District 4 Advisory Board

District IV Advisory Board Minutes May 6, 2019 www.wichita.gov The District IV Advisory Board meeting was held at 6:30 p.m. at the Alford Library at 3447 S. Meridian, Wichita, KS 67217. There were ten (10) District Advisory Board members in attendance. Vice Mayor Jeff Blubaugh officiated. There were ten (10) City Staff, and thirty-four (34) members of the public present. DAB Members Present Guests (continued) Kit Corby Mary Cole Dalton Glasscock Shelley Wilkinson Michael Gomm Dona Hopper Ray Hall Ricky L Graves Stephanie Hartman Rob Hartman David Kapaun Beckie Jenek Matt Lashley Michael Owen Alex Martinez Karl Herold Don McManamey Elena Devora Jonathan McRoy Richard Ruth Kim Neufeld Council Member Donna Wirth Jeff Blubaugh Francine Guyette Judy Handley Staff Present Darlene Morrow Rebecca Fields – Community Services Dist. 4 Cheryl Tashir Robyn Belt – Library Manager Vanessa Christophersen Cpt. Jim Heath - WFD Vincent Hancock CP Officer Vickie Kern – Patrol South Ellen Querner CP Officer Robert Kempf – Patrol South Stephanie McCurdy Scott Knebel - MAPD Ruth Thompson Jan Jarman – City Attorney Rosetta Blackmore Lt. Brian Sigman – WPD Support Services Tom Ewert Daina Wyckoff – WPD CSO Jenny Dodge Warren Unknown fire fighter (did not sign in) Richard Warren Maria Acosta DAB Member Absent Ray Jones Rebecca Robertson George Theoharis Amanda Hanson Guests Eric Miller Jane Mead (did not sign in) Deb shevlin Carl Harold (did not sign in) Sue Jones Page 1 of 14  District IV Advisory Board Minutes May 6, 2019 www.wichita.gov ORDER OF BUSINESS At 6:30 p.m. Vice Mayor Jeff Blubaugh opened the DAB meeting and called the meeting to order. He then asked everyone to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. Vice Mayor Blubaugh proceeded with the agenda and asked approval for the May 6, 2019 agenda. DAB Member Kit Corby made a motion to approve and DAB Member David Kapaun gave a 2nd. Motion was approved 10/0. The next item was approval for the April 2019 DAB meeting’s minutes. DAB Member David Kapaun motioned to approve and DAB Member Dalton Glasscock gave the 2nd. Motion was approved 10/0. STAFF REPORTS Vice Mayor Blubaugh asked Robyn Belt to give the Library Report so that Ms. Belt could explain emergency procedures for the building due to the current tornado watch in Wichita. Ms. Belt let everyone know that the meeting room where we are located is a “safe” room and that is where everyone should be in case of a tornado warning. She explained that anyone in the library would be ushered into this room and the doors would have to be kept shut. The report for the Alford Branch Library followed. Alford’s Circulation count for April was 10,650. Alford’s gate count for April was 7,982. Our Summer Reading program begins later this month, on May 28th. This year’s theme is A Universe of Stories. Children from birth through 12 grade are eligible to participate. Parents can do early literacy activities with their Baby Bookworms for a prize. The older kids track each day they read at least 20 minutes and earn coupon packs and free books every 10 days. Lots of fun events for all ages are planned at every location through the end of July. Consumer Credit Counseling Service will be here at Alford on Thursday, May 23 at 6:30pm for a presentation on Saving Money on Everyday Costs. We’ve had a lot of interest in these financial classes and expect a great turnout. Registration is required but the session is free. All Wichita Public Library locations will be closed on Sundays through the summer months starting on May 26th, which is Memorial Day weekend. We will also be closed on Monday, May 27th for the Memorial Day holiday. Seeing that there were no questions, Vice Mayor Blubaugh asked for a report from the Wichita Fire Department. Cpt. Jim Heath reported that there were 445 calls from District 4, and 370 of the calls were medical related. There were 2 fires: 2000 block of south Hoover where a barn burned to the ground, and a fire in the 600 block of west Maple St. Cpt. Heath then asked Vice Mayor Blubaugh what he thought about the Fire Ops training that the Vice Mayor has taken the previous Saturday, May 4. Vice Mayor Blubaugh told Cpt. Heath that he thought the training was great and he thanked Cpt. Heath for the opportunity to take the training on a Saturday. VM Blubaugh stated that he ran the Page 2 of 14  District IV Advisory Board Minutes May 6, 2019 www.wichita.gov “jaws of life” and that the entire training makes you think about situations that you would otherwise never think about. Next were the Wichita Police reports. Community Police Officer Vickie Kern, Patrol South, then spoke about the crimes in District 4 Patrol South for April. There were 71 larcenies from autos, 38 motor vehicle thefts, 36 residential burglaries, 26 aggravated assaults, 5 non-residential burglaries, 5 robberies from person, and 2 commercial robberies. There was an increase in stolen tags from vehicles. There were no questions and there was no one present from Patrol West. PUBLIC AGENDA Next was the Public Agenda, and Vice Mayor Blubaugh called on a representative from Tobacco Free Wichita who