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Wichita City Council Meetings/Workshops - City Council Meeting 05/13/2025
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City Council Meeting

Documenter name: Taliyah Winn

Agency: Wichita City Council Meetings/Workshops

Date: May 13, 2025

See more about this meeting at Documenters.org

 

Public Agenda

The meeting began with several members of the public bringing up various issues pertaining to housing. Arthur Stokes spoke about frequent encounters with black mold in rental properties, citing his experience with a house member who experienced seizures due to mold exposure. Stokes said that this issue does not just impact Section 8 rentals but is a statewide issue. Landlords should be held accountable. In response, Councilmember Mike Hoheisel invited him to a May 27 workshop on new landlord ordinances and tenant protections against landlord retaliation.

Crystal Diane Sigler advocated for tiny home villages in Wichita for the homeless and referenced the 2024 Point-in-Time count which identified 691 homeless individuals living in Sedgwick County. Director of Housing and Community Services Sally Stang countered that tiny homes are rather expensive and argued that multifamily units might be more beneficial instead. The city mentioned that the next plan is to build a 75-unit building on the Park Elementary MAC Center with 50 units of permanent supportive housing and 25 units functioning as non-congregate shelter.

Sybil Strum shared her experience of the city seizing her home in 1988, claiming it left her homeless. City Manager Robert Layton stated her case received extensive support that exceeded what they typically give to other clients. Strum countered that they did not help her. Mayor Lily Wu requested another response due to her continued need.

Derick Jackson expressed gratitude to Councilmember Brandon Johnson and absolved officers involved in a personal case. He made clear he sought no further action.

Board Voting

The council then voted on several motions. They approved, with recommendations from the city’s Department of Finance, the Board of Bids and Contracts. City council also heard updates on a public hearing and request by WAM 4200, LLC for Approval of a Letter of Intent to Issue Industrial Revenue Bonds (District IV). WAM 4200 is a company that is committing to make a $2,000,000 investment in renovations and create five new jobs associated with aircraft parts and auxiliary equipment manufacturing. No taxpayer dollars of city funds at risk. Mayor Wu called for transparency and updating the economic policy in conjunction with this plan while City Manager Layton said that would be more possible now that the office is staffed. During the public comment period, Andrew Nave with Greater Wichita Partnership said he was excited to provide feedback on this project and believes in the importance of the two-year vacancy provision. The council said it will likely revisit some policies around square footage of the construction and other aspects in the summer.

Next, Mark Manning of the Finance Department highlighted the strength of Wichita’s pension programs during his Wichita Employees' Retirement and Police and Fire Retirement Systems Actuarial Valuation Reports as of December 31, 2024 presentation. The pension systems are competitive at a national level but there is some risk with investment and demographic changes. Mayor Wu asked if we can use this pension program to advertise our city and Layton noted that employees today value different benefits. Layton suggested talking to unions and employees to construct more impactful benefit packages. The pension reserve has $8.7 million. The council approved the contribution rates unanimously.

Carmen Hoffine, the city’s Real Property Section Manager, reported on the Affordable Housing Fund Allocation and sale of 47 single-family homes. Those 47 homes will be rehabilitated and used for affordable housing. Some of the programs include down payment assistance and housing choice voucher leases. There is no impact on the general fund. It was approved 6-0 and Councilmember Johnson abstained due to conflicts of interest.

On the topic of Funding and Public Art for 2025 O.J. Watson Park Improvements, city staff recommended several improvements, among them mitigating erosion, increasing accessibility, stable renovation, integrating public art, and improvement of wayfaring. Council members supported local artists and some considered incorporating a Wizard of Oz theme. The motion was approved 7-0.

Pepsi received the vendor contract for all four municipal golf courses in the motion pertaining to Beverage Services for Municipal Golf Courses (Districts I, IV, and VI). The contract allows for better costs, use of equipment, delivery of products and easy ordering. The motion was unanimously approved.

There will be an Ice Center Management Change (District IV).  The owner of Rink Management Services Corporation is retiring and transitioning its management to The Sports Facilities Companies (SFC). The compensation will be $6,500 per month and can be terminated if they don’t follow the terms of the contract. The change was approved 7-0.

Wichita’s drought conditions were the topic of much conversation in Funding for Water Reuse Alternatives Study. With a continuing drought, Wichita is exploring a Water Reuse Alternatives Study to help discover funding sources and water reuse. The study will investigate the adherence to state regulations, receive public feedback, and identify funding sources and potential pilot programs with a preliminary goal of gaining the public trust. Wichita draws its water from two sources: Cheney reservoir (surface water) and the Equus Beds Wellfield (groundwater). Department Director of Public Works and Utilities Gary Janzen said the city has done a good job utilizing its native water rights and recharging the basins. However, to prepare for the future the city has to invest in water reuse programs. When addressing some common questions about water sources, Janzen ruled out El Dorado lake because it would not be sustainable long term and also ruled out dredging Cheney due to high costs and lack of necessity. Wichita has a partnership with Spirit to send treated wastewater for commercial use to Spirit, which could model future projects.

