District 3 Advisory Board

District III Advisory Board Minutes for July 8, 2015 District III Advisory Board Minutes July 8, 2015 www.wichita.gov The District III Advisory Board meeting was held at 6:30 p.m. at the Wichita WATER Center, 101 E. Pawnee, Wichita, KS 67211; Vice Mayor Clendenin, six District Advisory Board members; two City staff and nine signed in members of the public were present. Members Present David Robbins Connie White Staff Present Bruce Gass Case Bell, Community Liaison Paul Davis Mark Manning, Finance Gerald Henry Eric Bell Vice Mayor James Clendenin Guests Listed on last page Members Absent Marjorie Griffith Elena Ingle Terry Brewster ORDER OF BUSINESS At 6:30 p.m. Vice Mayor James Clendenin called the meeting to order. Minutes from the June 3, 2015 meeting were approved. The agenda for the current meeting was approved. PUBLIC AGENDA Scheduled Items Geri Watts, Wichita Independent Neighborhoods, presented on the Neighborhood University Conference on August 8th. A DAB Member suggested that if you can’t attend the whole event that you buy a ticket and split it up among neighbors. Off-agenda items Terry Klapperich, Sunflower Community Action, spoke regarding the Sunflower Community Action’s new local radio station which will play on 95.9FM and will reach all of Wichita. DAB? Is the Sunflower Action Group a non-profit? A: Yes it is. 1  District III Advisory Board Minutes for July 8, 2015 NEW BUSINESS Scheduled Items Jeff Fluhr, President of the Wichita Downtown Development Corporation, presented an update on downtown development. Since 2014 263 residential units have opened with 55 residential units currently under construction or planning, there have been 510,000 convention or tradeshow attendees. 2014 saw $122 in retail sales. There is currently three million square feet of occupied office space. The population of downtown is currently over 1,800 and 38 projects have been completed, as well as over 6,000 downtown workers. Downtown is approaching $1 billion dollars in investment over the past decade. DAB? What is going to happen with the Crest Building? A: It’s going to stay and it’s already occupied. A DAB Member reported that compared to what downtown used to be, it is a pleasure to walk in Wichita but it still seems like a lot of buildings are vacant. Jeff Fluhr reported that there is over 400,000 square footage in downtown and the trend is moving from top to bottom. That is why it still seems like there is a lot of empty buildings, but that is slowly changing. A DAB Member noted that it is a lot safer now than it was 7-10 years ago. Mark Manning, Finance, presented the City Manager is in the process of coordinating the development of the 2016-2017 Proposed Budget. To date, a City Council workshop and two Social Media Town Hall events have helped define priorities and develop ideas to incorporate into the budget. Additional community input is being sought at District Advisory Board meetings to define final priorities and ideas that will ultimately be incorporated into the 2016-2017 Proposed Budget. DAB? What happens to the money that is budgeted for unfilled positions due to retirements? A: The retirement system is a separate trust fund that can’t be accessed to fill budget shortfalls. If a position goes ufilled, the City saves the money that was planned for the position. Unspent money goes into the reserves at the end of the year. Public? How can people who don’t use social media give feedback? A: Attend community meetings and with one on one interactions with elected officials and staff. BOARD AGENDA Vice Mayor James Clendenin reported that illegal dumping funding will see a bit of an increase to help with pick-ups. Vice Mayor James Clendenin reported that at the last council meeting, the Council also directed staff to find $2 million for transit. A DAB Member noted that many people who ride the bus cannot afford a car and they need the busses. Without an increase in routes it makes it difficult for people to get back on their feetl DAB? Will there be a sales tax proposal? Vice Mayor James Clendenin: It’s something that was discussed, not a large tax just maybe a 0.1% sales tax to provide a steady funding source to transit. Vice Mayor James Clendenin reported that body cameras will be on all officers by December 31, 2015. DAB? Is there an update on the search for a Chief of Police? Vice Mayor James Clendenin: We are waiting on a full restructuring of the department before hiring is completed. 2  District III Advisory Board Minutes for July 8, 2015 Meeting was adjourned. The next meeting for District Advisory Board III will be held at 6:30 p.m., August 5, 2015, at the WATER Center located at 101 E. Pawnee. Respectfully submitted, Case Bell, Community Liaison – District III Guests Beth Rush Lonny Wright Geri Watts Terry Klapperich Heidi Pena Alusia Smith Catherine Johnson Jimmie Conrad Olive Conrad 3