was scheduled to speak about having tobacco free parks in Wichita. (Note: all of the DAB Members had received two handouts prior to the DAB meeting) Kim Neufeld and Elena Devora both came to the podium. Both were with Tobacco Free Wichita, and Kim is also with Bike Walk Wichita. Kim thanked Vice Mayor Blubaugh for the improvements to Pawnee Prairie Park, and she thinks he has done a really great job with the improvements. Kim mentioned that there was recently a fire at Pawnee Prairie Park that was initiated by a carelessly thrown cigarette, and that there are currently 33 Kansas towns/cities that now have tobacco free parks in their communities. Kim states that public parks should be healthy places for everyone and proposes that the City of Wichita adopt an ordinance that bans tobacco from parks. Their organization, along with the Mayor’s Youth Council, collected over 1300 cigarette pieces from seven area parks and trails. A small flag was placed to mark the location of each piece of collected tobacco litter, and most were found at playgrounds. There were over 400 cigarette butts found at OJ Watson Park at the park. Tobacco Free Wichita has been working on this proposed ordinance change for the past 2 ½ years. Kim mentions that this would also include “smokeless” (vapor) usage in parks. The objective is to end tobacco addiction for the next generation. Dona Hopper, had a question, but it was aimed more towards the Police. She asked why those who throw out cigarette butts are not given tickets for littering. Vice Mayor Blubaugh asked CP Officer Vickie Kerns if she knows of any officers who have has issued a ticket to someone who threw down a cigarette butt. Officer Kerns replied no, but that she has picked up the butt and handed it back to the person who threw it down and asked them to dispose of it properly. Attorney Jan Jarman spoke up and said that the policy on these tickets was recently changed, and that the officer no longer has to collect the evidence for this particular littering ordinance and that the officer would be able to just issue a ticket if the officer witnessed the incident. Page 3 of 14  District IV Advisory Board Minutes May 6, 2019 www.wichita.gov NEW BUSINESS Vice Mayor Blubaugh then asked for the next item that was presented by Scott Knebel, Planning Manager with the Metropolitan Area Planning Department (MAPD). CON2019-00010: The District IV Advisory Board was asked to considered a request for City Conditional Use to allow vehicle storage for a tow yard on LI Limited Industrial zoned property; generally located one-half mile west of S. Broadway and approximately 800 feet north of W. 47th Street on the west side of South Palisade (4631 S. Palisade) Mr. Knebel explained that due to some of the vehicles being inoperable that are towed to this site, a CON was required. Mr. Knebel listed all of the stipulations that will be required, and if the City Council should pass this a site plan will need to be submitted by the owner/operator within 60 days after being passed. Vice Mayor Blubaugh asked if there was anyone from the public present who had any questions, and there were none. DAB member Michael Gomm asked if there were any objections from neighbors/residents at MAPD, and Mr. Knebel replied no. At this time, Michael Gomm motioned for the DAB to approve and DAB Member Matt Lashley gave a 2nd motion. The request was approved 10/0. Next, Vice Mayor Blubaugh asked Mr. Knebel to present Wichita: Places for People (DER2018- 00003). Mr. Knebel gave a PowerPoint presentation and stated that Places for People is a plan that resulted from the Urban Infill Strategic Planning Committee that had been meeting for approximately the past 2 ½ years, and that the Planning Department had requested that WAMPO (Wichita Area Metropolitan Planning Organization) derive a plan based on the findings of the committee. The plan includes open-space components throughout the defined area. Upon Mr. Knebel concluding the PowerPoint presentation, he was open to answer questions. DAB Member Jonathan McRoy asked if there is a proposed budget for the plan. Mr. Knebel replied no, that Planning was in the process at looking into how, if any, spending would differ. Vice Mayor Blubaugh asked if there would be a reduction in fees for City permits. Mr. Knebel stated that the current fees have not been a problem. DAB Member Michael Gomm asked if the plan allows more flexibility with what is done on your personal property, and Mr. Knebel replied yes. DAB Member Dalton Glasscock asked if the plan had been modeled after other cities, and Mr. Knebel commented that the plan is a combination of ideas that other cities have implemented. Page 4 of 14  District IV Advisory Board Minutes May 6, 2019 www.wichita.gov DAB Member Stephanie Hartman asked if street-front property would be required to landscape, noting that the drive on east Central where building are next to a sidewalk is one of the most bleak areas in Wichita. Mr. Knebel said that only the easement (buffer) between the sidewalk and street would require landscaping. Guest Mary Cole commented that she has been using a walker for years, and that the