[1:42] And everybody, it is 7 o'clock. Welcome
to our August 25th regular commission
[1:46] meeting. Before we get things started,
if you would please join me in the
[1:49] pledge of
>> allegiance
[1:54] to the flag of the United States of
America and to the republic for which it
[1:59] stands, one nation under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice
[2:04] for all.
[2:08] » All righty. First item this evening is
to consider the minutes of the August
[2:12] 11th, 2026 meeting. I move we approve
the regular minutes.
[2:17] » I second.
>> We have a motion in a couple of seconds.
[2:20] Any further discussion?
Hearing none. All those in favor say I.
[2:25] » I. Any opposed? Same sign.
>> The motion carries. Next item this
[2:30] evening is to receive the 2025 financial
audit report. And we're going to have
[2:33] Stacy Ham with SJHHL come up and give it
that to us.
[2:38] » Good evening everyone. I'm Stacy
Hammond. I'm a partner with the audit
[2:41] firm SJHHL and also the partner on the
city's annual financial statement audit.
[2:46] It's a pleasure to be here this evening
to present the results of that financial
[2:50] statement audit. I believe all of you
have received two documents from us. Uh
[2:54] one of them was the copy of the audited
financial statements and the other was a
[2:58] report that was addressed to the mayor
and members of the city commission. Uh a
[3:03] lot of my presentation this evening is
also summarized in that report to the
[3:08] mayor and city commission. That report
really puts into writing everything that
[3:12] our audit standards require us to
present summarizing the results of the
[3:16] financial statement audit. Uh the first
thing that I need to visit with you
[3:20] about this evening is our
responsibilities in performing the
[3:23] city's audit. Uh we did perform the
city's audit in accordance with
[3:27] generally accepted auditing standards at
government auditing standards issued by
[3:31] the comproller general of the United
States. uh the provisions of the single
[3:35] audit act uniform guidance the office of
management and budget compliance
[3:40] supplement and requirements set forth in
the Kansas municipal audit and
[3:44] accounting guide. Uh all of those
standards require us to perform
[3:48] procedures in order to obtain reasonable
assurance that the city's financial
[3:52] statements are free from material
misstatement.
[3:56] As far as the procedures that we
performed, we did examine on a test
[4:00] basis evidence supporting the amounts
and disclosures in the financial
[4:03] statements. Uh we also reviewed the
accounting principles that the city uses
[4:08] significant estimates made by the city's
management as well as evaluating the
[4:12] overall financial statement
presentation. Uh probably the most
[4:16] important thing that I'll be telling you
this evening is that as a result of
[4:20] performing those procedures, uh we did
determine that the city's financial
[4:24] statements are presented fairly in all
material respects in accordance with
[4:29] generally accepted accounting
principles. Therefore, we issued what we
[4:33] call an unmodified audit opinion, which
is the best kind of opinion that the
[4:37] city can receive.
Uh I need to visit with you about any
[4:42] accounting policies or practices. uh
significant or unusual transactions, uh
[4:47] newly adopted accounting standards or
significant estimates as part of what
[4:52] we're required to report. Nothing in any
of those areas this year that we need to
[4:56] talk about except the city does have
several significant accounting
[5:00] estimates. Uh those are the city's net
pension liability that results from its
[5:04] participation in capers, the fair value
of investments, total other
[5:09] post-employment benefit liabilities, uh
the right to use assets and lease
[5:13] obligations payable, uh leases
receivable, and their associated
[5:18] deferred inflows. Uh our job as auditors
is to make sure that the city has a
[5:22] reasonable process in place to measure
and record each of those accounting
[5:26] estimates. And after our test work, we
were able to conclude that the city does
[5:31] have a reasonable process in place to
measure and record each of its
[5:35] significant accounting estimates.
We did make several audit adjustments to
[5:41] the original trial balance that was
presented to us to begin our audit. A
[5:45] number of those adjustments were
management prepared entries that just
[5:49] came in a little bit later after the
trial balance was presented to us.
[5:52] Others were reclassing items or entries
that relate to activity like debt and
[5:57] capital assets that the city doesn't
record on its trial balance for
[6:01] governmental activities, but that are
needed for the entitywide financial
[6:05] statements that are presented on a GAP
basis to be in accordance with standards
[6:10] set forth by the governmental accounting
standards board. The final item that I'd
[6:15] like to visit with you about related to
the financial statement audit is our
[6:19] observations about the audit process. A
and here we would inform you if anything
[6:23] bad had happened during the audit, if
we'd had any significant difficulties,
[6:28] disagreements with management, anything
in those areas. I I'm happy to report
[6:33] that nothing like that happened.
