District 3 Advisory Board

District 3 Advisory Board Minutes Wednesday, December 1, 2021 • 6:30 p.m. WATER Center, 101 E. Pawnee, Wichita, KS 67205 • Zoom and Facebook Video of meeting: https://fb.watch/9DVPKmuA4a/ • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Order of Business The District 3 Advisory Board meeting was held at 6:30 p.m. at the WATER Center, 101 E. Pawnee, Wichita, KS 67211. DAB members, staff/presenters, and residents also had the option to participate virtually via the platform Zoom, and the meeting was live-streamed on the District 3 Facebook page. Council Member Jared Cerullo and nine DAB members, four City staff, and four members of the public were in attendance. The current agenda and minutes from November 3, 2021 were approved. Members Present Staff Present Catherine Johnson (Zoom) Officer Atlee Vogt, Wichita Police Department Cindy Miles (Zoom) Sean Jones, Library (Zoom) Daisy Olivar Mark Stanberry, Housing & Community Services Emily Fogg (Zoom) Gerald Henry Maddy Campbell, Office of Community Services Jessica Lucas Richard Ruth (Zoom) Ron Tracy Bentley Jaxon Young (youth member) (Zoom) Members Absent David Kapaun Joseph Shepard Michael Loop • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Staff Reports 1. Wichita Police Department DAB 3 • December 1, 2021 • Minutes • Page 1  Community Policing Officer shared district and city-wide statistics and crime trends and department updates. Staff also discussed relevant public safety topics and answered questions from the DAB and public. Officer Atlee Vogt, Patrol South shared the following:  Recruit class will be doing field training soon.  Auto Theft and Crime (ACE) team has been hard at work. They have recovered over one million dollars’ worth of property.  WPD updated a computer program recently, so no statistics are available tonight.  In my beat, I have been addressing some neighborhood residential complaints with MABCD and traffic calls. 2. Wichita Public Library Sean Jones, Communication Specialist shared the following department updates with a focus on the services, programs, and events at District 3’s Walters Branch Library: Residents with a Wichita Public Library card can now stream movies, documentaries, foreign films and TV series with Kanopy. Kanopy is a video streaming platform dedicated to thoughtful and thought-provoking films. Each month, customers can check out seven films, access two free courses from The Great Courses, and watch content on Kanopy Kids. Kanopy is available on many devices, including Apple TV and Roku. Customers can also access Kanopy through the mobile app and through the Kanopy website. Customers will register an account using their library card number. If at any time customers have difficulty registering their account, they can call the Advanced Learning Library, 316-261-8500, and ask for a technology trainer. The Wichita Public Library received American Rescue Plan Act funding from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to put 250 internet bundles into circulation for customers to borrow. The internet bundles will feature a wireless hotspot and a Chromebook. Each bundle comes with a Chromebook 3100, a T-Mobile hotspot, information about Library services, a copy of the Library’s internet and acceptable use policy, and how-to guides for using these devices. Customers can call (316) 261-8500 or visit catalog.wichitalibrary.org to place a hold on an internet bundle. Customers must have a library card in good standing to use this service. Bundles can be picked up at any Wichita Public Library location and will check out for 28 days. The Library received $150,000 through this program. The Library has a program for you. Visit www.wichitalibrary.org/events to see what is coming up! DAB and members of the public asked and made the following summarized questions and comments: DAB: How are the internet bundles being promoted? Are you tracking check-outs by district? A: We are marketing on social media. We are also focused on Districts 1 and 3. We collected a large list of community partners and are promoting the program with fliers and word of mouth. Additionally we are working with community policing officers to get the word out to those in need. As far as tracking, we are able to see how many bundles are being checked out by district. All bundles are housed at the Advanced Learning Library. Anytime we get a hold, customers will be able to pick them up from any branch and we can track which locations they are being picked up from. We can also see customer addresses and zip codes from their accounts. DAB: What is the timeline for the ARPA funding? Will we need additional funding to keep the program going? A: This project is funded through June 2022. We have already started conversations to identify funding to keep this program going after June 2022. DAB 3 • December 1, 2021 • Minutes • Page 2  DAB: There are a lot of dollars available for under-resourced residents regarding internet access. I do believe there is money intended to help. You may be able to tap into those dollars which exist outside of ARPA. CM Cerullo: Who provides the internet service? A: T-Mobile provides the service. Action Taken: Received and filed. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Public Agenda 3. Scheduled Items There were no scheduled public agenda items this month. 4. Off-Agenda Items There were no off-agenda public agenda items this month. Action Taken: Received and filed. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • New Business 5. FY2022-2023 Funding: CDBG, HOME, ESG Mark Stanberry, Housing & Community Services presented this item. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) considers the City of Wichita to be an entitlement city and as such, Wichita receives annual allocations of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) and Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) funds. In order to receive these funds the City is required to prepare a Consolidated Plan every five years. In addition, the City is required to submit an Annual Action Plan which addresses the priorities identified in the Consolidated Plan. The City submitted a Consolidated Plan for the 2019 through 2023 program years, and staff is soliciting comment regarding funding priorities for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2022, and ending on June 30, 2023. HUD has not announced the City’s allocation amounts for the upcoming program year. Preliminary plans will be based on estimated funding at current levels and will be adjusted to reflect actual allocation amounts. A presentation regarding programs funded during the last program year is attached. District Advisory Boards and the general public are being asked to provide comment regarding changes that should be made if the actual funding allocations are increased or reduced, and to provide comment regarding urgent needs that may not be addressed under the current funding plan. Public comments will be used by staff to finalize the annual plan after HUD has provided final funding amounts. The 2022-23 funding is proposed at current levels for discussion purposes: CDBG: $2,968,676; HOME: $1,519,843; ESG: $250,208. There is no impact on the General Fund. DAB 3 • December 1, 2021 • Minutes • Page 3 The comments provided by DAB members, citizens, and various community groups will be used to identify community needs and develop the City’s annual spending plan when actual allocation amounts are determined, as required by HUD for CDBG, HOME and ESG funds. Stanberry posed the following questions to DAB:  What should be funded if the allocation increases or decreases?  Which activities are highest priority?  Which activities are lowest priority?  Are there urgent needs which should be considered? DAB and members of the public asked and made the following summarized questions and comments: DAB: How does the City determine what qualifies as a low-income neighborhood? A: We work with the Planning Department to run statistics with respect to the various census tracts in the neighborhoods. It is based on statistics from the Census. DAB: I represent Planeview in District 3. We have a lot of illegal dumping in the neighborhood. I have been wanting to get big dumpsters for the neighborhood. Can your funds help with that? A: In the past we funded a neighborhood cleanup program. The program is still active, but it is funded differently now. DAB: In regard to the home repair program, how do you determine if someone qualifies? CM Cerullo: The City does not determine those things. Separate organizations are the ones vying for this funding to administer the programs. They are the ones who have their own qualifications. A: Program eligibility is typically based on whether or not a family is low or moderate income based on federal (HUD) criteria. DAB: How do we hold organizations we give funds to accountable for continuing their agreed upon programs/projects? DAB: You mentioned we have seen a reduction in funding. Why is that? A: That has to do with congressional appropriations at the federal level. We have seen slight increases in recent years, but the funds are allocated by the federal government ultimately. The other part that affects that is the number of new entitlement cities. You have set funding, and that funding gets stretched as more cities qualify for it. DAB: The Census is also a driver for that. DAB: Do you think the new Census data will result in more or less funding? A: I am not certain. DAB: I am curious to know how much of District 3 qualifies as under-resourced. I would also like to see more information on where this money previously went. I want to know how much was spent in District 3. A: Every year we have to prepare a report on the program year. That report describes our outcomes and how the federal funding was spent. That report is available on Wichita.gov under the Housing & Community Services page. DAB: Would a burnt-down home qualify for any of these programs? A: If it is a dangerous structure, that would be dealt with by MABCD. DAB: The owners are trying to rebuild it. A: Do they have insurance? DAB 3 • December 1, 2021 • Minutes • Page 4  DAB: I am not sure on the details of their