current brick crosswalks are nice in appearance, but they create a hazard for those using walkers and other means of walking assistance such as canes because it is not a smooth surface. Ms. Cole suggested that a smooth surface of some type be incorporated into the middle of brick crosswalks. Guest Ellen Querner had concerns about zoning changes, noting that single family zoned neighborhoods could take a hit on this, commenting that an auxiliary house on a parcel that has a main house could be as much as 75% (square feet) of the 1st floor of the main house, thus landlords could take advantage of this plan. What rights do property owners have if landlords start building additional living spaces in backyards? The plan, as she sees it, will also take away setbacks on private property lines. How will homeowners protect their neighborhoods from this occurring? Ms. Querner concluded that the proposed area is too large and is against this idea. Guest Vincent Hancock commented that there would need to be a level of precedence with the plan as plans are all starting to cross over each other. DAB Member Ray Hall asked if the zoning will still be the same if additional dwelling units are built in single-family zoned areas. Mr. Knebel replied that this has not been finalized yet as right now they are still in the process of getting feedback from the public. DAB Member Dalton Glassock then made a motion for the DAB to approve. There was silence for about 30 seconds, and then DAB Member Michael Gomm stated that he would give a 2nd motion because nothing is definite yet and that the Planning Department was still taking public comments and opinions. The motion was approved 10/0. Next on the agenda was the TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) Proposed Ordinance that was presented by Stephanie McCurdy, Acting Chair of the Animal Services Advisory Board. Back in 2015 when this board was formed, the City conducted a survey that asked “what was the most important issues for the City to address via this board?” Cruelty to animals and euthanasia were the two top issues that came about from the survey. A new committee was formed from the board, and conducted research, but the committee was not able to produce a viable product for the board to consider after 2 years, so the board took over the project to address these concerns. Ms. McCurdy stated that she was there to get the input from the DAB and input from others as they realize that by no means the ordinance is perfect. Ms. McCurdy will be taking input from the DABs and take this information back to the Animal Services Advisory Board and to ask that the proposed ordinance be approved for first reading. Page 5 of 14  District IV Advisory Board Minutes May 6, 2019 www.wichita.gov DAB Member Jonathan McCroy then asked about the 2017 survey that was mentioned in Ms. McCurdy’s presentation and asked if this was representation of all the districts in Wichita. McCurdy replied that the survey was sent out by the City of Wichita and that District 1had 103 participants, District 2 had 74, District 3 had 69, District 4 had 150, District 5 had 93, and District 6 had 123 participants. There were 131 participants who did not answer that specific question on the survey. DAB Member Stephanie Hartman asked how many registered caregivers in each of these colonies and how many of these colonies have been identified? McCurdy replied that currently they have no registered caregivers because there is no TNR ordinance. Hartman then asked, so how are they going to register any caregivers? McCurdy replied that the thing they know about caregivers for cats, whenever they reach out for help they truly want someone to help them. By having an ordinance in place they will be able to get them on record and that the cats that they are feeding will be brought into compliance by neutering/spaying them. They would make sure that the caregivers will be feeding them at the same time each day so that the cats can be more easily trapped in order to have them fixed and given a vaccination. Hartman asked, who is going to be doing the feeding of the colonies? McCurdy replied that the person with the feral cats would already have been feeding them, but that Friends of Feline would instruct them in feeding them on a schedule so that the cats can be tracked and make sure that they receive services (neuter/spay and vaccination). Hartman asked, so how many colonies does she suspect that there are in Wichita? McCurdy replied that she would be a fool to guess. Hartman continued, because there would be so many volunteers needed to feed the cats for 30 minutes and then take the food away. McCurdy stressed that the colony caregiver is who would be responsible for this task, and it’s not an outside volunteer that does this on a daily basis. Hartman asked if they are paid caregivers. McCurdy said no. Hartman then states, what’s to say that there is someone who is excited about having a cat colony, but then a year later stops taking care of the cats? McCurdy said that if they are a registered caregiver then Animal Services would be checking up on the colony and would make sure that the