Good morning, Witchah, and thank you all for  joining us. I'd like to invite Pastor Pam Mason   of St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal  Church to the podium to say the prayer. Let us pray. This morning, Lord, we gather  at the seat of the city council meeting for   today's session. We pray for each person present  viewing virtually and their families. Lord,   we pray for every employee of the city and their  family. We pray for the health and well-being of   every person who says ICT is their home. Our  hearts acknowledge those who are experiencing   loss and traumatic circumstances all around us  and globally. Our hearts are heavy in this time   of uncertainty. We need you, your guidance, and  we need each other. As they lead us by example,   we pray that each each council person's  countenance exemplifies integrity. May we witness the continued establishment  and reinforcement of viable policies and   procedures and resources. May they be ongoing  dialogue that values and considers all sides.   May leadership speak up and speak clearly for  justice. May they have the eyes and the ears   to hear and to respond to the cries  of the people who reside in Witchah.   May they implement change at all levels for the  betterment of our city and all communities. Lord,   may the dialogue address the urgent needs of  ICT, senior care, mental health, homelessness,   affordable housing, unsafe environments, education  disparity, unemployment, and environmental   challenges. the fiscal impact on each household  and every business and the value of humankind. Let   there be Lord productive intern inter interaction  with the city council which displays leadership   working together for the common goal of our city  and every community therein. May wisdom prevail in   decision making and deliberation. Lord, we love  our city. We are expecting great things and we   cannot remain silent. We acknowledge the work that  has been done yet there is so much undone. Let us   grasp the opportunity. May each person that serves  serves to be agents of change. Facing realities,   answering the difficult questions, admitting  not knowing, being present in the now,   creating a momentum and environment for  change. As movement occurs collaboratively,   may we face each moment with hope and clear  understanding that all humankind matters.   Bless this meeting on today, all those presents as  well as the lives of those who will that we will   encounter afterwards. Prepare each of us to make  every moment count in the name of Jesus. Amen.   Please stand for the pledge of allegiance. United States of America and  to the republic for it stands   one nation under God indivisible  with liberty and justice for all. Thank you, Pastor Mason. We'll note that the mayor is in New York City  at a conference for uh government officials   and we wish her luck there. She'll  be joining us later for a short time. Is there anyone who would like to uh any  corrections to the uh minutes? Do you   need to read that first, Paul? Hey, go ahead.  Approve the minutes of regular meeting July 8,   2025. Okay. Now, does any council member  have any corrections? Uh, seeing none,   I move we approve the minutes  of the regular meeting July 8th,   2025. Second. There's been a motion and a  second. Clerk, will you please pull up the vote? Motion carries. 6. Clerk. Mr. Clerk, please. The next item,   proclamations. The proclamations this week  are Park and Recreation Month, ASeez WA,   Witchah Month of Service, and the anniversary  of the Americans with Disabilities Act before we do this proclamation. Come  on. I come on parks and recite come up. But I believe someone has a birthday today  and it's the our leader of uh Parks and Rex,   Reggie Davidson. So if you'll indulge me, we are going to sing happy birthday to him. Okay, I'm gonna lead. I'm not going to sing.   Happy birthday to you. Happy  birthday to you. Happy birthday dear to you, Reggie. I hope you have a wonderful,  wonderful day. Do a great job with   parks and recrecks. Which leads us to  the proclamation for of city of Witchah   found in 1870. Whereas parks and recreation  promote time spent in nature which positively   impacts mental health by increasing cognitive  performance and well-being and alleviating   illness such as depression, attention  deficit disorders and Alzheimer's.   And whereas parks and recreation encourages  physical activity by providing space for sports,   hiking, swimming, and other activities designed  to promote active lifestyles. Their programming   and educational activities such as out of  school time programming and youth sports are   critical to childhood childhood development.  And whereas parks and recreation increases a   community's economic prosperity through increased  property values, expansion of the local tax base,   increased tourism, the attraction and retention  of business and crime reduction. And whereas our   parks and recreation areas ensure the  ecological beauty of our community and   provide a place for all to connect with nature  and recreation and outdoors. And now therefore,   be it resolved that the city Witchaw city  council does hereby proclaim July 2025 as   park and recreation month in the city of Witchaw  encourage all citizens to recognize the benefits   derived from parks and recreation resources  as an integral part of the Witchaw community. No better way to uh celebrate my birthday today  besides with this team here. So, just wanted to   say that uh how important uh recreation is to our  community and just that recreation is essential.   uh all of the hard work that this team does behind  us to make sure that we create safe spaces for   our young people to be able to have opportunity  to be in areas where they can enjoy the nature,   enjoy sports, and not have to worry about there  being other barriers that contribute to them not   being safe. uh the hard work that they do from  our forestry team to our park maintenance team   with supporting all of our special events that  we have, our golf division that puts on quality   programs for our community and quality services  that their hard work doesn't go unnoticed and   this is an opportunity to kind of spotlight what  they do and our mantra for our department is that   teamwork win and we always work together to make  sure that we deliver a good quality product to the   community. So want to give these guys a a hand of  applause here for all the hard work that they do. There you go. I would like to now invite Councilman  Hohheisle from the next proclamation. Thank you, Vice Mayor. Um, if I could have all  the the members of um, Aza Wild Az I'm sorry. Uh, you're not going to get any  singing out of me today, but um,   if I can go ahead and just speak real quick. You're fired, Bob. If I could just speak real  quick about uh the great work that this group   is doing in our community. Um they've been out  at a number of park cleanups here recently,   including Clat Park where we had catastrophic  floods. Uh they took time out of work days   to come up and actually help clean the park up.  So, uh my appreciation just goes out to them and   um I have the privilege of being able to  read the proclamation here. Whereas Azas WOW,   an international young adult worker volunteer  group that practices love and volunteer service   in workplaces and communities around the world,  whose members actively participate in pertinent   global issues with a sense of ownership and  is affiliated with and sponsored by the World   Mission Society Church of God. Whereas Azis  Wow, Witchah has been carrying out various park   cleanups across underserved and at risk Witchah  communities as part of the ASUS WOW green earth   campaign and to fulfill UN sustainable development  grow goals. Whereas today is the first day of the   month of July in 2025, ASUS WOW sponsored by  the World Mission Society Church of God in   partnership with the city of Witchah and with  the full support of parks and recreation will   kick off the Asus Wow Witchah month of service to  raise community awareness about climate change,   inspire volunteer participation and community  support and promote their advocacy in various   activities in July. Whereas ASUS WOW has been  globally recognized and awarded over 300 times   across 22 countries, including being awarded the  US President's Volunteer Service Award three times   as Wild Witchah has demonstrated a commitment to  protecting and beautifying the local environment   through various parks cleanup since 2021. Now  therefore, be it resolved that the Witchah City   Council does hereby proclaim July 2025 as AS as  usual Witchah month of service in the city of   Witchah and encourage all to get involved  with and support ASUS WOW Witchah during   the month of July as they continue to serve  communities in clean parks all over the city. Firstly, we would like to give thanks and praise  to God Elohim for allowing us to do good work in   Witchita to spread God's love through our deeds.  We also like to thank Mayor Woo, council members   Co Ho Hazel and Glass [ __ ] and the other city  council members Witchah Parks and Recreation,   our community partners, our volunteers and the  entire city for supporting assess stands for save   the earth from A to Z. We are one family and it  is an international young adult worker volunteer   group for the World Mission Society Church of God  members and we are we started doing park cleanups   in Witchah in 2017 and we are grateful to be  recognized by the city council and we are eager   to spread our mission to all of Witchah, our state  and the world. We actively carry out volunteer   services in over 175 countries as well as in every  state and we have a goal to become active all over   Kansas in the upcoming year. We are determined  to clean every park in the city and to and do so   while uniting with each other and community  leaders in order to say to share the love   of a mother to all people and to fulfill the UN  sustainable development goals for the environment.   We're excited to continue working in Witchah  and we we want to invite all of you guys to   um our cleanup on Sunday, July 27th at 9:30 for a  cleanup at uh Dr. Glende Park in District 1. And   we look forward to our continued partnership  with all our volunteer community leaders,   park and recreation, and with the citizens  of Witchah. And we also want to invite   um you guys to our multicultural experience  event we are hosting on July 20th at noon.   Thank you. And we have one final message for  you. Okay. Ready? One. We love you. We love you. Thank you. I invite anybody from the next proclamation   anniversary of Americans disob  disabilities to come forward. Good. Good to see you. McM proclamation of the city of Witchaw,  Kansas, founded in 1870. Whereas on July 26,   1990, President George HW Bush signed into  law the Americans with Disabilities Act, ADA,   to ensure the civil rights. Whereas this  legislation established a comprehensive   national mandate for the elimination of  discrimination against individuals with   disabilities and the legislation has expanded  opportunities for disabled communities.   Whereas the full promise of the ADA  will only be reached if we continue   our efforts to ensure comparable housing,  transportation, communication, education,   and employment opportunities for all disabled  people. Now, therefore, be it resolved that the   Witchaw City Council does hereby proclaim July  26th, 2025 as the anniversary of the Americans   with Disabilities Act in the city of Witchaw and  encourage all citizens to celebrate this day. Thank you. Thank you, Vice Mayor and council  members. Um, my colleagues and I are here as   members of the Witchah Cedric County Access  Advisory Board. As a board, we thoughtfully   make accessibility recommendations based on  our diverse experiences and areas of expertise.   It is our sincere hope that disabled people may  fully participate in the great opportunities   that Witchah offers and that the city may  also benefit from the contributions of   people with disabilities. Thank you again  for honoring the anniversary of what has   truly been lifechanging legislation and we look  forward to collaborating in the coming year. Of course. Yeah. Yes. Most certainly. need it. Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Will 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 the   quorum will be observed. The first speaker is  Lisa Veta on behalf of the Witchaw Cedric County   Access Advisory Board with regards to a letter  we sent to Witchaw and Cedric County leadership. Don't have to get out of my scooter. This is  great. Uh, first of all, I want to say thank   you for your uh, community leadership. My name is  Lisa Vada. I am representing the Witchaw Sedwick   County Access Advisory Board. I reside at 14400  Eastport of Kings, Witchaw, Kansas in District 2,   uh, Council Member Tuttles District. I did send  you all email copies and I hope that you were   able to read them. If not, I do have physical  copies here. Our letter is a response to the   Witchaw Eagle uh April 15th article involving  the $4.9 million project that is intended to   make the downtown area of Witchaw more walkable.  However, our response actually extends to all   projects in the city and the county that involve  transportation, roads and walkways, buildings,   events, and meetings such as this. I will say  thank you because last week I presented to the   Seduite County Commission and I could not even  get to the podium because it is not an accessible   uh building. So, thank you for allowing uh this  meeting site to be accessible. Um, this includes   not only our our our issues include not just the  audible pedestrian signals and consistent curb   cutouts that we address in our letter, but  also entrances and exits, signage, and most   importantly, communication for everyone, including  the group of people uh including the group of   people with disabilities. Remember that anyone  can become a member of this wonderful group at any   time in their lives in just a matter of seconds.  Also, keep in mind that as we all age, we're going   to have impairments to our mobility, our vision,  our hearing, and our cognitive function. So,   yippee. Um, we hope that you understand we're  probably not intentional. limiting the safe access   uh conveys a sense that certain groups of  people are not wanted, needed, or valued in   our community. So, if we ensure that our city and  county are accessible, it's going to ensure that   our city and county continue to grow and thrive.  Local author Sarah Smarsh, who actually grew up   here in Witchah for part of her childhood and  and even recent years, wrote in her book Bone   of the Bone, that the division in America today  is not political. It's not red or blue. It's but   what is between what is discussed in the powerful  rooms such as this and what is understood by those   of us in the field. And I will tell you that  just getting here today is a challenge between   walkways, going through security, uh getting in  and out of seats. It is it is a challenge for each   of us. But as Lyn Manuel Miranda says in Hamilton,  I want to be in the room where it happens. So I'm   making two requests. One is that you each look  at the Witchah Seduite County Access Advisory   Board list of appointees and you make sure not  I guess not even for our board but for all your   boards that all the positions are filled and that  there are no vacancies. Right now we have seven   vacancies on our board alone. I also ask on behalf  of our advisory group that you read our minutes,   communicate with your appointees, and consider  our input when making decisions to make our   wonderful community more accessible. And please  do this sooner rather than later. Thank you. Thank you, Lisa. Appreciate it. I appreciate the  reminder about getting old, too, needing services.   Mr. Clerk, responding speaker. Oh,  excuse me. We have several speakers. Uh,   Councilman Glascott. Thank you, Vice Mayor. Um,  to the manager real fast. I know that a lot of   our minutes have been uh started being included  in our consent packet. I don't remember seeing   the access advisory board ones. They could, but  I know some of our other boards and commissions   are included our consent packet. Uh, council  member, I'll let me take a look at that. Um it   may because of the confusion because it reports  both to the council and the uh commission,   but we'll go ahead and make sure that if those  haven't been going out regularly that they will.   Okay. Thank you. I appreciate that. Thank you.  Uh city manager Leighton. Um uh Vice Mayor,   if it's okay, I would like to deviate from our  normal process a little bit. Um I was I thought   it was um appropriate to have a response. I think  it was we really appreciated Lisa sending it to   us her correspondence from the access advisory  board early and I do think this import this is   an important enough issue that if we could just  do a quick staff response it'll let you know   the direction we like to go um in order to address  some of the concerns expressed by the board. Well,   that'd be fine. Okay. Uh Gary Jansen is  gonna make the presentation. Gary Andrew,   you'll have to see the microphone for a  while. All right. I'll let Dary go first. Uh, thank you, Andrew, and thank you, Lisa,  for your words. Um, mayor and vice mayor and   council members Gary Jansen, public works and  utilities. I just want to start by saying that   how much we value our relationship with the access  advisory board and the disabled community and and   how we move forward. Uh we've accomplished a  lot over the last 20 years when it comes to   uh accessibility related to public infrastructure.  Uh we've done a lot as far as from an investment   perspective working with the advisory board,  working with the disabled community, but I but   we always know we know that we can always do  better. Um, I think we've seen recently with   some of the communication from the board. Uh, some  of the discussions in the community and the media,   uh, you know, there's some changes at times. Uh,  Lisa talked about some vacancies on the board.   One of the things we're always trying to help  with is to make sure that there are are good   appointments to that board, try to keep positions  filled. There's been some changes there. We've   seen some transitions in our staff over the years  uh, across a variety of departments. And I think   probably at some point in time we may have created  a little bit of a disconnect. So this is a great   opportunity for a fresh start uh and talked and  and the opportunity to talk about what we might   do going forward. So I thought I might hit on a  few specifics just so you know what our plan looks   like uh and about some upcoming discussions we're  going to have with the access advisory board and   and a few specifics that recently came out of some  of this information. Um, so what we'd like to do,   uh, specific to the downtown street conversions  is where a lot of this conversation started,   but as Lisa said to, it's all projects, and I'll  talk about that in just a moment. Um, we want to   spend some time, we're going to go downtown with  the committee from the advisory board, our staff,   have some further discussion of accessibility and  necessary improvements. I think we've got a pretty   good idea of what we need to do. Uh, but it would  be good to hear from them what they're seeing.   uh very specifically so that we can make sure  that we're headed in the right on the right   path. I think future projects will accommodate  most of the requests. I've started spending   some time with staff these last few month uh  this last month, last few weeks in particular,   re-evaluating where where we're at with our  projects, some of the things we are doing and   we know that we aren't doing and we need to  change. uh but this on-site evaluation with   the uh with the board to look at their concerns  including discussion of technical and resource   limitations will be helpful. We do need to look at  optimizing what our finite resources. Uh there are   some technical challenge when you work downtown  in the core area that we need to make sure   everybody is talking about and understanding  what some of those challenges are. you know,   even when you've got uh federal regulations and  guidelines, something we're all cognizant of,   we are all aware of, this still always be is and  will be uh an adaptive discussion and approach   to trying to make this work for everybody.  