Management of the city was extremely
[6:37] cooperative throughout the entire audit
process and they were very transparent
[6:41] in answering the numerous questions that
we had. Uh before I open it up for
[6:46] questions, I would like to mention that
outside of the financial statement
[6:49] audit, we also performed a single audit
of the city's expenditures of federal
[6:53] awards. Uh we're required to perform
such an audit when the city expends more
[6:57] than a million dollars of federal
awards. As part of that audit, we did
[7:02] test a major program this year, which
was the city's airport improvement
[7:06] program. uh we have no findings that
we're required to report as part of that
[7:11] test work and as part of that single
audit of federal expenditures. We did
[7:15] issue an unmodified audit opinion on
compliance for the major program which
[7:20] is also the best kind of opinion that
you can receive on the single audit. Uh
[7:26] I would open it up for questions now.
Before I do that, I would like to very
[7:30] much thank Lisa Marshall and her staff
in the finance department. uh they they
[7:34] were getting ready for the audit kind of
without a financial director in place
[7:38] this year. So, a lot of work that her
and that department went to to get ready
[7:42] for that. I think in order for the city
to receive an excellent result on its
[7:46] audit, you really have to have good
policies and procedures in place year
[7:50] round, not just in the several weeks
where they're getting ready for us to
[7:54] come in and do that audit. And I think
our audit result shows that the city
[7:58] really does have those processes and
procedures in place year round in order
[8:02] to achieve that result. So with that, I
would open it up for any questions that
[8:06] any of you might have this evening.
>> Thank you, Stacy.
[8:11] » Anything?
>> Excellent.
[8:14] » Awesome.
>> Great report. Thank you.
[8:17] » Thank you.
>> Okay, we need to have a motion.
[8:21] » We need a motion to accept the caffer. I
I move that we accept the report.
[8:27] » I second.
>> We have a motion and a second. Any
[8:29] further discussion?
Hearing none. All those in favor say I.
[8:34] » I.
>> Any opposed? Same sign. That motion
[8:36] carries.
Next [clears throat] item this evening
[8:39] is our 2027 budget hearing. Um I'm going
to go ahead and ask Ben Hart with Baker
[8:45] Tilly to kick us off on that and then
we'll kick it over to Rebecca.
[8:51] » Thank you, Mayor. Um, I want to just
first say that I had the absolute
[8:56] pleasure to work with the same staff,
Lisa Marshall, when she wasn't doing
[9:00] audit, she was helping us. Uh, that was
that was fantastic. I was able to work
[9:05] with Rebecca and obviously Daniela when
we uh started putting the budget
[9:10] together within the state of Kansas.
budgets start really early, usually in
[9:16] the spring, and they usually start with
a revenue forecast way ahead of the end
[9:20] of the year, which is really unfair from
a finance standpoint, but it's always
[9:24] been that way. Your budget's no
different. The revenue forecast and the
[9:29] operating budget for that matter was put
together back in March and discussions
[9:34] throughout April happen. Eventually, it
gets to this the commission. I know um
[9:39] at this this summer you guys spent uh at
least three budget workshops uh going
[9:46] through the budget that was presented by
the city administrator. Um everything
[9:52] culminates really tonight in two
different budget uh public hearings to
[9:56] get uh citizen input. uh the first being
the public hearing on revenue neutral
[10:02] for 2027 a statutory requirement and
then the second obviously the budget
[10:08] itself
>> uh for and then followed by that
[10:11] followed by that would be the adoption
of the budget. Uh this budget $66.8
[10:16] million
was spread over several several
[10:20] operating funds. Uh and within the
budget itself, uh there are several
[10:25] pages, one of which shows the public the
publication of that that number and then
[10:31] all the funds that go with it. Um with
that, is there any any additional I
[10:36] think information that Rebecca has.
>> Thank you. Um I'll just be going over um
[10:42] what's in your packet on the memos
before we enter into those hearings.
[10:47] just to give a little bit um going back
to what we're going to have for the
[10:51] revenue neutral rate. As you might
remember, your revenue neutral rate is
[10:54] the tax rate in mills that generates the
same property tax revenue in dollars as
[10:59] levied the previous years using the
current evaluation. In June, we were
[11:03] notified by the Harvey County Clerk that
our revenue neutral rate would be um a
[11:08] mill of 69.408
across all funds. The current mill levy
[11:13] is 72.353.