caregiver stays in compliance if there was an ordinance for this. Page 6 of 14  District IV Advisory Board Minutes May 6, 2019 www.wichita.gov Hartman asks, but right now they don’t know where any colonies are? McCurdy replied that no, because they do not have an ordinance in place. Hartman asked, if the colony would be limited to 8 cats and that 1 caregiver would be charged with that colony at their own home? McCurdy said yes, in the proposed ordinance. Hartman asked, when the cats are vaccinated, how long do the vaccinations last? McCurdy replied that there are different views on rabies vaccinations for cats. Some recommend an annual vaccination and some recommend a vaccination every 3 years. The unfortunate thing is that the cats cannot be trapped each time they are due for a vaccination. But having one vaccination for rabies is better than having none. But it is known that the lifespan of a feral cat is much shorter than that of a healthy housecat that is not being exposed to other viruses and diseases. Hartman asks if there will be a buffer zone for colonies located near parks/playgrounds to keep the cats from using the sand commonly found in these areas as places to defecate? McCurdy replied that the board has been asked this question before and that cats are known to travel up to 2 ½ miles, so there is no way to keep any cat from using parks or schools, or other protected areas. But having TNR in place would at least keep cats from re-populating and thus help lower the cat population. Hartman replies that cats can also be taken in to be euthanized as means of keeping down the cat population. McCurdy replied that this doesn’t solve the problem, but Hartman refuted that this would at least lower the cat population. McCurdy said yes, temporarily. Hartman further replies that euthanasia is a lot cheaper than having to monitor all of these colonies. McCurdy replied that the good thing about these volunteers is that they want to take care of these cats and have them neutered/spayed and are willing to feed them and track them. It’s a way to help the problem instead of the problem being out of hand as it is currently. Hartman then asks who keeps these cats (feral cats) from going into neighboring yards and using neighboring yards for defecating and tearing up outdoor furniture, etc.? Hartman further states that this has personally happened to her at her home. McCurdy replied that the colony caregiver would be in charge of the cats, and if they are spayed and neutered that they would not be running amok, especially knowing where their food and water is located. Hartman then states that she does not want a colony next to her. At which McCurdy replies that as long as the cats are not creating a nuisance and are in compliance, and if they are then you can call Animal Services, and they would be within their legal rights. Vice Mayor Blubaugh then relays to Ms. McCurdy that he was trying to explain this whole issue to his wife (Meghan Blubaugh) and he is trying to get this straight. That in a nutshell the cats are being trapped, neutered/spayed, and then returned to the wild. Is that correct? McCurdy replied yes, and they would also vaccinate the cat(s). Page 7 of 14  District IV Advisory Board Minutes May 6, 2019 www.wichita.gov Hartman asks, then who would be enforcing the ordinance? McCurdy replied that just like all ordinances are enforced. This particular one would be enforced by Animal Services (under the Wichita Police Department) who is out every day enforcing their ordinances. Vice Mayor Blubaugh then asked if anyone else from the DAB had any more questions. DAB Member Jonathan McCroy thanked Ms. McCurdy for all the work that they have spent on researching and writing up a proposed ordinance. He then asked about Section C, Item 3 states that a registered Community Cat Caregiver is a responsible party but not an owner of a Community Cat Colony and has no legal rights to feral cats. He then asks, so they are responsible but cannot be held liable? McCurdy replied that this is where it gets a little convoluted for people. That a community cat belongs to the community, not a specific person. But should one of the cats in the colony become ill and the caregiver is unable to help that cat, that they would ask for assistance in order to have care given to the cat, or have the cat removed from the rest of the colony. DAB Member Alex Martinez asked how does one report cat colonies that are not registered? McCurdy states that you can call Animal Services and ask them, and then report them if they are not registered. DAB Member Michael Gomm then asked, aside from not euthanizing cats, what problem are they solving? McCurdy replied that the ordinance would actually help slow down/halt the re-population of cats. The Gomm replied, but doesn’t euthanasia do that already? McCurdy responds that it solves the cost of having to euthanize a cat, so TNR is a cost-savings method. The DAB member then asks then why don’t we cut back on the number of days the cat has to be held. McCurdy replied that per State Statute, a cat has to be held for 12 days before it can be euthanized. So the proposed ordinance