District 5 Advisory Board

District 5 Advisory Board Minutes Monday, June 7, 2021 • 6:30 p.m. Virtual meeting via Zoom Attendance Members Present Staff Present Rachel Murphy-Thomas Chief John Eck, Wichita Fire Department Dennis Clary Officer Phommachanh, Wichita Police Trey Rios Department Trevor Kurth David McGuire, Park and Recreation Wendy Carter Tracie Partridge, Wichita Public Library Lamont Anderson Bill Longnecker, MAPD Council Member Bryan Frye Cory Buchta, Community Services Representative, City Manager’s Office Members Absent JV Johnston Roman Rodriguez Angela Breer Jose Gutierrez Jill Kerschen • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Board Agenda 1. Updates, Issues, and Reports Roman will run meeting next month and it will be his last meeting. We have an opening on DAB, and for a Youth Member. 13th Street is now open to two-way traffic now. Pavement Preservation Project is going – you’ll see a lot of cones. The major projects are done. New pedestrian crosswalk on 37th between Maize Road and Tyler near new Maize Intermediate School. Traffic lights, new coming in at Ridge and K96 and at Zoo and Hoover. DAB 5 • June 7, 2021 •Minutes• Page 1  Northwest Wichita has had problems with flooding for years. Studies have been done. Possibility of removing about 500 acres from flood plain if project is done. Could get some federal funding. Possibility of new municipal court judges. Three finalists. Q-line is back in service. One route from Seneca to Clifton square. Free. No City dollars invested in Top Golf. No new sales tax. City not at risk. In budget mode. Last year got $12 million out of county $100 million share. Next year, City should get $73 million. Want to make sure it gets spent properly and wisely. CM Frye explained the breakdown of the federal dollars. Q (Public) Russell Fox: Are there some federal mandates or requirements for what cities can do with that money? A: I can send you the link. The budget folks know it backward and forward. There’s talk there is going to be a counter-proposal to use the second half of stimulus package towards infrastructure bill. It changes. We don’t want to use it for just hiring people. Q (Public): Are townships in Sedgwick County eligible for federal money? A: Not aware. I’ve not asked that question. Something to check on. Q (Public) Russell Fox: Flood plain. A lot of work to figure out how to make this happen. Can you give a short explanation? A: Three proposals. First to create a dry detention pond to offset Cow Skin. Roughly west of here. I don’t know how much I can reveal. Other two options are down south related to Calf Skin. Dry retention pond and a diversion channel that would take it to the big ditch. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Order of Business Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by JV Johnston. Approval of June 7, 2021 Agenda: Motion PASSED 7-0-0 Approval of Minutes from May 3, 2021: Motion PASSED 7-0-0 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Public Agenda 2. Scheduled Items None 3. Off-Agenda Items None Action Taken: Received and filed. DAB 5 • June 7, 2021 •Minutes• Page 2  • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Staff Reports 4. Wichita Fire Department Report Chief John Eck presented: May 2021, 9 fire alarms, 243 medical, 46 service, 65 other, total of 363 incidents. Station 16 made majority of alarms, then station 17, 21, 12 and 8. Shared safety information for outdoor fire places and fire pits. No major fires investigated by FIU this month. 5. Wichita Police Department Report Officer Phommachanh reported: Nothing major on beat. Second Chance Thursday on June 24th at Bethel Life Church Try to get court dates to those with traffic warrants without jail time. From 11am to 7pm. Only applies to City warrant. Really intended for traffic warrants. Try to do it every month, 3rd or 4th Thursday. Officer Phommachanh explained how the program works and the time frame for the event. Q (DAB): Do you have any statistics for it? A: Last time we had over a few hundred people show up. We had a huge amount cleared. 6. Park and Recreation Department Report David McGuire reported: Opened a bunch of swimming pools and splash pads. Had a few ribbon cuttings. More coming. Harvest Park ribbon cutting Saturday at 1pm. Nice improvements to the pool. Need to get them all open and running. 1st day they were supposed to be open it was only 70 degrees. Looking better this weekend. All summer camps have kicked off. Kids are back in buildings. All camps are at capacity. Waiting list going. NFL flag football program has over 100 kids in it. Discounted Wichita Force tickets for participants. New Tennis Center going well. It got a makeover. Park maintenance. All the rain made it difficult to mow. Vendors are getting behind. Medians, parks, etc. Wind storm 2 weeks ago knocked down trees and we are still cleaning up. Golf going well. DAB 5 • June 7, 2021 • Minutes • Page 2  Botanica great lawn is open. C (Frye): One thing to mention about the pools and splash playgrounds, they all have a different and unique theme. Only costs $2.50. And there are some cool features at all of them and some hidden treasures. 