So, uh Lisa mentioned this part. We want to   make sure that all major projects, multimmoal  transportation and public facility projects as   well as anything that impacts road or sidewalk  closures and community events, those projects   uh those types of things that are happening,  we presented to the board and we'll summarize   specific ADA improvements and impacts. We've done  that in the past. I think we kind of strayed from   that a little bit. Didn't always have I think the  best approach. didn't have the best communication   on both sides and it might have gone a little bit  by the wayside. So, we'll get back to focusing   on that. That's the easy part. It makes sense. It  helps us understand uh what the concerns and what   the values are moving forward. Couple more quick  things I wanted to talk about. It's been a lot   of talk about accessible pedestrian signals and I  won't go too far into the weeds and talk about a   lot of details here, but uh it's something that  going forward with all new projects, anytime we   put in a new signal uh significant upgrades to a  traffic signal, we will be installing accessible   pedestrian signals. Uh what we'd like to do  on existing intersections, existing signals   is to do an evaluation of specific areas. uh talk  about the challenges, make sure this is strategic   approach to what we do going forward. Uh we don't  want this to be a barrier for uh making sure   that this happens. Uh these upgrades are costly.  They're they're hard to maintain. We've seen over   time that the technology is not reliable. Some  communities have stepped away from APS because   of that very reason. We want to find a way to  overcome that. In the past, we got uh Envision   engaged. We're going to try to see if we can do  the same because uh they've got some expertise in   this area. They work specifically with clients  in the uh that part of the blind and visually   impaired community. They've been able to advise  us where it makes the most sense strategically   for deployment of accessible pedestrian signals.  So, we're going to talk to them about that, too,   and try to wrap this all together. All of this  stuff I've talked about with our recommended plan   will be presented to the board at the next meeting  on July 23rd. We'll take off from there, see if we   can figure out what to do next with some on-site  meetings. Um, this is not new territory to us.   I'm confident that we can forge a path forward,  a collaborative path forward, and make sure we   get back on track. But I just kind of want to let  you know what we're looking at, where we're going,   uh, and we're excited to, uh, like I said, to kind  of have a fresh start here and be able to to move   forward with the board on future projects. So, I'd  be happy to answer any questions. Anyone have any   questions for Gary? Thank you, Gary. Councilman  Ho Hoisel. Uh, thank you, Vice Mayor. Um,   not nothing for you, Gary. Um, I just want  to thank Miss Mrs. Vada for coming up. Um,   holding us accountable is definitely um part of  the kind of the job description of the residents   of the city who's paying the taxes that pay for us  to do things. Um I would also like to mention that   um in the parks master plan we will be emphasizing  accessibility as well moving forward. Um that's   something that uh we have the master plan coming  up here in the next year or so and we want to   make sure that every child and every resident  who wants to come out and enjoy our parks and   playgrounds has the ability to do so as well.  So, I just wanted to bring that to uh people's   attention as well that we're listening and uh we  we can always do better, but we are going to keep   moving forward and improving our services for  all of Witchah. Thank you. Um Mr. Clerk, will   you please call the next speaker? Paige Regats,  proposed repeal of 5.70.10 restroom ordinance. Paige present? If not, we'll  go to the next speaker. Jim Underwood, West Maple Street replacement. Jim Linderwood, 142 South St. Paul. Vice Mayor,  members of council, thank you for letting me speak   today. I attended a DAB meeting. Uh there was  a presentation. I have exceptions to what was   presented. I wanted to express those opinions. The  project is two miles of city county road which is   going to become all city. Uh it's bordered by  two drainage ditches on each side. um two to   three feet deep near 151st up to 10 foot deep on  the north. It was stated there would be minimal   dirt work. Having been in construction for many  years, I can tell you this means there's going to   be tremendous dirt work. The ditches theirelves  will have to be moved a minimum of 18 feet each   or tubed or boxed put in the ground. That's a lot  of expense. boxed means CBC concrete box cover. Um it was also stated or excuse me questioned by  a lady in the audience about the intersection at   151st. It was stated it's going to be a traffic  circle and that it was essentially the same size   as a right angle intersection. I took exception to  this. Um you'll find that the diameters of traffic   circles are set by the code of federal regulations  CFRs which all federal money is expended under   and it determines their diameter and therefore  circumference by the incoming and outgoing speeds.   It has nothing to do with the desire for how  big it is. It is required to be of minimum size. Um, excuse me. It was also stated by the lady  in the audience that 151st north of Maple is all   dirt. If it ever got paved, traffic would increase  tremendously. The statistics given for traffic   flows and counts, we were not given when they were  taken. On a dirt road, there are five factors that   affect traffic. snow, ice, rain, drought, and  the human factor of how well it's maintained.   When a road is paved, those basically go away  except for snow removal and periodic maintenance. The um further stated that there were going to be  two sidewalks, one six foot, one 10- foot adjacent   to the roadway. Referring back to the CFRs, once  a trafficway reaches a certain speed, sidewalks   cannot be adjacent to the traffic way. They have  to be separated. This is a arterial street. It's   open to all traffic. It's open at speed greater  than 40 miles an hour and you have a semi going   down the road, it's easy to catch a curb and pop  the truck up over the curb. The primary users of   these sidewalks are Goddard school children  being dropped off by their school buses. Putting them next to a trafficway with  no separation is not a good point. the um I apologize standing is a little difficult today.  I'm fine. D I'm fine. Jim, do you need the remote   mic as well? I'll finish up here quickly. Um  also, it was not stated that any of the other   stakeholders in this area were consulted.  I hope they were. But you're looking at the   county commission, county road and bridge,  county fire, county law enforcement, EMS,   Goddard school district, and Goddard school  bus drivers. They should all be consulted.   They will have opinions that count heavily for  the safety of their children and the safety of   the children out there. Bear in mind, a  good portion of this road will remain in   the county until the future and therefore  is subject to county enforcement. I would   also like to point out that the traffic circle  does not have pedestrian cross walks on like a   city intersection does. This is a detriment  for people wanting to cross that. Granted,   there's not a whole lot of foot traffic out there  right now. But you still have your school children   and they're going to use those sidewalks.  It would be better if 151st and Maple was   a right angle intersection with full traffic  control. Thank you for your time this morning. Thank you, Mr. Underwick. Councilman GLCO. Thank  you, Vice Mayor Jim. Thank you for being involved   and thank you for coming to most of my district  advisory boards. Also, thank you for being my   appointee to the access advisory board as well,  for your service to the community there. Uh,   to address a few of the things, I have been  in consultation with Commissioner Wise who   represents that part of the community. Her  and I met last week about the project. Um,   I've also reached out to the school district. I'm  in communication with them as well. And that will   continue as this is a joint project to connect uh  both the parcels that's county owned and then also   city- owned. This weekend, I attended the Meyers  uh Windows estate uh HOA as well as the Auburn   Hills uh HOA that I hosted a town hall with that  about 80 people showed up to a month ago. And so   I know that staff and staff was present at both  of those meetings to answer questions. A lot of   the concerns that you addressed have been brought  up at previous meetings and staff is aware of them   and is working at addressing those in the larger  plan. This is just the start. Uh, I know that one   of the staffers um this weekend that was present  at the neighborhood or at the HOA meeting actually   was taking a Saturday to go to a couple that homes  along the route to talk to individual owners about   what this is for their property and to bring  them involved in the process early to try to   mitigate maybe a lot of those challenges. And so I  just wanted to maybe ease some of those concerns.   Thank you for speaking today and continue to  engage in the process in the future as well.   Thank you. Also, this where's district five,  my district two. I've seen a lot of the plans   and the sidewalks will be off of the street, not  on the street. Um, they will also there is also   uh pedestrian crossings at the roundabout moved  out a bit to be safer. So, there is that too. And   I think the county does begin at 167th. So, it is  in the city. So, thank you for coming and thank   you for speaking. Mr. Clerk, please call the  next item. Emily Coelloo, city council duties. Good morning. I'm Emily Coo in Green Leaf Court  in District 2. The ethics board recently validated   a claim from a small group of people in the  community who had said that their feelings were   hurt by Mayor Woo. And isn't it amazing in today's  world that the people who complain that their   feelings are getting hurt are the real bullies  of our society? Has anyone noticed that? And   how unserious are we as a community that such a  claim wasn't laughed at and dismissed immediately,   but was investigated for weeks. What a colossal  waste of time. Mayor Woo had been accused of   discrimination. But the ethics board had concluded  that quote she didn't fulfill her duties by not   working in cooperation with other officials end  quote because she declined to read a piece of   paper out loud at a meeting. And I can assure you  that most voters do not view reading or signing   proclamations and all of the staff work that  accompanies it as the city council's important   duties. You've actually been hired for a very  serious job, which is to operate our city budget,   to fill potholes, to fund the infrastructure, to  pay the first responders, to keep our crime low.   The pressing needs that benefit all residents.  Today, I'm asking the city council to consider   ending the practice of proclamation so you can  focus on the full-time job you were elected to do,   which is to operate our city budget and sustain  our infrastructure. And lastly, on an incredibly   serious note, I'm asking for prayers for those  people in our community who are confused and   unsatisfied with their bodies. to their friends  and family. Validating their identity claims is   not an act of love. In fact, it's cruel.  Confronting their mental health of your   loved ones might be very difficult in the short  term. But I'm telling you, your loved one needs   the truth and they need for you to tell them and  it's the only way. Thank you. Thank you, Emily.   We have uh one more spot if  anybody would like to come   forward and speak. Seeing none.  Oh, Andrew got up just in time. Good morning, city council and uh city manager.  Um I just want to say thank you. Um and I have a   challenge for you. Um, take a time out of your  day to walk downtown Witchah and seeing the   uh the the two-way conversions that that  you guys um did. And I I I challenge you   guys to walk walk that because it's  it's a little bit of a problem and   um for the disability community and for the blind  community and I am you know uh really excited that   you know the city is moving in a good solid good  good way. But we need to work a lot more. We need   you guys to work a lot more. And I challenge you  to walk this city on an afternoon because I do. I   walk these cities. I walk the the sidewalk. Um,  and now that I have my third guide dog, I'll be   walking the city a little bit more and I want it  accessible for all. And it's time we we do that.   And so my challenge for you once again is to walk.  not not take your cars, but actually walk and take   the bus. And you will see some of the problems  that we need to to to do in the city of Witchah and other cities are doing it. You know,  it's time. It's the 21st century. We're   we're a big city. We need to start  acting like a big city. Thank you. Thank you, Andrew. You're welcome. Always good  to see you, Mr. Clerk. Please call Oh, excuse me,   Johnson. Thank you, Vice Mayor. Um, this isn't to  the last speaker. Just something that was sitting   on my heart. Um, I believe that every individual  as a man of faith needs prayer. But I just have   to continue to challenge people's identity. Who  they are is not a mental health condition. It's   not something that needs additional prayer.  People are who they are. You're born how you   are who you are. And I think some of the  challenges we continue to face in society   is when we other folks who are not others.  We're all humans. We are who we are and when   we I believe engage in that type of dialogue  it begins to minimize other folks and I just   always want to highlight we should respect people  for who they are. In regard to the first comment,   um, our jobs are vast as council members.  We're also governed by codes and ordinances.   As someone who's also been found in violation of  the ethics, um, policy that I helped create, um,   there are things that you are supposed to do in  certain ways, and the ethics board had their own   finding uh, for one of us, as they did with me. I  encourage people to read all the municipal codes,   especially people who want to run for these seats  to understand what that is, our responsibilities.   It's not about beliefs, but there are things that  it says that we shall do and shall not do, can do,   may do. All of those words are important. So,  um I encourage people to read all the reports,   also mine. Again, um they had a finding on me  and I own that. But um we helped craft the ethics   policy for a specific reason to ensure things that  were happening or assumed to be happening before   would not happen. And all of that was talked  about in the public setting at this bench,   voted on, discussed in the public. So I just  want to encourage people to go to the site,   read all those reports, be informed on that.  And also as we talk about praying for others   and showing the love of Jesus, let's love  everyone. We are who we are as humans. Thank you. Mr. Clerk, will you please  call next item? Consent agenda items 1   through 17. Any council member like  to pull any of the items 1 to 17. Seeing none, I move that we uh approve  the council consent agenda items 1 through   17. Second. There's been a motion and a  second. Mr. Clerk, will you please roll consent a consent items 1 to 17  passes six to zero. Mr. Clerk,   you please call the next item. Board of  bids and contracts dated July 7, 2025. Good morning, Vice Mayor and City Council.  Josh Lober, Department of Finance. Thank you. Uh the board of bids and  contracts convened yesterday,   July 14th for the following items. For  engineering, we have the 17th Street   sidewalk at Railroad Crossing for Prao  Construction LLC in the amount of 98,96.75 that was subject to your authorization of the  new engineers estimate budget authorization. Uh   we for purchasing have the 16,000 gross vehicle  weight single cab dual wheel tire repair truck   with service body redirecting of an award for  Don Hatton Ford Incorporated for $137,180. We have the smart sheet work and  project management system software   renewal for smartshet.com  incorporated for $58,860. We have the Microsoft Enterprise  Agreement year one of three for   SHI International Corporation for 1,297,679.94. We have the on call contractor services for  treatment plant contract change order recommending   for utility contractors incorporated accepting  the 2025 rates listed in the board of bids agenda   packet for one year effective September 1st 2025.  We have the polyphosphate contract change order   for CAR US LLC doing business as Condi Holdings  LLC LLC for an amended amount of $455,430. We have Soda Ash contract change order for Dubois   Chemicals Incorporated for  an amended amount of $112,50. This is how to become a vendor with the city.   This is a purchasing calendar of small business  resource partner events the city's hosting or   participating in. And these are open public  opportunities out on the street today for   engagement. And I'd be happy to try to answer  any questions and I recommend your approval. Any questions for Josh Bench? Seeing none. Thank you, Josh. I move that we  approve board of bids and contracts dated July   7 July 15, 2025. Second. There's been a motion  and a second. Mr. Clerk, please pull up the role. Motion carries 6. Mr. Clerk, please call the  next item. Resolution authorizing the city   manager authority to take administrative action to  ensure compliance with federal grant requirements. Sorry. Good morning, May uh Vice Mayor, Council.  Uh I am Deputy City Attorney Steve Smart.   And with me from the law department is Mike  Fessinger, our city's labor and employment   attorney. And before you today is a staff  proposal. This is Mayor Woo. Good morning,   ma'am. Uh before you today is a staff  proposal seeking temporary authority   for the city manager to ensure city compliance  with new federal grant recipient requirements. Federal grants fund significant portions  of city essential services such as housing,   transportation, law enforcement, fire, and  airport infrastructure. According to the   city auditor's office, federal funding is around  $100 million annually to the city. To advance its   policy agenda, the executive branch of the federal  government has issued new rules, regulations, and   requirements that apply to grant recipients such  as the city of Witchah. Most of those are routine   and similar to previous administrations, such as  the general requirement to comply with all federal   laws and executive orders. The new fiscal year  2025 changes require grant recipients to certify   that their organization does not operate any  illegal DEI or diversity, equity, and inclusion   program that violates federal law and that the  organization will cooperate generally with federal   law enforcement in the enforcement of immigration  matters. City staff will soon be asked to certify   compliance with these new requirements in order  to receive fiscal 25 federal funds for the city.   And failure to certify risks loss of those federal  funds and a false certification would risk civil   and criminal penalties for the city and its grant  signitories. At the direction of the city manager,   city staff has been working diligently since  January to achieve compliance. And as part of   that effort, the manager directed a comprehensive  citywide administrative review led by department   directors and assisted by a managerappointed  compliance review team. Additionally,   staff received advice from professional  organizations and solicited views of other cities   regarding their approach to such compliance. Where  appropriate, staff has already made administrative   changes such as removing references to rescended  executive orders in new contracts and adjusting   department level policies and procedures. Compared  with years past, uh certifications and asurances   are more detailed with clear penalties for  alleged non-compliance. Compliance is no   longer viewed simply as a snapshot in time, but as  a continuum that requires continued vigilance and   adjustment as new directives are passed. As the  federal government's fiscal year 2025 winds down,   uh, new federal directives and agency contract  provisions are still being published. Each of   these must be reviewed and analyzed for impact  on city of Witchah programs, policies, practices,   and procedures and as well as fiscal 25 grant  recipient compliance. The law department primarily   views compliance as a contractual issue in our  relationship with the federal government as it   pertains to grants. To keep up with the volume of  changes and ensure continued compliance throughout   this contractual relationship, staff recommends  temporary additional administrative measures   be authorized by the council. The council will  still review and approve all grant applications. The proposed resolution gives the sense  and direction of the council, allows staff   through city manager delegated authority, the  administrative flexibility and speed necessary   to keep up with evolving compliance obligations.  