunk in the ordinances  there are two references to to Workshop meetings   and we're here on this item to talk about whether  you want to change the location of Workshop   meetings so the two ordinances that currently  talk about that are section 2.04 180 that states   that city council Workshop meetings are held on  the first floor boardroom or other locations so   designated by the city that's under actually  the regular meeting reference in the ordinance   um and then it's also found under the specific  ordinance for Workshop meetings which say that uh   the location of the workshop meetings may be or  the meetings may be held at such time and place   as a majority of the council May determine  or at such location within the city as may   be determined at a prior meeting by a majority of  council members so it's referenced in two places   so back in October not that long ago at the um  last Workshop meeting you as a council voted   and directed us to bring back an ordinance um add  addressing the location of Workshop meetings and   so staff has prepared an amendment to those two  ordinances that would change that meeting location   to council chambers the way it's worded is that  the amendment would change both code sections to   say that the consent agenda Workshop meetings are  held in city council chambers or other location   so designated by the majority of city council  that was what was directed and we have brought   it back to you and the recommendation is for you  to consider the proposed ordinance Amendment I'm   available for questions questions for staff  beginning with council member hoisel thank   you mayor um are either there these ordinances in  conflict with each other I don't think so no okay   yeah learn something new every day I didn't  know know this I thought it was a more of a   regular meeting but yeah I appreciate it thank  you council member Johnson thanks mayor uh thank   you Jennifer just to make sure understood my notes  and what you just said so the proposed ordinance   will deem the workshop here in the chambers  or where a majority of the council say that's correct Jennifer yes can you reference how many  times uh in 2024 we have had Workshop meetings   in these council chambers I couldn't answer that  mayor I'm sorry I I would just be guessing and   I I just don't I don't know somebody else could  probably guess better than me actually three okay   there there have been three times that we have  held Workshop in 2024 in these Chambers one of   them happens to be October the other one was a  nighttime meeting uh that began at 6 o'clock so   we had Workshop beforehand at 4 o'clock and it  was two hours long and then there was another   meeting where we had also uh the workshop right  here in the council chambers so um I appreciate   uh that you um just showed us what the ordinance  is and that it does say that in order to change a   location uh we would have to change the ordinance  itself uh so again thank you for that work council   member Johnson thanks mayor um Jennifer another  question looking at both of these so on um   the changes is the underlying piece that says a  majority of the council knew that is new language   to clarify because it just said by Council before  and we just said um by majority of council okay thank I see no further questions for  staff we'll open it up for public comment we see no one who would like to  speak we'll bring it back to the bench   um I was the one that asked to move Workshop to  these Chambers right here where Community can look   at our reactions and hear us well I know that um  even throughout today's long meeting people have   asked us to speak into the microphone um so that  they can hear us better as they're watching online   and I think Civic engagement is very important and  I want more people to watch City Council meetings   contact their council members and again just be  much more civically engaged and at the beginning   of today's meeting there were lots of people  that were in this room um and now we're down   to one Community member who remains uh so very  appreciative that people stay and when they stay   in these much more comfortable seats um we can  accommodate many more people in the chambers than   we can in the boardroom um so my intention was  again to make make it convenient for individuals   that come to City Council meetings but also for  the folks who are still watching online right now   I know that uh you can see us uh better and get  all the reactions that are happening in real time   uh whereas when we're in the workshop community  members who are not watching online see the back   of our heads um so I felt that that was um not  inclusive of community me members and here um   we've taken breaks and uh council members have  interacted with uh community so the barrier is I   don't believe is there but um I know that this was  an item that uh concerned some council members and   so we are going to vote on uh whether or not to  move Workshop from The Boardroom to the council   chambers council member Johnson thanks mayor  um I like the ordinance I would like to make   a motion to amend it so not to approve it right  now but to amend it and I would move that under   workshops where it says wiah city council  chambers that be changed to the first floor boardroom second so we have a mo Motion  in a second I have council member hoisel uh thank you mayor yeah I'll speak to the motion  a little bit um I've heard from people a desire to   improve the workshop process and that's something  I think that we can do um I think we need to look   at reorganizing the seats in the boardroom so  that way we are facing um some of the public   um I hear a lot of people say that they like the  intimate feeling of it setting apart a workshop   from a regular meeting um so that that's kind  of my thinking on this is a lot of this that we   have issues with a lot of the issues here um we  can adjust kind of policy how we do things and   then also if we feel a need to move it to the  council chambers uh the week before we can just   do a public vote if there is a big Workshop coming  up I don't know that we need to do a workshop in   here if we're talking about a library Wi-Fi or  something like that but if it is something like   animal control or Downtown parking we definitely  would have to have an option for something like   Chambers so I think a lot of this can be decided  more on uh policy changes and necessarily um   redoing the way that we're doing things so  yeah just my two cents on it council member   glov thank you mayor um I'll be supporting um the  original I will not be supporting the amendment   but supporting the original motion if that comes  up um I believe in a few different aspects I last   Workshop we had in here was the most engaged  all of us were from the bench um and I think   there was a different level of attention that we  gave it uh being prior to this just seeing the   level of Engagement that increased um from every  member for example and we talked about uh solar   regulations in the workshop I was the only one  that mentioned any comments uh regarding solar   regulations um when we were examining that  in terms of zoning and coding or zoning code   um and now regarding the reasons I supported  being in the chamber opposed to the boardroom   believe has Public Access and transparency  we heard from multiple of our frequent flyers   uh that attend meeting last time regarding the  comfortability of seats a we have ample seating   uh which allows for more engagement of people we  have audio visual setups that ensure all attendees   can hear the proceedings at a very different way  um I believe that this supports transparency by   allowing the government uh to or allowing members  to observe and participate in government and help   building trust in local government I believe there  is a level of formality and structure in this room   that allows for more engagement I think you look  at the length of workshops