7. Wichita Public Library Report Tracie Partridge reported: As a reminder, all Wichita Public Library locations are open for in-person services. Customers are able to browse for materials, use public computers and access our free Wi-Fi service. We are asking customers to wear a mask and practice social distancing. Lounge furniture has been removed at this time to prevent gatherings. For more information about Library operations, please visit www.wichitalibrary.org/covid-19. The Summer Reading Program is back and better than ever! This year, we explore “Tails and Tales” with wild reading challenges and ferocious programs all summer long, including a concert series at Naftzger and Clapp Parks, virtual story times and tons of outdoor fun. Registration is now open and the reading challenges are underway. We have three programs this year: Our Baby Bookworms program for ages 0- 2, the Kids Read program for ages 3-11, and the Teens Read program for ages 12-18. More information is available at www.wichitalibrary.org/summerreading. This summer, the Wichita Public Library, the Kansas African American Museum, Urban Professionals and other community partners will explore a new Candid Conversations series called “Wichita’s Diverse History of Baseball.” Library staff found a small article from a local Black newspaper, printed in 1925, about an exhibition game in which the local Monrovians of the Colored Western League played the local Ku Klux Klan chapter at the baseball stadium on Ackerman Island. This previously unknown event spurred staff members to take a deeper look at Wichita’s history of minority baseball. The series will kick off on Saturday, June 12 and will last all summer long. More information can soon be found at www.wichitalibrary.org/baseball. The Library’s summer series of programs is now available to view online at www.wichitalibrary.org/events and can also be found in the Evolve guide, the City of Wichita’s activities guide that features Library, City Arts, and Park and Recreation programs. We have a great in-person program coming up this month at the Westlink Branch: • Tanganyika Animal Ambassadors is Tuesday, June 22 from 10:30-11:15 a.m. and for children ages 3-11. Meet some animal friends who live at the Tanganyika Wildlife Park and learn about their natural habitats, how they live, and what makes them unique. The Wichita Public Library recently introduced two new material types for circulation: STEAM to Go kits and Radon Detectors. • STEAM to Go kits are for grades 4 and up. They include thematic activities and books on STEAM topics, such as building and design, science and nature, and engineering gears and mazes. There are 12 different topics. They check out for two weeks. They cannot be renewed. • Radon Detectors are part of the Library’s new Library of Things collection. They check out for two weeks and can be renewed up to two times provided that no one is waiting for them. They have to be checked out on an adult account, and they require that the customer complete a borrowing agreement. DAB 5 • June 7, 2021 • Minutes • Page 3  Shared a reminder about Library Bingo. Action Taken: Received and filed. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • New Business 8. ZON2021-00021 Bill Longnecker, Metropolitan Area Planning Department, presented an application on behalf of Maple 135 LLC c/o Doug Malone Meritrust Federal Credit Union c/o Randy Doerksen Retail Buildings, Inc c/o Elaine M. Braum (Applicants/Owners), MKEC c/o Brian Lindebak (Agent). The applicants were requesting a down zoning to GO General Office zoning on portions of the subject properties currently zoned LC Limited Commercial and NR Neighborhood Retail. If approved all of the subject properties will be zoned GO. The approximately 8.98-acre subject properties are not developed. The applicants are also requesting an amendment to Protective Overlay PO #309 and extending it onto portions of the subject properties that are currently subject to the provisions of PO #11 and PO #1. PO #309 will replace PO #11 and PO #1 on those properties. A PO shall always be considered to result in a more restrictive designation than if the base district did not have the PO. The applicants are proposing a mix of single- family residential, multi-family residential, duplexes and possible office, medical services and assisted living development; see PO #309. These uses are permitted by right in the GO zoning district. The site is generally located on the northwest corner of South 135th Street West and West Maple Street (13710 West Maple Street, WCC #V). C (CM Frye): Applicants met with neighborhood in the area. Made some extensive adjustments according to the feedback. Q (DAB): Who will occupy the development? A: Market will play a part of who comes in. You have a restriction of uses. Mostly residential and offices. Assisted living would be the only new thing. Action Taken: Motion to APPROVE the application as presented made by Trevor Kurth. Seconded by Rachel Murphy-Thomas. MOTION PASSED 7-0-0 9. CUP2021-00018 Bill Longnecker, Metropolitan Area Planning Department, presented an application on behalf of Club Carwash Operating, LLC, Tier 1, LLC (Applicants)/ Cochran Engineering (Agent). The applicant is requesting an amendment to the Stonebridge Community Unity Plan CUP DP-295 to permit a carwash on Parcels 1a and 1b. The property is zoned LC Limited Commercial, and is generally located on the east side of North Maize Road and within one-quarter mile south of West 37th Street North. The site is currently undeveloped. C (CM Frye): I’ve heard no complaints from anyone about this. Q (DAB): This is the brand that they’re popping up a few of these around town? A: Yes, Club Carwash. DAB 5 • June 7, 2021 • Minutes • Page 4  Q (DAB): You said it’s up to Public Works to regulate the chemical runoff? A: The drains, yes. A (DAB): KDHE has special requirements for car washes, but for the site itself Public Works would worry about the drainage issue. It won’t go into the storm sewer system. Q (Public) Russel Fox: Isn’t Club Carwash the outfit that proposed a location that I think it’s in District 1 that has generated all the news? A (CM Frye): District 6. 