[Music] [Music] Welcome to all of you and good morning again,   Witchita. We'll call the meeting to order.  With us this morning is Pastor Ryan Emmens   of Friendship Baptist Church to provide  our invocation. Following that invocation,   we will have the pledge of allegiance and  we ask that you please stand for both. Let's pray. Dear heavenly father, we come before  you thanking you for this great nation that   you've put your blessing upon and for Witchah  specifically. Lord, I I thank you that we have   the ability to come and meet and try to express  our freedoms and try to understand what's best   for our city. I thank you for our mayor and her  associates to try to just do what's best for   the people of Witchah. So, Father, I ask you give  wisdom right now to so many people with decisions   to make that are very important that affect  people's lives. And I ask that you just help us to   have complete understanding from you and what you  would have us to do to keep our city to be moral,   to keep our city to be honoring you. And Father,  I thank you so much that we have a relationship   with you because of what Jesus Christ did on the  cross for our sins and his resurrection that gives   us life eternal. We are thankful for the people  of this city and the ones that are trying to help   us to follow you more clearly. We ask all these  things in your son's name, Jesus Christ. Amen. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United  States of America and to the republic   for which it stands. One nation under God,  indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you, Pastor Evans. Mr. Clerk, can you  please call the first item? Approve the minutes   of regular meeting July 1st, 2025. Council  members, any items to be changed or edited?   I see none. I move to approve the minutes of  the regular meeting for July 1st, 2025. Second.   Motion and a second. Any further discussion?  I see none. Mr. Clerk, please open the role. Motion passes 60 with one abstension. Mr. The  clerk, please call the next item. Awards and   proclamations. The proclamations this week  are Guadalupe Clinic's 48th anniversary,   Witchita Lineman's Day, and the award  is recognition of WSU Tech students   national recognition at the 2025 Skills USA  Championship. May I please ask the Guadalupe   Clinic uh friends and supporters to come  forward, including Vice Mayor JB Johnston. The proclamation reads, "The city of Witchah,  Kansas, founded in 1870. Whereas Guadalupe   Clinic was founded by five nurses who worked at  St. Francis Hospital and doctors Dan and Olga   Tati soon after began providing medical care.  Whereas Guadalupe Clinic provides free medical   and vision care to those living at or below 200%  of the federal poverty line without Medicare,   without Medicaid or any insurance of any kind.  Whereas over 60 medical professionals consisting   of 38 physicians and additional health care  workers give their time and services to care for   the working poor and the poor. Whereas Guadalupe  Clinic partners with the KU School of Medicine,   the Kansas College of Medicine, Witchah  State University's physical therapy program,   Newman University's nursing program, and many  others to provide quality medical care to the   underserved and education for students  entering health sciences. Now therefore,   be it resolved that the Witchah City Council  does hereby proclaim Guadalupe Clinic's 40th   anniversary. [Applause] Thank you, Lily. My name  is Tom Sanders. I'm the chairman of the Guadalupe   Clinic um board of directors. Uh, I want to thank  uh the city council for recognizing us today. Um,   and I I certainly want to thank uh JV Johnston.  Uh, as you can imagine, he's a fantastic leader   and he and his team uh do a tremendous uh job at  the at the clinic. But most of all, I'd like to   thank the Witchaw community. Without your support,  uh we would not be in existence. We depend on the   Witchah community for volunteers. Most of the work  that is done at the clinic is done by volunteers   uh serving the poorest of the poor in our  community and uh and the and our many many many   uh donors who we depend on. All of our funding  comes from uh donors in our uh community and of   course we uh we work very hard to get whatever uh  grants uh we can but we have no no revenue from   uh uh other organizations. No revenue from the  dascese no revenue from the city. No revenue from   uh insurance organizations as Lily mentioned  no revenue from med medicaid or or anything   else. So it it depends on on the support of  the community and uh thankfully uh Witchah is   a very generous community and I I thank you  very very much for your support. [Applause] Thank you, Tom. May I please ask the  Alzheimer's Association as well as   Travis Campbell and his family to  please come forward at this time. The proclamation reads, "The city of Witchah,  Kansas, founded in 1870. Whereas Witchah Lineman,   written by Jimmy Webb and popularized by Glenn  Campbell in 1968, has become one of the most   iconic and enduring songs in American music  history. Whereas Witchah Lineman has helped place   the city of Witchah in the hearts and imaginations  of listeners worldwide, highlighting the spirit,   resilience, and dedication of the working men  and women of America. Whereas the songs stand   as a timeless tribute to the strength and  pre perseverance of the American worker,   especially those whose labor often goes unseen  but is vital to the success of their communities.   Whereas a national tribute concert,  Branson's tribute to Glenn Campbell,   will be held on July 13, 2025, honoring the  legacy of this celebrated music and supporting   the Alzheimer's Association through all event  proceeds. Now therefore be it resolved that the   Witchah City Council does hereby proclaim July  13, 2025 as Witchah Lineman Day in the city of   Witchah and encourage all citizens to celebrate  the enduring legacy of this remarkable song and   the cultural pride it continues to inspire.  Before we have our guests come and speak,   we'll just play a little bit of that  iconic song, Witchah Lineman. [Music] Thank you very much. [Applause] Thank you. My  name is Travis Campbell. I'm the eldest son of   Glen Campbell. Um I just wanted to say thank you  so much for for doing this for dad. Um he he was   he was an incredible individual. Um he he was  very personable. Um I mean growing up I I'm I   grew up in Los Angeles. Um I've lived here in the  Witchita area for 25 years. I met my wife who was   from Winfield on an airplane, you know, and and  so you know and it's funny because people ask me   um you know why I moved to Witchah and I tell them  I look I moved there looking for that lineman guy.   You know you can't you can't find him anywhere.  You know he aloped with Dorothy. He must have, you   know, but um back to back to my father growing up  with with dad as who he was. I didn't realize it   when I was a kid. Um what an icon he was. Um back,  you know, back in in in Los Angeles, um you know,   in the living room at any one time, there'd  be Mel Tullis, uh Johnny Cash, um you know,   Buck Owens. And I had no idea as a child the icons  that they would later become. And I I at that time   I didn't even understand, you know, the icon that  dad was. I mean, Witchita Lineman was one of the   first songs that I remember hearing on the radio  as a kid. And then it wasn't until Rhinestone   Cowboy came out when I was a little bit older that  I kind of realized, you know, what was happening.   And I also wanted to thank Marshall, who is Mel  Tillis's um grandson in in in Branson. He's a city   council member in Branson, and he's the one that  kind of coordinated this with you guys. And um   and then basically with with dad um you know who  he was and and with Alzheimer's obviously I want   to recognize you know the the the awful disease of  Alzheimer's. Um it was it was sad because towards   the end of his life you know we we you could sit  there with him and for those of you that have   had family members that have have Alzheimer's you  could sit there with him for a long time. I mean,   I'd be sitting there with him for a couple hours  and and he wouldn't you don't think he was really   there, but then all of a sudden he would look  into your eyes and you'd see something click,   you know, I sure love you, son, you know, and  it it's it's memories like that that, you know,   it I'm so blessed. I am so blessed, you know, to  to have had those memories with him, you know,   and um everybody, you know, everybody in the  world, I mean, he was an incredible musician,   um, you know, entertainer. I mean, I'm not sure if  you realize that he had the Glen Campbell Goodtime   Hour, and that started when he filled in for  the Smothers Brothers. He he hosted the Smothers   Brothers show. It was called the Smothers  Brothers summer show. Um, and everything,   you know, that that that he did, he loved, you  know, people. He he was he was the most amicable   person in the world and he would always give  back. He was from Arkansas, you know. I mean,   his roots were were very much country and um and  how how I what I was saying about how, you know,   everyone he was known around the world, you  know, as incredible entertainer, as musician,   and everyone knew him as Glenn Campbell, but I  just called him dad, you know. So, thank you guys   very very much for for doing this today. It is  greatly appreciated. God bless you all. [Applause] Thank you very much. May I please now ask the WSU   Tech students as well as staff  to come forward at this time. How appropriate to have this  right after Witchah Lineman. Each year, WSU Tech students put their skills  to the test against the best and brightest from   across the nation at the Skills USA Championship,  showcasing excellence in skilled trades,   leadership, and service. occupations. Many of  our students here from our community went and   competed at Skills USA Championship and came back  as winners with medals and we wanted to recognize   them today at the city council meeting. So with  them this morning are the recipients of those   medals, Alex Lee, Kaden Graham, Ella Allen  Allander, Emma Bachmann. We also have their   instructors and adviserss that I would like to  ask to come and speak about the program so others   can know about the opportunities to compete at  SkillsUSA and the opportunities at WSU Tech,   a premier um organization that really empowers  individuals to find their skills and their talents   and puts them towards a career path. Jeremy  King, Clint Cartwright, and Crystal Simmons. Thank you, Mayor. Um, so Skills USA is a  studentled career and technical education program   um composing of this year 445,000 members  nationally. Um, every year these students   uh behind us uh as well as many others  compete um in career and technical ed   programs such as architectural drafting, uh  criminal justice, crime scene investigation,   um machining, welding, carpentry. um they  compete to showcase their skills that they're   learning in the classroom um and put those to  the test against the best of the best from all   over the country. Um this right here, these  five, um is just a sample of the amount of   dedication and time that the students have put  in um for these awards. So, thank you again,   Mayor. [Applause] And a small token of our  appreciation for your hard work and dedication,   we have Witchah pins to give to each of the  students. So, thank you all very much and thank   you for recognizing this WSU Tech uh students who  competed at Skills USA championship. [Applause] Council member Glascott. Thank you. I just have  one brief comment especially for Glenn Campbell's   family. Um this past December I had the chance uh  to be in the Philippines uh representing um the   country on behalf of the State Department. We met  with the election commissioner of uh the country   of the Philippines. I presented a flag flown over  um or flag from Witchah on behalf of the city and   the first and only thing the election commissioner  knew about Witchaw was witchaw linemen and   um started singing it um just in the room uh in  front of everybody and so I just wanted to pass   it along that I know you had said the reach is far  um but the reach is far and uh Glenn is seen as a   representative of Witchah uh across the world. So,  thank you and thank you for being here as well. Mr. Clerk, can you please call the next item?  