in this chamber versus   workshops across in the boardroom and there's a  noticeable difference in terms of how much more   we are engaged when we're in this room um third  accessibility for recordkeeping and broadcasting   uh right now um we equipped for live streaming  recording note taking in a much more formalized   way than pulling out tables um the mayor had  already mentioned turning our backs towards   individuals I think specifically of the pickle  ball conversation where our backs were return   to to individuals the entire time inclusivity  and public participation um we have podiums and   microphones that are easily accessible especially  the next item on our agenda item is to open public   comment uh for people during workshops and during  consent agenda items and this is just much more   conducive to the general public I don't even know  where the general public would stand um doing   it in the boardroom um I believe this promotes  inclusivity and encourages direct engagement from   community members um and then um I think that may  be all my comments um regarding this item but um   I support just the engagement that we're seeing in  this conversation the robust dialogue we're seeing   in this room and then lastly I think this Council  more than previous councils a p pulled items off   the consent agenda item or actually debating the  business before the city and uh that becomes the   business that we're debating that we take an up  or down vote on and so when we're looking at doing   that in this room that we're see other room if you  know the argument is we're better or closely more   connected with individuals and we might as well  get rid of this room completely and have all of   our meetings in the boardroom there's a reason  we meet here for public engagement opportunities   that the public can come and that this is their  space this is their room and they can come and   air their grievances to us in this space council  member Tuttle thank you Jennifer thank you for   your work in this and for the presentation  today for hanging in there till the end um   I as I mentioned but I know it was very hard to  hear during the um Workshop back in October um I   presented two city council during workshops as a  community member and so I've had the experience   of being at the podium and now on the bench and I  do believe that having Workshop in the boardroom   just invites a different feel and I asked some  specific staff and I asked community members   recently who have come to Workshop what their  thoughts were and everyone agreed that it lends   itself to more of a discussion than a presentation  which I think is the intent of Workshop I always   say Workshop is probably my favorite meeting of  the month just because of that reason we get to   dive into topics that we think matter that we'll  be looking at in the future um and then finally   the conversation has been had a couple times  during that meeting and then again today about   transparency we have a genda review in the Board  Room room and I feel it's transparent we had an   onbon with the county and I don't think we would  have invited our friends from across the street   to come to a meeting that wasn't transparent so I  don't think transparency is compromised at all in   the boardroom if it was then that absolutely would  be an issue for me but I I don't believe it was   and we have historical you know evidence that that  we have meetings there that are just fine so I'm   going to be supportive of the amendment today and  I appreciate the opportunity to have a discussion   about this so thank you council member Johnston  thank you mayor I've said before I really don't   care about this either way is fine but if we if  we could mitigate I I'm not I don't really like   to have my back turned to the people in The  Boardroom we could maybe put the seats on the   north wall um see the people kind of rearrange  it to where we can see see the people and still   see see the speaker in screen uh I would be fine  with that but uh I am uncomfortable with having   the the people to the my backs to the people we  could mitigate that I I would be for the council   member Glascock am I able to offer an amendment  to the amendment amended motion was the amendment   seconded by the way and may may I clarify just to  make sure I understand when you said that add that   language with that to both Provisions there two  sections were're amending council member Johnson   you wanted to add that to both I'm assuming yes  well the the first one regular meetings um already   had which is called well had the chambers and we  meet in here for that I don't want to change that   I met the workshop section so I'm looking at the  first page on the back where it says workshops   okay changing um wiah city council chambers to  first floor boardroom thank you and that was   that was there was a second there um I don't  know that you can do in a second amendment I   don't have a chance to look at my so would it be a  substitute it would probably be a substitute would   the substitute be the prevailing motion or is it  the amended motion substitute would be the motion   gets voted on first okay so my substitute for the  amended motion um so substitute motion is that we   would take uh councilman Johnson's recommendation  but we would remove consent agenda items from Workshop how would we what is this again so that  we would have a workshop but the workshop but   not have consent agenda items my concern is not  the workshop conversation in terms of how we're   engaging in a boardroom I don't care about that  but if we're voting on formal issues that come   before the council where we have an up or down  vote I prefer those to be in this Chambers or   we have the opportunity for public engage in a  different way so I'm not quite sure I understand   the logistics are you saying you'd have the  consent agenda in the chambers or that you would   simply on that fourth Tuesday not have consent  because that will that causes us business problem   I mean it my recommendation is if the will of the  body is to have a workshop in a separate boardroom   I don't feel comfortable with consented items in  the boardroom so I'd prefer them not to be part of   the consent part of the work I believe if I may  we'll need to talk about amending then another   ordinance then that's the order of business for  Council um Workshop meetings which talks about   um consent agenda then Workshop meetings following  the consent agenda so that's a different ordinance   which would need to be amended I believe coun  member tutle thank you and and I probably again   I'm thankful for the discussion but I don't think  I would be supportive of not having consent agenda   during Workshop because then if we have a fifth  Tuesday that's two weeks without approving consent   and that can really slow down the work of the  city um I haven't seen any issues with consent   agenda in the time that I've been here with it  being a problem or um anything coming up that   you know anybody had any angst with with it in  the boardroom so um again while I appreciate the   discussion I probably would not be supportive of  not having consent on Workshop because it would   slow down the business of the city and potentially  impact residents and and businesses and different   zoning changes so thank you vice mayor Ballard  thank you mayor and there's no public comment on   consent agendas if they pull I'm correct there's  not currently a provision for that okay I was   just making sure thanks so we have a substitute  motion moved by council member Glascock is there a second there is no second so that substitute  motion fails I have a substitute motion which   is to take I'm so sorry mayor excuse me the rules  of procedure say only one substitute motion is   available per item okay that's just U I think  you could go back to an amendment at this time   okay sure I will go back to the amendment which  is to take the staff