While the city manager already holds authority   to manage routine administrative matters,  the proposed resolution will authorize the   city manager the temporary authority to make  additional administrative changes, including   suspending enforcement of an ordinance to ensure  such compliance as the need arises. An example of   that authority would be that the resolution would  allow the city manager to grant the diversity,   inclusion, and civil rights advisory board's  request for a temporary suspension of its meetings   as the city evaluates the board's strategic plan  in light of new federal compliance requirements.   This proposed temporary authority will expire  no later than December 31st, 2025. And staff   chose that date to ensure that you did not  give authority to a brand new city manager.   And additionally, as time goes on, we will know  more regarding the administration administration's   enforcement approach as its conflicts with  other cities, states, trade organizations,   and universities are addressed more fully in the  courts. The December 31st, 2025 sunset also gives   the council the ability to reassess in 2026. Of  course, the council could revoke this authority   at any time. Uh the bottom line here is that  given what is at stake regarding federal dollars,   staff has been working to put the city in a safe  harbor while issues and conflicts are fought and   litigated elsewhere. This proposed resolution  allows the city to assess compliance and respond   to federal regulator concerns on a case-byase  basis while the council exercises broad oversight. The staff recommends the council approve the  proposed resolution and authorize necessary   signatures. I'll stand for any questions. Thank  you, Steve. Uh, Councilman Tuttle. Thank you.   Thank you, Mr. Smart. I don't have a question  for you, but I do for city manager Leighton. Um,   hund00 million potentially is at risk for the  city. Correct. That is that's a total of uh our   annual federal assistance. Thank you. Could  you maybe highlight a few of the departments   that receive the most of this federal funding?  There are two departments that we have that are   highly reliant on federal funds. The housing  and community services as well as our transit   department. Okay. Majority of their operations are  funded uh federally. Thank you so much. Thank you.   Also note that Mayor Woo is joining us virtually.  Councilman Glascott. Thank you, Vice Mayor. A   few questions. I'll probably go back and forth  here. Uh, first, what happens January 1st, 2026,   if we don't have more federal guidance, all the it  rescends back to, let's say, status quo currently,   are we at risk of losing federal funds beginning  immediately January 1st or we reevaluate sometime   December? I I think we will be re-evaluating  this from today all the way through. As as as I   mentioned, this is a continuum. A new guidance is  continuing to to be published. I would think our   risk would be lower as we would have taken any  administrative actions that regulators bring up   after they have authorized the funding. That would  probably be the greatest time of risk as as fiscal   25 comes to an end in September. Okay. Thank you.  This would be a question for the manager. This is   coming to this body because a lot of these funds  are greater than your statutory duty. Uh you have   to bring this because some of these funds are so  large that that's why this body has to vote on   correct that you can't unilaterally implement um  a lot of these changes. Um council member uh yes   and no. Um you're right about the almost all of  our grants are uh received by the council. mayor   signs on behalf of the council to receive those  grant funds. Um, so that's one aspect of it,   but there are also a number of uh rules,  regulations, procedures, and ordinances that   are in place that will require some adjustment.  It's doesn't pertain just to the programs that are   receiving federal funds, but all of our activities  across the organization. And that's what we're   certifying when we sign the grant asurances.  Ordinances have passed by this body that would   have to get authorization. to amend. And that  so what what this resolution would allow us to   do is temporarily suspend um the enforcement  or of ordinances when they're deemed to be in   um um conflict with the federal with federal  requirements. Thank you. Thank you, Councilman   Hohisel. Thank you, Vice Mayor. Um Bob, have we  been threatened with any suspension of grants   so far? Uh council member, not specifically, but  we've received some very strongly worded guidance   from um the um Department of Transportation that  maybe Steve could um address. Yes, sir. Um the   Department of Transportation is the secretary  issued a memorandum to all grant recipients in   April April 24th of 2025. And what was striking  about it was its tone and uh direction to grant   recipients to ensure compliance with executive  orders. There is uh language in that memorandum   that uh suggests that um any organization that  has a uh DEI program and and no further guidance   on that um is presumptively illegal and that um  certifications made for the purpose of receiving   Department of Transportation funds could result  in a false claims act uh case against uh the   recipient. So, um, what was striking about that is  the tone and the length of the of the letter. Um,   so, so no direct, uh, issues with the city  of Witchah. That was, uh, in general to all,   uh, DOT grant recipients, but that that is  what has sparked a lot of the impetus for the   resolution that's before you today.  Have they given any guidance or um,   descriptions of DEI programs that fall under that?  No, sir. They they use the word what is an illegal   DEI program. Mr. Fessinger um can certainly give  you a breakdown of illegal versus uh legal DEI,   but the memorandum itself does not further  define that, nor does any other additional   uh guidance. In fact, that is the subject of  litigation in in several areas of of the country. Mike can give you some more information. Okay.  Appreciate that. All right. Good morning,   Council. Mike Fessinger. I'm your labor  relations attorney. Uh DEI, as we all know,   stands for diversity, equity, and inclusion.  Uh it's often viewed as a workplace strategy   that attempts to promote fair treatment amongst  employees uh generally with an emphasis on groups   uh that have been the subject of historical under  representation, perhaps discrimination. Before I   go on and talk about this, I'll just note that  the area this area of the law right now was is   fluid. It's in flux. There's modern case law uh  that discusses the differences between DEI and   what amounts to discrimination. But from our  perspective today and I think the perspective   the of the federal administration is that the  the key distinction is whether the program   uh grants a preferential treatment to people based  on their uh membership in a protected class uh   versus whether the program seeks instead just to  remove systemic barriers that have caused under   representation in the past. Uh so legal efforts  at DEI again um attempt to remove barriers. Uh   illegal efforts at DEI grant a preferential  treatment to people based upon uh perhaps their   gender or skin color. The line between the  two is unclear. Uh it is in flux and it's in   all candidates probably for attorneys today to  argue about uh in court. Uh part of the reason   we're advocating for this conservative course of  action today is because uh the answer is unclear   as to where that line is and uh we uh we would  prefer the city to have time to see how this all   shakes out over the coming months. Thank you.  Thank you. Uh Mayor Woo would like to comment. Woo, would you like to comment having technical difficulties or don't know? Good morning, council, and thank  you, Steve Smart. Um, I had a   couple questions directed to city manager  Leighton. The questions are in regards to   um were there residents who raised  concerns and if so um whom were they? Mayor, I'm only aware of one resident who  has uh raised a concern um consistently   uh and that person Uh I don't I don't know  if it's appropriate to mention who that is,   but the person has filed uh comments with  the mayor and council as well as staff. You have any other questions, mayor? Well, we'll move on then and open it up  for public comment. Man would like comment,   please come forward. Please come forward. City manager, a follow-up question. I wanted  to know what's the risk for the city in   terms of costly lawsuits. I'm sorry, mayor, I  didn't catch the last part of your question. I think the question had to do with risk.  I think the question had to do with risk. Not sure if there's something we can  Not sure if there's something we can   do with that. Deal with that feedback  we're getting. feedback we're getting. I apologize. There's a one minute delay.  Therefore, I just want to know what is the   risk of costly lawsuits for the city. It can be  significant. I an answer to a previous question,   we indicated that there's about a hundred  million dollars that we receive from the   federal government. So there is the possibility  that that could be suspended. A portion of that   could be suspended or put in advance and then that  would force us to respond to any um uh complaints   uh or claims filed by the federal government. Um,  I think Steve also mentioned the possibility of   u being uh sued for false representation of  regarding our policies and that would require   um litigation as well. Some that we could  probably handle with our own staff but some   that we probably have to hire outside counsel  given the nature and severity of the issues. Thank you, city manager. Again, opportunity to  open up the public for any comment. Seeing none,   I'll bring it back to the bench if  anybody'd like to comment on this further. Councilman Johnson. Thanks, Mayor or Vice Mayor.  Um, just wanted to share a few thoughts u before   the vote. Um, fascism is a far-right authoritarian  and ultraationalist political ideology defined by   a dict dictorial leader, a strong central  government, the suppression of opposition,   and an emphasis on national unity and militarism.  It fundamentally opposes democracy, liberalism,   and socialism, often demanding unity behind its  own ideas and leadership. Without elaborating,   whether you agree with my inference  or not, you undoubtedly know exactly   what and whom I'm referring to. That alone  speaks volumes. The executive branch of the   United States government continues to push the  boundaries of settled law and the Constitution,   infringing upon our God-given rights simply  because the current occupant disagrees. A nation   founded on three co-equal branches and checks and  balances is seeing that very fabric stretch to   a near breaking point. These are dark and trying  times. The congressional body, which should wield   power from the people's house, often yields to  executive overreach, paralyzed by political fear,   and often shared political affiliations.  Meanwhile, the judiciary with a handpicked   majority has granted the executive branch blanket  immunity, consistently delivering victories   to the executive and losses to the people. The  principles we learned in school are being eroded,   promises rescended, powers increased, families  torn apart, and lives changed forever. Americans   are being heavily influenced by a constant barrage  of misinformation from sources and institutions   that should be trustworthy. While I could  continue to elaborate for a long time on that,   this is unfortunately nothing new to those  who study history. Dr. King famously demanded   that America simply be true to what it says on  paper. Yet, ironically, even in our founding,   some were even considered only three-fifths of a  person due to their race. Some were some were not   even recognized due to their gender. And if  you didn't have the fortune to own property,   you too weren't recognized. Today, this governing  body faces consequences forced upon us by the   current failure of our system of checks and  balances. Our efforts to be more equitable,   more inclusive, and improve our local government  and community are in jeopardy due to the misguided   sense of loss many felt and feel to this day.  Because more Americans were being seen, heard, and   respected. And while the executive branch and many  others would prefer to whitewash America, doing so   is a direct threat and slap in the face to what  truly makes us great, and that's our diversity.   Though today's situation is the unfortunate result  of our democracy being infected with a vile virus,   we know that the moral arc of the universe is long  and it still bends toward justice. I'm prayerful   today that my no vote bends it ever so slightly  more toward justice. I will be voting no today.   Councilman Bellor. Thank you, Vice Mayor. I would  just say that the die crab is not a DEI program.   It's a citizen advisory board to inform council  and keep our policies inclusive for all residents   of Witchaw and make sure we are aware of all  aspects of our community and focused on civil   rights. I think it's important we don't lose that  perspective um on the council because we can't   personally represent every demographic in Witchaw  and they help us to hear from more folks in our   city. So for that I'll be voting no. Councilman  Hazel. Thank you, Vice Mayor. Um, I don't have   anything prepared quite like uh my two esteemed  colleagues here, but I do want to say like most   Americans, I have a political leaning, but like  most Americans, there's a lot of gray area. Um,   we're all pretty much zebras. We have different  stripes with different thoughts on different   issues. And one that's always made sense to me is  allowing local municipalities and local government   to have a little more say because they're the  ones with their boots on the ground. We're the   ones who see the impact in our communities.  We're the ones that see what we need to do in   our communities in order to move forward to make  sure that everybody has a place at the table. So,   um when I see something like this come down  that really meshes or it really conflicts with   um I don't my my thoughts on local government.  So, for that reason, I will be voting no as well.   Councilman Glascock, thank you. I do have one  quick question for the manager. A no vote today,   if this were to fail, would jeopardize 100 million  dollars of investment in our community. Correct. That's a fair assessment of the amount of re of  revenue we receive. But we'll we probably will be   challenged regarding our compliance with federal  guidelines, rules, regulations, and laws as   um as they are interpreted. And so there is some  jeopardy to some or all of the funding if we're   found to be non non-compliance. And a majority  of that is transportation, housing, serves some   of the most vulnerable. Correct. A significant  amount of money also comes for capital projects. Thank you. Uh the mayor would like to  speak and we have about a one minute   delay. So we can all just sit in silence  about one minute while she comes on. I know that this is a very difficult subject and  I appreciate council member Johnson Hoheisle and   Ballard and speaking um on why you're voting  no. However, what I look at is that there's a   risk and weighing risk is real and that risk is  the 100 million that the city receives from the   federal government specifically and in large part  to housing and transit. So, I will be voting yes. Thank you, mayor. Seeing no comments, I'd like to  just make a comment that I agree. So we have to   adjust to each administration what their agenda  is. And I think that's the case here. May not   agree with it, but uh I don't want to put risk to  transportation and housing because that affects   the the poorest in our society. So I will be  voting yes. Are there any more comments from   council members? Seeing none, Mr. Clerk, will  you please open the role? M Mr. Vice Mayor,   I don't think there is a motion to do Oh, yes.  Yes. So, we'll see seeing none then. Thank you.   I I will while we make the motion to receive  and file the report, approve the contracts. Oh,   wrong one. Thank you. We're struggling here. Um,  I would like to make the motion uh authorizing the   city manager authority to take administrative  action to ensure compliance with federal grant   requirements. If I may, Vice Mayor, may I just  clarify the motion is to approve the resolution.   To approve the resolution and authorize the mayor  to sign and authorize the mayor to sign. Yes.   Thank you. Second. Okay. There's been a motion and  a second. Now, Mr. Clerk, would you open the role? We will wait for the mayor to her vote. Yes. Mayor has voted. Motion passes 4 to  three. Mr. Clerk, will you please   call the next item? Public request public  hearing and request by Witchaw Maple LLC   for approval of a letter of intent  to issue industrial revenue bonds. Vice Mayor, members of council, Troy Anderson,  assistant city manager. Um, this request comes   from uh Witchaw Maple LLC uh requesting approval  for uh the use of industrial revenue bonds. Uh   more specifically, this is in regards to a project  associated with Town West Square. Um Town West   Square has struggled over the last several years  with uh vacancies and finding tenants uh to occupy   the building. Um the group that has acquired it  um has done this in other areas of the nation. Uh   they've acquired some of these old uh unused  or underutilized um former shopping centers,   former malls, and are repurposing them into  business parks. Uh so this is somewhat of a proven   business model. Um, and we're really excited about  what uh this might bring to the former Town West   Square Mall. Um, more specifically, they intend to  convert the buildings into industrial warehouses, manufacturing facilities, and distribution  centers. Uh, they're requesting the letter   of intent to issue industrial revenue bonds in an  amount not exceeding $20 million for the purposes   of sales tax exemption. Uh it's antip it's  anticipated that the improvements the some   of the improvements will begin immediately.  This is going to be a phase project over over   several years. Um more specifically to fully be  transparent in the complete incentive package that   uh the owner developers are pursuing. Uh currently  they're pursuing the industrial revenue bond for   the sales tax exemption as there are certain  construction uh commodities materials that   need to be acquired. There are long lead  times associated with some of this stuff.   Uh but for all intents and purposes, they will be  returning early next year uh to begin the process   of applying for tax increment financing  for really the bulk of and for the rest   of the project. Uh so we just wanted to be fully  transparent. Today's business at hand is simply   the industrial revenue bond for that sales tax  exemption. But we again just wanted to paint the   entire picture that they will also uh be returning  to early next year for tax increment financing. The approximate value of the sales tax exemption  is about $500,000 with the city share being   approximately $39,000. This is our standard  disclaimer, right? Revenue bonds are a mechanism   for achieving a sales tax exemption. Particularly  in this case, a sales tax exemption only. In a   revenue bond transaction, the city's not lending  any money. Bears no risk. Owner developer is   required to achieve all of its own financing.  There are no taxpayer dollars at risks and all   costs are borne by the owner applicant requesting  the use of the bonds. WTO Maple agrees to pay all   costs of issuing the bonds and agrees to pay the  annual origination fees. Bonds will be purchased   by WTO Maple or related entity. Once the project's  complete, um bond documents that will be required   for the issuance of the bond will be prepared  by outside legal counsel. But uh as always,   law department will review and approve the final  form prior to issuance of any bonds. Therefore,   it is recommended today uh to hold a public  hearing, but then ultimately close the public   hearing, adopt the resolution, and authorize  the necessary signatures. With that being said,   we do have representatives from uh the applicant  who uh have joined us virtually and are available   for questions um at the behest of city council.  Otherwise, I'll stand for questions. Okay.   Thank you, Troy. Any questions from the  bench? Councilman Hohheisle. Thank you,   Vice Mayor. Um just one real quick question. I  drove by the other day. They're already at work   um doing some painting, signage, facade  improvement. Uh this CI will just be   from this point forward. So no C, but yes, the  industrial revenue bond IRB. I'm sorry. I apolog for the sales tax uh exemption. Yes, they  can't achieve the sales tax exemption until   uh the letter of intent is approved and we obtain  a sales tax exemption certificate from the state.   