District 3 Advisory Board

District III Advisory Board Minutes for April 3, 2013 District III Advisory Board Minutes April 3, 2013 www.wichita.gov The District III Advisory Board meeting was held at 6:30 p.m. at the Wichita Water Center at 101 E Pawnee; nine District Advisory Board members were in attendance; seven City staff and 10 members of the public were present. Members Present Members Absent Eric Bell Danny Johnson Jody Bennett Terry Brewster Staff Present Paul Davis Officer Justin Whyte, Patrol East Elena Ingle Officer Vickie Kern, Patrol South Wendy Ratliff Jennea Noel, Park and Rec David Robbins Kay Drennen, Environmental Services Roger Smith Mark Cowel, WFD Connie White Jordan Hargadine, WFD Council Member James Clendenin Janet Johnson, Neighborhood Services Guests Listed on the last page ORDER OF BUSINESS At 6:33 p.m. Council Member Clendenin called the meeting to order. Minutes from the March 6, 2013, meeting were approved. PUBLIC AGENDA Scheduled items No items Non-Scheduled items No items STAFF REPORTS Community Police Report Officer Vickie Kern, Beat 24, Patrol South, reported it’s been fairly quiet on her beat with no burglaries and only a few larcenies. She said Patrol South did a special assignment in Old Town over spring break and arrested four underage drinkers; they did a seat belt special assignment at South High, and even after announcing it issued 20 citations. They also ran two prostitution stings last month and have another one planned. Officer Justin Whyte, Beat 32 Patrol East, reported the 34 Beat experienced a hot spot with burglaries last month and three arrests were made. He reminded everyone that the Walk Against Gang Violence is slated for April 20th. He said Patrol East did a special assignment at Towne East on auto larcenies, but no arrests were made. Roger Smith wanted to know if that was a routine assignment; Officer Whyte said it’s the first time that Patrol East has done it, to his knowledge. Officer Whyte reported the 32 beat has been quiet with only larcenies from autos, bicycle thefts, etc. Connie White brought up recording serial numbers and Whyte said it’s important to have a list of serial numbers of your valuables in case of theft. 1  District III Advisory Board Minutes for April 3, 2013 Paul Davis asked what law enforcement agency drives around in unmarked, dark Impalas. Officer Kern said probably Sheriff’s Warrant Officers. One citizen asked if the police were going to do an auto larceny sting at Wal-Mart or Dillons; Officer Kern said possibly. Wichita Fire Department Report Mark Cowel, Firefighter, reported in March there were 13 fires; 10 were accidental and three are still under investigation. He reminded everyone that most fires are cooking-related and that 80 percent of the Fire Department’s calls are medical. He also announced the Crime Stoppers fundraiser Guns and Hoses is slated for April 21st. Action: Receive and file. NEW BUSINESS Social Hosting Ordinance Staff Sergeant Jamie Baxter, Stand Together Coalition, presented a proposal for the City of Wichita to adopt a Social Hosting Ordinance. She said there is a social hosting issue in Wichita, and while there is a State Statute against social hosting, it’s very vague and difficult to prosecute. Baxter said the Stand Together Coalition has been working with the Wichita Police Department and they would like the City to adopt an ordinance similar to what Lawrence has. Paul Davis asked if a City ordinance would mean they don’t have to go through the District Attorney for charging; Baxter said yes. She went on to say the Coalition has met with the new District Attorney and he supports the idea of a local ordinance. She said he is willing to pursue charging via the State Statute, but is realistic about its limitations. Roger Smith asked how long the Coalition has been organized; Baxter said since 2003. Connie White asked if the ordinance would come through the police department or the City Council; Council Member Clendenin said it would come to the Council for approval and adoption. White asked if it would be appropriate for DAB members and citizens to contact Council Members and let them know they support the ordinance; CM Clendenin said yes. Elena Ingle asked if this was another ordinance that would just get stuck in court; Baxter said she didn’t believe so. A youth from the audience asked if the Coalition was going to go to the high schools and get student input; Baxter said they hadn’t really considered it since it’s already illegal for youth to consume alcohol. Council Member Clendenin said if the Ordinance does end up being adopted; it would be good for the Coalition to do some education in local high schools. Paul Davis asked if it would be possible for fines resulting from Social Hosting Ordinance violations to go back into the project to be used for enforcement instead of just going into the General Fund; Baxter said it would depend on how the ordinance is written. Baxter provided packets of information and asked those present to fill out the pledge form and turn it in. Action: Receive and file. 2  District III Advisory Board Minutes for April 3, 2013 Water Conservation Tips Kay Drennen, Environmental Services WATER Center, informed everyone that the City of Wichita is very interested in receiving public input on how the drought should be dealt with. She said there will be several community meetings, but the one for District III is scheduled for April 17th at 5:30 p.m. at the WATER Center. Drennen had compiled more than 100 ways for citizens to conserve water; the list will soon be posted on the City’s website at www.wichita.gov Jody Bennett asked Drennen if she is working with City forestry on how to replace the needed tree canopy. Drennen said they are looking at water responsible ways of doing that. She said she would much rather see water going to trees instead of lawns. Dave Robbins asked what the best time of day is to water a garden; Drennen said between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. – 10 a.m. at the latest. Roger Smith asked if the City is going to continue to charge citizens more for using less; Council Member Clendenin said the new water rate structure was adopted last year and people who are using less should pay