recommended action to place   this ordinance on first reading and authorize  the necessary signatures no mayor that is not   the um actual motion was mine for the workshops  on page two to change wiah city council chambers   to first floor boardroom so can I amend that but  I would need a second right under the rules of   procedure a amendments may clarify be different  than May May modify the original motion so yes   under the rules of procedure as written you can  make that motion so I second the mayor's motion   there is a motion and a second on an amendment to  the original uh which is actually to go back to   the original recommended action that the city  council place this ordinance on first reading   and authorized the necessary signatures and  again this is to move Workshop to the chambers   is that correct yes uh council member Tuttle thank  you I was just going to ask that so A yay vote   on this means that Workshop is in Chambers it's  taking the Green Sheet action and the accompanying   backup but I guess my question is as I thought  that okay so there was original you know item   and then we have an amendment to it doesn't there  have to be a significant change to the item for   there to be considered Amendment because it's  just what was originally proposed so that's why   I'm confused actually the rules of procedure say  the motion to amend can be modify clarify or or   take a different approach so there's there's  wide discretion on what the amendment can be   and if it happens to amend the motion to to bring  it back to the original item I guess that's fine   okay thank you I just wanted to clarify so again  just to make sure I understand because it's been   a long day uh yay vote means that Workshop would  be in Chambers and that's the intent of the mayor   just to clarify okay thank you okay thank you  is correct is there any further discussion so   we have a motion and a second and again this  vote if it's a yes is to move Workshop over   to where we're at currently which is the council  chambers um Madam clerk can you please open the role motion does not carry with a 5-2 vote  so now we go back to council member Johnson's   Amendment does that correct corre yes and  council member Johnson has a motion and a   second by council member hoisel any further  discussion and again a vote Yes to this would   keep Workshop across the street or across  the hallway correct that's correct I would   also ask that we clarify that the the first  item the regular meeting section point 1.80   also say that Workshop meetings shall be held  in the first floor boardroom that's for that's   in the regular meeting section but it's in that  first section I think you'd want to say that as   well if that's your intent I would like to  add I'm just asking if that's your intent   thank you yes it is okay it's confusing because  there were two references in different places   so we have a motion in a second no further  discussion Madam clerk please open the role motion carries 5-2 Madame clerk please call  the next item amendment to section 2.04 one95   of the code of the city of witto regarding  city council Workshop meeting public agenda   good evening uh members of the council mayor um  this item involves um the um order of business   for Workshop consent agenda meetings or consent  agenda into Workshop meetings and the order of   business is currently set by ordinance and it  only provides for consent agenda to basically   have the consent agenda and then a board of  bids and contracts report um we had direction   from staff at the October Workshop to bring  back an ordinance for your consideration that   would add a public agenda portion to the order of  business for consent agenda Workshop meetings so   what we've done is drafted an ordinance that would  mirror the order of business at regular Council   meetings when it comes to a public agenda  portion and so the public agenda portion   um would be added in that consent Workshop um  at the beginning of the meeting and would just   be the same public agenda that currently exists  in regular meeting order of business and that is   the ordinance has been prepared we'd recommend  it's for your consideration to consider that   ordinance Amendment council member Glascock thank  you mayor there needs to be a change on page one   of the actual ordinance number 5256 n where it  says that the workshops are on the fourth Tuesday   of each month at 930 oh thank you we've changed it  to 9 previously that is in addition uh would it be   part of this ordinance that we where we would add  If an item is pulled off consent agenda item that   the public can speak to that item it would be part  of this ordinance if that's the intent both things   are simultaneously happening in this that could  be in this added to this ordinance it could be   or is it drafted it's not drafted to add that  public comment for the individual items it's   only drafted to add the public agenda portion  where you have the 30 minutes at the beginning   of the meeting I would offer an amendment um that  we also add public comment to if an items pulled   off the consent or debating it I think the public  should have the opportunity to have a say so I   would add an amended motion that we do public  agenda portion would be as written in addition   to that consent agenda pulled off would have the  opportunity for public comment and reflection of   all new business items that come that would be  under subsection G of section two then U council   member I would suggest that's where it would  belong that pulled items pulled items would   be subject to public comment okay take that  suggestion would that be only would that only   be applicable to Workshop SLC consent agenda days  or would that also include regular meetings yes   because this ordinance is discussing only consent  agenda Workshop meetings if that's something you   want to add to regular ordinance the regular  meetings we we could prepare an ordinance yeah   for that at another time it's today we're just on  this one okay is that the direction yeah I still   with that direction okay council member John stun  thank you mayor I do have an opinion on this one I I think we have 15 opportunities  in a month for public comment and   I don't think we need another half  hour of public comment during during Workshop I'm I'm I'm not opposed if if a if a item  is pulled off the consent agenda to have public   comment only if it's pulled off to have public  comment it's usually pretty pretty mundane stuff   that's on consent agenda on the on the fourth  Tuesday um not very controversial so I I would   not be in favor of having public comment I think  we do have a lot of opportunity for people to   offer public comment on the first three Tuesdays  of the of the week so just I think our frequent   flyers would just come more or talking so  that's my opinion council member Johnson   thanks mayor um I want to say I appreciate  council member glasscock's um thought process   on allowing uh public comment at a workshop  meeting because we haven't done that um I   am supportive of that I am not supportive  of um adding public comment to the consent   agenda um I would we wouldn't need a  consent agenda at that point it'd be   like everything else so I am um supportive of  that I'd actually like to offer a substitute   motion to uh approve this ordinance with  the amendment that council member Glascock   made around the time if 9 A.M but not the uh  public comment on consent agenda items okay   I don't think we're there yet sorry guys it's  still staff questions uh vice mayor Ballard uh   I would just Echo uh council member Johnson I am  fully in favor of public um comment um but not on consent I see no further questions for  staff except for I do have a question so   for this uh oh never mind council  member hois it's not necessarily   a question for staff I'll Reserve  I'll wait until we come back for uh discussion okay because there is now staff  recommended action for