City Council

City of Olathe City Council 100 E. Santa Fe | Council Chamber Tuesday | June 3, 2025 | 7:00 PM 1. CALL TO ORDER Present: Bacon, Vogt, Gilmore, Schoonover, Felter, Vakas, and Essex Others in attendance were City Manager, Michael Wilkes, Deputy City Manager, Susan Sherman, and City Attorney, Ron Shaver. 2. BEGIN LIVE STREAMED SESSION – 7:00 P. M. 3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Mayor Pro Tem, Marge Vogt, presented a flag that had flown over the US Capital and thanked Mayor Bacon for his decades of service to the City of Olathe. Mayor Bacon thanked Ms. Vogt and made brief remarks on what the last 30 years of service have meant to him. 4. SPECIAL BUSINESS A. Presentation by Johnson County Commissioners Allenbrand and Ashcraft. Johnson County Commissioners, Michael Ashcraft and Shirley Allenbrand, provided a presentation to the council. Councilmembers Essex and Schoonover asked clarifying questions about the proposed transportation plan for the World Cup, and Ms. Allenbrand provided details on the plan. Councilmember Felter asked about affordable housing in Olathe. Commissioners Allenbrand and Ashcraft both provided their perspectives on housing. Mayor Bacon thanked them for all they do for Olathe. B. Consideration of Resolution 25-1054 creating a new Street Maintenance Sales Tax (SMST) Finance Oversight Committee and Page 1 of 6 City Council Meeting Minutes June 3, 2025 appointing members . Mayor Bacon presented certificates to the committee members and thanked them for their willingness to volunteer with the City of Olathe. Motion by Vogt, seconded by Gilmore, to approve resolution 25-1054 as presented. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: Bacon, Vogt, Gilmore, Schoonover, Felter, Vakas, and Essex 5. CONSENT AGENDA The items listed below are considered to be routine by the City Council and may be approved in one motion. These may include items that have been reviewed by the City Council in a prior planning session. There will be no separate discussion unless a council member requests that an item be removed from the consent agenda and considered separately. Councilmember Vakas asked for item D to be pulled and considered seperately. Approval of the Consent Agenda Motion by Council Member Vogt, seconded by Council Member Gilmore, to approve the Consent Agenda with the exception of item D. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: Bacon, Vogt, Gilmore, Schoonover, Felter, Vakas, and Essex A. Consideration of approval of the City Council meeting minutes of the May 20, 2025 council meeting. approved. B. Consideration of renewal license(s) as recommended by the City Clerk. approved. C. Consideration of business expense statement for the City Manager Michael Wilkes, Mayor Bacon and Councilmembers Essex, Vakas, Felter and Schoonover to visit federal delegates May 13-15, 2025 approved. D. Consideration of Resolution No. 25-1055, PLN25-0003, requesting the City’s consent to the enlargement of the Consolidated Main Sewer District of Johnson County, Kansas for Pioneer Park, located northwest of College Boulevard and S. Woodland Road. Councilmember Vakas asked for this item to be pulled to allow staff to provide a presentation. Chet Belcher, Chief Community Development Officer, provided Page 2 of 6 City Council Meeting Minutes June 3, 2025 clarification to the council on the item. Motion by Vogt, seconded by Gilmore, to approve item D. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: Gilmore, Schoonover, Felter, Vakas, Essex, Bacon, and Vogt E. Consideration of Consent Calendar. approved. F. Consideration of the Professional Services Agreement with Westnet, LLC for Fire Station No. 9 project, PN 6-C-013-23. approved. G. Consideration of Second Amendment to Site Lease with T-Mobile USA, Inc. approved. H. Consideration of award of contract to SealMaster for the replacement of a crack seal machine for the Street Maintenance Division of Infrastructure. approved. 6. NEW CITY COUNCIL BUSINESS Councilmember Schoonover stated June is Gun Violence Awareness Month, encouraging gun owners to keep their guns locked up. Mr. Schoonover also stated that June is Pride Month and stated Olathe is a welcoming community to all. Councilmember Essex stated she appreciates Mayor Bacon for all he has done for the city. Councilmember Gilmore congratulated Mayor Bacon for his years of service to the city. Councilmember Vogt thanked the fire department and congratulated Deputy City Manager Susan Sherman on 36 years of service. Councilmember Felter spoke about the stormwater cost-share program. Dr. Felter also asked City Manager Michael Wilkes for an update on the roof caving in at Toni's Italian Restaurant. Mr. Wilkes stated he would get an update to the council. Page 3 of 6 City Council Meeting Minutes June 3, 2025 Councilmember Vakas thanked the mayor for his service to Olathe. He also noted Olathe is an inclusive community. Mayor Bacon noted the Summer Concert Series started last Friday. 