would save the City money for the care of that cat and puts the responsibility on the volunteers and caregivers. Gomm then asks where the hard data is on what she claims. Ms. McCurdy replies is that it costs Animal Services about $20 - $25 a day, a statistic from Lt. Sigman of Animal Services and his staff. The DAB Member states that it should be cheaper if more cats are euthanized, and that is simple economics. City Attorney Jan Jarman then states that the State Statute requires holding an animal for a minimum of 3 days. Lt. Sigman stands and explains that the first day an animal is brought in and assessed is not counted as one of those days, and that the 3 days mandated by the State was expanded by Wichita to 6 days, so now they are up to holding the animal 7 days. The DAB Member asked, is by Wichita’s ordinance or is it by policy? Lt. Sigman replies that it’s a policy due to the requests of the animal rescuers. Page 8 of 14  District IV Advisory Board Minutes May 6, 2019 www.wichita.gov DAB Member Dalton Glasscock then asked, are there circumstances where an animal is euthanized? McCurdy explains that if an animal is obviously sick or hurt that the cat would be euthanized. DAB Member Don McManamey asked what the downside is of having this ordinance. Isn’t it already illegal to own a cat and let it roam around off its property? McCurdy replies no. McManamey replied that if he owned a dog it would be illegal. McCurdy replied because Wichita has a leash ordinance for dogs. McManamey thinks that the same should be for cats as they are for dogs, and he thinks that what applies to dogs should apply to cats. He thinks that the ordinance should confine cats to a house, but understands that cats are much more difficult to catch a cat than a dog. McCurdy then addresses the board/guests about the issue of rabies. She states that Sedgwick County has not had a reported case of a cat having rabies since 1940. There have only been two reported cases of rabies in Sedgwick County since August of 2018; a bat and a skunk. And the only way you can confirm rabies is by sending in the head of the animal to K-State University for testing. At this point in the meeting, Vice Mayor Blubaugh asked how many guests were wanting to speak and the majority raised their hands. Due to the current time, Vice Mayor Blubaugh asked the guests to limit their comments to 2 minutes. Guest Mary Cole spoke first. She said that she is down to her last feral cat that she has been caring for the past 14 years. She had a colony at one time. She states that she lives next door to pit bulls and the City’s ordinance states that the pit bulls be spayed/neutered, chipped, vaccinated, and licensed through the City. She said that pit bulls jumped the fence and she had to deal with that and talk to the neighbor. Then the female pit bull had 6 puppies, and when they are outside they are chained up less than 10 feet, sometimes without water. She said that she cannot report the pit bulls because the neighbor would report her cat. Mary states that if she lost her feral cat that it would just “kill” her, but if the ordinance was in place she would be protected and have the right to keep the cat on her premise. Beckie Jenek spoke next and gave the DAB Members handouts regarding the definition of feral cats. She states that TNR is a better option than euthanasia because cats breed so often that spaying and neutering helps to keep down the population. The TRN ordinance would keep the burden of the costs on the volunteer caregivers and not the taxpayers. It costs the City $276,000 to euthanize cats annually, whereas fixing a cat at $10 each costs the City about $10,000 annually. Dona Hopper then spoke. She thinks that by having cat colonies the rodent population will be reduced based on her own observation in her neighborhood. Ms. McCurdy said that she could possibly research this to see if other cities experienced the same. Ms. McCurdy also states that there is a program for adopting out barn cats in order to help those with outbuildings to keep the rodent population down in barns and country homes. Page 9 of 14  District IV Advisory Board Minutes May 6, 2019 www.wichita.gov Next to speak was Francine Guyette. Francine states that she has lived in her current neighborhood for 9 years now. She helped a neighbor trap 5 litters of cats along with the mother cat. The neighbor did not own a cat, but that the cats were being born underneath buildings. She is now a colony caregiver and feeds, water, and shelter her cats. She currently has 4 indoor cats out of these feral cats but the rest are being fed at 5 am and 5 pm, but they hide the rest of the time. Since having the colony she has not had any rats, mice, or gophers. The neighbor has 9 bird feeders and her cats do not bother the birds. Not once has she found a dead bird. Maria Acosta was next, and said that she is a member of Friend of Felines. About a year and a half ago she asked for assistance. There were about 10 feral cats that lived in her neighborhood. She said that they were all picked up on the same day and brought back to her all fixed and ear tipped. All 10 are still living and