That's a difference of 2.945 mills or
[11:19] $555,599
[11:22] in valuation increase. At the July 19th
meeting, the commission approved notice
[11:27] of intent to exceed the revenue neutral
rate and to inform the county clerk. At
[11:31] the fourth budget workshop, the city
commission decided to reduce the mill
[11:34] levy rate from 72.353
to 70.942.
[11:40] The difference from revenue neutral rate
would be utilized to fund the airport
[11:43] bond and interest and special liability
funds. The library board has notified
[11:46] the city that they are keeping their mil
levy flat and assuming the increase in
[11:50] valuation.
Before we move on to that hearing, I
[11:54] might just give you a quick summary of
the budget as well since they're going
[11:59] to be moving pretty quickly. Um, as um,
Ben mentioned, the proposed budgets um,
[12:07] across all funds reflects that mill levy
rate. Um, while no new positions were
[12:13] added and included in the budget, it
does maintain the commitment to the
[12:16] salary study. Um, which is one of the
largest line items um, in increase. Um,
[12:22] there's no direct transfers from
utilities to support the general fund.
[12:25] In previous years, that was
approximately $1.2 million. So again, a
[12:29] commitment to reduce that burden on the
utilities. The airport mill levy was set
[12:36] to have incre additional funding to meet
the needs of the growing airport
[12:39] operations and the expansions in that
area. The external funding requests were
[12:44] funded and it's spending down um in a
deficit on the general fund and current
[12:50] cash. So with that,
I do have those numbers on slides.
[12:56] They're all things you've seen before as
those breakdowns. We can reference them
[13:00] if needed. But this is your proposed
mill levy. So, but unless there's other
[13:06] questions, probably ready to start then.
>> Okay. At this time, I'll go ahead and
[13:12] open the public hearing. I'd invite
individuals to step forward who uh wish
[13:16] to speak on this. If you would please
state your name and address and your com
[13:20] comments regarding this item.
>> And this needs to be for the RNR
[13:24] hearing.
>> Correct.
[13:26] More clarification.
[13:47] » Anyone?
>> Okay. Well, I declare the public.
[13:52] » What? You'll need to take a roll call
vote now on your res.
[13:56] » No, I got to close the meeting, don't I?
>> It's okay. We got it. Make a motion and
[14:01] a second on the resolution and then
we'll do a roll call vote.
[14:05] » Okay. You got me home.
>> All right. [laughter]
[14:10] » I call for a sec. A motion.
>> I so move.
[14:13] » Do I have a second?
>> I second.
[14:16] » Yes, we do.
>> All righty. All those in favor say I. I.
[14:19] » I.
>> Now, you're going to have to have the
[14:21] roll call vote. Sorry.
So, I will start with at this end and
[14:25] I'll go through and you need to say yes
or no to the roll call. So, Commissioner
[14:29] Kaine,
>> yes.
[14:32] » Vice Mayor Watson,
>> yes.
[14:34] » Mayor,
>> it commissioner Valentine,
[14:37] » yes.
>> And Commissioner Miller,
[14:39] » yes.
>> Thank you.
[14:42] » Okay.
All right. So, now we are going to open
[14:46] the public hearing for the 2027 budget.
Again, anybody wishing to speak on this
[14:53] matter, please uh come forward, state
your name and address and and your
[14:57] comments. And that would be you, sir.
[15:08] » Hello. I'm Daniel Sanders. Um I live at
1111 South Pine Street here in Newton.
[15:15] I moved here a year and a half ago. Um
how much time do I have?
[15:21] We don't limit it, but out of courtesy,
we train everybody out at three minutes
[15:25] long.
>> Yeah.
[15:26] » Um, I moved here a year and a half ago
from Sterling, Colorado because my
[15:30] mother-in-law is the last living parent
we have and she has dementia. So, my
[15:35] wife wanted to move back and help take
care of her. Um, so I quit my career out
[15:40] there and I moved here. We moved here
and our house was paid for out there.
[15:46] So, we paid cash for our house here. Um,
my house out there was worth more than
[15:51] the house I have here. And my property
taxes were $750 a year in Colorado. And
[15:59] I mean, we lived in the house for a
number of years. And I was shocked when
[16:05] the property taxes went up $25 a year. I
thought this is crazy. It's out of
[16:09] control.