for a future meeting   regarding consent agenda item discussion time that  was not written into this proposal correct it was   not so this proposal only deals with adding  for the first time ever public comment during   a workshop meeting which is the fourth Tuesday  of the month is this correct that is correct and   again this would mirror the exact same way that  we do a city council meeting regular meeting a   regular city council meeting where we um will have  the opportunity for up to five people to speak up   to five minutes regarding any topic to address  their elected officials is that correct that's   correct thank you I see no further questions for  staff we will now open it up for public comment name is Haron baskam live in District 3 and just  want to try to get clarification we're not allowed   to already uh comment on consent items during the  meeting so when are we allowed to address consent   items a as earlier this morning or today uh you  had five or six items pulled off but the public   has no opportunity to to question this Council  or staff as to whether or not there are for or   against any these consent items and I agree most  of the time it's going to be pretty mundane most   people aren't going to care most people don't  come to the workshops I come occasionally but   it's to not have that opportunity to ever be  able to comment on consent items I believe is   wrong thank you I will ask a followup question  for staff then um if we vote on this so that   it's clean and then the next um I guess next  meeting can you bring forward um council member   glasscock's direction of providing public comment  during consent agenda so we have consent agenda   whether it's a regular meeting or a workshop  meeting and I think a lot of folks don't realize   that none of the consent agenda items have  been given the opportunity for public comment   in the past this is a new recommended action  uh by council member Glascock so um Jennifer   can you tell us why in the past we've never had  public comment for consent agenda item all I can   say is the the ordinance has been silent to it and  it's been the practice of the council so those two   things the ordinance is silent um consent agenda  is designed for routine items that do not usually   Merit a discussion and certainly can be but that  is just the way the ordinance has been written   and it's been the practice that's I think all I  can add unless someone else has other history to   add that's it council member glassock and I would  just add a clarification not every consent agenda   item I think just the ones that this body feels  important enough to pull off consent agenda item   should be the ones we debate if we feel that  it's important enough that we want to debate   it I think the public should also have a say  in that so if we don't feel like it needs to   be pulled off then we can continue consen items  so just uh be in regards to the ones pulled off   council member Johnston I would just like to point  out that be aware that every time we add time to   every meeting is Staff time that's taken away from  their other job so we keep adding more burden the   staff being here and we have to be cognizant  of that also council member Johnson thanks   mayor um I would also like to highlight I can't  remember how many years ago this was we instituted   the process where the mayor vice mayor and  former vice mayor get um an agenda two weeks   out to actually look at the consent agenda and  see what's important enough to pull um I would   say if uh those three individuals find something  that's worth worthy of pulling they could do that   and it would be subject to public comment so I  don't again think there's a need to add public   comment to Consin just because we pull an item  if we pull something to highlight some amazing   grant that we got we're highlighting that it's  not necessarily saying we want to um open that   up to other people just saying how great that  is again if the mayor vice mayor and former   vice mayor think it's worth pulling because the  public may have some interest in it I think it's   our job to do that due diligence and pull that  so that we can have public comment I will have   a question for city manager Leighton now um  the practice has been that again as council   member Johnson mentioned only the mayor vice  mayor and most recently uh uh vice mayor get   an agenda uh one week prior it's actually one  week I've never had it earlier than Tuesday   um before one week before the actual council  meeting um I have asked city manager Leighton   to um give us a preliminary agenda two weeks in  advance so that again community can be informed   of items that will be coming before so that there  is no um need for just the mayor vice mayor and   former vice mayor to get this information and it  actually uh backs it up by one additional week um   so city manager Leighton can you please address  how we're going to do agenda review this upcoming Friday yes mayor be before I get to that I just  want to make clear that the policy on the mayor   vice mayor and previous vice mayor reviewing the  consent agenda came out of dis discussions by a   previous Council and previous mayor specifically  who was concerned about criticism about items   of importance getting buried on the um consent  agenda so the idea was by having three elected   officials look at the agenda in advance items  could be moved to new business if there was any   question about their importance so that again that  was Council initiated mayor initiated and that's   how the policy was established now regarding your  policy uh request starting on this Friday we will   have our regular agenda review and then there  will also be a preview um agenda for in this   case it'll be the 19th the meeting of the 19th  um there will not be a lot of information because   we'll still be working on the reports uh but it  will have all the items that are scheduled for   view with the understanding that it's still a  work in progress there may be items pulled off   and all likelihood will probably not allow items  to be added unless there's an emergency purpose   because that way um I think your intent is to  have as much advanced notice as possible so   again we are going to have an agenda review this  Friday agenda review and agenda preview yes I know   some of you will be gone it's on the calendar  and I didn't get a request to pull it it off or   to reschedule we can easily resched it if the if a  majority of the council wants that you are correct   that we don't have a council meeting next Tuesday  um because a majority of this Council will be in   Tampa for the national league of cities um so this  was again an idea to have the preview agenda which   means two weeks out agenda will now be public for  the whole Community to see not just privy to the   mayor vice mayor mayor and former vice mayor this  actually increases transparency yeah mayor yeah I   misspoke um what we had talked about in the  procedures that I shared with all of you in   the draft form is that when we would not normally  have an agenda review and that and appreciate the   correction normally we would not have an agenda  review because we don't have a council meeting   uh next Tuesday what we had provided for was  a copy of the preview agenda would be provided   to council members on that Friday and be posted  online so it would be available to the public so   that would not be a media I'm sorry I got my  dates mixed up so media will be able to have   that as well as Community correct so again this  will no longer be just the mayor vice mayor and   former vice mayor getting information beforehand  correct yes but I will still and unless you change   your policy I will still present something to  you and a more finalized agenda the following   week just so the council can the three of you can  determine whether something should be moved to the   off the consent on new business if you want to  change your policy