District 6 Advisory Board

District VI Advisory Board Minutes www.wichita.gov Wednesday Evergreen Branch Library June 20, 2018 2601 N. Arkansas, Wichita, KS 67204 6:30 p.m. Conference Room The District VI Advisory Board meeting was held at 6:30 p.m. at the Evergreen Branch Library conference room, 2601 N. Arkansas, Wichita, KS 67204. There were nine District Advisory Board members, the Council Member, seven staff members and seven members of the public in attendance. Members Present Staff Present James Deckard Officer Steve Jerrell, WPD Joel Weihe Officer Nate Schwiethale, WPD Denise O’Leary-Siemer Lieutenant Gerald Johnson, WFD Lorenza Snyder Three WFD firefighters Gregory Boyajian Brandon Findley, Office of Community Services Bill Longnecker Matt Brown Angela Martinez Gisela Peña Linda Matney Carrington Thom (Youth member) Council Member Cindy Claycomb Members Absent Guests Shaun Rojas Nancy Olivas Eddie Sandoval Blanca Prada Leonardo Zapata Call to Order Council Member Cindy Claycomb called the meeting to order. Approval of Minutes The minutes for June 4, 2018 were approved. Motion passed (10-0) Citizen Agenda Scheduled items: None Off-agenda items: Members of the community who are planning on creating a Hispanic Mercado to be held at NOMAR International Market that will be known as the “Mercadito Hispano NOMAR,” addressed the District Advisory Board. They are planning on hosting the outdoor market on Saturdays and Sundays beginning in late July and running through the end of October. The market will have a variety of vendors that will sell food, clothing and other items as well as having various types of live entertainment. The vendors of the Mercado will also be taking small business development classes to prepare for their new business venture. Action Taken: Receive and file  June 20, 2018 New Business 2019-2020 City Budget Presentation Mark Manning, Finance Budget Officer, presented on the new City budget process and issues for 2019-2020. Mr. Manning described the general strategy of this year’s budget and showed the many ways in which the current revenue growth is slowing and how the City might address this slowed growth to focus resources on the things the community feels are most important. DAB Member – What are some of the definitive items being proposed to be cut to balance the budget? Mark Manning – Gave a list of potential items to be considered by City Council and then invited people to participate in the discussion about these items at the Social Media Towne Hall that will be held at 2:00 pm on June 21st. DAB Member – You mentioned the various revenue streams for the City that have greatly reduced over time. Is there any conversation at City Hall about potential new revenue streams for the City to take advantage of? Mark Manning – Our challenge there is that we are really constrained by State statute. The City of Wichita is a part of the State of Kansas and they are restrictive on us as to what we can do on the revenue side. We can increase property taxes. Franchise fees are usually 20 year agreements so we don’t have a lot of flexibility there. We could have a sales tax increase but that requires a referendum. Motor Fuel and Liquor taxes are through the State of Kansas, so we are just really limited on what our options are. DAB Member – Has there been any discussion about adding franchise fees to cell phones? Mark Manning – Yes there has been, but that would require cooperation from the cell phone providers. DAB Member – We’ve recently heard from the Chung Report that Wichita is not as business friendly as some of the other cities similar to it. Can you tell us what Wichita is doing to be more competitive and attract new business? Mark Manning – I think that one key strategy that the BREG (Blueprint for Regional and Economic Growth) report suggested is to focus on economic clusters. Similar to how we need to focus on what we are really good at with our operating budget, we also need to focus on our current clusters of economic activity and be really good in those cluster areas. Another emphasis is to create an environment that is conducive to the creation of jobs by building the infrastructure needed for business to thrive. Council Member Claycomb – I would like to mention that although revenues are down we do have options. We have the option of raising property taxes and we could also potentially implement a sales tax. I know that can be a difficult conversation for us to have with one another and although I am not advocating for or against either of those options, I encourage you to have those conversations and consider the options to help us make decisions. Janet Miller, 1102 Jefferson – I just want to point out that we can’t cut expenditures enough to reach our budget goals. We are going to have to raise revenues to do so. We are one of the only cities in the region that doesn’t have a city sales tax. We also carry the debt for developers in the form of specials. That is also something we should look into to see if changing that practice would help our situation. Cutting services is going to make the city less attractive to the labor force we need to attract businesses. Recommended Action: Receive and file CON2018-00021 Kyle Kobe, Metropolitan Area Planning Department, presented an application from Daniel Norton (Lessee), Ryno Properties, Inc. (Owner) who is requesting to permit a Nightclub in the City on property zoned CBD Central Business District. A “nightclub in the city” is permitted by right in the CBD district unless the nightclub is located within 300 feet of church, place of worship, public park, public or parochial school or residential zoning district. If a “nightclub in the city” is proposed to be located within 300 feet of the previously noted uses, the nightclub is no longer allowed by right and requires Conditional Use approval. The Rivercrest Free Methodist Community Church is located at 136 North Emporia, directly across the alley to the west. DAB Member – Have other establishments in the area had to go through the same process? Kyle Kobe – Yes I believe so.  June 20, 2018 Council Member Claycomb - So they could basically have music at any time correct? Kyle Kobe – Yes that is correct. Council Member Claycomb - If there are no other comments I will entertain a motion. Action Taken: Longnecker/Weihe made a motion to approve the request. Motion passed 8-1 Neighborhood Reports Greg Boyjian – I made two comments about problem properties and both were taken care of so thank you. Matt Brown – Our neighborhood association had a great pool party. Over 100 people attended and they want to save their pool so you may hear more about that soon. Lorenza Snyder – We will be having a meeting at Twin River at 6:30 p.m. Senator Lynn Rogers will be joining us. ADJOURN Meeting was adjourned. Respectfully Submitted, Brandon Findley District VI Community Service Representative Office of Community Services