So then we get here and my property
[16:13] taxes are 3500, 3600, 3,700.
Um they started out at 3,200. Um and I
[16:22] did know that
coming here that my property taxes are
[16:27] going to be high, but I didn't know they
were going to go higher as high as they
[16:32] do every year. Um this will be my third
property taxes I'll have to pay. And um
[16:40] you guys appraised my house for more
than what I could sell it for. Um I had
[16:46] an appraiser come by two weeks ago
because I'm having a new roof put on my
[16:51] house and he appraised it for less than
what the city did. And I don't know how
[16:58] all that works. Um and I don't know how
all this works. This is my first time
[17:03] here. Um, and it's just because I'm a
concerned citizen
[17:08] » and I mean I'm 60 years old and
I'm going to have to work till I'm dead
[17:14] at this rate. I mean I do have a good
retirement. Um,
[17:21] but I don't if if the property taxes
keep going up like they are, I won't be
[17:26] able to afford to live here. Um, and I
see how the elderly get taxed out of
[17:33] their homes. I really do now.
>> Um, because the property taxes are just
[17:38] so high here.
And I understand that the property taxes
[17:42] are there for a reason because, you
know, the schools and the roads and I
[17:47] mean, I don't know where it all goes.
Um,
[17:50] but man, that's a lot of money. If
you're taxing everybody as much as you
[17:54] tax me, that's a lot of money for the
city. Um,
[18:02] so like I said, I'm just a concerned
citizen. Um,
[18:07] and I think I will come to more of these
meetings. Um, so I understand them
[18:12] better. Um, and I'm not trying to start
an argument. I just I just
[18:19] I'm at a loss
because you think my house is worth more
[18:23] than what it is and my taxes keep going
up and it's crazy.
[18:29] I don't know that with my retirement um
if I do get to retire
[18:34] um
with my homeowners insurance, the water
[18:39] bill that's crazy high now, um my
property taxes, um I mean that's
[18:47] That's more money than I'll have. I know
that for sure. But that's all I got.
[18:53] Thanks for letting me speak.
>> Oh, thank you for coming up and
[18:56] speaking. It means a lot.
>> Thank you.
[18:58] » Thank you.
[19:06] » Anybody else?
[19:09] » All right. At this time, I'll declare
the public hearing closed and bring the
[19:14] discussion back to the bench.
Commissioners,
[19:18] anything?
>> I
[19:22] I think it would be worth some time to
maybe clarify
[19:28] with regard to how those appraisals
occur.
[19:34] Um,
>> the ownership, you know, appraisals are
[19:36] are
>> by the county. They're they're not by
[19:39] the city.
>> The city does not appraise your
[19:42] property.
>> There was a push by the legislature on
[19:45] the counties of Kansas to increase the
assessed values
[19:50] um because the legislature felt that the
assessed values were uh lower than than
[19:56] market. So, um that led to the last few
years of our assessed value increases
[20:03] here in Harvey County. Um it is
unfortunate, you know, that often times
[20:08] the the city bears the the fault or the
blame for the entirety of the property
[20:13] taxes. Yes, we do levy property taxes
for the city, but that bill that you get
[20:19] is a combination of all the the taxing
bodies, the school district,
[20:24] » um any special districts,
>> state,
[20:27] » state, county,
>> and and the city as well. Um I too
[20:32] understand and and can see how somebody
can be priced out of their home and it
[20:36] is concerning.
>> Um
[20:39] until there's uh wide tax reform at the
state level. Um sir coming from Colorado
[20:45] Taber is a totally different thing over
there. The way that the state revenue is
[20:49] and and the way that the cities and
municipalities are funded from that
[20:53] state income tax is totally different
than here in the state of Kansas. And
[20:57] it's the opposite. you get taxed heavier
on your income than you do on your
[21:02] properties. So, um, government, no
matter whether you're in Colorado or
[21:07] you're in Kansas or you're anywhere, it
takes a lot to run a municipality, um,
[21:12] and the roads and public safety and
everything. So, we hear you. We as a
[21:16] body have really pushed on our city
staff and our departments to maintain
[21:21] costs this year. And that's why we are
bringing forward a budget this year that
[21:25] does not take into account all of the um
assessed value increases that uh were
[21:31] available uh for this body. We said no
to that. We said no to positions. We
[21:37] said no to um items. We pushed costs
that the city used to incur on behalf of
[21:43] the citizens back on those citizens,
i.e. credit card fees and everything.