Public agenda. Oh, sorry. We have one more. Vice   Mayor JB Johnston. Okay. Thank you, Mayor.  I also want to talk to the Campbell. Uh,   the best concert I ever saw was John Denver,  Kansas Coliseum. And uh John Denver played for   about an hour and 15 minutes, sent the band on  break and stayed out there and immediately he   saw Glenn Campbell sitting in the front  row, called him up and they sang songs,   made up songs for another hour. The band  was waiting to come back to break another   hour and then there's another hour and 15  minutes, three and a half hour concert. So   uh it was fun to see Glenn Campbell up there  with John Denver, another icon. Really both   of them enjoyed each other so much and had such a  great time. I still remember it today. Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Clerk, can you please call the  next item? Public agenda. The public agenda allows   for up to five speakers to have five minutes  each to address the council. No action will be   taken relative to items on the public agenda  other than referral to the city manager for   information as necessary. Speakers will please  state their name and address for the record.   A time clock will display the speaker's  remaining time to speak. Order and rules   of decorum will be observed. The first  speaker is Arthur Stokes, Black Mold. Good morning crew, my city council crew.   Uh my first few moments will be a moment of  silence for the STOM victims in Texas and the   campground girls that all disappeared and you know  it's just so many people affected families and   uh there was a little girl that drowned  from a rip tide from Arkansas in Florida   Destin Beach. They never recovered her.  So, I'm going to give uh credence to that. Thank you. Uh this morning I had uh we reviewed we  were looking at the Titanic and and how problems   arise and not just looking at all of us really  have a Titanic. You know, none of us in here   are perfect and none of us in here are going to be  without problems. And uh I've always wanted to get   into the Titanic and you know, I'm like that's  a good topic. you know, it it shows a lot of   uh how things are created and built. And I  already had uh talked about the the people that   were on the Titanic. Uh Thomas Andrews, uh Macy's  owner, uh Isidor Stratus, and all of these people   were were there as this unfolded and this the uh  the destruction and the sinking of the Titanic.   And uh I'm going to start I think uh just looking  at this this portion it was uh it was like the   designer assessed the damaged and uh in the in  the process they had saw that there was a b they   had been warned but instead they got they got  they got faster they got louder they were not   listening they were not communicating. ating.  You know, this is this is something that have to   happen in in any situation. There have to be some  communication. So, I'm going to start. It says,   "In the crow's nest, two lookouts shivered as  they peered into the night. The air temperatures   around freezing. Had there been a moon, they would  have seen the foes already off to the sides. Had   there been a wind formed from breaking against the  ice would have shown up against the white in the   starlights. But the sky was moonless and the sea  dead flat. Just before 11:40, about a mile south   of the Grand Bank of Newfall, lookout Frederick  Fleet squinted into the night and noticed that   on the horizon ahead the stars stare to wank  out. Then he began to discern a shape perhaps a   quarter mile away. Fleet rang the crow's nest bell  and telephoned the bridge. iceberg right ahead,   he cried. The officer in charge immediately signed  signal full speed a stern to the engine room and   directed the wheelman to turn hard aboard. The  crow's nest lookout braced for a collision,   but slowly the ship began to turn and slide by the  iceberg. A wall of ice, like a wind jammer with   sails and colors of of wet canvas, as one report  put it, move past the starboard rail and chunks   fell into the deck. Some passengers playfully  threw pieces of it at one another. Then the ice   struck too many. It didn't seem much that a jar  certainly not hard enough for a worry. In seconds,   the ice disappeared into the darkness of Stern.  But in swildering boiler room between the bow   and miss midship, a guster of water was draining  strokers as they leap through a quicker closing   watertight door. in the next compartment too.  Water was gushing in when the Titanic designer   Andrew assessed the damage. It was already  sinking and they was thinking that they had   three days that they could stay afloat. And if  they hadn't been out there with no communication   uh with the California, none of that would have  even occurred. It wouldn't even got that far.   So that's five four I got into that. This  is an interesting lesson. I just I quit   right there for the moment. So disaster  has happened. My disasters has happened.   I'm I'm here. I'm glad to be here this  this morning. Y'all got questions for me? Thank you, Mr. Stokes. Thank you, mayor. Anybody got questions? Mr. Clerk, can you please call the next  individual? Uh, they were the only one   who had signed up. So, there are four spots  available. There are four spots available.   If you would like to speak, please come  forward. State your name and your address. Hello. Can everybody hear me? Okay, good. Because  I got a big fat voice here. Good morning to all   of you. It looks like uh I see all my friendly  faces up here. It occurred to me this morning   that perhaps we ought to go bowling together. This  would be that would be fun. Imagine that. And Bob,   you could come, too. Um but anyhow, um my name is  Bill Anderson. I live at 1227 Jefferson. It's in   Witchah. I'm in Maggie's district. Sadie, Mary,  Lady, congratulations. Congratulations. It was   uh the pictures I saw were wonderful. You're  beaming. That looks good. This will be real   quick. Um I'm here today to ask you not to  enter into any program with ICE. You know,   we know what ICE is. which would permit Witchah  police to assist ICE in their activities in   Witchah. At a recent constitutional forum in  in Lawrence, I learned of ICE program 287G,   which permits law enforcement to perform ICE  functions. Uh, I'm not a lawyer, so I I I can't   regail you with the ins and outs of this. And  this may not be the only program. This is one I   learned about at the forum. So, if there's been  any discussion about permitting this to happen,   please make it public. We need to know if  anybody here is supporting that. Uh that'd   be terrible. I'm not going to the cons of this  are just innumerable. So, I thank you very much   for that. Um, one last thing, the slaughter,  the war crimes in Gaza and Palestine continue.   Please use your voice in any way you can to  speak out against this. Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Anderson. We have three more spots   available for anyone who would  like to address the council. I see none. Mr. Clerk, can you please call the  next item? Consent agenda items 1 through 11.   Council members, are there items to be pulled? I have two. I asked to uh pull 3A and seven. I move to approve the consent agenda  without consent agenda items three and   seven. Second motion and a second.  Any further discussion? I seen Oh,   sorry. Council member Johnson, just wanted to  clarify. You said item three. Do you mean 3A? 3 A and seven. I have a motion and a second. Any further  discussion? I see none. Mr. Clerk,   please open the role. The motion  passes 70. We'll begin with 3A. public works director Gary Jansen, can you  please give us an update regarding the new water   treatment plant and what mechanical issues uh were  identified that have delayed the completion of the   project? Uh, sure. Good morning, mayor and council  members. Again, Gary Jansen, public works and   utilities. So the delay that's referenced in the  specific item is related to some mechanical issues   uh with the six clarifiers that are part of  the new treatment plant. Uh clarification is   one of the major components of the treatment  process and we had several mechanical issues   with those clarifiers. Those repairs have  effectively been completed at this time   at no cost to the city. Uh so confidence what we  call confidence testing has resumed. that testing   uh is done in an effort to make sure that the  clarifiers are going to operate as intended.   Uh that the repairs uh will do what they're  supposed to do so that these clarifiers will   work again the way they were designed and built.  So far everything's going pretty well. Um moving   through different parts of that process.  Once we get through the confidence testing,   not sure what that time frame looks like just  yet. we would move uh on to what would be final   performance and acceptance testing of the entire  plant and the entire process. So, as of right now,   we still intend that the city will take full  ownership of the facility by the end of this year. We've also uh gotten a couple of questions  regarding uh Cheni. Can you please address uh the   difference between the current Cheni levels versus  the 12 month average? Sure. Uh so as everybody's   aware, Cheni is nearly back to conservation pool.  