They can then use that sales tax exemption  certificate on any future um purchases, right,   to obtain that sales tax exemption. regarding  the question. We've received the question around   um improvements that are made now and the  implication of the tax increment financing.   There are some allowances for what we kind of call  in that a look back period, right? So there may be   expenses that are eligible that are necessary  today that once a tax increment financing   district is established that you can sort of  look back and achieve uh the benefits from the   tax increment financing district based on expenses  that were incurred prior to the approval. Again,   those are all kind of laid out by state law and  bone counsel. So, but with regards to the IRB, no,   they can't get in any sales tax exemption unless  they have that sales tax exemption certificate.   Okay. Thank you, Councilman Glascock. Oh, I  meant to remove my name, but thank you for   uh the transparency of letting us know that TIFF  is coming as well. I appreciate knowing what what   requests will be made later. So, thank you for  including that in the agenda packet. Seeing no   more questions from the bench, we'll open up for  public comment. Anyone would like to comment? Seeing no one, I'll bring it back to the bench.  Councilman Glascock. Thank you, Mr. Vice Mayor.   I want to again thank the applicant for making a  significant investment in our community. I think   it's incredibly exciting to see the project  come to fruition and uh to see the success   they've had in other communities as well. So  with that, seeing nobody else on the board, I   would move that the city council close the public  hearing, adopt the resolution, and authorize the   necessary signatures. Second. Then a motion and a  second. Mr. Clerk, would you please open the role? Motion passes 6. Mr. Clerk, will  you please call the next item? request to set public hearings to create  a community improvement district CID and   adopt a redevelopment project plan for a full  service hotel located at 229 East William. Vice Mayor, members of council, again,  Troy Anderson, assistant city manager. So,   this request comes to us from a group uh more  specifically Mlen Hotel 1923 LLC. You'll probably   hear me refer to them as Mlen throughout. Uh but  they are uh the recent the current owners. They've   recently acquired a couple of properties near the  intersection of William and Broadway. Uh there   are two existing buildings on these parcels. And  so Mlen uh wishes to renovate these two existing   buildings and convert them into a full service  hotel. uh approximately 110 keys uh with an   additional 4,000 ft of commercial retail space.  They do have some associated parking within the   former petroleum building uh that they will use to  sort of park themselves, so to speak. Um and so as   part of this request, they have uh requested  assistance from the city using pay as you go,   C and tax income and financing to assist in the  acquisition and construction of the project.   So being that it is a pay as you go request,  owner developer will pay all construction costs   associated with the project and it's only the  increment that is realized both with the sales   tax that is generated and the property tax that  is generated above and beyond the base value as it   exists today. that will be used to reimburse the  owner developer um for certain eligible expenses.   Again, owner developer assumes all risk, no risk  to the taxpayer. Uh the project is currently   estimated at about $41 million project. Uh we've  identified some of the maximum eligible amounts   that are uh eligible for reimbursement under the  community improvement district act and about 5.7   million redevelopment project costs eligible for  tiff about $4.5 million. So again owner developers   request the use on a pay as you go basis. City  will not issue any debt for the project. More   specifically kind of how this works right are  proceeds. So those CID sales tax proceeds as   well as the property tax proceeds will come into  the city, be held by the city and then dispersed   pursuant to a development agreement until the  maximum amounts in the development agreement   have been realized specifically because those that  development agreement will come to you in the the   purpose for this meeting here today is to set the  public hearings. Right? So those public hearings   are currently slated for August 19th, 2025. That  being said, it's recommended the city council   accept the C petition and adopt the resolution  setting the public hearings for August 19th,   2025. And I do believe we have representatives  from the applicant here in the audience today.   But otherwise, I'll stand for questions. Thank  you, Troy. Any questions from the bench for Troy? Seeing no questions, like to open it up for public  comment if anyone would like to comment on this. No one. I'll bring it back to the bench. This  resides in district Councilman District One,   Councilman Johnson's district. Thanks, Vice Mayor.  Looking forward to the public hearing on this.   I'll probably say more at the public hearing.  Um, I would move that the city council accept   the CO petition and adopt the resolution setting  the public hearing. Second. There's been a motion   and a second. Mr. Clerk, we open the role. What  do you have? Motion carries. 6. Mr. Clerk, please   call the next item. 2026 annual operating budget  and 2026 to 2035 capital improvement program. Mayor, oh, excuse me, vice mayor, members of the  council. Uh, good morning. I am proud to present   my 41st operating budget and my last uh to this  council. It's for the 2026 uh operating year and   fiscal year and we also to present the 2026 2035  tenure proposed capital improvement program. Oops. I want to thank the folks who have gotten us  to this point. First of all, the residents that   have participated uh through the participation  in the community survey, giving us feedback at   DAB meetings, and uh working through our online  simulator. Uh to date, we've received almost 750   uh uh survey, excuse me, um simulator responses  and uh and we are still encouraging people to   submit. I want to thank the council for all of  your hard work starting in January to this point.   I am extremely proud of the work that was done to  put the strategic plan together. If you see look   in the operating budget and also in the CIP, we  have that document uh incorporated into both of   those um plans. And I think it is um some of the  most exceptional work that I've seen the council   do in the 16 years that I've been here. And it's  provided us great guidance as we put the budget   together. And then I also want to thank all of  our employees starting with the finance department   and the budget office for the work they've done,  but all of our departments for developing tactics   that are in alignment with your strategic plan  and helping us get to where we are today. Just   a reminder, the community survey was actually  distributed last year and we received the results   in January of this year and those were discussed  with you. Uh the DAB meetings were conducted in   May. The simulator as I said uh is still open.  It'll be open through August 19th. And of course,   anybody that wants to follow the work that  the council's done to this point can get on   YouTube and uh look at videos from the our budget  workshops. The reminder of the survey results,   this is a graphic depiction of those results. Uh  what we've typically done in the past is focus   on this magenta quadrant. It's those services  that are ranked as high highly important to   our residents but where they believe we have  additional work to do and the quality of our   service is lower than desired. Uh the mayor talks  about this frequently. Economic developments,   street repair, affordable housing and homeless  services as well as crime prevention are the   most significant issues that the community  wants us to focus on. And the budget that's   being presented to you today does uh  focus on those uh uh important items. Uh just a real brief review on the strategic  plan. There were five budget workshops that   you conducted starting in January running  through June. Uh the strategic plan was a   specific focus in January, April and May. And  just a reminder that what we did in fact let   me go to this. We started with pillars which were  reflective of our mission statement. We then had   the council adopt goals which started to oper  operationalize excuse me the pillars strategies   that helped us uh move towards achievement  of the goals and then the tactics which are   the day-to-day activities or specific activities  to uh achieve your desired results and outcomes. graphic depiction of the budget process that I  just described. Your input from strategic plan   as well as community input and engagement  has moved us to where we are today with   the recommended budget which will hopefully then  move us in the direction of our highest priorities   uh as reflected in u by all all of that activity  by the council as well as our citizens. So let's   go to the mandatory pie charts. total budget is uh  almost uh well it's approximately $778 million. Uh   if you look on the left our uh we have three major  funding sources for our total operating budget,   our total budget. Charges for services, property  tax and sales tax. Charges for services are is   a significant revenue source because this portion  of the budget includes our utilities uh primarily   water and sewer. You'll also on the right see how  our money is spent or is anticipated to be spent   in 2026 with salaries and benefits being the  largest piece of that pie but contractuals and   debt service also rep representing significant  uh segments. The general fund which is really   considered our operating budget um at least for  our basic services. Property tax is the number   one revenue source which we've talked a lot about.  uh franchise fees and sales tax also contribute   significantly to that budget. It's a $342.8  million uh recommended operating budget for 2026.   A reminder uh that 76% of our total expenditures  would go to police, fire, and public works and   utilities in the operating budget. And uh if you  look at the categories that are funded, salaries   and benefits are the predominant take up the  predominant share of the operating budget at 76%. We're presenting to you today a balance  26 and a balanced 27 operating budget.   because of significant increases in  our property t our property valuations,   excuse me. Uh we believe that we can  get to the point of a balanced budget   for both of those years and still come  in with a half mil reduction for 2026. This simply repeats what I said  regarding being balanced through 2027.   I will point out that we are in good  financial position uh thanks to the   actions of not just this council but  previous council as well. Uh we have   uh over $50 million in our general fund  balance projected through 2027 and through   the end of that year we believe we'll still  have 31.7 million in the stabilization reserve. Long term as we try to project uh where we're  going after 2027, there are a number of factors   that uh can uh affect our uh projections. Interest  earnings, employee costs, any changes in service   levels, and of course um any um changes in  our or any unspending in the operating budget. Uh I apologize for the titles here. Um but  this is uh this represents our projections   uh for 2025 26 27 28 and 29. You'll  see that based on current assumptions   on revenues and expenses we're projecting  deficits in 28 and 29. But this is very   early um in the projection process and a  lot of things can happen between now and   even next year when you'll be reviewing  the pro uh the long range plan. Again, I will remind you that at the end of last year's  budget process, you asked us to look at a number   of efficiencies uh or efficiency and process  improvement projects. Those were the staff worked   diligently on those uh through 2024 and into early  2025 and uh we presented those to you in May. I   received some guidance. We adjusted some of our  thoughts and recommendations and now the adjusted   uh strategies are included in the operating  budget that's being presented to you today.   Just a reminder, uh what we did in terms  of process improvements included changes   in street maintenance, park maintenance, court  operations, and equitable management. Uh and   that's primarily our mid-level manager managers in  the organization. That will result in about $2.5   million in savings in 2026. And then we had some  budget reduction options that we shared with you   uh in May and June that will result in  more favorable health insurance rates.   I won't go through all of these,  but some other changes in um uh   programs that we don't believe will have  a significant impact on service levels. Let's get into the details about what this budget  provides the public. Um and again, a reminder that   the these are all reflected in your strategic plan  and what you wanted us to get accomplished over   the next two years. Uh this uh budget anticipates  that during the next year we'll have a cost   recovery study, an exhaustive one that will allow  us to adjust fees accordingly. Uh we're talking   about centralizing some of our financial services.  We are changing um our approach on community   engagement and we'll prepare a new plan for that  to be implemented in 2026. Uh we're uh doubling   down on our uh development program for our  supervisors because we understand their important   role in this organization. And then we're doing  a review of our employee benefit program to   hopefully modernize our employee benefits in  a way that's consistent with the desires of   our employees. So all of our employee groups  will be actively involved in that discussion. terms of the pillar on keeping Witchah safe. Uh  we're looking at working with Cedric County on a   pilot project to come up with a more comprehensive  approach to EMS service inside city of Witchah.   We are implementing the drone as first responder  pilot project in the Broadway corridor and hope   to see some great results in our ability to have  a quicker response to emergencies in the corridor.   Um primarily in terms of police response. Uh also  the next two items um are an effort by the police   department to be much more oriented towards data,  the use of data in fighting uh crime and uh more   importantly in crime prevention activities. And  the last is what an ongoing effort that makes   sure that our police department has the resources  they need to deal with behavioral health issues   that they encounter uh in the community,  especially among our homeless population. terms of growing our economy, that pillar,  um we are looking at revising our cultural   funding program and the formula that's used to  disperse uh funds to cultural agencies. We're   excited about implementation of the transit  uh study and the new network um that we think   will be much more effective u probably purging  some of the less effective routes and putting   in some new routes in place that will benefit  uh our riders. And then number of efforts on   affordable housing recognizing again that  is one of the community's top concerns. Also excited about the water reuse study and  hopefully coming up with a permanent solution   uh to the periodic droughts that  this community has experienced over   the years. Um want to get a little  more um analytical about our park   maintenance efforts and uh improving and  maintaining our park infrastructure. So,   we'll be refining a decision support tool for  park all of our park infrastructure. That'll   also be done in conjunction with or at the same  time as the update of the park master plan. One of the items under living well that's near  and dear to my heart is the desire to improve   our early childhood ready reading readiness in  this community. recognizing that our future uh   depends on how our kids read uh before they  get to kindergarten and definitely as they   progress through elementary school and and up.  Um so that's an effort that uh we're spending   more resources on in 2026. Uh another priority of  the council has been to play a meaningful role in   addressing homelessness in this community. And  this budget includes uh funding uh to continue   to assist with shelter and support services and  most importantly supportive housing uh to provide   um a more permanent solution for those who are  unhoused today. And then we're embarking on the   comprehensive plan update. That plan is a little  over 10 years old now and should be updated. So   that is all I have on the operating budget. Um  I do want to talk a little bit about the SMID.   um because it's going to be a little different  than it has been in the past. Um up until   um recently uh the mill levy has been at about  6.8 uh mills u for this the smid. However,   they have asked for that to go up to the maximum  amount which is 10 mills in order to implement a   clean and safe program for the downtown so that  we can improve not just the appearance but the   the feeling of safety for those who are regular  users in the downtown and as we see continued   growth Troy talked about that with a project  that will be that's anticipated around the biomed   center. We want folks to feel comfortable being  in the downtown all times of the day and night. Vice Mayor, I don't I I can stop there  on the operating budget or I can keep   going and go through the CIP and then take  questions on any of the documents. Up to   you. What's the will? Keep going.  All right. I'm on a roll. Thanks. um pie chart for the CIP. I always like to remind  people that we truly are a big business. This is   a three billion dollar 10-year plan. Um our  revenue sources are very diverse for the CIP,   more so than for the operating budget. Um,  I won't go through all of those sources,   but you'll see a number of uh local funding as  well as um outside funding sources that support   our CIP. Also very diverse in terms of how we  spend our funds, but a big chunk goes to our   utilities, water and sewer, also to our street  system, and uh to our um public facilities. Our debt service uh fund mill levy rate is seven  mills uh for 2026 and it'll slightly drop in 2027   in order to be able to shift some funds to  the general fund. Um again uh the council's   work in the strategic plan has guided the CI  CIP as well as the community investments plan   um which is we must comply with every year.  Our go debt is consistent with the council's   pre-established guidelines and all of our  fund balance meet u uh your uh benchmarks. Just a reminder that in preparing this um  CIP there are several factor se several   um strategies and goals from the strategic plan  that were um incorporated into the document. Um   I won't repeat these to you. You can read them  on the screen. But I just wanted you to know   that your uh efforts in the strategic plan uh  really guided us in the infrastructure planning,   not just the operating budget planning. Just a  few uh highlights from the CIP. This uh 10-year   plan provides for the construction  of two new police stations, nine new   fire stations, a significant fire apparatus  replacement, and a police training facility. It also um devotes significant dollars to the  upgrading of our city facilities, something   that I think has been ignored for a little too  long. Um, it allows for significant projects,   bridge repair and re rehabilitation projects,  an expansion project along K96, a number of   street improvement projects. I just highlight  a few here just because of their uh scope and   uh their cost. Some improvements on 13th  Street, 21st Street, Maple, and in downtown. You look at what we're doing out at the airport.  Sign significant amount of dollars put into the   replacement of existing pavement um runways  and taxiways. Uh consistent uh excuse me um   significant replacement of heavy equipment.  We're continuing to work with Cedric County   to look for opportunities to purchase equipment  together or share uses. Um and um although it's   been a little hard to identify um opportunities  that we know will work, we're still um continuing   that uh study. Uh significant dollars put aside  for replacement of our bus fleet and as you know   um always need to be diligent in terms of  improvements to our water and sewer system. terms   of living well. Um we this CIP I think emphasizes  a little more than in the past the maintenance of   cultural facilities that are owned by the city u  and operated by other uh groups. And then there is   a concept for a new sports complex in Dr. Glende  Dy Park um uh that is um in a out in a few years. That is what I have on the CIP. Let me just  go through the budget process a little bit   because this is important to note in terms  of what you're doing today and what you'll   be doing in the future. Uh the city's required  to I'm going to probably read from the screen   here to make sure I get this all accurate  because uh I want to make sure we all fully   understand the process. Um we're required  to publish an official notice setting the   maximum taxes to be levied by the by taxing  fund, the maximum expenditures by fund,   and the date of the official budget adoption.  