having a good life. One of the cats have made friends with the neighbor. These cats no longer have babies. She thinks that this is a great program and is working well. The next person to take the floor was Tom Ewert. He is currently the president of the Wichita Audubon and the Audubon has come out against this proposal. He states that this ordinance has come about from a small group of people and that at the Animal Services board meetings there is minimal support for the current proposed ordinance. The Audubon group has made suggestions to the proposed ordinance that he can provide the DAB members. There is no measure of success from the other cities and towns in Kansas because the TNR ordinances in these towns are relatively new and cannot be measured yet. A small group of people here tonight have admitted to feeding feral cats which is against City ordinance and therefore you can say that they are part of the problem. The 1,000 cats that they claim to have neutered last year, and the 35 cats a month that they are currently fixing cannot keep up with the population growth of feral cats. He states that Ms. McCurdy and her supporters cannot produce the number of feral cats in the City that can be reduced in 3 to 5 years because it takes a study of at least 10 years to produce a viable statistic. Ellen Querner stood next and is on the Animal Services Advisory Board (District 1), and she urges the DAB to not approve this ordinance. She states that the ordinance is incomplete and that they need to continue to work on the ordinance. She reiterated what Ms. McCurdy stated previously that this is not a complete ordinance and this is not a “done deal”. The ordinance narrowly passed 4 to 3 on the board. Three (3) of the board members that voted against this, one being a veterinarian, said that it was not complete. Ms. Querner states that there should be a set number of colonies per neighborhood, but they did not want to add that to the ordinance which means you can have an unlimited amount of cats in your neighborhood. The “one and done” on the rabies vaccine is not enough. That it is necessary to have a booster vaccine after the first shot in order for them to be covered for three years. She then summarizes that in a City the size of Wichita that TNR will not work. That the current ordinance states that you can only have 4 cats and that this is not being enforced now, so how will keeping 8 cats be enforced? Vanessa Christophersen then stood and said that by putting unrealistic expectations on this ordinance that no one would be able to comply. At least the current proposed ordinance would be able to get the cats fixed, and they would be cared for. So for those who don’t want cats on their Page 10 of 14  District IV Advisory Board Minutes May 6, 2019 www.wichita.gov property, at least contact the Friends of Feline so they can trap the cats and have them fixed and re-locate them to areas where they would be cared for. Judy Handley was next and stated that she was part of the sub-committee that did much of the investigation on TNR and she is a supporter. She said that in 2014 she had a total of 18 kittens that were born in her backyard. She reached out to Friends of Felines because she couldn’t handle this alone. She said that this included the 2 mother cats who were picked up a fixed, along with several of their offspring. The other kittens she found homes for them. Today she has only 3 cats in her backyard. She states that TNR does work. She refuted on of the previous speakers who said that there were insufficient studies. Ms. Handley states that there are plenty of studies that show that TNR works such as Washington DC, Atlantic City, NJ, Chicago, IL, Cook County, IL that shows within five (5) years they have half the feral cat population than prior to their TNR ordinance. She claims that there a member of the Audubon Society that conducted a survey many years ago, shows on video that he was poisoning cats. Their research should be discounted but they are still using it. Carl Harold asked since it’s easy to identify feral cats because they don’t let you near them, why does Animal Services keep them for 7 days? If they know that no one is going to come claim the cat, and the expense in keeping them is the cost of boarding, then why not euthanize them immediately? Ms. McCurdy replied that since many of the cats that are brought into the shelter exhibit signs of stress, it is unknown if their behavior is due to fear and stress or if they are simply wild cats. But if they go into a trap that’s how you know it’s feral. Mr. Harold then asked why aren’t they euthanized? She then emphasizes that if it’s part of a colony that is trapped you know it’s feral. George Theoharis then stood and addressed Lt. Sigman asking him if Animal Services responds to all of the priority 1 & 2 calls that they receive every day? Lt. Sigman answered that they try to. Mr. Theoharis then asked if they will be able to respond to any priority 3 calls. Mr. Theoharis then explains that a nuisance call is a priority 3. Mr. Theoharis states that with the current man-power, Animal Services has a hard time even getting to all of