The last time I looked, I think it was within a   half a foot for sure. We get some intermittent  rains here and there and we're starting to see   the impacts of evaporation already. So it's kind  of steadied out at the moment. Um current level is   97% give or take. Uh but the 12-month running  average, which we've talked about since we've   been in uh drought restrictions even with stage  one, is currently about 63%. So our projections   if we were to if Cheni stays at the current level  more or less but stays a conservation pool is we   would get back to 90% on the 12-month average  sometime next spring probably around March. And   we feel it's important to to stay the course  uh with that 12-month running average before   we consider lifting drought restrictions uh and  watering restrictions as we have in place now. Um,   needless to say, we we'll really keep a close eye  on things and and see what happens. Over the last   two years, especially, uh, if we look at, uh,  weather data from then, we've lost up to two   to three feet of elevation in Cheney just in July  and August alone. So, as we head into the hottest   months of the year, not knowing what's going  to happen with precipitation and particularly   inflow into the reservoir, uh we certainly want  to avoid we want to look for some stability and   avoid the chance that we hop in and out of drought  restrictions. So, for right now, I I really think   we need to hang on and see what happens through  the summer. Mayor, if I could, just a reminder   that we're going to have a much more detailed  discussion of our current situation and some   conservation measures we'd like to bring forward  to the council at the workshop on July 22nd. Thank you, city manager. Council  member Ballard. Thank you, Mayor. Um,   I know we've talked about in the past about the um the uh when we take over like the what's the right  word? I'm so sorry. I'm trying to think. Um we've   talked about it before. JB was not in favor for  it. I'm sorry to throw you under the bus. The   uh warranties. Warranties. I'm so sorry. Thank  you. That was a struggle. um those will still   not we will still not start those warranties  extended warranties until we take over that   more or less. Yes. Particularly with the repairs  that are being made to the clarifiers. Yes. Okay.   And those are some of the details we're still  working through. Okay. Sorry. Thank you. No,   good question. Thank you, Vice Mayor Johnston.  Uh thank you, Mayor. I just looked it up.   Genie is 4,300s of an inch below normal. So I get  this question every day at the Genie water plant.   So anyway, people can track it. Um just go to  the uh G Lake reservoir water level and you can   pull it up and find out where Thank you. And not  to split Harris vice mayor, but that's 4,300s of   a foot just to be clear, which is around the half  a foot that I was talking about. So it's at this   point in time for all intents and purposes we're  we were basically back to conservation pool. Huh.   It doesn't say that but I'll believe you. Council  member Tuttle. Thank you. And and on this note,   just anyone can go to save witchawwater.com  at any time and not only does it monitor the   12month average, which is the most important  factor, I think, to look at this, not just what   the level is now, as you mentioned, but also just  to keep people vigilant about conservation. We're   still in water restrictions, one day a week  for outside irrigation. Um tips that you can   you can utilize to make sure that you know you're  following all the guidelines. and and we need just   as I mentioned stay incredibly vigilant about  water conservation even when Cheni looks great   um it may not in the future so thank you for all  you do and for all your team I agree thank you and   I'll just round out one more question uh since  we're talking about the water treatment plant   can you tell us one more time the importance  of this new water treatment plant in helping us   uh stave off some of the um drought worries that  we have but also helps us with treating two sets   of uh water pipes. Sure. Um you know, one of  the biggest values of this treatment plant   when it's fully operational is our flexibility  in being able to treat our water sources. Uh   so right now we're and we in the future we will  continue to treat probably some blend of of raw   water from both Cheni as our surface water supply  and from the equipeds as our groundwater supply.   Our current plant has some restrictions um based  on how it was built, the technology at the time,   especially related to filtration that were  limited on the amount of groundwater that we   can treat. We can treat 100% surface water at the  current plant, but we can only treat up to about   45% groundwater. So that limits our flexibility.  This new plant will have the ability if Cheni is   not available to treat 100% groundwater. So that  is uh really important for long-term resilience   and conservation going forward uh and our ability  to continue to uh extend our public water supply.   Thank you, Gary. I see no further questions for  staff. We'll open it up for public comment. I see   none. We'll bring it back to the bench. I will  move to approve consent agenda item 3A. Second   motion and a second. Any further discussion?  I see none. Mr. Clerk, please open the role. Motion passes 70. We will now go to  consent agenda item number seven. My questions for consent agenda item number seven  are uh can you please provide an inventory of the   number of buses vans that the city currently has  in its fleet? Will the local match dollars be   accounted for in the transit budget that will be  proposed on July 15th? And Penny, can you please   provide an update on the implementation of the  transit network plan? Of course. Good morning,   Mayor, City Council. Penny Feice, Witchah Transit.  We have 50 buses in the fleet. 11 of those are   electric. We have 38 vans. Um, eight of those are  electric. And once those are in service, which is   expected in September, we'll look at the current  inventory of vans to see if any can be retired due   to aging condition. Um, for question number two,  yes, the local match is in the proposed budget   that you'll be seeing, it's going to be in the  CIP. Um, due to the date of this NOFO coming out,   which was just in May, um, it's not going to be an  exact amount, but through discussion with finance,   we've determined that we do have sufficient  local match. And then there will be an item   coming before city council before the end of the  month um to move forward with the next phase of   the transit network plan which as mentioned is  implementation. So that should be here before the   end of the month with the goal being that we're  all online in preparation for the multimmoal   facility which is opening next year. Thank you  very much Penny. And to get more information   about transit just go to witchaw.govtransit. Yes.  Thank you. Any questions for staff? I see none.   Good luck with that application. We will open it  up for public comment. I see none. We'll bring   it back to the bench. I move to approve consent  agenda item number seven. Second. Motion and a   second. Any further discussion? I see none. Mr.  Clerk, please open the role. Motion passes. 70.   Mr. Clerk, please call the next item. Board  of Bids and Contracts dated July 7, 2025. Morning, Mayor, City Council, Josh Lober,  Department of Finance. The Board of Bids   and Contracts convened yesterday, July 7th, for  the following items. For engineer engineering,   we have the Witchaw Valley Center  Flood Control Project Pump Station   10 electrical gear replacement for Killian  Electrical Service Incorporated for $315,600. We have the 2025 outsource pavement  preservation program joint and crack   seal phase 4 rebid for conspac incorporated  doing business as Kansas paving for $99,19.80 for purchasing. We have the hydrovac excavation  services for utility maintenance contractors LLC   for miscellaneous rates estimated annual usage  at 35,000 per year. We have the self-contained   breathing apparatus cylinders for Ed M. Feld  Equipment Company Incorporated doing business   as Feld Fire for $200, $160. We have the  mechanical screening of street sweepings   and finished compost for Brooks Landfill for  Evergreen Recycle LLC for the miscellaneous   rates. Estimated annual usage at $36,85  accepting option one per ton rate of $85.   We have two Pierce Velocity aerial fire trucks  for Conrad fire equipment for 4,658,1448. We have the trash and recycling  containers and collection park   and facilities contract change  order for waste connections of   Kansas Incorporated for an estimated  monthly amended amount of $18,3789. We have a liquid feric sulfate contract change  order for Penco Incorporated requesting your   authorization to extend the contract 90  days to October 31st. This is how to become   a vendor with the city of Witchah. This is a  purchasing calendar of small business resource   partner events that the city is hosting  or participating in in the community. And   I should have an open public opportunities,  but I will be happy to take your questions.   Thank you very much, Josh. Any questions  for staff? I see none. I move to approve   the board of bids and contracts dated  July 7th, 2025. Second. Motion and a   second. Any further discussion? I see  none. Mr. Clerk, please open the role. Motion passes. 70. Mr. Clerk, please call  the next item. Public hearing in request by   Hillhouse LLC for approval of a letter of intent  to issue multif family residential revenue bonds. Honorable mayor, members of council, Troy  Anderson, Assistant City Manager. Uh this   is a request uh that came to us by Hillhhouse  LLC. They are a limited liability company that   was specifically created to develop and construct  two three-story buildings with 18 multif family   units in each building for a total of 36 units  on an existing tract of land. Uh the request is   the issuance of approximately $3 million in  revenue bonds to finance the project. Uh the   property is located at 200 South Hillside uh  on which the buildings are to be constructed.   the building. There's an existing building on the  property today. That building is currently vacant   uh and in major disrepair. So, the project will  include demolition of that existing building   and then construction of the two new multif  family residential buildings. Um the project   will be built with workforce housing in mind  and uh the owner developer intends to offer   rents that are below market rate. So based on our  economic development guidelines, uh the project   qualifies for a 40% property tax abatement based  on capital investment between one and $5 million.   