that's great I I mean I'll   follow whatever policy the council wants in that  review process I would like greater transparency   the whole point is that I think that Community  wants to know what will be discussed next week   in two weeks from now and obviously next week we  won't have a city council meeting but we will have   a c ccil meeting on November 19th and so this is  an opportunity for Community to see a preview of   the agenda this upcoming Friday no council meeting  next Tuesday and then next Friday so the week of   uh November 9 November what day is that um  on November 15th sorry November 8th um sorry   November 15th rather I'm so sorry November 15th  we'll have an agenda review a formal one uh where   you will discuss in in full detail the November  19th meeting as well as preview the November 26   consent Workshop is that correct that's that's  correct thank you council member Johnson thanks   mayor um always in support of transparency but U  one thing I just heard is concerning and that is   once this um twoe agenda is shared and it won't  be modified unless it's a it's an emergency and   I just feel like that's going to lead to some  problems going forward if we need to be flexible   or Nimble and add something that maybe isn't an  emergency but should be added or could help speed   up a process folks may say that we are trying  to deceive them um and I think the process that   we have is good enough with the mayor vice mayor  and former vice mayor as long as we are reading   through the email and agenda and know what's  coming up we're making sure that we're doing our   due diligence to ask the city manager to remove  something from consent agenda and put it on the   public agenda if we commit to something two weeks  out and things change or something needs to get   pulled that begins to cause some other questions  I believe publicly around transparency also the   additional burden on our staff with coming up  with that when I was elected I used to ask for   having our packets on Tuesday or Wednesday before  a Thursday evening and just seeing all the work   that goes into putting up this whole suitcase we  got today for a meeting um there's a lot of work   that goes into that and continuing to ask to bump  that up farther and farther out I think it's going   to be a challenge for our team and it may work  great for a few weeks or a few months but the   first time that agenda needs to change or things  start getting pulled and then the folks who are   tend to be skepticals begin to say we're trying  to hide something or change things that I think   it just brings an additional burden on us that uh  we really don't need again if we're looking mayor   vice mayor former vice mayor reading through the  agenda when you get it that agenda's changed a   few times I'm not in that group anymore but  I've seen it where something's presented or   it's not um it's not the final version and  the manager might need to move it to another   meeting those things I think we should retain the  flexibility to do so I'm interested to see what   um this Friday looks like but I think overall  policy discussion as a body I think we're in   a good space with mayor vice mayor former vice  mayor looking through the agenda figuring out   what will be of Greater public interest to pull  from consent and put on the regular agenda vice   mayor Ballard thank you Mayor Bob is it policy  that when one of us would like for staff to look   into something or give direction that we need four  votes to continue to move forward with giving the direction I hope I'm well that's that's a  difficult question if you're asking I mean   right what we're talking about today in terms of  the mayor vice mayor former vice mayor that's a   council established policy I just mean in general  like there's a lot of Direction that's being given   but maybe it's not the will of you know four of us  so it takes a lot of Staff time to draw you know   up different things um I hope I'm explaining it as  well as it's working in my head well the you know   the form doesn't work if council members can't  ask for work you know for projects or for us to   to do research and so you know we're here to serve  the council in that regard and it may be that it   leads to a policy discussion at the council table  that the you know there's a difference of opinion   among council members but that's we staff all  of you and the idea is to you know even if one   council member says I need some information to  try to provide that the ordinance provides for   Council approval of significant projects that  would require a significant amount of staff   time I've never invoked that and the time that  I've been here um because yeah it just it's it it   creates a little difficulty and I think it becomes  an you know an issue that you know then council   members will say well you know others are getting  the information I feel like I'm being blocked out   so we're trying to give everybody equal access  to staff okay thank you council member Tuttle   thank you I just have a very logistical question  um I was and I'm getting emails excuse me texts   from people I don't have a genda review on  my calendar for this Friday I misspoke okay   I corrected myself after yeah so if I if I can  just take the next step so No Agenda review at 11:   is that correct correct okay then I still have  on my calendar and I was going to ask about this   but not here but while we're here at 11:30 we have  monthly Department director updates to council is   that canceled as well it will be because I I don't  know that we'll have a majority of the council   members we don't traditionally do that unless we  have a regular Workshop that's exactly right I   mean a regular agenda r no no no I got you I KN I  was tracking with you so on Friday then No Agenda   review and no monthly direct Department director  updates right that and that was a mistake in our   schedu thank you so much thank you I'll ask a  clarifi clarification question so while we may   not physically be here for an agenda review as  it has been cancelled for Friday we will get a   preview agenda for the November 19th meeting  is that correct that will be emailed to all   of you and there'll be one posted online on the  city's website by Friday yes thank you very much   council member hoisel thank you mayor I wonder  if we can thread the needle here a little bit   bit on the preview I have heard from some staff  members about um some extra burden at two weeks   outputs on but at the same time I also recognize  the Public's desire to kind of know what's coming   down the pipeline early so I wonder if there  could be something more generalized about this   is what we're going to be talking about without  necessarily all the background paperwork that   goes into it that can be added as staff adds to  it um so again I I do I agree because thinking   about it from the public side I do like to know  what's coming down the pipeline um so but at   the same time you know the we we saw today and  that's very tough on a lot of Staff members to   to get that ready to go so I I think there's  a nice Middle Road here as far as giving the   public transparency letting them know what's  coming down but also not tying ourselves to   any potential changes that might happen at the  last minute or um just stressing staff out we   got to get this done you know a week a week ahead  of what we usually would so um just my thoughts   um if I if I could respond it really leads to a  significant amount of work just the first time   you do it and in this case this date the mayor and  I had talked about it this date is before is in a   LW period right there's not we're not Staffing for  another agenda I do believe we can do a better job   of pre-planning I mean as it was I think I told  many of you seven new business business items were   removed from this as I got the first draft of an  agenda and said I know I've got a lot of projects   or a lot of items on here that