the priority 1 and 2 calls, and since feral cats are a priority 3 call, that a response is not going to happen with those calls. Mr. Theoharis then asked Ms. McCurdy if you can have a cat colony in a HOA. Ms. McCurdy replied that she is not going to respond to any personal questions and that if he continues down this road Lt. Sigman is … Mr. Theoharis then injected, “Not you! Can anyone have a cat colony that lives in a HOA? “ Vice Mayor Blubaugh then asked Mr. Theoharis not to conduct a dialogue. Mr. Theoharis said okay, and that his other point is if they pass this and you can have 8 cats living next door and you don’t want cats living next door to you, that you’re going to be making felons out of non-felons. He followed by stating that in the State of Kansas it is against the law to kill a cat by shooting or using poison, and there will be people that will become felons because they don’t want the cats around their property, and that’s something you need to think about if you vote to approve this. Page 11 of 14  District IV Advisory Board Minutes May 6, 2019 www.wichita.gov Mr. Ray Jones, who lives in Augusta, states that feeding and caring for feral cats actually works. He has seen this work first hand and now has a feral cat with a tipped ear that has lived in his house for 3 years now. The cats can be changed over time, and that TNR works. As for making people felons, firing any firearm within the City limits is against the law, and so it killing any animal. Cheryl Tashi with Friends of Felines states that Wichita has one of the most successful sites at Cowtown. Back in the 1980s was when the program was started, but all of the original cats are now gone. Cowtown had to go to the Humane Society to get more cats in order to keep the rodent problem under control. Cowtown is a perfect example of how TNR works. Jane Mead (who did not sign in) says that she is a volunteer with Friends of Felines. Jane states that there is an overwhelming number of people who did answer the survey that are not in favor of euthanizing cats. She thinks that there would be a huge uprising with the citizens of Wichita were the City to start randomly euthanizing feral cats. She has many bird feeders and has never had a cat in her neighborhood kill a bird at her feeders. She has had hawks that have killed birds at her feeders. As a volunteer, she reaches out for assistance from the Friends of Felines in helping others, and many have told her that it has worked for them by reducing the number of feral cats on their property. Michael Nolan took the floor and he has observed this issue and he is not 100% sold on either side of the argument, but he is leaning against TNR for the main reason of the numbers. The TNR people said that there were 100,000 cats in Wichita. He argues that TNR works when 70 – 90% of the cat population has been spayed or neutered. This organization is only fixing 1,000 cats a year. How long at this rate does it take to get to 70 – 90% of the cat population fixed? This will never happen. You would need to do 70,000 – 90,000 spay/neuters in a four-month period in order to start decreasing the population. This is by their own paperwork. He would like someone to explain to him how TNR would work at the current rate of 1,000 fixes a year. Richard Ruth then stood. He has emailed many of those present over the past 7 months. He states that Friends of Felines do business as a 501-C 3, but they operate in an ambiguous space. He claims that they are unlicensed, but they have managed to insert themselves in the licensed and welfare operations. This group along with members of Animal Services refuse to collect meaningful data, etc. Mr. Ruth continued reading a script from his cell phone and summarized that there is zero transparency on this issue. Vice Mayor Blubaugh then allowed Judy Handley another turn to speak as she served on the Animal Services Advisory Board as the District 4 appointee for a couple of years, and continues to attend their meetings. Ms. Handley addressed some of the issues that those opposing had claimed. Judy states that TNR statistics state that 55% of the feral cat population needs to be spayed/neutered in order to see a reduction of feral cats (not 70 – 90%). She further said that the 1,000 cats that are fixed every year is just from one group, Friends of Felines. There is Wichita Animal Action League, there is Beauties and Beasts, and there are more. We, Friends of Felines, only have our numbers. We do not have the numbers from the other organizations. If the TNR ordinance passes, we will do much Page 12 of 14  District IV Advisory Board Minutes May 6, 2019 www.wichita.gov more than 1,000 every year. We are unable to grow due to the current City ordinances. We have to stay small because of the donations we need and we are unable to get a grant due to the current laws. It would take about $90,000 a year in order to do the work that this will take, but we can’t get that money as it stands. Right now Friends of Felines are actually fixing about 120 cats each month. K-State is currently sending 4th year veterinarians to Wichita to train in the surgeries (spay and neuter). So