Uh the estimated value of the 40% abatement  for the full first full year is approximately   $31,000 broken down between city county state  and USD29 as you see it there on the screen. That is not my slide. That was not my slide. So, I'll continue. Um, the  owner developer is also eligible for a sales tax   exemption. Uh, and the approximate value of that  sales tax exemptions about $112,000. City share   being about $8,500. A costbenefit analysis has  been performed. Um, the costbenefit analysis   does exceed the one to one as identified in  the economic development guidelines. Those   numbers are included in the green sheets uh in the  agenda reports that been distributed and available   online. Um my opportunity to kind of throw out our  standard disclaimer around revenue bonds. Revenue   bonds are a mechanism for achieving a sales tax  exemption. In a revenue new bond transaction,   the city's not lending any money. Bears no risk.  The owner developer is required to achieve its own   financing. No taxpayer dollars are at risk. Um,  additionally, all costs associated with issuance   of the bonds are borne by the owner developer.  Um, additionally, Hill has agreed to pay all   costs with issuing the bonds and the annual $2,500  origination fee. Uh, the bonds will be purchased   by Hillhhouse or one of their related entities.  All the bond documents will be prepared by outside   counsel, but ultimately law department  will review and approve once the project   is complete and we bring those back for you. So  therefore, it's staff recommendation here today   um to hold a public hearing, subsequently  close the public hearing, adopt the resolution,   authorize the necessary signatures, and with that  being said, I'll stand for questions. Thank you,   Troy. We'll begin with Council Member Tuttle.  Thank you. And this isn't a a question, I'm sorry,   but just an observation. Thank you Troy for all  your work on this. Appreciate it very much. Um   during this process I learned a new term that now  I am stealing um of workforce housing. I had not   heard that before. So did a little research aka  the Google before. Um and workforce housing refers   to options for affordable housing for individuals  who have moderate incomes. We often talk about   affordable housing for low income, but we also  have to think about people who are, you know,   working and and and still struggling. And usually  it's between 60 and 120% of the median income. So   just a new term that um now I'm I'm stealing  and really appreciative of and and extremely   thankful that the applicant is also thinking of  this segment of our community that desperately   needs housing. So thank you. I have a couple  questions for you, Troy. We'll begin with um   I know that this item was supposed to come before  us a few weeks ago. Can you tell us one more time   what was the reason why it got delayed? There  was a discrepancy in the address previously. Uh   we had notified that the address was 220 South  Hillside and as it was brought to our attention   um that that was not the correct address um  in our public notice documents um we elected   to pull that from the council agenda and sort  of start over. uh no fault of anybody other   than just a miscommunication between uh when the  application came in when the costbenefit analysis   was conducted and ultimately the documents were  prepared there was some miscommunication between   the address of 220 South Hillside versus the  actual address which is 200 South Hillside.   So we started the process over again just to make  sure that there was um no miscommunication. I know   that this is now I think the third instance where  I know an address has been either the number has   been transposed or the number is incorrect on an  address. Uh on the consent agenda we actually had   an item where uh the plot of land was a different  uh number. Um so I just want to caution staff to   be very cognizant that uh those numbers need to  be accurate so then we don't have delays in issues   like this. Um and I wanted to be transparent  in understanding why it was delayed that it   was not because of any issues with the actual  um project but rather the address was wrong.   Correct. Thank you Troy. The next question I  have, I don't know if the applicant is here,   um, but would like to understand, uh, the reason  why they have chosen workforce housing as a focus,   uh, because we do want more of, uh, that in our  community. We want all types of housing. Um, and   so if we could have the applicants share uh, the  reason why uh, workforce housing and also share   uh, the approximate rents that you're aiming  to uh, share with the community. Yeah. So, um,   the this project is one that we've spent a lot of  time perfecting and designing, and we've noticed,   especially in Witchah, there seems to be a gap  between new build apartments and things that   are truly affordable that are under $1,000 uh in  rent. And there really isn't much um inventory for   uh new build apartments that are sub 1,000 rent.  So, our aim is to rent these below $1,000 a month   average rent um across the board. And we achieve  that by um material choices. We've got some   internal uh business connections that allow us  to source certain uh materials for less expensive   than would normally be able to be sourced. And  then also uh we're building these in neighborhoods   that are really walkable. Uh we aren't putting  amenities into the uh projects which saves us   money and we're able to pass that on to the  renter. Um and we kind of view the neighborhood   itself as the amenity. Yeah, definitely an  amenity. College Hill is a great neighborhood,   Council Member Johnson's district. Um and you  mentioned walkability. It is a great neighborhood.   So, um, are there plans for more workforce  housing around the city of Witchah? Yes. So,   we are planning to, as long as the site is the  kind of site that we feel like this project's   appropriate and as long as there is a need for  inventory, we plan on continuing to replicate   this project. Thank you very much. I see no  further questions for staff or the um applicant.   We will now open it up for public comment. I see  none. We'll bring it back to the bench. This is   in council member Johnson's district. Thank you,  Mayor. Uh really happy to see uh two things. One,   this type of workforce housing uh being built  here in the community. It's definitely a need as   we need more housing opportunities, but to um us  as a city working to incentivize in some way using   an IRB tool or any other tool that we can to start  getting these types of homes built and uh living   opportunities. I'm love to see this. I'm glad to  know that there's more coming down the pipeline.   I hope to continue to see these opportunities,  especially new builds at $1,000 a month or around   that. Um, that is excellent, especially with some  of the quality of housing situations that we've   seen in this community. This type of thing is what  we need for sure. So, I'm glad to see that. Always   glad to see it in District One. Um, with that, I  would move that the city council close the public   hearing, adopt the resolution, and authorize the  necessary signatures. Second motion and a second.   Any further discussion? I see none. Mr. Clerk,  please open the role. Motion passes. 70. Mr.   Clerk, please call the next item. Lease agreement  for city-owned property at 307 to 309 Northme. Good morning. Jerry Ford with development  services. The item before you today is the   lease agreement for the cinema retail space with  Sabore. the the how we got here. Um the city-owned   parking garage is located in the 300 block of  Northme and it includes 17,663 square feet of   total retail space. This space is divided into  seven independent retail and restaurant spaces.   The spaces are managed by a property management  company on behalf of the city. One of the units,   this particular unit, contains 4,384 square  feet and is currently leased to a restaurant.   On February 4th of 2025, an amendment  extending the lease was presented for   approval. The item was deferred until April 1,  April 1st, and subsequently tabled until a new   lease agreement could be agreed upon. Concerns  about that lease were the lease type, the term,   and the rental rate not being reflective of the  current market. The original lease agreement   expired on April 30th of 2025, and the lease  continued in a holdover state for the months   of May and June. The lease was renegotiated from  a modified gross format to a triple net format.   The rental rate was increased from 1710 a square  foot to 19 a square foot. The new lease rate is a   combination of the base rent at $10 a square foot  together with the additional rental rate estimated   for the expenses at $9 a square foot. The lease  will continue as a year-to-year lease with four   one-year options to renew at the same rate. The  annual gross revenue from this lease is 83,296.   However, this amount could be adjusted depending  on expenses. If the expenses are decreased,   the tenant will receive a credit on their next  month's rent. If the expenses are increased,   the tenant shall pay the the deficiency on demand.  A 3% leasing commission is due to the leasing   agent. If all five years are exercised, the total  commission owed for this lease is $12,494.440. It is recommended that the city council  approved the lease agreement and authorize   the necessary signatures. I have with me today  the a representative from the property management   group and anybody all of us are available for  any questions should you have any. Thank you,   Jerry. Questions for staff? I see none. I have  one question for um the group that is here. I   just wanted to hear what you're seeing in  terms of demand for these types of spaces   in the Oldtown area. Um given that there have  been uh a lot of different activities going on   in the downtown oldtown district. Morning, mayor.  Morning. Um as far as activity, we know that the   uh the existing tenants um have been there for  quite some time. Uh with the marketing, we have   seen a little bit of activity. Unfortunately,  our um agent is not available at this time. Is it still a sought after location? uh what  I'm seeing um we've had a little bit of interest   uh some questions but right now the center  is full full capacity uh so the marketing   it does not show any vacancies at this time  but we know that can change thank you thank   you I see no further questions for staff  we will now open it up for public comment   I see none we'll bring it back to the bench  this is in council member Ballard's district. Thank you, Mayor. Two drafts here. I'd take like to take the recommended  action uh for city council approve the   lease agreement and authorize all necessary  signatures. Second. I have a motion and a   second. Any further discussion? I see  none. Mr. Clerk, please open the role. Motion passes 70. Mr. Clerk, please call the  next item. 2024 annual comprehensive financial   report. Good morning, mayor, members of the city  council. I'm Mark Manning with the Department of   Finance. I'm before you today to present to you  the uh 2024 annual comprehensive financial report   or what we like to call the ACTVER. The ACTVER is  probably one of the most important documents that   we produce. It's a record of our financial  activity and our financial status in 2024.   