District 6 Advisory Board

District VI Advisory Board Minutes www.wichita.gov Monday Evergreen Park & Recreation Center July 6, 2015 2700 N Woodland, Wichita, KS 67204 6:30 PM Lounge Clubroom The District VI Advisory Board meeting was held at 6:30 p.m. at the Evergreen Park & Recreation Center Lounge Clubroom 2700 N. Woodland, Wichita, KS 67204. There were five District Advisory Board members, the Council Member, five staff and four members of the public in attendance. Members Present Staff Present Gregory Boyajian Mark Manning, Finance Department Scott Dunakey Zack Daniel, Management Fellow CMO Carmen Gard Derrick Slocum, MAPD Steve Mason Officer Nate Schwiethale, Patrol South Joel Weihe Officer Steve Jerrell, Patrol North Council Member Janet Miller Members Absent Guests Josef Hamilton Listed on last page Denise O’Leary-Siemer Debora Sanders Council Member Janet Miller called the meeting to order. Approval of Agenda The agenda was approved as submitted. Motion passed (5-0) Approval of Minutes The revised minutes for June 1, 2015, were approved after a change to the language of a comment DAB member Boyajian made regarding a conditional use item. Motion passed (5-0) Public Agenda Scheduled items: None Off-agenda items: Percy Turner, WSU CCSR Project Assistant, addressed the group regarding volunteer opportunities available to assist KanCare operators more efficiently deal with calls. Volunteer ombudsmen are needed for 3-10 hours to help deliver answers to frequently asked caller questions. Volunteers need to be in place by September and training is available beginning in August. Turner expressed that he would e-mail more information to City staff to distribute to the DAB. David Cardona, 2502 Shelton, came to express his concerns about the noise levels at a church revival which occurs every year across the street from his residence. His primary concerns were that the event is less than 100 ft. from his home and the loud music overpowers all noise inside the home. He said 300-500 attend the event causing parking issues along the streets including cars blocked in driveways. He made it clear that he does not want to prevent the event from happening, just that he wants it moved, or the noise levels reduced.  Minutes 2 July 6, 2015 Council Member Miller said the event has been monitored by WPD to ensure that decibel levels are within the parameters allowed by City ordinance. She said the City cannot enforce different rules for select organizations regarding noise levels, but there may be opportunities to explore improving the language of existing regulations. Joel Weihe commented that the issue should be addressed and the ordinance should reflect areas of town where planned events are scheduled to take place. Cardona said he feels religion is being forced on him due to the noise level of the event. Steve Mason asked if the City could address the occasions where noise levels are being exceeded earlier than what was noted on their special event permit. Council Member Miller replied that the specific permit would need to be reviewed. Cardona stated the permit being used by the church only allows high noise levels between 8 and 10 p.m. Mason asked if it was possible to encourage the group to move the event to the nearby Nomar Plaza. WPD Officer Steve Jerrell said he was familiar with the event and Cardona’s complaint. He explained t that the event moving to Nomar would incur additional costs over having it on church grounds (which is free). Scott Dunakey made the comment that perhaps the location should be considered when issuing permits of this nature. He also suggested it might be wise to allow MABCD to issue these permits rather than the Arts and Cultural Services Division. Mason asked if it was possible to waive the fees to facilities like Nomar for church and nonprofit organizations. Discussion closed with Cardona stating he would be addressing the City Council on this issue at the July 7 meeting. Action Taken: Received and file Staff Presentations Community Police Report Officer Nate Schwiethale, Patrol South, had no report specific to District VI activities, but shared a success story regarding the Homeless Outreach Team (HOT), which assisted a homeless veteran find suitable housing and employment. Officer Schwiethale also reminded the group of the Team’s work to curb homelessness in Riverside Park. Officer Steve Jerrell, Patrol North, reported the increasing instances of unwanted visitors to area pools at night. He said the activity is dangerous and several people have injured themselves after breaking into pool facilities. He said one individual fell through the roof of a storage shed, cutting their leg badly. In another instance, a group of people broke in and caused more than $630 dollars in damage and stolen goods. Other updates included the apprehension of a suspect thought to be responsible for 15 area burglaries. Officer Jerrell reminded the group to keep cars locked up, especially if electronics are being kept inside. Action Taken: Receive and file  Minutes 3 July 6, 2015 Fire Department Report Due to the high rains and flooding, no WFD staff were present at this session New Business Preliminary