city must notify the county clerk by July 20th   that there's an intent to exceed the  revenue neutral rate. Just a reminder,   any increase in taxes levied triggers the RNR.  Reducing the mill levy rate as proposed still   requires the city to exceed RNR. Approving the  intent to exceed RNR today is only a commitment   to hold a hearing on whether to exceed it uh which  is scheduled would be scheduled for August 26th. Uh notification of the intent to exceed the RNR   uh must be provided to the clerk. I've already  told you that without the notification of intent,   the timeline for this process changes.  And so if you don't approve that today,   then the final adoption will be moved to August  12th and available revenues will decrease by   11.5 million. This is just a quick table to  show you uh the taxes that were levied in 25   basically would be required to be the same  amount in 26 under RNR. And then what you're   proposing with the half mill reduction is the  $175.6 million uh taxes, property taxes levied. You have uh three hearings scheduled after  today. The first is an evening hearing on   August 7th. Also, there'll be another one,  a daytime hearing on August 19th. That's the   same day that the budget simulator closes. And  then you have your final hearing on RNR. the   adoption of the operating budget and adoption of  the capital improvement program on August 26th. So the recommended action today is to authorize  publication of notice setting the public hearing   for August 26, 2025 and establishing the maximum  tax levies and expenditure authority included in   the proposed budget. Approving the notification of  indication to exceed the revenue neutral rate and   the RNR public hearing date of August 26, 2025.  Approving the first reading of budget ordinances   and receiving and file the 2026 to 2020 2035,  excuse me, proposed capital improvement program.   U mayor or vice mayor, there's a reason the mayor  left because you have a very long motion that   you'll have to make that reflects all of this.  looking for volunteers. Well, I don't want to get   in trouble. I believe that's your responsibility.  So, um, with that, I am glad to answer any   questions regarding this document. Any questions  for the city manager? Councilman Hohheisle. Thank   Thank you, Vice Mayor. Um, a couple of questions  here. One, I did have some people reaching out   um asking about um the fire budget. uh the field  medical training officer. We have three positions   listed on there. Has that position been filled  over the last couple of years? I'm sorry, I   don't have that. Okay. Yeah, just a little bit of  clarification. We'll get information on that for   you. I appreciate that. And then also questions  about the fourth battalion chief positions. Um if   those have been added to the budget or not.  Um okay. The second thing is so this if we   approve this today that caps that locks in the  mill levy reduction. It does. Yes. At a half a   mill. It does. Okay. I'm not sure that that one's  been necessarily discussed fully on council here   the implications of that one. Um so I'm curious if  we continue that discussion later. Um, it doesn't   mean that we necessarily won't lower the mill  levy. I just don't want it locked in yet. So,   I'm just bringing that up. Um, if I could clarify,  the only way that happens is if you approve the   rate that is in existence today, I think then they  would have the ability to drop that in the future.   Is that right? Or they are they locking in on the  rate period the total? But if they were to lock in   at a higher total, they could have they still have  the ability to drop that which would include the   rate. All right, that's the only way they could  get that done. So either a significant discussion   today or you'd have to improve, you'd have to go  back to the existing rate. Okay. And the other   part of that is I brought it up before. I would  like to see more discussion on the homestead tax   rebate that's targeted towards senior citizens,  uh, disabled veterans and people who are in low   income brackets, property tax relief for them. I  think that's a lot bigger bang for the buck than,   um, lowering the mill a half a mill. So, um,  I guess we can chat about that a little more   later. Um, depending on what action you take  today, miss probably a good time to talk about   it today. Yes. All right. Thank you. One thing uh  you asked a number of questions and one of the I   expected you to ask one question that you didn't  and I forgot to mention it. I have seen a lot of   social media chatter regarding tree planting and  I just want you to know at the council direction   at our last workshop we put that money back into  the operating budget. So there is full funding as   there had been previously for tree planting. I  appreciate that. Yeah, Maggie is the tree lady   up here. So, I usually rely on her to ask those  hard-hitting questions. All right. Thank you,   Bob. Thank you. You, uh, Councilman Johnson.  Thanks, Vice Mayor. Bob, just one technical   question. In the recommended action, um, one of  the pieces is to set a maximum amount of taxes   levied for the city of Witchah at 175 million  or so. Is that based upon the 32.316 mills the   half mill reduction? Excuse me. Sorry, I see Mark  shaking his head. Okay. Yes. So if um just going   along with council member Hohisel's comment if  the council did say want to maintain at 32.816 would that number change? Would  that have to be mentioned today   in the motion or could staff like adjust  to that since it's not in the motion? I I   believe you have to make you'd have  to put that in the motion. Okay. So, the Well, what is that number then? Well, we'll get that for you, Mark. You have Okay. Thank you. Any other comments from the  bench? Questions? Seeing none,   we'll open it up for public comment. One  who'd like to comment on the proposed budget? Seeing none, we bring it back to the bench.  Questions or comments from the bench? Councilman Tuttle. Thank you. Um I just want  to make a a few comments. Um I I want to thank   Bob so much. Um I'm glad you're 41st budget is  going to be your best budget, right? I think that   um this is my sixth or seventh. I've been doing  it since 2019 and this has been the most robust   process we've had. So so glad to always have your  input and your expertise. Also want to thank our   friends in finance. I know that this is your  labor of love every year. Um it's coming to to   fruition. So thank you for all of your hard work.  I also want to thank all the departments and the   department heads within the city. Um sometimes  we fail to forget how much time and energy   they also put into this process. I like the new  process, how we developed it around our mission.   I think it gave everybody an opportunity to just  take a pause back and think about our mission,   think about it in different ways and all the ways  that probably every department contributes to the   four pillars. So I I was really impressed  with that process. Um I also want to thank   communications. They do so much to make sure  that the word gets out about the budget simulator   when we're having town halls, you know, when it's  going to be at our district advisory board. So to   our friends in communications, we probably don't  thank you enough, but always should. Um, and then   I always want to thank the community folks who  came to our district advisory board meetings who   contributed it to the community survey. Um, all  the folks who have given us feedback and input. It   really does matter. It helps us shape our budget.  And so without community input, we wouldn't have   the the product that we have today. Um, I have  said every year since 2019, where you allocate   your treasure is a reflection of your values and  voting on the budget is the most important vote   that I make every year. So, uh, I'm anticipating  coming to the finish line here with a budget that,   um, we can all be proud of. So, thank you so  much, Councilman Johnson. Thanks, Mayor. I have   a technical question for Mark. That question is  um you gave me the approximate number 2.7 million   would be added to the 175 if we maintained if you  added one more to that how much would that be?   One more mill to that. Yeah. Uh approximately  $5.4 million probably. Okay. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. I I would like to ask the  city manager in the future budgets,   CIP budgets. We just opened the second  phase of proc wetlands. Fabulous,   absolutely fabulous. Um recommend everyone  go out there and see it. But when you go   out there to see it, you want the two paths  to connect phase three. So, if we can find   uh room in the budget in the future, maybe  28 29 uh to put that in the CIP, uh I would   appreciate that and appreciate the discussion  on that. Any more comments from the bench? Councilman Johnson. Thanks, uh Vice Mayor. Um  before I say what I think about this, I do want   to thank staff for all the work that you have done  to address what you've heard from um us on the   council and come up with a budget that reflects um  what you were hearing specifically around reducing   the meal half a mill. Um I am not supportive of  that. I've given a lot of reasons publicly but   um I believe it is performative. I think one of  us said symbolic to give a $14 benefit to the   average resident and it I don't believe the $14  annually is worth the impact to local government   but with the services that we provide the demands  that we're hearing um and the quality of life   initiatives that people really depend on. Um, we  have went, my joke is always, we haven't increased   the mil levy since the greatest performer ever  performed in the Super Bowl, that'd be Michael   Jackson back in the early 90s. And now we are  looking at reducing it, I understand some of   the public conversation about property taxes, but  if the world has changed as much as it has in this   time and we haven't increased it to provide better  services and more resources for our residents,   to me, it just doesn't make sense to reduce  it. And again, for a symbolic $14 that you'll   eat up with a few gallons of gas or one pizza  or if you are someone who goes to Starbucks,   usually one of their drinks is like $28. So, I  think that um something performative like that   is not worth doing today. I do believe strongly  that we need to either increase the mill levy   or at least maintain to help this council, future  councils have an easier time serving our citizens   in the future. Just like councils in the past have  taken revenues and put it into the rainy day fund,   which is helping us now. Um, if we choose  to again symbolically do the $14 or $2.3 or   $2.7 million impact to the budget, that likely  is not going to change in the future. Even as   we've talked about a proposed sales tax, that  is up to you all, the voters, to say yes or no   to. We just put it on the ballot. If that doesn't  happen, we again jeopardize a lot of the services   uh with the city. And with so much of our budget  going to salaries, when those folks who are   emailing us telling us to cut, that means that  we will be letting people go at some point. Um,   I don't think that is what citizens really want.  There may be a few, but overall, I think the   majority of Witchah wants the investments in this.  So, I asked for some specific numbers because   I wanted to uh move that the city council raise  the mill levy, not cut the mill levy. Therefore,   my motion is to set the public hearing on the  revenue neutral rate and proposed 2026 budget,   including the tax increment finance districts  and self-supporting municipal improvement   district and the reertification for the Ice  Rink Century 2 sewer and affordable housing   funds. August 2 20 August 26, 2025. Authorized the  publication of the formal public hearing notices.   approved the first reading of the ordinances on  the general tax levy for the city of Witchah,   TIFF districts, and SMID. Authorize the staff to  make any technical adjustments required to comply   with the state statute. Set a maximum amount of  taxes levy for the city of Witchah at 183,71,326 based on an anticipated mill levy of 33.816   816 and an estimated assessed  valuation of 5 bill433,881,828. set the maximum amount of estim taxes levy   for the self-supporting municipal  improvement district at 1,396,024 based on an estimated levy of 10 mills and an  estimated assessed valuation of $139 million602   $418. authorized staff to notify the Cedric County  Clerk of the intent to exceed the revenue neutral   rate for the city of Witchah taxing funds and the  SMID taxing fund and receive and file the 2026   2035 proposed capital improvement program. There's  a motion uh Councilman Tuttle. Thank you. Could   you repeat that? No, I'm just kidding. Um, and  and I guess this is a question for council member   Johnson or for council member or excuse me for  legal and I understand we're waiting on a second   but can you just synthesize what your motion  was? I'm sorry I was trying to pay attention   but I'm I'm a I'm a I'm not an audio learning  learner. So what exactly are you proposing? In   short my motion was to raise the mill levy one.  So, not follow the proposed manager's budget,   but to change the manager's budget to have it  be an increase in it was to um not follow the   budget that came in with the half mill drop, but  to not only keep where we are, but add one. So,   what I suggested, I guess, would be a mill and  a half over what is being proposed. And legal,   correct me, we have a motion, and we're  anticipating a second. We have a motion. I   have not heard a second. That's what I mean.  We haven't heard a second. Okay. Thank you,   Councilman Hohisel. Thank you, Vice Mayor.  Um, I agree with much of what Council Member   Johnson has said. I don't feel like this is the  time to necessarily raise taxes in the mil. So,   I'm sorry you had to burn off all those calories  with that long long uh motion there. But, yeah,   I just want to just make a note. I can't  support any tax increases at this time. Uh, Councilman Johnson again. Yep. Thanks,  Vice Mayor. Um, just for clarification before   I continue, Jennifer, that motion did die for  lack of a second. Correct. That's correct. All   right. Thank you. I have a second motion. I  would like to move that the that we maintain   our mill levy rather than reduce it.  Therefore, I would move that the city   council set the public hearing on the revenue  neutral rate and the proposed 2026 budget,   including the tax increment finance districts and  the self-supporting municipal improvement district   and the reertification for the ice rink century  2 sewer and affordable housing funds August 2026,   August 26, 2025. Authorize public publication of  the formal public hearing notices. approved the   first reading of the ordinances for the general  tax levy for the city of Witchah. TIFF districts   and Smid authorize staff to make any technical  adjustments required to comply with state statute.   Set a maximum amount of taxes levied for the  city of Witchah at $178,31 301,326 based on an   anticipated mill levy of 32.816 816 mills and an  estimated assessed valuation of 5 bill433,881,828. set the maximum amount of taxes levied for  the self-supporting municipal improvement   district at 1,396 396,24 based on  an estimated levy of 10 mills and   an estimated assessed valuation of 139,139,62,418. authorized staff to notify the Cedric County Clerk  of the intent to exceed the revenue neutral rate   for the city of Witchah taxing funds and the  SMID taxing fund and receive and file the 2026   2035 proposed capital improvement program.  Thank you. And that would be the a motion,   correct? Since the first motion died, that would  be the motion. That is correct. Okay. I would like   to make a substitute motion. Vice Mayor, just so  I can make sure we're clear, council member, what   number did you use as the maximum amount of taxes  taxes levied? The maximum amount was 178,31,326 based on the meal levy that maintains where  we're at at 32.816. So, it may not make a   difference. I mean, depending how you  all vote, but I want to make sure that   number is accurate. It's actually, if you  would substitute this, it's a 178,318,266. I would like to make that change to  my motion. I'll second his motion. Okay, mayor. Point of clarification.  Legal. If this motion were to fail,   then we would be allowed to offer a  different motion entirely. Correct.   That's correct. Thank you. Am I allowed  to make a substitute motion right now? I've not heard a second on second. Oh, I did not  hear it and it's not showing on the screen. Okay.   There's motion in a second. I would like to make  a substitute motion. That motion is to take the   recommended action. set the public hearing on the  revenue neutral rate and the proposed 2026 budget,   including the tax incremental financing districts  and the self-supporting municipal improvement   district and the resertification for the  ice rink Century 2 sewer and affordable   housing funds. August 26th, 2025. Authorize a  publication of the formal public hearing notice.   Approve the first reading of the ordinance for  the general tax levy for the city of Witchaw,   TIFF districts, and Smid. Authorize staff to make  any technical adjustments required to comply with   the state statute. sent a maximum amount of taxes  levied for the city of Witchaw at 175,61,326 based on anticipated mill levy  of 32.316 mills an estimated   assessed valuation of 5 billion433,881,828 set the maximum amount of taxes levied  by the self-supporting municipal   improvement district at1,396,024 based on an estimated mill levy of 10 mills and  an estimated assessed valuation of 139 million   $62,418. authorizes staff to notify the Seduk  County clerk of the intent to exceed the revenue   neutral rate for the city of Witchaw taxing funds  and the Smid taxing fund and receive and file the   2026 to 2020 2035 proposed capital improvement  program. Second. There's been a motion and a   second on the substitute motion. Any comments?  Councilman, I have Councilman Johnson. My name   stayed there, but I will say um I am very  supportive again of all the work that staff   did and the programs and services we provide and  all of the wonderful people here at the city of   Witchah that work day in and day out to um make  local government more responsive to the community,   provide the services that are necessary. Um today  I cannot support this. I would be reluctant in   supporting something that maintains because I've  continually said that what I've seen over the   years is we truly need to invest more in these  services, but I cannot vote for a symbolic $14   benefit to the average widget that I know will  put some strains on local government in the   future. So, I will unfortunately not be supporting  this. It has nothing to do with our staff that   are full of incredible people doing incredible  things, but um the symbolic nature of this is   just something that I cannot support. Councilman  Hohis. Thank you, Vice Mayor. Um just a point of   clarification from staff. If this is deadlocked  at three, uh what happens to that motion? And   then if the other motion is deadlocked at three,  what happens? So on so forth. So, we have to have   council authority by the 20th. Is that right?  We have to file with the county by the 20th. So,   you'd have to have a special meeting if you can't  reach agreement today. I I think we do have the   mayor online and and she said she will vote.  Oh, okay. So, we will have a Okay. a majority. Councilman Tuttle, I keep doing that today. Thank  you. Um, I just want to clarify with legal because   I've had a few people asking me what's going on.  So, we had a substitute motion to decrease the   mill levy that failed. Excuse me. We had a motion  to decrease the mill levy that failed. Then we had   a motion to maintain and that then was offered a  substitute motion to have the proposed manager's   budget come to us. That's correct. Okay. I  just want to make sure that everybody here,   everybody who's watching online in their offices  and their homes because people are a little bit   confused. This is an interesting situation that we  haven't probably experienced in the past. So, just   wanted to make sure everybody's on the same page.  Thank you. That just to clarify, the first motion   Councilman Johnson made was to increase it by a  mill. Second motion was to keep the full valuation   of the assessed values. Substitute motion I made  was to take the half mill decrease. Thank you,   Councilman Glascock. Mr. Manager, just a quick  question again. This would be the first time in   nearly 40 years that the city council would be  reducing the mill levy. At least 30 years. 