But what makes it even more important is that  it's reviewed and audited by an independent   CPA firm and they provide an opinion about our  financial statements. And by the way, this is   what our acter looks like. Uh and it is available  online. So it's a lot of information. As I noted,   our audit auditor is independent from the city.  However, we work very closely with them throughout   the year and we've have a very productive  partnership with them. uh we seek their uh   guidance and advice throughout the year on our  financial practices. So they're very valuable to   us and I'm pleased to tell you that the results  were very good this year. We had what they call   a clean audit or what you'll hear about uh you'll  hear it referred to as a unmodified opinion. Uh   that is very good and we're very happy with that.  Now, our annual audit each year is the result of   a lot of really hard work by a lot of people,  primarily staff in the controllers's office and   specifically by Nikki Babcock and Luke Stoultz. I  have the easy job. All I have to do is present it   to you. Uh but they do all the work. They usually  start in December and they work a lot of hours   particularly in May and June. Uh so I express my  appreciation to them and their diligent efforts.   And uh as I mentioned, our acter is available  online and our recommended action today will be to   receive and file the acter. Uh so with that, I'd  like to introduce uh Brian Stavenger. He's with   ID Bailey, which is our external auditor firm, and  he will actually go over the audit for you today. Good morning. Thank you, madame mayor, members  of the council. Uh thank you Mark for the   introduction. Um really uh for everyone's  knowledge uh we we were able to meet uh   individually uh yesterday and talk a little bit  more in depth about the audit process and audit   results. Um and then here today to provide that  high level overview uh of those audit results. A   little bit about ID Bailey because we only get in  front of you once a year. Uh we're a top 20 CPA   and advisory firm founded over a hundred years  ago. Uh we work with over,200 governments uh   across the country in both an audit and consulting  capacity. Uh have over 300 dedicated professionals   um to to work within that industry. Uh here's  uh uh the service team which is really this is   just kind of the higher level uh myself, Jamie and  John all consistent from previous years and then   we have several other CPAs and professionals to  uh help round out the audit team. The objectives   of the audit really there's there's uh what do  we have here? five different uh standards that   we follow. It really starts with the very top one,  the overarching principles and standards that any   external auditor needs to follow and then because  of uh your local government status uh you have   different federal and state uh audit standards  uh that are required. So this is all the variety   uh of those standards that which ultimately  lead us to our opinion uh on your audit. Our   objectives as auditors based on the standards is  to obtain reasonable but not absolute assurance uh   that your financial statements or this acter  uh is fairly presented and free of material   misstatement. Really what that means is we're  not looking at 100% of activity and transactions.   Uh we're taking a riskbased approach um  to gain that that reasonable assurance. Here's the timeline. uh really begin uh in earnest  in November and December uh continuing through   January and February. This is all very consistent  with previous years. Uh March through May is where   the bulk of the work takes place. This is all a  mixture of on-site visits uh and remoteverirtual   work and then we issued our opinion on June 25th.  Uh as Mark mentioned um yes we spend the bulk of   our time working together during this timeline but  throughout the year we are uh talking at a minimum   quarterly uh just to make sure that we're checking  in and providing assistance uh as best we can. Management's responsibilities. So I've talked  a lot about our responsibilities. Management's   responsibilities is really to make sure  that this acter um is fairly presented   in accordance with all the the required rules and  and standards. And then they also need to maintain   uh design maintain uh internal control that would  allow for the proper recording and reporting of   information um and really minimize the risk  of any material misstatement. So not only   uh producing this significantly sized document  with a lot of valuable information but also   ensuring that there's adequate controls to  ensure the accuracy. Um another reminder of   what our responsibilities are. Essentially we  are uh auditing or confirming that the amounts   and disclosures within that ACTER are are accurate  materially accurate following all the right rules.   Um if there are new standards to implement which  there was one this year just ensuring that those   are implemented appropriately. So really here's  the one of the key slides an unmodified opinion   which Mark mentioned previously. That's a clean  opinion. The the best opinion that you can receive   and really the one the one you seek out uh every  year. As I mentioned a little bit ago, there was   an adoption of a new standard. Gazsby stands for  governmental accounting standards board. Uh they   are the standard setter for local governments.  I should say state and local governments. Uh   there was a new standard this year. Um it had a  minimal effect uh on the ACT of the city. Uh but   it was to ensure that compensated absences uh are  reported correctly. As a result of our audit too,   we can have a clean unmodified opinion and still  potentially have findings uh based on internal   control deficiencies that we've identified. Uh  in the case of the 2024 audit, no findings noted. The federal audit uh the federal audit is really  guided by the federal government. Uh they lay   out the different criteria on to uh as to what  programs we will look at. Uh we generally are   going to look at the larger programs or the larger  uh federal federal expenditures. um programs that   the city has. These four that are listed are the  ones that we looked at um in detail. A lot of   compliance testing as well as internal control  testing. Uh also a clean unmodified opinion on   those four programs and that single audit or  federal audit and no findings to report either. Another federal requirement uh is  the passenger facility charge. Um   and we have a clean unmodified opinion  on that report as well with no findings. A separate document that's issued uh separate  from this acter is a letter to governance and   management. Uh we went through that uh yesterday  uh with all of you. Really three main items   that I wanted to point out here um in this uh  presentation. Uh this is required communication.   It's about five pages long. Really three of  them that I want to want to want to touch on.   uh significant accounting estimates.  So when we're going through an audit,   um I would say an easier uh audit procedure is to  contact the bank uh contact the bond holders and   say uh the city says they have this amount uh  in the account or they owe this amount. Please   confirm that with us. on the easier side. The more  difficult side are these accounting estimates,   long-term pension liabilities, OPED liabilities,  uh health claims paid, or I'm sorry, health claims   uh cla uh incurred but not reported yet. Uh and  then compensated absences. In those four areas,   uh the city does rely on some independent  thirdparty specialists to aid in coming   up with those accounting estimates. And so we  just spend a little bit more time understanding   uh those relationships, those entities,  making sure they're qualified and have the   proper experience. Uh sensitive disclosures.  So this act for as you've you've seen is   uh a long document. Um we're closing in on  I think over uh almost 400 pages. Just a few   items that we pointed out as if you were to  just want to look at the highlights or the   more sensitive areas. Uh we pointed those out  within that letter. And then we also point out   if we have any past adjustments. So what that  means is if we uh as we conduct our audit,   we have different thresholds that we undergo  or or we we follow. Um if there's something   that rises to the level of needing to report  in the governance letter but not a finding,   it's kind of in that middle area. Uh we call that  a past adjustment. Uh management identified a   donated asset that was received in previous years  uh uh unrecorded also in previous years. It wasn't   caught until 2024. Uh so again not rising to the  level of significance and a finding uh but just   pointing that out in the letter to governance. Any  questions before we get to the last few slides. Other engagements uh that we have either  completed or in process. Uh we do some agreed   upon procedures engagements. Those top three those  are really driven by uh federal or state statute.   just ensuring that landfill, sales tax bonds and  star bonds are following appropriate protocol.   Uh we have a few uh AUPS still in process which  are very uh very similar to previous years. We   usually let uh complete that HUD submission in  September and then the ICE center and Sentry 2   uh projects are completed usually in the in  the fall. Uh two weeks ago, a partner of mine,   Leland Miller, was uh met with the retirement  boards to present the results of that   uh retirement system audit. Um, so that  was completed and has been presented. So what's next? Uh, you know, I'll start with the  bottom. Uh, as we mentioned, uh, Mark's mentioned,   I I mentioned that as well. Uh, we're staying  in touch throughout the year. Uh, as well as   we have all these different resources, uh, for  the city to access. It's been a great positive   relationship. Really minimizes any surprises when  it comes audit time. Uh, we make sure we address   things throughout the year. Uh maybe what's most  important is we've got three new standards coming   down the pipeline in the next couple years. Uh  while this is uh this is challenging as auditors   uh to keep having to learn and uh help our clients  implement uh these new standards probably even   more of a burden uh on staff. So you've got  one in 2025 and then two upcoming in 2026.   Uh I will tell you what's uh what's incredible is  we wrapped up uh this audit uh what June 25th and   I think less than a week later uh staff Nikki  in particular was already looking forward to   uh some of these standards. So uh staff is  on top of them um and ready to be prepared   um going into any audit cycle. Okay, I'll  pause again for uh any questions or comments.   