[21:49] Um, we we didn't believe that the rest
of the community should be um paying
[21:54] those credit card fees for everybody
else, whether it was somebody pulling a
[21:58] permit or somebody um paying paying a
bill. So, we we hear you. We we just
[22:04] have to be very surgical in um the
efforts that we take because we don't
[22:10] want uh amenities or services to be
negatively impacted too much if we get
[22:15] too heavy-handed in our
>> our items. Um anything else?
[22:20] » I think it's worth noting that from I'm
I'm new on the commission, but what I
[22:24] understand as a long-term strategy is
well the reason the housing values are
[22:30] increasing is because we don't have
enough housing. there's a housing
[22:32] shortage. So, we'll have a housing
report coming up next. Um, Newton has
[22:37] really been pushing for adding more
houses, which will bring in all of those
[22:41] new houses will bring in property taxes,
which will then spread the burden, as
[22:45] well as the industrial development like
GAF, uh, Shield, AI,
[22:50] once those come onto the books, uh, as
property taxes, that will increase the
[22:55] revenue and allow us to to be able to
stabilize some of the property taxes.
[23:00] um trying to spread the burden rather
than raising it on add more people, add
[23:05] more properties. I think that's that's
how I understand the long term.
[23:07] » One one of the focuses that we've been
trying to do here for three or four
[23:11] years, five years, is really put a a
focus on bringing in new industrial and
[23:18] commercial industry because they pay the
property tax rate at double of what the
[23:23] citizens do in our in our homes.
>> Yeah. And so that's where we're really
[23:27] going to increase and take the pressure
off off of all of us homeowners. The
[23:32] more that businesses here can expand or
bring in new businesses, then that will
[23:39] that doesn't mean that all of a sudden
our property taxes are going to go down,
[23:42] but the pressure is going to be lessened
as time goes on and those revenues come
[23:46] on to the tax roles. So we all feel
exactly how you feel when we get our tax
[23:53] bill. We're all homeowners. We all know
what that is. We don't like it. And uh
[23:59] just like the mayor said, we have taken
specific steps here to, you know, lessen
[24:04] the mill levy, to use some of our ending
cash, you know, down to an acceptable
[24:09] level and uh and not hire some of the
the the personnel that has been
[24:15] requested.
>> So, we're we we hear you loud and clear.
[24:20] It's not like we're just tonedeaf up
here and we all just ignore it. We
[24:24] don't. So, thank you for expressing that
though.
[24:28] » And I would encourage if you have that
tax statement, um it's divided by all of
[24:33] the taxing entities. It might be good.
Um if I'm sure I'm going to volunteer
[24:38] somebody from the city. Um if you want
to bring that up to the city and the
[24:42] city manager is glad to help you break
that down to see exactly where the
[24:46] city's portion of that whole tax bill is
versus the county, the state, uh the rec
[24:51] center,
>> the school board,
[24:53] » all of that. the school board and the
school bond issue. I mean, we're dealing
[24:58] only with the city portion of that whole
tax bill. And so, I would encourage you
[25:05] uh to bring that up and have somebody
just go through that with you so that
[25:09] it's much clearer because
I have had to have people go through
[25:14] that with me, too. I know what we deal
with here at the city level, but when I
[25:17] get that big statement, I have to remind
myself and sometimes ask for a little
[25:22] bit of extra direction to understand
what all of that means in total. So, I
[25:27] would encourage you to do that
>> and come to more meetings. I love when
[25:32] people attend meetings. Thank you.
>> I I I [clears throat] I think I mean I
[25:37] agree everybody on here what they've
said is all true. Um but I think we've
[25:43] left something out and that is that
those returns on those investments from
[25:50] Jif and Shield IIA are going to take
years before we get see those and that
[25:56] doesn't help us right now and these
citizens need help right now and um so I
[26:05] I know that we have put um we have put
pressure on our staff to to um you know,
[26:12] try to figure this out and and I know
they work hard and I got to say the
[26:18] staff's amazing. They they do they work
hard and trying to get us the
[26:22] information that we need to make an
informed decision and it just takes time
[26:26] to do that. But um we like we said, we
do hear what you're saying and we
[26:33] if we could solve this problem right
now, we would do that. But we're trying
[26:39] to figure out how we can do that,
give some relief now, you know, sooner
[26:46] than later type of thing. Um, so if we
can just kind of bear with us a little
[26:52] bit on that, um, that would be great.