Budget Overview Mark Manning, Finance Department, reported on the 2016-2017 Operating Budget for the City. He outlined the recent budget events including the social media town halls and City Council workshop held in June. The financial forecast for the budget was strong, as past decisions have solidified the financial base of the City. The future of Transit services will be a large discussion point moving forward, as funding shortfalls may require a 25% service reduction. Additionally, preliminary reports on Sedgwick County’s funding levels will also cause challenges for the shared Planning Department, as the Board of County Commissioners have not committed to providing equal funding to the City as it has in the past. Manning reported slow but steady revenue growth in the General Fund. Current reserves are sitting at $26.9 million, or 12% of General Fund expenditures (above the policy stated 10% level). Joel Weihe asked if other cities typically have the same kind of issues with funding Transit that Wichita does. Manning said the majority of other communities have a dedicated funding source for that activity. Wichita lacks that centralized funding mechanism for the service. Steve Mason wanted to clarify that the financial forecast provided in the presentation were referring to operational funds; Manning confirmed. Regarding the MAPD, Scott Dunakey asked what percentage of funding does the Department stand to lose as a result of the actions of the County Commission. Manning said roughly 6-7%. Several DAB members brought up the potential ramifications of “going it alone” with regards to Planning activity, to which Manning replied that that action would drastically reduce the service level capabilities of the MAPD. Dunakey made the point to the group that the County is perhaps negatively impacting planning activities even more than the dollar reduction would indicate. He stated that the current model disproportionally favors Sedgwick County over the City of Wichita and that the push for consolidation may have been shortsighted. Mason asked if the plans for the new Library were included in the financial projections presented. Manning replied that any activity related to the construction of the new library would be in the capital funds budget. Action Taken: Provide feedback. ZON2015-00021 Derrick Slocum, Metropolitan Area Planning Department, presented the request for Limited Industrial (LI) zoning for lots 37-39 North Park Addition, approximately 0.16-acre, which is currently zoned B Multi-Family residential. The site is located 100 feet south of 15th St. N. on the west of N. Santa Fe and is undeveloped. There are only six single-family residences that remain in this three-block area.  Minutes 4 July 6, 2015 The TF-3 residential use to the west of the subject property still retains residential uses, but there has been demolition leaving only eight residential structures in the 1500 block of north St. Francis. An e-mail that was sent to the DAB from a resident who wanted to remain anonymous was discussed. Greg Boyajian was skeptical of the e-mail due to the lack of details it provided. He made the motion (later reworded to be a statement of the DAB’s intent) not to reference the e-mail in their decision making process. Scott Dunakey shared concerns regarding the validity of the e-mail which he claimed bordered on slanderous and had little to do with the land use issues at play. Council Member Miller reminded the group to refer to the “Golden Rules” when reviewing zoning issues. The applicant then addressed the DAB and requested a copy of the e-mail. Council Member Miller asked for clarification that the applicant intended to use the property as a rental to increase its value and that it was now being used to store portable construction office materials. The applicant stated that the lot is sitting empty now after being bought at a Sedgwick County auction a year ago. The intent is to rent out the space for LI use. Dunakey said applicants are not required to disclose the specific use of a property, just verify that the use would fall within the purview allowed by LI standards. Joel Weihe asked if landlords were responsible if the use of the properties violate LI standards; Slocum said yes. The applicant was not sure of the final use of the property, just that the purposes allowed under LI standards would be more conducive to turning a profit. Council Member Miller stressed to the owner to be aware of the parameters allowed, as she has seen a fair number of individuals lose money because they did not adhere to the existing regulations. Action taken: The DAB approved the use of LI limited industrial zoning 5-0. Issues of Concern Neighborhood Reports There were no neighborhood reports given, but more discussion was held on the emerging issues with Sedgwick County’s budgetary decisions. The next DAB VI meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. on August 3, 2015, at the Evergreen Rec Center, 2700 N. Woodland. Tom Stolz, Director of the MABCD will be appearing at the next DAB to discuss housing and nuisance codes/ordinance enforcement. Guests David Cardona Cerapo Carrillo Lonnie Wright Percy Turner