Thank you, Brian, and thank you, Mark. Bless you.  Are there any questions for staff or Brian? I see   none. Thank you again for the presentations to the  council members yesterday. I don't see questions,   so we will now open it up for public comment.  I see none. I'll bring it back to the bench.   Council member Johnson. Thanks, Mayor.  Uh, just like we talked about yesterday,   I'd like to go from page A5 over the next 400  pages line by line. No, I just wanted to say   it's really good to see this report. Again,  any the issues that we talked about yesterday,   everything was addressed. I'm glad to see  that our our staff does a wonderful job with   our finances and continuing to see how good  we look as a city. So, appreciate your time   and and efforts and of course our um finance  team for working on this and everyone else. I too will chime in and just thank Mark and  his team as well as Brian and ID Bailey. U   but also would like to recognize that we have  an internal audit team that does a great job.   Thank you to Christina Rose um and her team. And  so I am very appreciative that we not only have   an external audit but we also have internal  audits um and that is again uh a great thing   for our city so that we are making sure that  we are compliant um but also making sure that   we're um trying to excel in the city of Witchaw  and its 16 different departments. So with that,   I will move to receive and file the 2024 annual  comprehensive financial report for the fiscal   year ending December 31st, 2024. Second motion  and a second. Any further discussion? Mayor,   before you um approve, I just want to add one  more thanks, and that's to Nikki Babcock, who   really coordinates the uh team and puts in long  hours in order to get us to this point. So again,   I think it's important that she be recognized  for those efforts. Thank you to Nikki. We have   a motion and a second. Any further discussion?  I see none. Mr. Clerk, please open the role. Motion passes 70. Mr. Clerk, please call  the next item. Public hearing in request by   45 Enterprises LLC, doing business as Leadfoot  Express and Leadfoot Solutions for approval of   letter of intent to issue industrial revenue  bonds. Honorable mayor, members of council,   Troy Anderson, assistant city manager. Uh so this  request comes from Leadfoot Express. Leadfoot   Express is a courier and messengerbased business  that specializes in urgent and custom shipments,   custom creating, metal fabrication for aerospace  industry. They've experienced rapid growth uh over   the recent years and are anticipating continued  growth and are looking to expand. Uh with that   being said, they are requesting the issuance  of approximately $3.65 65 million in revenue   bonds to finance their expansion project. The  project's uh approximately a 32,000 foot expansion   of an existing 7500 foot facility at 1651 South  Eisenhower Avenue. The completed project will be   used for industrial agricultural manufacturing,  warehousing, distribution operations,   and general storage. According to our economic  development guidelines, the project qualifies   for 100% property tax abatement. Uh broken down  as follows. Uh again, capital investment between a   million and $5 million qualifies for 40%. They're  anticipating job growth in the 26 to 50 new job   uh range, which qualifies for another 40%.  They are also a part of the regional growth   plan sector which qualifies them for an additional  10% and in addition to incentives that uh they are   seeking through the city they are also uh seeking  incentives through the state. So by utilizing   state federal and utility incentive they qualify  for a number another 10% for a total of the 100%   property tax abatement. This will be a five plus  five review though because of the job creation   that's associated with it. Um the estimated 100%  property tax abatement in the first full year is   estimated at approximately 97,000 broken down  as follows. Um property excuse me the project   also eligible for a sales tax exemption. Uh the  value of that is estimated at about $139,000 with   the city share being approximately 10,000. The  costbenefit analysis was conducted u by the center   for economic development business research. Um  and the it exceeds the one to one ratios required   in our economic development guidelines. Uh those  numbers are provided for you here on the screen as   well as in the agenda report. Standard disclaimer,  revenue bonds are a mechanism for achieving a   sales tax exemption and or property tax abatement.  In a revenue bond transaction, city's not lending   any money. Bears no risk. The owner developer  is required to achieve all of its own financing.   There are no taxpayer dollars at risk. All costs  are borne by the company requesting the use of   the bonds. Additionally, Leadfoot agrees to pay  all costs of issuing the bonds as well as the   annual origination fees. Bonds will be purchased  by Leadfoot or a related entity. Again, all bond   documents once the project's complete uh will  be prepared by outside council, but ultimately   law department will review and approve the final  form. Therefore, it is staff's recommendation that   city council hold a public hearing, close  the public hearing, adopt the resolution,   and authorize the necessary signatures. Uh, and we  do have representatives from Leadfoot here in the   audience with us today. Uh, otherwise, we'll stand  for questions. Thank you, Troy. Questions for   staff? Council member Glascott. Thank you. Thank  you, Mayor. Uh Troy, I know that this applicant is   also taking the steps to do special assessments  for improvements. Can you talk a little that I'd have to get back with you on Thank you. Sorry, I was crossing departments.  That's okay. Thank you. Good morning. Paul   Gunsman, public works and utilities. For the  record, I believe you're talking about the   paving petition that was presented last week. Yes.  Uh special assessments and I believe that estimate   was $200,000 and it's covered by Yeah. Yes. And  there there was a a um benefit district. So,   um there is one other party within that petition  as well. Yes. Any further questions for staff? I   will just ask the applicant to come forward and  just um share. I know that 26 new jobs will be   generated and we are always looking for businesses  that want to continue expanding or relocating to   Witchah. Uh so can you tell us uh this growth  plan? Sure. Absolutely. Good morning council.   Thanks for having us up here. Um yeah, so the  company was acquired by the current ownership   group in 2013. Uh since then the company's uh at  least tripled since then. Uh last year we brought   on a metal manufacturing shop uh to kind of also  bolt onto our trading shop. Uh between the two of   those companies, we project significant increase  in revenues with our existing customer base and   also uh customer base outside of the state  of Kansas. And that's in conjunction with our   uh courier and trucking company as well.  Well, thank you for continuing to expand   here in Witchah and providing jobs for  our community members. Absolutely. Thank   you. I see no further questions for staff or the  applicant. We will open it up for public comment. I see none. We'll bring it back to the bench. This  is in council member Dalton Glass Cox District.   Thank you, Mayor. Um I did just want to highlight  one of the on the cost benefit analysis some of   the returns were 31 to 31 to1. Uh some of them  were close to 7 to1 and there are a lot of returns   uh for this type of investment. So I want  to thank you uh for your leadership. I know   that I've been out to your location I think  maybe twice uh to look at different properties   um and you are investing in Witchaw. You're  investing in South Witchaw and so thank you   for that as the mayor said. We appreciate  it. So, with that and seeing that there's   nobody else on the board, um I move that  the city council close the public hearing,   adopt the resolution, and authorize the  necessary signatures. Second motion and   a second. Any further discussion? I see  none. Mr. Clerk, please open the role. Motion passes 70. Mr. Clerk,  please call the next item.   Design and concept and design concept and funding  for Mount Vernon and hydraulic intersection. Good morning, mayor, city council members.  Paul Gunsman, public works and utilities.   For the record, uh the item before you is  the Mount Vernon and hydraulic intersection. And I think I locked the computer. Thank you. On June 6th, 2023, the city council  approved an agreement with Bofman Company to   develop design concepts for improvements to  Mount Vernon from Southeast Boulevard to Oliver.   In October of 2022, Kansas Department of  Transportation had solicited intersections   to be submitted to receive highway safety  improvement program funding for the fiscal   years of 2026 and 2027. In November of  2023, city staff received notification   from KAT that the intersection of Mount Vernon  and Hydraulic was selected for HSIP funding.   On January 9th, 2024, the city council  approved a supplemental agreement to   design the intersection of hydraulic and Mount  Vernon as a separate project. And on June 4th,   2025, the District 3 Advisory  Board approved the design concept. The uh slide before you is the location  of the improvements. And again, this is   at the west end of the overall project um from  Southeast Boulevard to Mount Vern or to Oliver. The existing intersection is an asphalt  roadway with curb and gutter. It curb and   underground storm sewer and it  is two lanes in each direction.   The proposed concept will con reconstruct the  intersection with concrete, improve geometric   geometry, replace the traffic signals, make  American with Disabilities Act ADA upgrades,   and add turn lanes for westbound  Mount Vernon southbound hydraulic. The hydraulic was overlaid as part of the OP3   program in 2022 and restriped  from four lanes to three lanes. And the intersection improvements will  include one lane each direction with a   dedicated left turn lane for all approaches  and a southbound right turn lane on hydraulic   as well as a westbound right turn lane on  Mount Vernon. The project will also include   on street bike lanes on Mount Vernon and that  will complete the on street bike lanes from   Greenway which is just east of the Arc Kansas  River to Woodline for a total of 4.5 miles. The existing budget of $250,000 was approved  by the city council on January 9th, 2024 and   is funded by local sales tax. The adopted  2025 through 2034 capital improvement program   includes $200,000 in 2025 for this project. staff  requests initiating the full amount for a revised   budget of $450,000. And the adopted 2025 through  2034 capital improvement program also includes   $3 million in 2026 for a total budget of  $3,450,000. $2.2 million of that $3 million   is the highway safety improvement program  funding from KOT. It is recommended that   the city council approve the design concept,  revise budget, adopt the amending resolution,   and authorize the necessary signatures.  