30   years if this were to pass right now. Right. Thank  you, Councilman Hohisel. Thank you, Vice Mayor. I   was wondering if uh the vice mayor would accept  a friendly amendment to lower the mill levy by a   quarter of a mill instead of a half of a mill. And  again, this could also um have further discussion.   It doesn't mean we're locked in at reducing it  just a quarter of a mill, but it would allow for   additional um discussion in the upcoming month. I  I appreciate that, but I'm going to stay with the   motion substitute motion made. Thank you,  though. All right. Any any other comment? Seeing none, we'll open it up. Have we  already moved public comment yet? We have,   haven't we? Yeah. Becky, just to confirm,  there was a second by council member Tuttle.   I just don't see. Okay. Was a second a  motion. A second. Um have opened it up   for com. Do we need to do it again  since a substitute motion? No. Okay,   they brought it back to the bench. So, Mr.  Clerk, will you please open up the role? Mayor Woo. I Okay, motion passes 5 to two. Thank you. Uh we'll we'll just take a quick 10-minute break. Okay, we'll take a five  minute break. I tell you what,   we're going to make it four  minutes. 11:20. Be back. Don't even have a vice mayor as fast as I de 2025 00008 proposed proposed amendment of the  city of Witchah 2035 urban growth areas map and   2035 future growth concept map as an element  of the community investments plan 2015 to 2035 good morning Scott Wadel from the planning  department so as you heard this item is to   consider whether to adopt amendments to the  Witchaw Cedric County comprehensive plan   here's the recommended action. It would update two  different maps that are contained in the plan. Uh   one is the Witchaw 2035 urban growth areas map  and the other is the future growth concept map. The comprehensive plan's title is the  community investments plan. It is a   guide and contains the two maps that are  being considered today. One of the maps   is mentioned the urban growth areas map.  It is advisory only. It shows where cities   in Cedric County expect to expand and  could provide services by the year 2035. The 2035 future growth concept  map is Witchaw focused and shows   the preferred growth pattern for Witchah. This process was initiated by the city council  in May of this year with a focus on the area near   55th Street South and Ridge Road. The recommended  action would remove the following area from the   Witchaw urban growth areas map and future growth  concept map. And the boundaries are 47th Street   to the north, Hoover to the east, 119th Street to  the west, and halfway between 55th Street and 63rd   Street south to the 63rd Street to the south. And  a note that this is in the unincorporated Cedric   County as of this time, but has been identified as  part of the Witchaw Urban Growth area. So, here's   another map with the list of the boundaries. Here  is a graphic that shows the location shown on the   urban growth areas map. So, it's outlined  in blue with the hatch marks. Here's what   the map would look like with that area removed.  Here's the location on the future growth concept   map. And likewise, here's a graphic that shows  what it would look like with that area removed.   As part of the analysis, staff did a review of  the area. The future land uses recommended in this   location are agricultural or vacant, industrial,  and commercial. Staff also looked at the following   features. Flood planes. There are some areas  located in the 100year area flood plane.   We also looked at the CIP and the CIP does not  program any funding for any of the following in   the area. Fire stations, police stations, or  roadway improvements. The location does have   an electrical substation located approximately  half a mile to the east. This is one of three   identified locations in Sedick County where  energy solar energy conversion systems can   connect to the larger electrical grid. The  CIP also does not program any funding for   water manes in this area. KDH records do show the  presence of contamination in the area and that   the contamination is in the process of being  remediated. The KDH records indicate that it   poses no unacceptable risk to human health or  the environment based on current conditions.   Staff also reviewed the proximity to airports  and the site is approximately two miles to the   south of Eisenhower airport. Here is a slide uh  that shows the review and consideration process.   This is also described in the staff report.  So here's the recommended action and that is   coming to you from the planning commission.  And with that, I'll stand for any questions. Any questions for Scott from the bench? I see no questions. I open up for public  comment. Anyone like to speak on this issue? See none. Bring it back to the bench. Oh, Councilman Glasco. Thank you, Vice Mayor.  With a motion, I move that the city council   adopt the ordinance approving proposed amendment  of the city of Witchaw 2035 urban growth areas   map and 2035 future growth concept map as an  element of the community investments plan 2015   to 2035. Sign the ordinance and authorize  the ordinance to be published. Second. There's been a motion a second. Open the poll. Don't see it on my screen, but  motion carries 6. Mr. Clerk,   will you please call the next item? DE 20250011 College Hill Neighborhood Plan. Good morning,  Vice Mayor and Council. Justin Constantino with   the planning department here to talk about the  College Hill Neighborhood Plan. Just a quick   disclaimer before I get started. The College  Hill Neighborhood Plan does not allocate any   funding for actions identified or recommended in  the plan. The recommended action this morning is   to approve an ordinance adopting the College  Hill neighborhood plan as an element of the   comprehensive plan. Authorize the necessary  signatures and authorize the ordinance to be   published. The boundary of the College Hill  neighborhood consists of one square mile,   Hillside Street to the west, Central  Avenue to the north, Oliver Street   to the east, and US 54400 to the south. The  neighborhood is bisected by Douglas Avenue.   Uh this item has been um definitely uh worked  through at the steering committee level. The   steering committee was formed back in November of  2023. Um since December of 2023 until April of 25,   the public steering committee has met 16 times.  The role of the steering committee member is   to assist in the development of the plan goals,  actions, and strategies, and help develop criteria   for setting priorities of the plan, review and  provide input on implementation strategies,   assist with public events, public open houses,  and communicate the status of the planning   process to stakeholders. The project kicked off  in earnest back in March of 2024 with a public   open house held at Grace Presbyterian Church.  Every resident in College Hill, excuse me,   every uh property address in College Hill received  a postcard. So over 3,000 postcards were mailed   for the event. We had over 150 attendees that  were signins. Um we had uh the event was break   uh broken up into two different sections, a round  table discussion and board engagement comments.   The board engagement comments were kind of come  as you go. That was the first hour of the event.   The round table discussion focused on smaller  groups where people were asked specific questions   about the neighborhood involving land use and  zoning, mobility, housing, pools, recreation,   community cohesion, schools, and education.  Following the public openhouse event, we released   a online public survey uh that was released on  April 19th. Uh there was a survey and a social   pinpoint map. The social pinpoint map was kind of  cool because folks taking the survey were able to   identify certain uh areas in the neighborhood that  they would like to see improved or things that   they liked. Uh a lot of uh responses on that 531  total responses were received prior to the survey   close date on June 3rd. Uh one aspect uh one  question that came out of the survey was regarding   the College Hill overlay. We asked if the  neighborhood would be in support of a potential   overlay uh down the road and we received uh 90%  of the neighborhood stated that they would be in   support of an overlay. The discussion this morning  is specifically focused on the neighborhood plan.   Uh the discussion on the overlay would potentially  come later. Um, in addition to the public open   house and the survey, we did hold community  engagement focus groups specifically for local   business owners, churches, and nonprofits, and  schools. We wanted to get as much feedback from   those groups as possible because we thought they  brought a unique perspective to the neighborhood.   That was also held at Grace Presbyterian Church in  June of 24. Uh, we had a second public open house   in the spring of this year on April 15th, again at  Grace. Uh, same process. Every property owner did   receive a postcard about that event. Again, very  well attended, over 150 attendees. The intent of   the project was to review the draft College  Hill neighborhood plan and then provide any   input on a potential overlay for the neighborhood  at a later date. The um online public survey, we   released a second online public survey for folks  that were unable to attend that public openhouse.   We launched that uh just a few days after that  openhouse event and it closed a few weeks later   on April 30th. The plan itself, the contents of  the plan, it is broken down into five chapters   with an introduction, a little bit of demographics  about the neighborhood as well as uh the community   engagement process that I just walked through. Uh  the plan recommendations, which I will go through   uh in a little bit, as well as what happens if  the plan is approved. How do we implement that?   The goals, strategies, and actions of the plan are  broken down into six different categories. Housing   mobility, land use, neighborhood character, parks  and public space, and community cohesion. This is   kind of the layout of what the plan looks like.  This is just an example. The image you see on your   screen is from the housing section. Basically,  uh each uh strategy is broken up into an action   uh followed by a brief description and then a city  department is assigned as a lead with a supporting   department. Um so uh for example a lead would  be um uh either the public works department or   the planning department and then support would  either come from another department or from the   college hill neighborhood association itself.  Uh mobility is another example of uh one of the   sections one of the strategies that was uh very  important to the neighborhood. What you see on   the screen here is the uh reduction of lanes on  routant to Oliver from four lanes to three lanes   with a turning lane in the center and two bicycle  lanes. This recommendation originally came from   the 2011 Douglas Design District streetscape  plan. So, one of the things that came out of   the steering committee was that they would like  to see this continued and to make Douglas Avenue   more pedestrian friendly. Land use design and  development. This section provides guidance   for staff and the development community as it  relates to future zoning cases. Uh the image on   the left of the screen is the existing land uses  found in the unified zoning code and the image on   the right depicts the desired future land uses  identified uh in the College Hill neighborhood.   The future land use map uh creates new land use  categories within the College Hill neighborhood,   specifically mixeduse office, neighborhood  commercial, and mixeduse commercial. Again,   these land uses uh on the right are a guide  for future development and don't supersede   the existing zoning code in the College  Hill neighborhood. If the plan is approved,   uh implementation, we will uh create an annual  implementation work plan. We've already started   that in the planning department. The work plan  will identify the tasks and activities that uh   were identified in the plan and the organizations.  Uh the planning department will work with other   city departments to make sure that the strategies  and actions uh identified in the plan are reviewed   on an annual basis. Uh that will help uh ideally  implement the plan. Um this will include specific   timelines, resources required and performance  metrics to track our progress on the development   of the plan which is valuable to both the city and  the neighborhood and we will be following up with   both the neighborhood association as well as the  steering committee on that. Uh this item has been   reviewed by the district advisory board advanced  plans committee MAPC and here we are today on July   15th for uh your approval. Again the recommended  action is to approve the college neighborhood   plan as an element of the comprehensive  plan and I'm available for any questions. Questions for my Councilman Hohisel. Thank you  Vice Mayor. Um just a question about process. So,   if there's a property that's currently zoned  one way, but then the the College Hill plan   or any neighborhood plan has it identified as it  being inappropriate and wants to zone it something   else. How does that process work out? Is it  grandfathered in until the property changes or So,   the future land use recommendations that are in  the plan would be used as a reference for staff   uh for their staff report. So, if there's a a  an instance where development is about to occur   in the College Hill neighborhood, obviously  staff would consult the unified zoning code,   but they would also consult the future land  uses uh preferences within this plan as   well. That information would go into the staff  report and be presented to the MAPC. Okay. So,   if a business decides to leave the shutter, let's  let's take like South Broadway for example. Sure.   Um where they want to eliminate uh car lots.  There's so many car lots along South Broadway.   when that property comes up and um comes up  for sale or any other possibilities like that,   does the reszoning automatically kick in or is  that something that would have to go through DAB   and council? If I could, sir, Scott Wadel from  the planning department. Uh so the future land   use map is a guide for when zoning cases uh come  forward and staff can use that as a tool to refer   to about whether or not to recommend approval  of that zoning case. It's not so much in this   case a tool that we anticipate uh seeing a  mass reszoning throughout the neighborhood,   but rather something that's just a  guide when individual zoning cases   come to the planning commission. Okay.  So it doesn't automatically kick in. It   would still have to go through the process.  That's correct. Yes, sir. Okay. Thank you,   Councilman Glascott. Quick question to that end  though because it's a guide and this that would   influence the recommendation from staff or Nile  based on that. Correct. That is correct. Yes. Thank you. Seeing no one else on the bench,   we'll open it up for public  comment. Like to comment on this? Seeing none, bring it back to the bench.  Councilman Glascock. Thank you, Vice Mayor.   I know there will probably be a motion coming.  I think there's a lot of great things in this   plan. I've read through every page, but there  are also some things that I don't agree with   um that I think are overburdensome property  owners. So, I hope a lot of these things can   take place, but I don't support all of these. And  because that influences staff's recommendation   before district advisory boards, before the city  council, I will not be supportive of this today. Councilman Johnson. Thanks, Vice Mayor. Uh before  I make my motion, I just want to say you did a   great job. Um all your work and the team's  work and I was trying to be a quiet a quiet   uh watcher in the back and just saw how you  worked with this group and I tuned in from time   to time. I'm really happy to see how this came  out. Um to council member Glascock's um point,   that was actually a good point or reason that  this was formed was council had to continue to   make these different decisions based upon what  was coming in College Hill and the neighborhood.   uh working with the neighborhood and  it's good to have an idea of what the   neighborhood as a whole is looking for and  the engagement, the postcards that went out,   the high attendance of all of these, it  will help guide future councils and staff   on what the neighborhood's actually looking  um to see happen in College Hill. So again,   I'm I'm proud of it. It turned out even better  than I thought it would. And again, great job   to you, planning department, and the teams that  we worked with. Um, I think this is going to be   really good and also provide some guidance and  opportunities for other neighborhoods that might   be looking to have plans. So, you might be busy  a lot in the next couple years hopefully. So,   uh, with that, I am excited about this. I would  move that the city council approve an ordinance   adopting the College Hill neighborhood plan as an  element of the Witchah Cedric County Comprehensive   Plan. Second. There's a budget motion in a  second. Mr. Clerk, we'd open up the roll, please. Motion carries 5 to one. Clerk,  will you please call the next item, HPC 202545, nomination for the Crownuptown Theater  to the Witchah Register of Historic Places. Good morning. Scott Wadel from the planning  department. So, uh, this item, as you heard,   is to consider whether or not to add  the Crown Uptown Theater to the Witchaw   Register of Historic Places. And so, just  a quick note, this is not a zoning case.   The recommended action is for the council  to take action as determined necessary.   The history of this item goes back to a resoning  application to increase the permitted occupancy   uh which was denied in February and a demolition  permit that the owner applied for also in   February. Currently, there are interim controls  that prevent issuing a demolition permit for   the site. Those controls are due to expire  at the end of August 4th. Here's a diagram   with an overview of the nomination and review  process which is described in the staff report.   Part of the review process included consideration  of the historic qualifications of the site.   The Witchaw Historic Preservation Board found  that it meets the criteria to be listed on the   Witchaw Register and the vote at their meeting for  this was 5 to zero. A report about the theater,   its history, and qualifications is attached  to the staff report. The Crown Uptown Theater   at 3207 East Douglas was constructed in 1928. It  is not listed on the National, State, or Witchaw   Registers of Historic Places. It is identified  as an undesated historic resource by the city of   Witchaw. Here's an image of a newspaper page from  when it opened and some images of the theater. The analysis uh for this also included review  of plans and policies. The planning commission   determined that the listing is consistent with  adopted plans. The vote at their meeting was 8   to2. A question has come up during this process  about whether a structure on the Witchaw Register   of Historic Places can be demolished. The answer  is yes, but it requires additional review. That   review process requires consideration by the  Witchaw Historic Preservation Board. The board's   decision can be appealed to the city council. Two  recent examples of similar processes where this   occurred included the warehouses in Oldtown that  were demolished or are planned to be demolished   and apartments north of downtown that were also  requesting per permission for a demolition permit. So in terms of considerations, any vote to  list the property on the Witchaw Register of   Historic Places will require five out  of seven votes. On Friday, July 11th,   the owner filed an objection to the  listing in writing with the city clerk,   which per the municipal code requires a twothirds  majority vote for approval of including it on the   register. So again, the recommended action is  to take action as determined necessary by the   council. This is a public hearing for this item.  And I would also point out that Robin Gib Gibson   with Faulk Architects is here today and available  for any questions. Robin conducted the research,   compiled the photos, and prepared the report about  the history and qualifications of the theater.   And so with that, I'll stand for any questions.  Thank you, Scott. Any questions from the bench? Seeing none, we will open it up for public  comment. Would anyone like to comment on this? Good morning. Is it still morning? It is barely.  