The main focus of the study is Direct Potable Reuse which will create an additional water supply for the future. The study is led by CDM Smith (the firm behind the EPA’s national guidelines on water reuse). It will define baseline water quality standards and treatment technologies. Total Cost will be $1,188,095 (staff recommended CIP allocation of $1.2M in 2025).

Other comments on the topic include councilmember Becky Tuttle asking about the impacts that water reuse would have on people downstream. Multiple councilmembers emphasized the importance and urgency of addressing the historic drought we are in. It has economic impacts, not just on the individual but could serve as a deterrent to businesses if the city doesn’t take steps to address the drought. Councilmember Hoheisel asked about daily water usage, which is around $50 million gallons per day on average in non-drought periods. Mayor Wu recommended state involvement because Wichita provides 17% of the state's water, and Kansas could then fund it. Direct Potable Reuse isn’t nationally widespread; but it's expected to grow. The city said that it is likely that Stage Three drought restrictions could happen by early 2026. The city council approved the budget and contract unanimously.

City council also approved unanimously to increase Wichita-Sedgwick County Metropolitan Area Planning Department City of Wichita Application Fees. The funding for the MAPD development is half from the county and half from the city. City manager Layton said the 10% increase fits from a policy standpoint and the cost recovery model.

There is excitement about the Request to Set a Public Hearing for a Community Improvement District for SoCe Corner (District III). The SoCe Economic Development Group plans to invest $2.6 million into the southwest corner of Lincoln and Broadway to make it into a mixed-use space. To move the process further the council adopted a resolution and scheduled a public hearing for June 10, 2025. The developer bears the cost and no city debt would be issued. It was approved 7-0.

Wichita State University Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology - Use and Lease Agreement - Colonel James Jabara Airport. In this motion, the city council heard that WSU Tech will lease 9.66 acres at the Jabara Airport to expand aviation education and development. As a non-profit, WSU Tech receives a 50% discount on land rental rates. In public comment, WSU Tech President Sheree Utash said the agreement was an important next step for the future of Wichita and its students. Mayor Wu disclosed that she is a member of the WSU tech board, but said she has no financial gain as a member. This was a particularly proud subject for the mayor who declared that “I am the mayor of the city of Wichita and a very proud one as I go around the nation talking about the air capital of the world. I always talk about our educational institutions that help with maintaining the air capital of the world moniker.” The mayor continued: “For me air stands for something. It stands for aviation innovation and research And this proposal right now touches all three of those.” The council approved the agreement 6-0 with one abstention from Councilmember Tuttle due to conflict of interest.

There were several zoning cases heard as well. The change of an apartment at 1632 North Nevada (District VI) was approved 7–0 with the DAB’s recommended conditions. A vacation request at 301 South Terrace (District I) was approved to reduce a platted setback and with recommendation to deny utility easement vacation due to utility conflicts. It passed 7–0. A zone change at 1200 North Waco (District VI) was requested. The owner wants to operate the property both as a church and a bin store but has caused issues with trash and semi-truck traffic. Planning staff recommended approval; the DAB recommended denial. Council unanimously sided with the DAB (7–0) due to community complaints about trash and semi traffic in the area. A zone change on North Greenwich (District II) was withdrawn by the applicant and there was no action taken.

There were several Approvals of Travel that were approved unanimously. Mayor Wu’s travel to Garden City for the League of Kansas Municipalities board meeting and to Paris for the international airshow; Councilmembers Johnson and Maggie Ballard’s travel to the National League of Cities summit in Salt Lake City; Johnson’s travel to Local Progress 2025 in Chicago and the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials; Hoheisel is also traveling to the NLC summit in Salt Lake City. Mayor Wu proposed listing councilmember travel and its funding sources on the city's website for increased transparency.

City council also made several board appointments and miscellaneous comments. Councilmembers Hohiesel and Ballard made appointments and they passed 7-0. Hoheisel highlighted the mayor’s youth council unity and the community event which was moved to this upcoming Saturday at East High from 2:30 to 6:00. Councilmember Johnson invited everyone to the Country Acres dog park opening. The City of Wichita recognizes May as Bike Month and May 14th as Wichita Facility Management Day. The Wichita Bar Association also got recognized for their events during Law Week.

The city council also went into executive session. Mayor Wu asked it to receive mediation regarding KSA75-4319B2 for legal consultation with the city attorney. This is deemed privilege in the attorney-client relationship pending litigation legal advice and therefore taken behind closed doors. The executive session is required to protect attorney client privilege and the public interest. It passed 7-0. Mayor Wu also moved to recess into a 15 minute executive session to receive information on a contract pursuant to KSA75-4319B2 for legal consultation with the city attorney which we deemed privileged in the attorney client. It also passed unanimously.

Summary

 

Follow-Up Questions

 

If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at dhaslam@kansasleadershipcenter.org with "Correction Request" in the subject line.