we are not only providing a service in Wichita, but also a training opportunity for veterinarians. This is important and it does work. At this time the Vice Mayor brought it back to the board for further discussion. DAB Member Jonathan McRoy made a motion to accept the current ordinance, and DAB Member Dalton Glasscock gave a 2nd motion. DAB Member Stephanie Hartman the motion to make an amendment to the first motion to not approve the ordinance. DAB Member Kit Corby gave a 2nd motion for the amendment. Vice Mayor Blubaugh explains that the vote will be for the amended motion to not approve the ordinance as it is currently written, but that he will allow the board to discuss prior to voting. DAB Member McRoy states that the ordinance is a step in the right direction. He thinks that this is a common sense approach to the issue. DAB Member Hartman wants to deny the ordinance due to the cost and lack of proof that it is really going to reduce the cat population. She thinks that the system is working as it currently stands, and that euthanizing feral cats is a better solution than feeding programs. DAB Member Don McManamey states that he is on the fence about this ordinance. Groups are already doing TNR, so he is just not certain and is not sure about the ordinance. Therefore he will abstain from voting. DAB Member David Kapaun is wondering about what would keep all of his neighbors from having cat colonies. What would be his protection/rights from this happening? At this time Stephanie McCurdy tried to interject a response to some of the conversation going on with the board, but Vice Mayor Blubaugh stated that this was only a board discussion now. DAB Member Ray Hall states that he sits on the Animal Services Advisory Board and he believes that the proposed ordinance is not addressing all of the issues. Mr. Hall summaries that most feral cats are cats that have been dumped/abandoned. He believes that the ordinance would need to continue to be fixed if adopted in its current written form. Vice Mayor Blubaugh then allowed Stephanie McCurdy to wrap this up in 2 minutes. Ms. McCurdy does concede that the ordinance needs structure and is not perfect. But if the ordinance that the Animal Services Advisory Board drafted is approved by the DABs, then this would allow the City Council to move forward and to get more feedback from the public in order to make improvements to the ordinance. Page 13 of 14  District IV Advisory Board Minutes May 6, 2019 www.wichita.gov Vice Mayor Blubaugh then said that the vote will be based on the motion made by DAB Member Stephanie Hartman to deny the ordinance. He asked for the vote from the DAB by a raise of hands. The motion passed 6/3 with one DAB Member abstaining. Vice Mayor Blubaugh acknowledges that this is not an easy decision and knows that the City Council has been in debate about this. He appreciates all who came and shared with the board. Guest Francine Guyette stood and addressed the DAB stating that she had a favor to ask: that those who are known (identified) to have dumped their cats be punished as there is no current ordinance preventing this from occurring. BOARD AGENDA Updates, Issues, and Reports DAB Member David Kapaun informed the board that he will be in desert training during the month of June with the National Guard. DAB Member Michael Gomm thanked Vice Mayor Blubaugh for the excellent changes to Pawnee Prairie Park. If none of them had seen the park before, then they would not know the contentious battle that Jeff Blubaugh endured for the past 4 years in making this happen. More people are now able to use this park and are using the park, when it had been an under-utilized park previously. It is now a great asset to west Wichita. Vice Mayor appreciated his comments and he wanted to thank DAB Member Rebecca Robertson who was unable to attend the meeting tonight. She (Ms. Robertson) rode her bicycle from Goddard with the Prairie Travelers group to attend the ribbon cutting event. The whole idea of incorporating bicycle paths in the park was there was nothing west in that area for residents to utilize in the way of bicycle paths. Now the parking lots are full and people are enjoying the park. But there are those who are still upset about it and even the morning of the ribbon cutting event someone had been out at the park and written nasty things with graffiti/spray paint that had to be cleaned up. He wants everyone to enjoy that park whether it’s on a bike or a horse, walker or wheelchair. DAB Member Alex Martinez stated that he and his wife went to the park and hiked. They had a great time even though they ended up getting lost for a while. But it’s great that the park is so large that you can get lost even though you are still inside the City. DAB Member Stephanie Hartman commented that she lives next to Pawnee Prairie Park and that there are many more people utilizing the park now and that it’s much safer to be there. Vice Mayor Blubaugh then asked for a motion to adjourn, and DAB Member Jonathan McRoy made a motion, and DAB Member Don McManamey gave a 2nd. Motion was approved 10/0. The meeting adjourned at 8:58 pm. Page 14 of 14