My name is Anne Garvey and I'm a community I think   I'm considered an arts activist uh referred to as  a passionate preservationist in a recent article,   but and I am. Um, and before I begin my  remarks, I wanted to express my gratitude,   my deep appreciation for the words that Mr.  Brandon Johnson spoke this morning in with who   has the courage of his conviction to express so  eloquently his objection to our compliance with   the new federal demands coming essentially from  the executive order. But thank you for that. And   thank you for that too, Maggie. My own convictions  have brought me here this morning. It's my   conviction that we must not see the destruction  of one more extremely valuable building,   the Crown Uptown Theater. I'm here today as, as  I said, not as a passionate preservationist. Yes,   it can be designated historic. That will not  keep it from being demolished. I have seen   triple designated historic buildings torn down  and replaced with hideous structures here. Now,   what I'm arguing is the bigger picture, the  long-term picture, how significant this place   has been for nearly a hundred years until the last  two years. I've tried to estimate how many events   and experiences I've had at the Crown since moving  to Witchah. And here are some of the things I've   been to there. The Tallgrass Film Festival, dozens  of theatrical performances, plays, concerts,   dance recital, your children's dance recital, book  readings, business Christmas parties, political   rallies, a funeral, a wedding, a class reunion.  I've seen jazz, R&B, classic music concerts there.   There have been art exhibits, anniversaries, and  celebratory gayas there. In other words, the crown   is an extraordinarily valuable and extremely rare  venue. We do not have many stages in Witchah. And   this serves a perfect medium model for it. It's  a third the size of a concert two uh Century 2   concert hall, half the size of or of the Oreium,  larger than Mary Jane Teal. There just aren't   very many performing places for our enormous arts  community. It's been a great use to Witchah until   the current owner closed its doors pretty much to  the Witchaw community. Now, for those of you who   believe that a privatelyowned property must not be  tampered or interfered with by others, let me ask   you this. If you knew of a child who was being  neglected, abused, or threatened, would you not   feel compelled to act on that child's behalf?  This is how I feel about this building. I feel   morally obligated to stand here in front of you  and beg that it not be demolished. It will never   be returned. It can never be replicated. We cannot  do this again. We will lose a very valuable place.   I know it's been gone for two years. We haven't  had it for two years. But look at the long-term   plan. If we if you had something of value, you  must not see it go away forever in perpetuity.   never have the opportunity to see and experience  beautiful events there, happy experiences. You   know, art changes people's lives and it saved my  nephew when he restored it claims that art saved   his life and he dedicated himself and spent a lot  of money doing a lot of work within that building. Now, do you any do you all get the the shout  which is our art newsletter? It's free to you.   If you look at that, you can see how gigantic  our art community is and thereby how enormous   our art community and uh audience is. Now,  I'm just imploring you to don't take this   away forever. if you you know it's a stop gap  to put it on the historic register but we must   think in long terms of what how valuable this  place is and I ask that you stop this continual   demolition of beautiful buildings important  places we need this we college hill needs it   the whole city of Witchah needs it thank you so  much for your attention this Morning. Thank you,   Anne. Council member Tuttle, thank you.  Um, Miss Garvey, I would like to say that   you are not an arts advocate or an activist.  You are the arts at activist. So, thank you   for being here today. I really appreciate your  comments. It did spark a question for Scott. So,   Scott, if you could possibly join us  again. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you, Scott. This is and I appreciate you  meeting with me last week. Um I think it was last   week, right? Um this is a really hard one for me.  So I want to ask some clarifying questions based   on comments from the speaker. Um and I know  we had an opportunity for questions before,   but this just came up. So I I think it's  timely and I hope my colleagues will be   okay. So today the vote is whether or not this  building goes on the historic list. Correct.   That is correct. Voting for it to go on the  historic preservation doesn't mean that it   can't be torn down. That is correct. We are  not voting on whether or not the building can   be torn down or not. That that is correct  in nature. Uh I will explain though that   uh there is a pending demolition permit uh that  is per currently being pursued that has a stay of   180 days which will expire at the end of August  4th. Uh if this property is not placed on the   historic register uh then my understanding is  that there's no reason to deny issuing granting   that demolition permit and so the property owner  will have the authority to demolish the site.   It does not mean that it will be demolished, but  it simply means that that permit will be issued. Thank you, Council Member Glascock. Thank  you. Also, question for Scott. Even in   this period where there's been a hold on the  demolition permit, if the applicant, let's say,   demolished the building yesterday, they would  only faced $150 citation by the city. Correct.   Uh, I'm not sure that I can  confirm or deny that one. So,   uh, there would be penalties,  but I'm not sure to what degree. Vice Mayor, Council Members, Chris Labram, MABCD.  Good morning and thanks. Appreciate the chance to   to clarify that. Uh, as that came up last time, we  didn't get very deeply into that. So to to ensure   we cover all of that, uh we would go out if we  noticed that the building was under demolition,   we would go out and stop that action. So if a  contractor was to undertake that, uh the potential   of their licensing except insurance, some of those  things may be in jeopardy. So that would be the uh   that would really be kind of the enforcement arm.  But as you pointed out in the last discussion,   sir, the our code is not oriented to stop someone  from this action with their own building. So   the penalty, for lack of a better term for that  would be an increased fee. Our normal fee for a   demolition permit is $50. That fee would increase  to $150 once they had proper permissions in place   to proceed with the demolition. So that was the  only penalty the property owner faced up until   August 4th. Correct. Okay. Second question, I  don't know if this would be for you or Scott,   probably Scott. What additional prohibitions would  be placed on the building if this was placed on   the registry? Sure. So, um, just one moment. I  want to make sure I get to the right code here. There would have to um so what would happen  is that uh work that would modify the exterior   or damage or destroy the building uh would be  required to and that is work that would require   a permit or some action on the part of the city  uh would require a certificate of appropriateness   uh first and that depending on the scope of the  work either can be approved administratively   if it's something minor we just saw some  examples of those at the Witchah Historic   Preservation Board yesterday where they were  doing some AC work or something like that   um or something major where say they're replacing  they intend to replace windows or change the   facade in some way uh the the minor ones can  be approved administratively the major ones   require review by the historic preservation board.  The board then has the authority to deny a permit   for one of those activities and if the property  owner uh disputes that or wants to continue or   pursuing that, they can always appeal that then  to the city council. So, you've seen that in   terms of demolition permits, but it would also  apply to possibly uh I don't know, permits that   would somehow affect the exterior. So there would  be additional prohibitions placed on it that were   not in place when the property owner purchased  the property in a manner of speaking. Yes. And   processes that go with those. Yes, sir. Thank you,  Scott. Thank you, Council Member Rick Johnson.   Thanks, Mayor Scott. real quick. Um, if something  was also listed on the historic register of pl or   witchah register of historic places, does that  offer up them the ability to get any additional   like incentives to maybe get some dollars to  help out with investment in the property? U, not   so much on the Witchita register. However, uh, if  they can if it can get listed on the national and   the state registers, uh, then there are uh, tax  incentives that come with those. So, uh, federal   and and then state taxes. Uh, likewise, it, uh,  would make the property eligible potentially for,   uh grants or something like that. However, I  do want to indicate that I've not seen one of   those come through for in some time. So, I don't  want to get anyone's hopes up on those, but the   the tax incentives is certainly available. Okay.  Well, it's always better to be eligible than not. Okay. I don't see anyone else wanting to speak  or do Okay. Afternoon yet? Not yet. Good morning,   guys. Mike Brown with the Crown. Um I I think  we all know why we're here. We We bought this   property and found out things that were not there,  even though it has been said publicly by folks on   your council that we knew what we were buying.  Um the the piece of code that you guys are using   here with this list that was created in 1991  is 42 pages long. It has over 700 properties on   it. I wonder how many people in Witchah that own  those 700 properties know that their properties   on this list and what the possibility of control  is that the council can put on them to do with   their private property. I don't know how many of  you have read the constitution, but in the fifth   amendment, it talks about regulatory takings. It  talks about imminent domain where someone takes   private property for public use and that owner is  compensated. In my opinion, and I think that the   Supreme Court has looked at it in some levels,  that this is a regulatory taking effort by the   city council. You're putting restrictions on a  private property that were not there at the time   it was purchased. They do not show up in title  work. They were not present at all. I've been,   you know, in the middle of a of litigation with  a neighbor over use of our building, and that's   here nor there. But I've had communication from  them in an email that the only reason that this   was brought to light was because I underestimated  them and they made you guys aware of it. Now,   whether that's true or not, it doesn't matter.  The problem is is that you've got private property   being controlled or an effort to be controlled  with no compensation to me. Now, there was someone   that spoke up here earlier that the venue's been  closed for two years. That's clearly not true.   We've had Clint Black, Terry Clark, Paulie Shore,  multiple artists through that deal. We hosted the   Panda Awards where we gifted back $1,200 of their  fee for a scholarship in perpetuity that we'll do   as long as we're around. So for for you guys to  come in and restrict the use of this building for   it's been owned by multiple people that have lost  quarter of a million dollars a year and great that   they had all of these things that people enjoy  going to. But this is a business. This isn't a   museum. It's not a publicly owned building. It's  not subsidized by the city. You guys just admitted   that by placing this on your registry there's no  financial incentive for me to agree to this. Look,   if can we go back and look at the photos that you  guys showed of the building that that were from   the history? Is that an option? Can we see that?  Is who's in control of that? Can we do that? Mr.   Clerk, you can put those up. I mean, there's and  the reason we're here is because of a capacity   issue, right? So, the planning commission has  approved it twice for political reasons. I believe   that it has been denied. There's not any Can we  go to the interior photo from 1928? Keep going. Thank you for this. There should there's There we go. So, that's what  that building looked like in 1928. There are 1500   people in seats there with no voice actuated  fire alarms, no strobe lights. The building   is built out of non-combustible material. Now, I  don't see why other than just a few people that   are complaining about us moving this property  forward with the capacity we need. You guys   have the ability to save this building. It's  not economically feasible to operate it at   the capacity that it's at. We've hired engineers,  architects that have expressed that the code says   that it'll support what we've asked. We've had  drones in the air that have reflected what the   parking was like when we had 860 people in there.  You could still park on Douglas at 8:30. We have   a property owner across the street that controls  160 parking spaces. Private property. They can do   with it what they want. But after 6:00, no one's  allowed to park there. None of their tenants are   open after 6. Again, private property, their  rights. Just like my rights with our property,   we should be allowed to do with it what we  see fit as an investment, not what a group of   people that don't own it want to tell us what  to do. There's no public use involved here.   There's no public compensation. If the city would  like to do something with it, buy it. It's all I   have to say. I think it's a taking. I think it's  a forceful control of real estate. It impacts our   ability to develop it. I've had multiple people  that have looked at it to buy it. However, with   a historic designation and restriction on that in  that market, it's not viable. So, I ask you to do   what's right and follow the Constitution and do  what you're elected to do and support the people   of Witchah and property owners. Thank you for  your time. Thank you. I have a question for you,   Mr. Yes, sir. Mr. Johnson, you asked for a permit  to allow 2,000 people, correct? And you said there   was 1500 at that time. At that time, would you be  open to negotiations, a number less than 2,000,   closer to 1500? So, is that something that you  guys can make that decision today? Can you enter   into a motion? No. No. It it be it'd be something  between you and basically a neighborhood. Oh,   the neighborhood doesn't vote on this. And and  I've I've you know, there's 8 10 people that have   been out actively trying to unhook our parking  agreements from property owners. So, I I've I've,   you know, I've met with enough property folks  in that area. I've made every effort. Uh,   we've presented every piece of evidence to  support what we want to do and it's just not   economically viable and I and from everyone we've  talked to, there's no real parking issue. Um,   so I'm willing to listen, but so far nobody's  come to the table other than to try to tell   us what to do. Councilman Glasco. Thank you, Mr.  Manager. Regardless if this passes or fails today,   what could be the next steps for the  property owner to either bring another   application before this body? I know that  we can't vote on an application today. What   would be the next steps? What's the timeline  regardless of whether it's a yes or no vote? Yes, sir. Um, this property is a little bit unique  in that the zoning, the custom zoning that was   created for this property is what restricts uh  the occupancy as well as fire codes and building   codes. But it's unique that the zoning code has it  for this um because the application was considered   and uh failed to increase it. Uh they have a 12  month basically cooling off period before they can   submit another application. If it is substantially  different then they can submit it in six months.   Uh ultimately if there's any questions about  whether or not it's a substantial difference,   it will be referred to the planning commission  for them to determine whether or not it meets   that criteria. How close are we to six months  or 12 months? Um I believe my notes indicated it   was February of this year when that was decided.  So they would have 12 months from that date. So   August or actually I beg to differ. It may be from  the council date or it may be from the MAPC date.   Okay. U one of those two. So it would be within a  range of a couple months of that you're looking uh   the applicant could come back around August or  September if it's a substantially different if   subst if found to be substantially different. Yes  sir. In that six-month period of time if it's not   substantially different they would have to wait  till February March. That's correct. Yes sir. Thank you. Anyone else would like  to publicly comment on this? I   have a question for Scott. Is that an  option? No. No. Okay. Thank you though. Good afternoon. My name is Connie Staley. I've  been a educator in Kansas for close to 30 years.   um recently moved to the Witchaw area by Garden  Plane and um I've brought so many students,   administration, parents to the Crown Center  from rural areas to where those students didn't   get that chance in those areas and I would  hate for anything to happen to the crown. I've never done this before so I don't  know if you doing great questions. Any   questions for Connie? No. Thank you.  Would anyone else like to speak on this? Arthur Allen concerned citizen and neighbor. I've  all spoken I've spoken with all of you before. Um   one thing I would ask is the vice mayor would  allow the um presentation that was prepared by   the architecture firm that I witnessed at  the historical preservation board meeting   as well as the MAPC which no one else spoke of  and the owner and none of his representatives   respected either of those bodies enough to be  present. So I would like it you all because I   don't know whether you actually looked  at those slides and that presentation   that we as taxpayers and you asked to have put  together. she's here. You have the information,   but it's really important that we look  at beyond the property rights situation   and the greater whole. I'm sorry, Mike. Sorry I  didn't laugh at you. Thank you very much. You're   welcome. They would have the same fiveminut  opportunity that anyone else would have. Is there anyone else that would  like to speak on this issue?   Seeing none, I'll bring it back to the bench. Scott, sir, if I if I may, um, there were  questions about the scope of what level of   review is required afterwards. I was able to find  the citation in the code and I just want to make   sure that uh you understand that a certificate  of appropriateness is required as I described   but that a certificate of appropriateness uh  does extend to projects that do not require a   permit which proposed to alter features which  have been defined in a district's preservation   guidelines as requiring protection. Um, and so I  I just want you to understand that not only is it   um things that the city does issue a  permit for, which I'm very familiar with,   but it would also extend to uh the features uh  that do not require a permit, but do make this a   distinct and historic structure. So, I want you to  I just want to make sure that I convey to you the   full breadth and scope of that requirement. Okay.  Thank you, Scott. Council member Title. Scott,   don't go too far. Thank you. I'm sorry. I know I'm  working you today. I I just want to make sure that   I completely understand, everybody completely  understands. This is the first time I've been   through this process in my my time on council. So,  for this to pass today would mean if it passed,   it would go on the Witchita Register of Historic  Places. Correct. Correct. Yes. And that would   require five of six votes because there's only six  of us here today. Correct. It requires five votes.   Yes. Correct. Okay. So, if it went on the Witchah  Register of Historic Places, the owner could   still demolish the building if his permit were  approved. That is correct. Yes. I just want to go   on record. This is a very hard vote for me. Um, as  someone who is incredibly supportive of the arts,   um, culture of our community, historic, I see I  see that, but then I see the other side, too. Um,   I also would like to just state for the record  that I know many of my colleagues were able to   go and meet with Mr. Brown and take a tour. Um,  I have had no expart communication with with the   owner applicant at this point. So, thank you for  answering all my questions. Thank you. Are there   any other comments from the bench? Seeing none, I  do have one. Um Ted Morris owned that building for   a long time. I went to a lot of plays. Life could  go to plays. Went to a lot of plays. Had Christmas   parties from the clothing store there. Um it's  a great building. Um but there is the issue of   property rights. I do value that. Be my hope  that Mr. Brown would engage in another process   of bringing it back to the bench to MAPC and to  the bench uh to preserve that building and and   use it for uh betterment. So, Councilman Glascock,  thank you, Mr. Vice Mayor, Mr. Brown. I've said   this multiple times from this bench. I hope that  we save this building. I hope that we choose to be   good neighbors in this community. This building  means a lot to people in this room. Means a lot   to me. I have a lot of memories there as well.  