And I will stand for questions. Thank you,   Paul. Any questions for staff? I see none. We'll  open it up for public comment. I see none. We'll   bring it back to the bench. This is in Council  Member Mike O'Hisel's district. All right. Thank   you, Mayor. Uh, I move that the city council  approve the design concept and revised budget,   adopt the amending resolution, and authorize the  necessary signatures. Second motion and a second.   Any further discussion? I see none. Mr. Clerk,  please open the role. Motion passes 70. Mr. Clerk,   please call the next item. Amendments to chapter  4.08 08 of the code of the city of Witchah   relating to the creation of a common consumption  area for the consumption of alcoholic liquor. Good morning. Sharon Dickcraft, City Law  Department. As a little bit of background,   in 2017, the Kansas legislature enacted statutes  allowing cities to designate certain areas where   alcoholic liquor and cereal malt beverages could  be consumed on otherwise unlicensed premises. In   2018, the city enacted chapter 4.08 um to allow  common consumption areas within the city. Um,   at that time the city was not designated in  the ordinance as an entity that could hold the   permit. Several cities have have adopted common  consumption areas in their downtown core areas.   Um, in these cities, the city is a holder of  the permit, not a private citizen or entity. Um,   in response to requests from Delano Merchants  for a common consumption area, the following   amendments are recommended. um allow the city  to be a permit holder for common consumption   areas. Um remove the requirement that streets be  closed in common consumption areas. Originally the   legislation passed by the state required that they  be closed. A subsequent amendment changed that and   streets can be allowed open um through a common  consumption area. Um, we reduced the length of   time for the initial permit from six from one  year to six months um to allow a trial period   for lack of a better term um to make sure that  the um CCA area is going to work and it would   allow common consumption area to be within 300 ft  of a church park or school. Um the ordinance does   require that to be a um special consideration of  the council when they review those types of permit   applications. Um, I do want to make it clear  that what you're doing today is not approving   a CCA area in Deleno. Um, it's simply setting up  the legal framework to allow you to do that at a   later time if that's what you decide to do. Um,  financial and legal considerations. Um, as the   permit holder, the city would be responsible for  any insurance signage and barrier costs. Um, the   insurance broker estimated costs for additional  insurance coverage to cover alcohol-related   incidences to be approximately $25,000 per year  for a million dollars in liability coverage. That   was based on an initial estimate. We did not file  an application for insurance at this time. Um,   public works estimates that the cost for  signage would be about $300 per sign. Um,   the state statute in the city's ordinances require  some sort of signage or barrier. So, it's clear to   folks that as I'm walking down the street, I have  to stop and dump my my liquor um before I go onto   an area that's not within that common consumption  area. There is also one additional cost. The city   would have to apply for a state common consumption  area permit and that is $100 per year. Um,   as the permit holder, the city would be legally  responsible for any liquor violations occurring   within the common consumption area or off of  the common consumption area if folks take liquor   or alcoholic beverages outside the designated  areas. Uh, it's recommended that the city council   approve the proposed ordinances, place it on first  reading, and authorize any necessary signatures.   And I would stand for any questions. Thank you,  Sharon. We will begin with questions from Council, Council Member Glasco. Thank you, Sharon. I have  one quick question. I want to thank you. I want to   thank police department. I want to thank everybody  else that was involved in these discussions over   the last couple months to bring this forward  today. I know it's a lot of work, so thank you   for that. If this were to pass today, how long do  we think it would take for the city to present a   permit application that could be by the council?  I think staff would need some sort of direction   as to exactly what the area would be that you're  talking about and then we would need to determine   what security we would have if any um where those  signage would be. We'd have to lay out a map. Um I   would say probably 30 days and I'm going to look  at Isaac 30 days. 30 days. Thank you. Would you   need that direction from council today about the  general location or is that something based on   conversations and based on early conversations  about delayions that we could with drawing up   a permanent application already without direction  from council? I I think staff needs some direction   from council as to what what all they want  included in that area. Um I know generally the   discussion was generally senica to the river and  then carve out a way to get to the ballpark. Um,   if that's the general direction, staff can work  with that. But I do think we need some direction   as to how large you want it. Um, how far north and  south you expect the area to go. Um, simply saying   Cynica to the rivers pretty vague. Would that  need to be in formalized language as part of my   ocean later? It could be or it can be a direction  from the council to the manager and then we bring   back what options we would have. I will look at  that when I'm ready to make a motion. Thank you,   Council Member Tuttle. Thank you, Shar, and thank  you for all your work in this and for the Wood   Police Department for their work and for council  member Glass for bringing this to our attention. I   have many questions, but it seems like like for  example, how many signs will there be and how   will they be posted? And so, but it sounds like  instead of going through all my questions now,   it's probably better to wait until the next time  this comes to us. Is that what I'm hearing? That   would be entirely up to you. We can answer  what we can answer. But through the process,   we'll learn more about the boundaries and Okay.  When I met with with um Council Member Glascock   and Witchaw Police Department, I had lots of  questions that would just, you know, like to bring   to the public. So, I will pause on my questions  until the next phase of this project. But thank   you again for all your work on this. I appreciate  it. Thank you, Sharon. I have a specific question.   So, there are three cities in the state of  Kansas that currently have that permit. Is   that correct? There's actually more than that.  Oh, can you tell us exactly how many? Because   our green sheet only shows three. I just named  three. Um, Lanexa has one. Um, Overland Park,   I believe, has one. Topeka has one. Manhattan  just recently got one in their downtown core area.   There are a number of smaller cities that have  areas, frankly, around their VFW club that they   have opened up. Um, but I I would say there's  probably somewhere between 10 to 12 that I could   locate ordinances on. And in those instances,  the ones that you were able to research, what   was the insurance cost for them? Were you able to  find out how much their insurance coverage was?   um that varied depending upon what risk the  entity was wanting to take. Um Topeka did not   get any additional insurance coverage is the  information that I received. Um and they are   essentially relying on the tort claims act um  that there is a cap in the tort claims act of   $500,000 and then any applicable immunities.  Um my conversations with Manhattan um were that   their insurance um brokers thought that they were  adequately covered. Um the rest of them I did not   specifically ask that information. Um a couple of  the cities and I want to say Lanexa their common   consumption areas are on property already owned  by the city. So they're a farmers market kind   of situation. Or if we wanted to do the plaza on  the farmers market I mean that's publicly owned   property. It just allows liquor from different  licenses to come onto it. Thank you. And again,   the estimate is the um the 25,000 per year, but  that's just an initial estimate. You don't have   actual um specific. No, because we didn't apply  for insurance and it would depend whether we're   talking about one in Deleno, whether we're talking  about one in every quadrant. I mean it it's going   to vary depend upon how many are approved and  how large those areas are. Just and to repeat   what Sharon said before, we'll have a lot more  details when we actually bring the Deleno common   consumption application to the council. Uh we're  talking about charging a fee to participating   um businesses that will be included. Uh  again, details on signage and um there   are other technicalities on a common consumption  area including the type the cups and everything.   So we'll all of that information will be provided  to you in detail. This is enabling legislation.   Thank you. And again, the Deleno district covers  two council members districts. It's both in   uh district 4 under council member Glasco and  district six under council member Ballard. Um   so I will refrain from asking further  questions until we get through this.   But uh the two individuals who mostly are  affected are uh council member Ballard and   Glascock. I see no further questions for staff.  We will now open it up for public comment. I see none. We'll bring it back to the bench.  Council member Glasscop. Thank you. And I'll   keep watch over the board. Um, I will uh refer  to Council Ballard if she has comments real   fast. Council member Ballard. Thank you, Mayor.  