have deadlines so  they have to stay on but I mean I don't think any   of us want whatever 14 new business items on we  got five and a half hours left Bob I mean let's   just follow through it all right I mean I so I  think it does help us in terms of pre-planning   I understand the transparency part of it but  just in terms of running the city's business   you you utilize in your time and staff time  appropriately I think we're going to try to   balance work flow a little bit as well um I think  the the only concern that I've had I've expressed   to the mayor is similar what council member  Johnson said and that is trying to have some   trying to be a little bit fluid and recognizing  that there could be a change in business needs   from the time the preliminary agenda goes out to  when the final agenda comes to you before agenda   review and as long as there's an understanding  that we're doing the best we can projecting and   that there still may be some things that could  pop up um I discourage last minute items because   nine times out of 10 that's where our mistakes  come is when we're pushing deadlines and trying   to get something cranked out fast or quickly  so um I think from a business standpoint this   probably shouldn't be too disruptive it's Chang  and I have to internally manage the change so everybody council member Glascock thank you mayor  as always I appreciate this robust discussion and   I'm for having today um just to make it clean  we're talking about a lot of other stuff now   um and it it's not necessarily the public agenda  aspect and so I would move I need a close public   agenda first we never close public agenda no  one else from the public would like to speak   so now we can bring it back to the bench thank  you mayor motion but the city council place the   ordinance on first reading and authorize  the necessary signatures as presented with   the amendment of um item number 1A or 9:30  be changed to 9:00 am. second excuse me the   clerk has a comment mayor we so council member  Glascock you already made an amended motion it   wasn't seconded but then um council member Johnson  made a substitute motion to it and vice mayor B   seconded it so we have that on the board right now  correct that's that's the motion before us at the time yeah my motion included something that wasn't  a part of this so I withdraw my motion we now have   a let's start off that there are no longer any  motions that are active correct council member   Glock so now I move that the city council place  the ordinance on first read and authorize the   necessary signatures as presented with the um  change of item 1 a 9:30 to be 9:00 a.m. second   motion and a second there's discussion by council  member tutle just to make sure I know exactly what   we're doing I'm sorry but so by voting yay  on this we will allow public comment at the   beginning of Workshop meetings just like we do at  city council the three first Tuesday City Council   meetings but we are not changing it so so that  you can have that we would have public comment   on when an item is pulled from consent right that  is correct okay thank you I just wanted to make   sure thank you motion and a second any further  discussion I see none Madame clerk please open the rooll motion passes 6 to one madame  clerk please call the next item Z 202 24-34 zone change requests in the  city from sf5 single family residential   district to LC limited commercial District  located on the Southeast corner of West 29th   Street North in North salinaa Avenue 961 West  29th Street North hello good evening Scott wle   from the planning department this is an item  that you've uh heard before this item is as   you heard for resoning from sf5 single family to  LC limited commercial District it's being heard   today because the district Advisory board and the  Planning Commission recommendations are different   and also because the city council deferred this  item in order to provide additional opportunity   for the dab to consider this case and to have  the applicant present in terms of the request   the applicant has indicated they're requesting  the zoning change in order to match the zoning   of nearby properties and to expand options for  development of the subject site the site is   located as you can see here to the the south and  west of the intersection of wood Woodland Avenue   in 29th Street North it is approximately uh just  under half an acre in size and developed with a   vacant church or office building in terms of the  context properties to the north across 29th are   zoned LC and sf5 and developed with a vacant  commercial building and a single family house   the commercial property is owned by the same  applicants for this application property to   the South is zoned sf5 developed with a single  family house property to the east is owned sf5   and is undeveloped property to the West is owned  LC and developed with a restaurant a staff report   provides information about development standards  and Landscaping requirements in terms of review   on August 8th the Planning Commission held a  public hearing for this item and recommended   approval of the zone change request to limited  commercial District that vote was 9 to1 no   members of the public spoke on this item on  August 12th the district District Advisory   Board reviewed the request and recommended  denial of the application that vote was 6   to1 in the motion to deny the request one of  the dab members CED the golden factor that the   requested zoning would detrimentally affect  the character of the neighborhood couple of   notes on this is that representatives for the new  property owner because there was a property sale   for this property uh during the zoning case the  representatives for the new property owner was   not present at that dab meeting and no members  of the public spoke on the item no protest were   received against the case on September 10th  city council heard the request the action of   the city council was to defer it to today's date  in order to provide an opportunity for the dab to   hear the case again this would serve as another  opportunity for the applicant to attend the dab   meeting on October 14th the dab reviewed the  request and recommended denial 9 to Zer the   applicant was present at the meeting but and did  not specify what the intended uses were for the   property which uh the dab indic uh which in the  the dab conversation became a highlight for why   they uh recommend denial of the zone change  request so in terms of the recommendation the   recommendation coming to you from the Planning  Commission is that the city council adopt the   findings of the Planning Commission and adopt  the requested zone change authorize the necessary   signatures and instruct the city clerk to publish  the ordinance after approval that requires four of   seven votes Alternatives include the following  you can override the Planning Commission adopt   alternative findings and deny the requested  zone change that would require five of seven   votes likewise you can also override the Planning  Commission adopt alternative findings and approve   the zoning change to in our neighborhood  retail District we require five of seven   votes or as always you can return the case to the  Planning Commission for additional consideration   that requires a simple majority of four or seven  votes and uh just a quick note the public hearing   for this item occurred at the Planning Commission  meeting and with that I'll take you through some   of the graphics just real quick here's the aial  showing site here's the zoning map um you can see   that there are areas of red which is LC zoning as  well as areas in white which is sf5 single family   zoning here's a map from the comprehensive plan  it's kind of faded out uh but it's recommending   appears to be residential in that area here's a  site plan that was uh submitted as part of the   application it reflects what's already developed  on the site here's