7. END OF LIVE STREAMED SESSION 8. GENERAL ISSUES AND CONCERNS OF CITIZENS No comments heard. 9. CONVENE FOR PLANNING SESSION If report items are present, they have been prepared for informational purposes and will be accepted as presented. There will be no separate discussion unless a Councilmember requests that a report be removed and considered separately. A. DISCUSSION ITEMS 1. Discussion regarding UDO Section 18.50.190 pertaining to Downtown Signage. Jessica Schuller, Senior Planner, provided a presentation to the council. Councilmember Schoonover stated he wants to see a strong definition of what a sign is in the UDO. Councilmember Vogt wanted to ensure that the signs support the business they are on and do not market for other items. Ms. Vogt also asked for clarification on the oversight process and about murals. Ms. Schuller provided the current process for sign approvals and stated that murals will not be looked at with signs but the art committee is looking into them. Councilmember Gilmore clarified that the changes to the UDO will be for the downtown area. Ms. Schuller stated that was correct. Mr. Gilmore also noted he wants the city to be flexible with businesses to help them be successful. Councilmember Felter stated she is excited about the updates and agreed that she wants flexibility for businesses too. Dr. Felter also suggested having a sign tool kit to help businesses understand and visualize what would be allowed. Page 4 of 6 City Council Meeting Minutes June 3, 2025 Mayor Bacon is supportive of the proposed changes and asked clarifying questions on how the ordinance would work. Ms. Schuller stated city staff would use it to look at proposed signs for size requirements but would work with businesses if they wanted staff's input on how to get the most out of their signage. Councilmember Vakas asked if there is a design ethic for downtown. Ms. Schuller stated that the closest the city has is the Downtown Revitalization Plan. 2. Discussion on housing recommendations and strategies. Kim Hollingsworth, Planning and Development Manager, and Chet Belcher, Chief Community Development Officer, gave a presentation to the Council. Councilmember Vakas emphasized the need for a clear plan and defined goals moving forward. Mr. Belcher responded that staff is exploring ways to move the needle. Councilmember Vogt acknowledged that all proposed initiatives could be viable but noted the importance of reviewing the financial implications. Councilmember Felter expressed support for the initiatives and said the Council can contribute meaningfully to the plan, stressing that addressing the “missing middle” is essential for Olathe. Councilmember Schoonover voiced concern that the affordable housing threshold should be set below $300,000, as even that price point results in high monthly payments. He also asked for clarification on attainable housing options for smaller lots. Ms. Hollingsworth explained that certain home designs are restricted due to current lot size regulations. Councilmember Gilmore remarked that attainable housing in Olathe will require action from the dais. He also offered Page 5 of 6 City Council Meeting Minutes June 3, 2025 suggestions to staff on how to approach the issue. Mayor Bacon noted that the upcoming budget discussions will include significant conversation around what can be done to advance affordable housing. 10. ADDITIONAL ITEMS Councilmember Vakas stated he was honored to represent the council at a Memorial Day event last week. Councilmember Vogt reminded everyone about the wicket tournament on Friday. Councilmember Gilmore stated that the Internal Audit Committee met with the new city auditor. Mayor Bacon noted the upcoming changes to meetings regarding public comments and recording of meetings. Mr. Bacon asked Ron Shaver, City Attorney, to see what other municipalities are doing regarding public comments at their meetings. Mr. Shaver stated they could look into what they are doing. Councilmember Gilmore feels the full meeting should be broadcast. Mayor Bacon and Councilmember Vogt also feel recording the full video is what they want to see. There was a general consensus from all councilmembers to stream the full meeting, including planning sessions starting on July 1, 2025. 11. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 9:24 PM. Eric Strimple Assistant City Clerk Page 6 of 6