Um I think value can be subjective but property   rights are not. And I hope that somebody from this  bench stand up for my property rights if someone   was trying to exert influence over my property  without my consent as well. So that's why I will   not be supportive of adding this to the registry.  hope that as a community we can find a solution   to save this building because I do believe it has  significance to our community and that is why I   will not be adding to the registry. Okay, Council  Member Johnson. Thank you, Vice Mayor. Um, today's   action is about the register of historic places.  I won't relitigate the original application, but I   will highlight just for this body and others that  the concerns were not necessarily just parking.   There was a huge public safety concern and if  you go back to the MAPC meeting and look at some   of the questions and conversation capacity  also had to do with building code and fire   code and so some of the numbers being requested  weren't realistic anyway. Um but those concerns   of safety were a big part of the earlier piece.  Aside from that I am supportive of this. So,   I would move that the city council uh enact by  ordinance putting the property on the Witchaw   Register of Historic Places, sign the ordinance,  and authorize the ordinance to be published. Second. There's been a motion and a  second. Mr. Clerk, please open the role. Motion is defeated. 33. Mr. Mr. Clerk,  I'd like to take a a poll from the bench.   You like to stop for lunch or just keep  going? Council member Johnson. Thanks,   Vice Mayor. With that motion failing, I would  move to defer this item to the July the August   5th evening meeting. The item we just voted on.  Yes, it failed. It did not pass. It did not fail.   So I would like to move it there where we will  have a full body. I would ask legal. I think it   failed. Legal. What's the took five votes? It  would it would take the prevailing party to be   able to revisit it and there's no prevailing  party. That's correct. May uh Vice Mayor,   that's correct, Council Member Tuttle.  The motion's failed. I don't believe the   motion the action can be deferred at this  time. So previously when that had happened,   if there was a substantially different motion,  it was allowed. So is that not the case? And   that is substantially different because it  would just have to be within this meeting. I wish we had another member on the phone.  With that said, lunch. Keep going. Couple more. Keep going. Okay. Mr. Clerk,  please follow the next item.   Approval of insurance brokerage service contract. Good afternoon, Vice Mayor, City  Council. I'm Heather St. Pierre with   the Finance Department Risk Management  Division. The item before you is the   uh approval of our insurance  brokerage services contract. Let me see if I can get this to move. The risk manage the risk management division  in the finance department is responsible for   protecting city assets. Often this involves  seeking insurance coverage and the city's place   needs for placement are varied and complex.  To assist staff, the city uses an insurance   broker to facilitate market access, manage  any claims processes, and to mitigate risks.   The city ensures over 1 billion in property assets  every year. Excess coverages for general liability   and workers compensation are also placed annually.  Specialized insurance lines include cyber art and   coverages for the airport which are also placed  each year. On February 8th, 2025, the city issued   a request for proposals for insurance brokerage  services. Five responses were received. A staff   screening and selection committee with members  from finance, law, the city manager's office,   and airport reviewed the proposals and  conduct conducted interviews. The staff   screening and selection committee recommended  IMA due to their experienced professionals   with market access and specific knowledge in  specialized fields. emphasis on risk mitigation,   particularly through contract review, and a local  presence with a highly accessible local approach,   including investing two times the industry average  in value added client services. The proposed   contract is for one year with four additional  one-year renewal periods. The law department   has approved the contract as to form and it is  recommended that the city council approve the   selection of and contract with IMA Financial  Group. And with that, I'm happy to answer   any questions. Any questions from the bench?  Seeing none, I'll open it up for public comment. None. I'll bring it back to the bench. With that, we'd like to I'd like to make  the motion to approve the selection of   the contract with IMA Financial Group and  adopt the amending resolution and adopt the   necessary signatures. Second. Been a motion  and a second. Clerk, please pull up the role. Motion carries 6. The clerk, next item, please.  Design concept supplemental agreement number four   and funding for 29th Street North and Broadway  intersection. Uh good afternoon, Vice Mayor   and Council. Steve Denhart with Public Works and  Utilities. Uh the item before you seeks approval   for design concept supplemental design agreement  and funding for the 29th Street and Broadway   intersection. A little history. Back in July 2021,  the council approved an agreement with Garver to   evaluate the existing traffic conditions in an  area bound by uh Broadway on the west, hydraulic   on the east, and 25th and 37th streets on the  north and south. Uh the evaluation considered   multiple items uh including existing and future  traffic counts, crash history and existing lane   configurations at the intersections along  those corridors. Uh that study uh of the that   information spanned a 10-year period and evaluated  again traffic accidents uh for those corridors and   from that this heat map was generated. So to  kind of orient the map here, Broadway north is   to the top and Broadway being on the left and 29th  being on the bottom there. So uh want to draw your   attention to the lower lefthand corner. That's the  29th Street and Broadway intersection. And you can   tell by the heat map there. There were significant  number of crashes at that location compared to all   the other uh intersections that were evaluated. uh  went into a little bit deeper evaluation of those   crashes to figure out, you know, what was going on  at that intersection and identified uh primarily   there that you know over a third of the crashes  were related to northbound and southbound left   turn crashes. So uh from that then we we viewed  that this intersection would be a good candidate   for the uh K DOT's highway safety and improvement  program funding and as a result uh applied for   that funding and the project was then created as  a separate project standalone from the other 29th   Street uh improvements that you've previously  taken action on between Broadway and hydraulic.   Um the project again, we submitted it earlier  this year on the HSIP funding and hope to hear   within a month here on Kot's um official word on  that application. But we we feel we're in a pretty   good spot with that uh with that application. uh  traffic counts uh at that intersection just under   15,000 uh total currently and the split between  both Broadway and 29th it's about 5545 in favor of   uh Broadway and so future traffic counts being  just under 19,000 vehicles per day for the future   and I might also add to that uh not only did we  apply for the HSIP funding but you know earlier in   fact just last month the whole Broadway corridor  for from Ponyie to the south and I235 to the   north which is just north of 37th Street here was  applied for for the uh safe streets for all grant. Just a look at some of the existing conditions  out there. Each each uh leg of the intersection   is four lanes. Uh no no left turn lanes at all in  either direction. And I think this picture here,   this is uh north of the intersection looking  back south. I think this uh picture really   illustrates why we really push for the that  center left turn lane. Uh as if you take the white   vehicle there looking the same direction as the  camera uh assuming they were making a left-hand   turn there and while the uh dark car looking back  towards the camera while also trying to make that   lefthand turn. This white vehicle cannot see the  oncoming traffic in the other lane. and that's   one of the big factors that contributes to such  a high number of uh left turn related crashes. So the proposed concept uh will reconstruct  the intersection, modify the lane configuration   uh including left turn lanes on all four  directions and that does include the   uh east leg of the intersection  there where the railroad tracks are.   Just the white arrow doesn't show up very well  on this, but um at least my screen, but the um   uh new intersection left turn lanes which will  be uh opposite each other which uh add uh create   a better line of sight to see oncoming traffic as  well as new it will replace the existing traffic   signals and those traffic signals will include the  accessible pedestrian signals. uh on June 29th uh   2025 district 6 advisory board approved the design  concept and supplemental design agreement number   four has been prepared uh for final design. So  with that the design fee to date which includes   the original design study uh or original study and  design of the 29th Street Broadway to hydraulic   corridor improvements is just over $822,000. This  supplemental agreement number four is $54,530. 57 of that is for waterline design along  that 29th Street corridor and is funded   through the arterial mains budget. The other  $447,000 is for the design of the 29th and   Broadway intersection which brings the total  design fee to date to 1,300 thou $327,043. So the existing project budget for 29th and  Broadway is $500,000 was approved earlier   this year and is funded by local sales tax. The  adopted 2025 2034 CIP includes $1 million in 2025   and staff recommends initiating the full amount  for RI revised budget of $ 1.5 million. Uh the   adopted CIP also includes $1.5 million in 2027 for  a total program budget of $3 million. And again,   pending uh the outcome of our uh HSIP funding  application, this amount would be split between   KOT and city of Witchto. Uh so with that,  it's staff recommends that the city council   approve the design concept, revise budget and  supplemental design agreement number four,   adopt the amending resolution, and authorize  the necessary signatures. And I'd be glad to   answer any questions. Thank you.  Are any questions from the bench? See none, open up to public speak on  this if they'd like to. Seeing none,   I'll bring it back to the bench. This ride resides  in council member Ballard's district. Thank you,   Vice Mayor. I would like to take the recommended  action approve the design concept rise budget   supplemental design agreement number four.  Adopt the amending resolution and authorize   the necessary signatures. Second. There's  been a motion and a second. Mr. Clerk,   please open up the role. Motion carries.  6. Mr. Clerk, please call the next item. Public housing recovery agreement status report. Good afternoon, Vice Mayor, members of council.  Sally Stang with the Housing and Community   Services Department. For the record, the item  that I have for you today is just an update,   a monthly update required by HUD on our recovery  agreement. Little history. And January 7th,   2025, the housing authority board entered into a  recovery agreement with the Department of Housing   and Urban Development due to the low uh public  housing assessment score. And HUD is requiring a   status update report be presented to the Witchaw  Housing Authority Board monthly. The recovery   agreement includes actions related to improving  the physical condition of occupied dwelling units,   repositioning the remaining public housing  properties, and providing an update on the capital   fund projects. So, under improving the physical  condition, all required maintenance plans,   inspections, and work order monitoring reports  have been and continue to be submitted to HUD   as required. And the HUD Real Estate Assessment  Center inspections were completed May 19th through   May 23rd, 2025. And the preliminary scores from  those inspections are 100% and 93% respectively.   Uh repositioning public housing, we currently  have a 21.5% occupancy rate. uh we stopped   leasing units as they vacated and this occupancy  rate has driven much of the low score for foss   because three of the four scoring areas are driven  by occupancy numbers. Approval of that final   disposition application was received on June 20th.  To date 177 properties have sold, 24 are pending   sale and we provide a detailed disposition report  which is attached to the agenda report. We provide   that to you. We also provide it to HUD live in a  shared repository. Uh closings have slowed down   as HUD's taking much longer than usual to release  the declarations of trust. I my discussion with   them on the phone yesterday as they are hoping  to get us the declarations of trust releases we   submitted at the beginning of May by the beginning  of August. It is a challenge um because we can't   move forward until those are received with those  closings. Uh strategies for the remaining units um   are to update the affordable housing fund plan to  provide subsidy for the south city units um that   are to be sold as affordable rentals currently  occupied by some of our largest families in our   community and units within the flood plane as  those are going to be challenging to reposition.   Uh requests for proposals will be issued without  subsidy for the Arnold and Country Acres clusters.   There is tremendous interest in both of those  clusters with all remaining units to be sold on   the open market staggered not to flood the market  and after the occupants relocate. We had our first   um 12 units from this last group hit the market  Friday late afternoon and by mid or late morning   and by midafternoon we had had already received an  offer to purchase all 12. So they are definitely   moving fast. capital fund projects. The roof  replacement uh project on 10 units is complete.   The renovation of seven of those units down in  South City is 95% complete. We've got renovations   underway on seven units in the country acres  cluster and that's about 10% complete at this   moment. And we received another allocation of  capital funds for 2025. So, we're working through   uh planning for additional roof replacements and  targeted investments in those units that are going   to be most challenging to reposition. There is no  impact to the general fund. The monthly update is   uh to the Witchaw Housing Authority Board  is required by the recovery plan and it is   recommended that the Witchaw Housing Authority  Board receive and file the recovery plan status   update report for July 2025. And I stand for any  questions. Any questions from the bench for Sally? Council member Hohisel. Thank you, Vice Mayor.  Glad to know your button still works. Yeah. I   think I'm at a minimum for speaking so far today.  Um, uh, could you briefly touch on some of the,   um, the updates to reflect the Inspire language?  So, um, HUD has changed from housing quality   standards or the real estate assessment uh, system  standards, two different standards they had um,   to the national standard for the physical in uh,  inspection of real estate. It is a new criteria.   It covers very similar to the other standards,  but they're trying to to devise more consistency   across programs. So, the Inspire voucher standard  comes into play on October 1st of this year and   the Inspire standard for public housing came  into play two years ago. So, they're moving   forward with that. Okay. Is this just um something  strictly related to section 8 and HUD homes? It is   strictly related to um units that are subsidized  by HUD. Okay. I I did sit in on a presentation   a couple of months ago, I believe, at the  housing conference, and it's pretty interesting   um how it works out, and it's something maybe  we should take a look at as far as adopting   um even in our own codes because it does give a  little flexibility. Um it tries to standardize   it across the board. and that way something looks  one way to one inspector and it looks a different   way to another inspector. So, it's really um  interesting how how they've pivoted to this. So,   um yeah, I was just curious about that and  um maybe we have a presentation on it we can   send to the other council members as well.  Sure, I can definitely forward information   that shows what those criteria are when we're  inspecting a residential housing unit. Okay,   I appreciate that. Thank you. You're welcome.  Thank you. Not seeing any more council members on   the board. Open up for public comment if anyone  would like to comment on this. Seeing none,   I'll move it back to the bench. This this is  very important to me and I so much appreciate   Sally and her team's efforts on this because  affordable housing is so important especially   to solving the homeless situation. So, thank  you Sally. With that, I move to receive and   file the HUD recovery agreement status update  and public housing disposition update report for   July 2025. Second. There's been a motion  and a second. Mr. Clerk, open the roll. Motion carries 6. With that,  we will move to council member   appointments. Does anyone have any appointments? Seeing none, we'll move to council member  comments. Council member Tuttle. Thank you.   I know that we're at the end of a long meeting,  even though it isn't as long as I thought it was   going to go today, but I just wanted to highlight  an event that's happening on Saturday that I'm   quite proud of. Um, our child care licensing team  along with child start and McConnell Air Force   Base are offering a free CEU event for child  care providers. Uh, childcare providers who   participate from 9 to noon on Saturday at child  start can get up to three free KDH CEUs in child   care. And that's wonderful. But the true purpose  of this event is there's a need that most people   aren't aware of. our servicemen and women across  the nation or you know our region when they come   to McConnell for their trainings for the weekend  oftentimes they have to bring their kiddos and   they don't have access to child care during  the weekend hours and so it takes a special   training it takes special certification it's quite  a complicated process because you're working with   the US military our child care licensing team  along with childstart can provide the content   expertise to help child care providers who want  to do this navigate through the process. So,   it's really asking our child care providers in  the community to step up to help our United States   military so they can be trained. So, um this is  something that's very unique. Other military bases   across the nation are already asking questions  about it. Um we have 27 child care providers   who are registered for Saturday to be able to  learn more about this unique opportunity. So,   just a big thanks to ChildStart, to again the city  of Witchaw childcare licensing team, McConnell Air   Force Base, and then also our communications  team. Tomorrow at 10:30, we will have a media   briefing just to let the community know about  this event. So, thanks to all and wish us luck,   Council Member Tuttle, and thank you for the  work on child care. We appreciate that. I would   also like to thank Council Member Johnson and  Tuttle for helping me get through this meeting.   again. And uh, Council Member Johnson. Thanks,  Vice Mayor. I just wanted to let Bob know that   I I let you off easy today because you said  this was your 41st budget and I was going to   joke about having probably 41,000 pie charts  and I was going to have 41 questions for you,   but I let you off easy today. I'm  going to thank you for that, too.   Uh, with that, do I have a a motion to adjurnn  the I will make the motion to adjurnn the meeting.   Second. There's been a motion and a second  to adjourn the meeting. Please open the role. Motion carries. 6. Thank you.