the protest map against zero   protest received for this one photos of the site  this is looking at the subject site the yellow   building is what's developed on the site this  is looking at some of the neighboring properties   there's the subject site right here across the  street looking across the street to the north   back to the aial and with that all stand for any  questions questions for staff I see none planning   agenda items do not get any public comment so we  will bring it back to the bench and this resides   in vice mayor Ballard's District thank you mayor  I move to override the mapc and deny the requested   zone change in support of this motion I offer the  following findings the proposed resoning is not   in conformance with the comprehensive plan which  to a future growth concept map which recommends   residential in this location um also allowing  the types of allowing the types of commercial   uses permitted in the LC District would likely  have detrimental effects to nearby Residential Properties second we have  a motion and a second any   further discussion I see none  Madame clerk please open the role motion carries 5-2 Madame clerk please call  the next item combined public hearing 2025 annual   agency plan 2025 to 2029 PHA plan and 2025 to 2029  Capital fund Grant fiveyear action plan estimate   good evening again mayor and Council Sally staying  with the Housing and Community Services Department   for the record and I promise it's my last time the  item I have for you now is the fiveyear and annual   plan so public housing authorities are required to  PR uh prepare an annual agency plan but then every   5 years we also have to create a 5-year plan  similar to earlier this year on the community   development side was the approval of the five-year  Consolidated plan as well as an annual plan so we   just get hit with both of those in the same year  uh the witch Housing Authority H currently has   307 units of public housing that it's in the  process of disposing and 3,480 housing Choice   vouchers including the emergency housing vouchers  and mainstream vouchers our jurisdiction for the   housing Choice Voucher Program includes all of  Sedwick County Butler County and Harvey County   outside of the city of Newton and the PHA plan  documents include the method of rent determination   General operating policies and procedures and a  statement of Capital Improvements the schedule we   have to have an at least 45-day public uh review  and comment period started on on September 11th   20124 through today uh we have to hold a resident  advisory meeting which was held on on September   12th the combined public hearing today and we have  till Friday to get this submitted to HUD so some   of our accomplishments over the last five years so  we continuously promote self-sufficiency so we've   had 384 family self-sufficiency participants in  The Last 5 Years with 48 graduates by the end of   2024 and 17 of those have become firsttime  home buyers 28 housing Choice voucher and   public housing clients have participated in the  individual family development program in the last   three years and the way to work program in 2024  we averaged 137 youth in age appropriate jobs and   our emergency housing voucher program has been  fully utilized since 2022 and we had one of the   highest utilization percentages in the country  so we were we were awarded 142 emergency housing   vouchers and in less than a year all of them were  being used we there are many housing authorities   across the country still haven't used all of their  emergency housing vouchers uh our foster youth   to Independence program assisted housing 14 young  adults who have aged out of the foster care system   who were experiencing homelessness and we applied  for and received an additional 20 in the last year   vouchers for that population the housing Choice  voucher homeless preference enabled 370 people to   secure permanent housing from homelessness and our  housing Choice Voucher Program conducted landlord   Outreach uh in combination with the coalition  to end homelessness in wi TOS Sedrick County the   shelter plus CARE program and housing first at the  Witchita housing conference in April of 2024 our   2025 goals are to exp to expand the affordable  housing Supply maintain good housing management   store scores maintain High housing Choice voucher  utilization strengthen the family self-sufficiency   program increase economic sustainability continue  to get Hut approval for the repositioning of   our public housing single family units and  intentionally Advocate and market for fair   housing in our community we receive a separate  funding stream of capital funds for the public   housing units um this is an estimate of what we  think uh we will get in 2025 based on the 2024   award and just breaks that down uh we are C 25%  goes to operation 10% Administration fees costs   and because we're in the process of of disposing  of those units the majority of this is related   to rehab demo and relocation expenses for those  units some proposed changes in our housing Choice   voucher administrative plan we are proposing uh  the addition of an an additional local preference   to the housing Choice voucher waiting list for  those foster youth to Independence participants   that have engaged in are engaged in or complete  the family self-sufficiency program this is   where I think cud gets it wrong those are vouchers  specifically for um youth age 18 to 24 who've come   through the foster care system and they say we  can only assist them for for three years right and   I'm sorry that's a that's a a group of individuals  that telling them get your stuff together in three   years is really really challenging and so um this  preference would allow them to get a preference   on our regular waiting list if they're engaged in  family self-sufficiency and engag AED uh or have   completed that so that they don't necessarily lose  their assistance simply because the the Foster   youth to Independence voucher expires in three  years um also we are implementing all guidance   related to our required use of the small area  fair market rents and we've updated our re uh   repayment policy to require a 10% down payment and  the application of potential utility assistance   payments towards debt and the elimination of  the 40% Camp so when someone fails to report all   of their income and we find out about it we are  required to go back and charge the family for the   O the extra assistance they've received this is  an adjustment to that repayment agreement policy   um under the old policy didn't require anything  down and uh had a a provision in it that if their   uh payment for the rent plus this uh repayment  exceeded 40% that they wouldn't be required to   pay it until that changed well people have gamed  that system and said well I'll just stop working   and then I don't have to pay it back so this  will definitely encourage people to pay it back   in order to continue their assistance um and then  the last item is the incorporation of mandatory   housing opportunities through modernization  act policies we call hotma so Congress passed   that um legislation in 2016 and we are still still  awaiting final um regulation guidance coming from   HUD it was supposed to be implemented January 1st  2024 had pushed that to 2025 now they're pushing   it even further because their systems aren't  ready but we had to imp um put those policies   in the administrative plan our proposed changes  to the admissions and continued occupancy policy   that's the policy that governs over the public  housing program is just the the incorporation   of those mandatory hotma policies there is no  uh impact to the general fund HUD requires that   we hold a public hearing to allow Community  comments on the proposed five-year and annual   plans and the five-year Capital fund program and  annual budget um we did as I said we held the   resident Advisory board meeting in in