less. Jody Bennett said she thinks we should start rationing water whether it rains or not; she said it needs to be treated as a special resource. Roger Smith wanted to know if it’s true that people with a sprinkler system are automatically charged more; Drennen said it could appear that way due to people irrigating paying sewer charges on that water if they don’t have a separate meter for irrigation. She also explained the tier billing system and average winter consumption. A youth in the audience commented that she didn’t think it was fair that a large family would have to pay more for water than a small one; Drennen said it would probably work to their favor because they would use more water in the winter, which would make their summer rate lower. Connie Klassen said the City planted a number of ornamental trees along Hydraulic Street, and due to the drought, several of them are dead now. She wanted to know how often those trees are watered. Drennen said the City typically tries to water new trees for the first three years. Council Member Clendenin said with the construction of the new bridge at Broadway and 34th, they will be planting all native trees and plants so water won’t be such an issue. He also noted that the City’s water issue is a very complex one, and encouraged citizens to attend the meeting on April 17th. UPDATES, ISSUES AND REPORTS Council Member Clendenin acknowledged yesterday as Election Day and said it was the end of a very long three months. He said he will be actively seeking input from citizens regarding their opinions of things that could be done better in the District and things that may have been neglected. He challenged each of his DAB members to do a police ride along and to spend some time with the fire department. Roger Smith said he believes the solution to crime is to have harsher punishments. He suggested a Tent City similar to that of Sheriff Joe Arpaio in Maricopa County, Arizona. 3  District III Advisory Board Minutes for April 3, 2013 Council Member Clendenin said he arranged for a citizen and DAB tour of the sewer plant and it proved to be very information. He said if anyone is having a problem with a City service, they need to contact him so he can find out what’s going on and either get it fixed or get answers. He challenged citizens to come up with ideas to combat crime and blight. He also reported a failed attempt to foreclose on the Battin Apartments; the owner paid the $200,000 plus back property taxes and was therefore able to keep the property. Council Member Clendenin said he plans to reach out to the property owner and see how they can work together to get the apartments rehabbed and rentable. Eric Bell asked the Council Member how he wanted ideas on crime and blight to be presented; he said citizens can call him, e-mail him, or set up a meeting. Roger Smith reported there has been bulky wasted dumped in the northwest corner of Cessna Park. Council Member Clendenin said we need to figure out as a community what we’re going to do about illegal dumping. He said the City Manager believes that whoever owns the property that is dumped on should be held responsible for removing it – that the City doesn’t have the resources to keep picking up bulky waste. The Council Member doesn’t believe this is a good response because it doesn’t teach the illegal dumpers anything, it just punishes property owners. Dave Robbins said the issue of bulky waste is why neighborhood cleanups are essential in keeping neighborhoods looking good. He also said when you look at the current price of milk and gasoline per gallon; it makes him very grateful that water is a public utility and not a private enterprise. He also announced that the City Manager’s Review Board may start having public meetings and it would be nice if police supporters showed up, not just those who are disgruntled with police. Elena Ingle said she recently attended the County DAB meeting and Sheriff Jeff Easter was the guest speaker. She said he explained the current jail was built to house 1, 207 inmates and currently they never have less than 1,400. She encouraged everyone to support the Police Department and the Sheriff’s Department. Paul Davis reported three junk tires laying on the corner of 31st and Broadway and expressed his annoyance that none of the adjacent businesses (that deal with tires) had bothered to dispose of them. Wendy Ratliff announced Planeview’s clean up is scheduled for May 11th and that they will soon be taking applications for the Planeview Activity Camp for Kids. She said it will run from May 28 to July 19 and the hours will be from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Terry Brewster said he won’t be doing the ride along because it would irritate him even further. He expressed frustration with crime, the way the laws are written, and the judicial system. He also shared a couple of personal stores that exemplified those frustrations. Connie White said she recently had to contact the Office of Central Inspection regarding an illegal dump and she was very pleased with their response. She also asked what to do about a nearby apartment complex that is causing some issues in the neighborhood; CM Clendenin said for her to contact him. Connie Klassen announced the South Area Neighborhood Association will meet next Monday at 7 p.m. at Cedar Chapel. Julie Marshall reported a number of areas of concern in the South Central area and she also commended Officer Kern for her hard work on some difficult situation. 4  District III Advisory Board Minutes for April 3, 2013 Tom Strickland shared some observations he had when working construction at some area correctional facilities. Council Member Clendenin suggesting having Sheriff Easter speak at the next DAB meeting and possibly the new District Attorney Marc Bennett the following month. He asked Janet Johnson to set that up. Meeting was adjourned. The next meeting for District Advisory Board III will be held at 6:30 p.m., May 1, 2013, at the Water Center at 101 E. Pawnee. Respectfully submitted, Janet Johnson, Neighborhood Assistant – District III Guests Tom Strickland Betty Strickland Pat White Jamie Baxter Julie Marshall Tracey Glover Lateka Foreman Darla Venskus Connie Klassen Hazel Drummond 5