situation. I just wondered if any of these programs might apply to this person. A: To a certain extent, yes. It depends on the extent of the damage and if the owners are eligible. Generally funding can only assist with part of what is required. We would also need to see they have all funding sources in place to complete entire renovation as the home must eventually be occupied. DAB: Is this funding available for one-off situations, or does it all get allocated to organizations? A: The City does provide installment payment loans through some programs. Action Taken: DAB provided comment regarding community needs and funding priorities for the 2022-23 Fourth Year Annual Action Plan. Presentation: https://www.wichita.gov/Council/DABAgendasMinutes/2021-12- 01%20DAB%203%20Annual%20Action%20Plan%20Presentation.pdf 6. Nomination of Grants Review Committee Representative – District 3 Stanberry presented this item. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires that cities involve citizens in the allocation process for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) and Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) funds. The City of Wichita accomplishes this through a series of public hearings before the City Council and through the appointment of a Grants Review Committee (GRC) which reviews proposals and applications. The Grants Review Committee includes representation from all District Advisory Boards, Wichita Independent Neighborhood Association, the United Way, Sedgwick County, USD #259, Wichita State University, as well as large and small businesses. The 14 GRC members are appointed annually by the City Council. Housing and Community Services Department staff meets with GRC members throughout the proposal evaluation period. After review of the applications and proposals and public comments, the GRC makes recommendations to the City Council for HOME, ESG and CDBG funding for the next program year. The 2021-22 GRC representative from District 3 was Richard Ruth. Provided in the DAB member packet is a tentative schedule of meetings along with the nomination form. Please note that all meetings will be held electronically this year, out of an abundance of caution for COVID-19. Additionally, all applications will be submitted through, reviewed by, and ranked by the GRC through a new online platform this year called ZoomGrants. ZoomGrants training will be provided to the GRC. City staff is projecting the same level of funding for 2022-2023 as the current fiscal year. CDBG: $2,968,676; HOME: $1,519,843; ESG: $250,208. There is no impact to the General Fund. HUD requires citizen participation in the development of spending plans for CDBG, HOME and ESG funds. DAB and members of the public asked and made the following summarized questions and comments: Action Taken: DAB nominated Jessica Lucas as the District 3 representative to the Grants Review Committee. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • DAB 3 • December 1, 2021 • Minutes • Page 5  Board Agenda 7. Updates, Issues, and Reports Richard Ruth shared he spent time driving around Planeview with the neighborhood association president recently. He shared an example of inoperable vehicles being reported to the City and nothing being done about it. Ruth said he suggested contacting the resident to see if there was a problem or issue that neighbors could help address. The president was able to help the neighbor resolve the underlying issue, and the inoperable vehicles were addressed within two weeks. This underscores the importance of establishing neighboring relationships. Continuing to rely on the government will create an authoritarian state where people do not trust their neighbors. There is something good happening in Planeview. Daisy Olivar responded that she has concerns as a female personally addressing some neighbors. She shared that neighbor to neighbor interactions are not always the right solution as some people will get escalated. There was a group discussion about the validity of various approaches to addressing neighborhood issues. Ron Tracy shared the Riverside Drainage District board has a vacant seat and encouraged interested people to apply. Action Taken: Received and filed. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at time 8:15 p.m. The next District 3 Advisory Board meeting is scheduled to be held at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 5, 2022. It is scheduled to be held in person at the WATER Center, 101 E. Pawnee, Wichita, KS 67211. Residents also have the option to continue participating in DAB meetings virtually via Zoom or to watch them live on the District 3 Facebook page. Meeting agendas, minutes, presentations, and documents; Zoom details; and the most up-to-date meeting information can be found on the District 3 webpage. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Guests Mike Hoheisel Christina Hoheisel Paul Davis Guest • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Respectfully submitted, Maddy Campbell, District 3 Community Services Representative DAB 3 • December 1, 2021 • Minutes • Page 6