September  we invited every uh housing Choice voucher and   public housing participant to participate in  a virtual meeting uh to discuss the plan we   had about 16 people actually log to the meeting  to participate none of their feedback was related   to the plan it was all um specific questions  they asked about their cases so it's recommended   that the witcha Housing Authority board Clos  the combined public hearing approve the 2025   2029 PHA 5year plan the 2025 annual plan the 2025  2029 Capital fund 5year action plan and the 2025   budget and authorize the necessary C signatures  to certify the documents for submitt to the US   Department of Housing and Urban Development can  I stand for any questions thank you Sally we'll   begin with council member H thank you mayor um I'm  just stalling here go for the record um I I have a   couple of questions specifically about the foster  care um so 14 14 who have that's a pretty low   number considering the thousands of kids we have  in foster care in the state are there barriers   that we're not seeing or why are not why are more  not applying so the Foster youth to Independence   vouchers requires we have anou with the Department  of Children and Families we can ask for up to 25   vouchers for that population per fiscal year but  we have to receive the names of referrals from   the Department of Children and Families before  we can make the ask to HUD and so we've had some   struggles um getting referrals from DCF now we did  a major um adjustment to theou this year so I'm   hoping this is going to change and we've pulled um  brought into the fold the Witchita Children's Home   and DCF has actually um agreed to refer folks  if witcha Children's Home identifies them and   they person states that they came from Foster Care  they get referred up to DCF who can then confirm   it and then they make the referral with which to  Children's Home providing the case management so   that's only only been in play for about three  months um but we did getting 20 20 names and we   requested to HUD and we got the 20 extra vouchers  we're very happy because we'd been clamoring send   us the names send us the names so we're hoping to  see better um a better referral process as well   as stronger case management for those youth if is  going through that program is that something that   you can only do when you're 18 or younger or if  you're a 20-year-old who had gone through foster   care they have to be 18 to 24 under the age of  24 at the time they're referred okay so um so   they can go through the referral process and then  they can come through the program and then we try   to connect them with the family self-sufficiency  program right away because I I see that group as   having tremendous potential that if we can connect  them to job training skills and then they can get   earn escrow and go through you know get stabilized  that's that's the biggest win for us now the   governor recently did some changes I think they  extended DCF care benefits up until their 24 is   that correct accurate is that factor into this  at all does that help us out at all um it does   in that um sometimes we end up what was happening  before is DCF could only provide case management   until someone was 21 unless they were enrolled  at sec in for secondary education so um we we   would be scrambling as a community to try and find  replace that case management for those after they   turned 21 now we're with the expansion up through  2024 it allows them to provide case management for   a longer period of time but we're also trying to  work collaboratively because sometimes it takes   more than one person or one agency providing that  case management never hurts to to try and identify   other resources that might fit an individuals in  needs okay um so are are the Foster People in the   foster care program do they jump to the head of  the line with the housing Choice vouchers or it's   just a whole separate it's a whole separate set of  vouchers yes so those are the only ones we those   if as are also the Veterans Affair Supportive  Housing are a whole separate funding stream so   those are the only vouchers we've been issuing  since since May okay thank you council member   Glascock thank you mayor not sure if this matters  or not because it's just a clerical eror on the   green shirt or Green Sheet the 2025 yeah that's  all thank you was it typo um can you reiterate   the foster care system uh vouchers so every year  we can get up to 25 vouchers how many did we get   last year and the year before that um because  I feel like we should be maximizing the 25 oh I   agree with you so as far if this has goes back to  2019 so in 2019 we had requested gotten four nine   referrals um the rules in 2019 were different so  that once um a client no longer use their voucher   whether they got through their three years or  they terminated from the program for violations   that voucher went away and we couldn't reissue  it in 2020 the program changed um and allows us   to Once one's given up we can issue it to another  qualifying person uh we got five vouchers in that   year and then we didn't receive referrals from  2020 until 2024 even though we kept asking for   them yes so in 2024 they sent us 20 names we asked  for 20 vouchers and probably within five weeks   of the ask we had the vouch vouchers so you're  telling me over the last four years we left on the   table 100 vouchers potentially that's concerning  also as we talk about the foster care system and   our youth that experience homelessness um many  of them are the rising number of individuals are   coming from the age group of foster care kiddos  who are aging out of the system and the second   one is are um 65 and older um witchet ends and  so if those are the two uh that are driving the   number of individuals facing homelessness up that  concerns me that 100 individuals could have been   impacted throughout these last four years and they  were not thank you Sally thanks for what you do   uh we will now open it up for public comment  I see none we'll bring it back to the bench I will be happy to move this item I move  that the witcha Housing Authority board close   the combined public hearing on the witcha  Housing Authority 2025 annual agency plan   2025 to 2029 5-year PHA strategic plan the  2025 Capital fund program 5year action plan   approve the plans and estimated Capital fund  Grant budget and authorize necessary signatures   to certify the documents for submitt to  the US Department of Housing and Urban   Development second motion and a second any  further discussion I see none Madame clerk   please open the role motion passes 70  Madame clerk please call the next next item approval of travel for council member  Tuttle to attend the governor's conference   the future of water in Kansas November 13th  through 14th in Manhattan Kansas for the   purpose of representing the city the conference  is held for the purpose of collaboration the   estimated amount for hotel travel and meals  is $469 this is paid through the general fund I moved to approve council member Tuttle uh's  travel to attend the governor's conference   the future of water and Kansas November 13th  through 14th in Manhattan for the purpose of   representing the city the conference is held for  the purpose of collaboration the estimated amount   for travel hotel and meals is $469 and this  is paid for through the general fund second   motion and a second any further discussion  I see none Madame clerk please open the role motion passes 70 Madame clerk please call  the next item council member appointments and comments council member Johnston thank  you mayor I'm G to try to go on for 12   minutes so we get the record here but uh no no  I would like to uh appoint Stephanie Nicks to   the crb the citizens review board she has uh  cleared the necessary uh background check be appointed I guess I'm not going to go on [TRANSCRIPT TRUNCATED DUE TO EXCESSIVE LENGTH TO PREVENT PROCESSING COSTS]