21st and Amidon. Q (DAB): What’s the core issue with that? A (DAB): They don’t want a car wash along the river in that neighborhood. I don’t think it has anything to do with Club Carwash from what I’ve read, but I don’t know. A: It’s a car wash and there will be protests. Q (DAB): Have you heard of a need for carwashes with the amount that seems to be popping up everywhere? A (CM Frye): The market will decide. A (DAB): They’re all full when you go by there on the weekends. Q (DAB): What is the formal process for protesting? A: First, there are notification standards. I don’t have particulars for this one. Prepared by title company. Planning Department has protest forms. Two weeks to fill it out. (Explained how to complete the form and how to turn it in). C (CM Frye): It sounds overwhelming, but staff helps anyone that wants to go through the process. Q (DAB): If you rent, can you protest then? A: It’s for property owners. Owners have all the weight. They can protest, but it won’t count towards anything. DAB discussed hypothetical protest scenario to better understand the process. Action Taken: Motion to APPROVE the application as presented made by Trevor Kurth. Seconded by Rachel Murphy-Thomas. MOTION PASSED 7-0-0 10. Preliminary Budget Overview: 2022-2023 Operating Budget and 2022-2031 Capital Improvement Program Background: The City Manager is in the process of coordinating the development of the 2022-2023 Proposed Budget and 2022-2031 Proposed Capital Improvement Program (CIP). The Wichita Budget Simulator will be available for residents to provide feedback starting June 7, and will be open for responses until June 30. The Social Media Town Hall on June 22 will provide another opportunity for residents to provide feedback on the budget. Community input is being sought at District Advisory Board meetings in June prior to the 2022-2023 Proposed Budget and the 2022-2031 Proposed Capital Improvement Program being finalized in June and July. Analysis: This meeting will provide an overview of the current financial environment, with a review of City revenue and expenditure trends, as well as financial projections relative to the development of the Proposed Budget and CIP. Further input and discussion will be sought about prioritization of the budget DAB 5 • June 7, 2021 • Minutes • Page 5 and CIP. The Proposed Budget and CIP will be presented on July 20, 2021 after all input and discussion has been evaluated and recommended changes are made. Three public hearings will be held in August, including budget and CIP adoption on August 24, 2021. Financial Considerations: The 2021-2022 Proposed Budget sets the service level priorities and projected expenditures for the City of Wichita. The 2022-2031 Proposed Capital Improvement Program sets priorities for capital investments for the next decade. Legal Considerations: The operating budget and CIP will be presented to the City Council on July 20, and three public hearings will be held in August, including budget and CIP adoption on August 24, 2021. The four areas they are looking are asking to help prioritize are: Workforce Development and Training Small Business and Entrepreneurship Development Smart Manufacturing and Digital Transformation Affordable Housing C (CM Frye): This is not an exclusive list, things staff have come up with already. Want to leverage partnerships with County and School District, they have ARPA funding as well. These are buckets to help get something going beyond what we are currently doing. How do we continue to build the community and keep growing with this one time stimulus? Where does it go from here? How do we take this opportunity and position Wichita for the next step? It could be all of these, it could be one of these, it could be any combination. If you’re not familiar with smart manufacturing, it’s a lot of stuff Wichita State is doing with their innovation campus and really positioning beyond the current state of manufacturing. C (Public) Russell Fox: Affordable housing, there are probably some good ways people smarter than me could figure out how this money could seed efforts in Places for People plan. Also ways dumping money in affordable housing initiatives could work against Places for People. We have one part of what seems to be a well thought out plan to help with infill development. There are ways money can help that along, but could also work against that plan. A (CM Frye): One area Places for People hasn’t been finalized. We’ve talked about land bank and zoning piece. We’ve approved the land bank, but haven’t addressed incentive piece. Q (Public) Russell Fox: Related to that, could any ARPA money be used as seed money for the land bank? A (Manning): Great question, I would have to check. I would think it would be available for that. C (DAB): Small business and entrepreneurial development. I think COVID hit them harder, especially minority small business owners. I know D1 has a plan to help minority business owners (with Hyatt money, not ARPA money). Small business in Wichita, keeping them sustainable and around so we are a unique small town incubator instead of a chain store incubator. A (CM Frye): Chung report, one of his findings was that we aren’t doing enough to develop startups fast enough. That’s been a goal for a long time, small business and entrepreneurial development. C (Public) Russell Fox: I agree with that. Going back to early months of pandemic, startups trying to take advantage of PPP, but great amount of money was scooped up by larger businesses, and small operators never got it. This would be a good way to service small businesses still hanging on. DAB 5 • June 7, 2021 • Minutes • Page 6 C (CM Frye): Are there any other ideas out there? This isn’t an exclusive list, but seems to be the core. Q (DAB): Sustainability piece of this. Money goes away and expires. What is the sustainable solution to keep paying salaries of new workers after this? A (Manning): Fantastic question. That’s one thing we are concerned about. Assumptions long term are conservative. We took a beating from the pandemic. Hoping we are pretty conservative. We probably wouldn’t want to spend entire 75 million in areas we would expect to sustain long term. Idea is to provide seed money to get us going. Hoping we can grow out of it and have a manageable challenge. C (DAB): All of these (ARPA areas) are key for future of Wichita. Would like to see ideas developed under each of these blocks and see how money could be spent and benefits to the community. Would like to see actual plan, more development on some of these. A (CM Frye): That has to happen. That would be the next step. Especially when you talk about smart manufacturing. That needs to be flushed out. Those will come. (DAB): I think I heard you say broadband development. Is that ARPA dollars? A: Congress, put some things in the ARPA bill, and that was a priority. They listed two priorities. One was water and sewer, and the other was broadband development. I don’t know we would meet definition of “underserved” for that. Q (CM Frye): Can you explain mill levy shift and ARPA numbers in 23 and 24? A (Manning): Trying to move resources from debt services fund into general fund to be more sustainable long term. Won’t raise mill levy but have opportunity to move it. That’s a little bit of a policy shift towards people instead of buildings. Able to do that by using ARPA money on buildings. Hopefully we won’t need ARPA money because we are too conservative. Using ARPA as contingency. Hopefully we don’t need that and it’s more money we can spend on the other things. C (Frye): So we are putting some money in the piggy bank in case things don’t go as well. We are being very conservative in case we see down years. But if we don’t need that money, we can use it for other things. And it’s not a mil levy increase. But instead of spending it on capital projects, we can use it on general fund obligations because we will have ARPA funding to spend on capital projects. Q (DAB): What constitutes staff recommendation to increase mil levy? A: We keep pretty good pulse on what policy of what city council are. Don’t think staff would ever recommend that in the near future. If times get tough we could present that as a potential option. C (DAB): This bleeds into new state statute that you have to vote on revenue increases, property taxes. One of the nive things pf having a strong growing economy is that our property taxes increase, which kind of artificially made that happen without doing anything with the mill levy. I think if you would have said 28 years ago the City is never going to raise the property bill, there might have been things we decided we wouldn’t have done, knowing that’s something we’re going to have to pay for later on. There’s not a lot of political will to do that from policy maker standpoint or general public. We’ve been able to take care of the City very well over the years. We are required to have a balanced budget. And the manager has made good strategic decisions over the years. He was here in the 2008 crisis. That was a challenging time. We weathered that storm. That’s why we’re confident. DAB 5 • June 7, 2021 • Minutes • Page 7 Q (DAB): Are those projections from last year or are those current? A: These are current. Actually, I think these are a little worse. We’ve seen a very strong sales tax increase because of projects. Those things have really helped. But we lost some in interest income, but we’ve made up for it in sales tax growth. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 8:13 p.m. The next District 5 Advisory Board meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 7, 2021. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Guests Russel Fox • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Respectfully submitted, Cory Buchta, Community Services Representative, District 5 DAB 5 • June 7, 2021 • Minutes • Page 8