Um, thank you to staff and everybody that has   worked on this. Um, especially Council Member  Glascock. I am excited to explore this. Um,   my only concern is um I don't want to I want to  make sure that we're working closely with WPD. I   don't want to create a space where um we're  working so hard on the mental health crisis   um that we are dealing with in our city. And  I certainly don't want to create a space where   um it might target people to go to an area um and  then the police are not able to um enforce in the   way that we might be able to do that now. So I  am absolutely willing to look at a pilot um and   see what happens. I'm excited um for you know to  do something different in this area as especially   as we finish start uh the development around the  ball field. Um I think uh it could be something   really fun. I just want to make sure that there  aren't any unintended consequences that we aren't   um thinking about all the way through as we push  forward on this potential project. Council member   Glascott. Thank you, Mayor. Um I want to Thank  everybody that's been a part of this. I think I   originally brought this to the council in February  of last year to look at and so thank you to staff   for your diligent work on it. I think we've  answered a lot of the concerns um that worked   with the Witchaw Police Department on as well. I  want to thank all the businesses that have engaged   in the process so far and again we have another  step uh to move forward but this is one step in   the direction. And I want to specifically thank  uh the Monarch with Sharping Company, Vagabond,   and a lot of other conversations I've had with  Picassos and other small business owners in Deleno   about the possibility of moving forward with this  project. From my research, it was more than um   more than a dozen to two dozen common consumption  areas that are in the state uh with very little   problems. I know Shaunie County has two and that's  where I was really inspired to bring forward this   idea of looking at Topeka's downtown core and how  it's created this vibrancy along their main street   and seeing how we can create Deleno as a unique  destination for our community as well. Uh for me   this isn't just about carrying a drink. It's about  creating a walkable and connected neighborhood   that supports small businesses, enhances tourism,  and also gives people the ability to linger,   live, and invest in Deleno. And I think this is  just one step that can separate uh this part of   our community and make it a destination center as  well. So, I look forward to working with staff on   bringing a permit application. And so, I'm going  to try to craft a motion and let me know if this   is all you need for the motion to move. Um, I  move that the city council Ordinance on first   read authorize the necessary signatures and direct  staff to move forward with a permit application   for common consumption district that would run  around the borders of Sica to the river from alley   to alley and connect to the ball stadium and work  on a permanent application that includes those   boundaries or about those boundaries that could  be brought forward to the city council. Second   motion and a second. Any further discussion?  I see none. Mr. Clerk, please open the role. Motion passes. 70. Mr. Clerk,  please call the next item. Council member agenda. Council member appointments  and comments. We'll begin with council member   agenda. Um, I did not put this on the agenda,  but I think that it warrants a discussion.   Uh we just celebrated America's 249th birthday  last week and there's a major movement to   celebrate America's 250th birthday next year. Uh  it's called America 250. And so wanted to hear   um this council um and what efforts we can do. I  know that Witchita when uh America celebrated its   200th birthday, one of the big initiatives was um  the Mid-American All-Indian Center and so as well   as uh the keeper. So I wanted to hear uh your  thoughts about how to celebrate America's 250th about all the council lines up  and sings witchah alignment. Well, I I want to hear JB build it out.  Yeah, Council Member Glascott. Thank you,   Mayor. Uh, thanks for bringing this up.  Um, I do think we should form a commission,   figure out what it looks like to  celebrate 250 for our community.   I think that should involve community members  and maybe that's how we can start is bring a   um list of individuals that could be voted by the  council to a temporary commission uh to plan 250   celebrations for 2026, but I'd be interested in  future future discussions and how we can maybe   leverage things that the community is already  doing. I know the 250 celebration is to celebrate   America's stories. So, how can maybe we celebrate  Witchah's contributions to the American story? How   can we elevate witchton stories? I think that's  something that as council should look at um and   should be here to celebrate our country. Council  member Tuttle. Thank you. I I have some ideas,   but I'm really not ready to share them publicly.  I didn't know we were going to do this today, so   I maybe need a little bit more time. But just a a  historical note, and Bob or Council Member Johnson   can maybe help me. when we were going to celebrate  Witchah's birthday, I know that Park and Wreck was   responsible for pulling together a committee. Um I  I think I served on it before I was on council and   then while I was on council. Um so I like the idea  of forming a committee um that is communitybased   um communitydriven and park and wreck might be a  good place to put that as we did last time. Just   a thought and sorry to give Reggie and his team  more work. Council member Ho Heisel. Thank you,   Mayor. I I agree with the committee idea. Um  and I think Parks and Wreck would be a good   place to to run that. Um Indian Museum, also Cow  Town would be great, too, just reflective of our   our past. Um but honestly, any number of our  museums and public spaces should be open to a   series of events. It doesn't even necessarily  have to be one weekend around the fourth.   So yeah, let's have this discussion and let's  think on it for a bit and continue to move   forward with it. Vice Mayor Johnston. Thank you,  Mayor. Unfortunately, I'm the only one that can   remember 200. So, um, but I I agree that 200th  was a year-long celebration both nationally and   locally. Did a lot of things during that time.  Really pretty cool. And I think we should be   I I agree. Maybe it's parks and recre some kind  of commission to get that together and get it   going. Very much fair. Council member Johnson.  Thanks, Mayor. I agree and would love to see uh   the committee extend an invitation to US President  Barack Obama to come to Witchah since his mom as Any other comments? Um, I would really just  encourage the community to reach out to your   council members with your ideas. Also, if you're  interested in helping out, also reminding us if   there are any big milestones that are happening  next year that could be incorporated with   um a year-long celebration. Uh, but you can  always find our contact information at witchah.gov   GV/City Council and you can reach out to your  council member where you live and share your ideas   and your feedback about celebrating America's 250.  So, thank you for having that open discussion. Um,   and I appreciate um seeing that there's an  interest in forming either a committee or a   commission. I know at the state level, uh,  Representative Susan Estus is heading the,   uh, America's 250th celebration for the state of  Kansas. And so, we will work closely with her. Um,   and I know that there are other cities here  in Kansas that want to celebrate together. Um,   so I encourage that and look forward to more  conversations regarding this. But again,   please contact your council member through  witchah.gov/city GV/City Council. We will now   move to council member appointments. Are there  any? I see none. We will now move to council   member comments. Council member Johnson. Thanks,  Mayor. Uh just my weekly conversation about our   budget coming up and hope that people engage us.  I was just made aware of someone I know and some   results from uh another community. So, if you  haven't heard or seen, Baltimore Mayor Brandon   Scott has been very successful in reducing crime  uh in Baltimore first half of 2025. They've seen   the fewest homicides ever recorded and some of  that is due to the investments that they've made   as a municipality. Cure violence is one of those  investments and he was one of the first people to   talk to me about uh that. But they've been doing  that in Baltimore. investments in the community,   42 summer youth camps, 29 literacy programs,  extended park and wreck hours, planned block   parties, etc. Crime is down 62%. You might ask  why I'm talking about Baltimore. Well, if you   look at Witchah's numbers based on what WPD just  put out year-to date versus the 5-year average,   look at those numbers. Crime is down in every  category but one. If you look at the year-to-   date this year versus last year, crime is down in  every category but two. And when you think about   what we've been doing here in the city of Witchah,  we're investing in libraries, parks and w art, all   of those opportunities, cure violence. We also did  make sure law enforcement was uh given the bonus   that they deserve. We've made sure fire was able  to get compensated as well. But we've been making   those investments in quality of life initiatives.  So, as we're looking at priorities going forward,   one of the number one things we continue to hear  about is crime reduction, making sure that our   community is safe. the numbers show it is, but we  have been making some really good investments in   the community and want to continue to highlight  that those are necessary to achieve those types   of things. Using Baltimore as an example,  that's just because Mayor Scott before he   was mayor talked to me about a lot of this. I see  him implementing everything that he talked about,   working with his council. We've been doing some  similar things and we're seeing some similar   benefits with crime being down in all of these  categories. But my fear is if we do not continue   those types of investments and we've talked about  reducing some of that that we may see that trend   go a different way. Again, it's not always law  enforcement uh public safety in that way. Often   times it is these other opportunities that we need  to invest in and keep maintained or increase to   see these numbers continue to go down in the way  that they are. So thank you mayor. Any further   comments from C council members? I see none. We  cannot leave yet, though. We have an executive   session. So, I will now read. I move that the  city council recess into executive session for   30 minutes to receive information on executive  branch directives pursuant to KSA75-4319B2 for legal consultation with the city attorney,  which would be deemed privilege in the attorney   client relationship. for legal advice. The  executive session is required to protect attorney,   client privilege, and the public  interest. It is now 10:47. We'll   take a short little break. Uh let's begin  at 10:55 a.m. and 30 minutes after that,   we will return at 11:25 a.m. back here in  the chambers. Um motion second. Second.   Okay. Any further discussion? I see none.  Uh Mr. Clerk, please open the role. I I   shut down my computer. Motion passes 70.  We'll return at 11:25 a.m. Thank you.