But
[26:56] » that's all I wanted to say.
>> All righty. At this point, I would call
[27:02] for a motion.
[27:07] Are we adopting the budget?
>> I move that we adopt the 2027 budget.
[27:11] » I second.
>> We got a motion in a couple seconds.
[27:14] » Couple seconds.
>> All righty. Any further discussion?
[27:18] » Hearing none. All those in favor say I.
>> Any opposed? Same sign.
[27:23] Motion carries. You going to pull the
roll call on this, Denise?
[27:26] » No.
>> Nope. Okay.
[27:27] » Very good. All righty.
All right. Next item this evening is to
[27:33] receive the annual housing update. Zack.
Good evening. [clears throat] Excuse me.
[27:39] Uh, this evening I'm going to provide
our annual update on housing activity in
[27:43] Newton. Rather than simply walking
through Rather than simply walk through
[27:47] a list of projects,
is it just going to be one click?
[27:53] Oh, gotcha. Thank you.
Rather than simply walking through a
[27:58] list of projects, I want to frame this
year's report around three questions.
[28:02] Where were we? Where are we today? And
where are we going? I think the
[28:06] framework does a better job of showing
the progress we've made while also
[28:10] putting into perspective the work that
is still ahead of us.
[28:17] Where were we? So, where were we? Over
the last several years, our housing
[28:21] conversations have consistently centered
around the same challenge. We simply
[28:25] need more housing. Our available
inventory has remained constrained.
[28:29] Demand throughout the region has
remained strong and infrastructure costs
[28:33] continue to make new residential
development difficult. At the same time,
[28:37] we were beginning to build a much
stronger pipeline. Fox Ridge was driving
[28:40] a significant amount of the new
residential construction. We had
[28:44] additional projects beginning to emerge
around Sand Creek Station and we were
[28:47] having more conversations with
developers about what it would take to
[28:51] make the projects financially feasible.
A lot of work has was focused on
[28:55] recruitment, planning, identifying
development opportunities, and finding
[28:59] the right tools to help projects move
move forward. There was very very little
[29:04] change between the annual report I
presented in August of 2025 and the end
[29:08] of that calendar year leading into the
spring. And that brings us to where we
[29:12] are today.
[29:17] That's touchy.
Today, I think the housing picture looks
[29:21] considerably different. We aren't just
talking about potential projects
[29:24] anymore. We have construction underway.
We have dirt moving. We have
[29:28] infrastructure being planned. We have
projects moving through the RHID
[29:31] process. And we have another generation
of housing developments beginning to
[29:35] form behind the projects already under
construction. Fox phase one is near
[29:40] nearing full buildout. Harvest Point
phase 2 is under construction. Artistic
[29:45] builders has started site preparation.
The fairways is moving through the
[29:48] development process. and we have
additional h add additional projects
[29:51] involving Fox Ridge and the Southeast
14th Street connector moving through the
[29:56] pipeline. That doesn't mean our housing
challenges solved, but it does mean
[29:59] we're beginning to see tangible movement
in areas we've been working on for
[30:03] several years.
Two projects really demonstrate where we
[30:08] are today. Harvest Point 2 is currently
under construction and will add 28 new
[30:13] housing units specifically for residents
aed 55 and older. The project consists
[30:18] of seven residential buildings and
represents approximately 5.5 million in
[30:22] new housing investment. The builds this
builds upon Harvest Point phase 1 and
[30:27] continues to expand our senior housing
inventory. Fox Ridge phase 1 is also
[30:31] approaching the finish line. That that
development includes 19 single family
[30:35] homes, 38 duplexes, and 11 triplexes.
All permits for the subdivision have now
[30:40] been issued and we anticipate the
subdivision sub subdivision being fully
[30:44] completely uh being completely built
out. Fox Ridge has been an important
[30:48] project for Newton because it
demonstrated that there is demand for
[30:51] new housing and for different types of
housing products within our community.
[30:55] The developer is now looking to
capitalize on the success which I'll
[30:58] discuss in a moment.
[31:04] The next wave of de development is
beginning to take shape around the
[31:07] around San Creek Station Golf Course.
Artistic Builders is moving forward with
[31:11] 71 residential development uh uh a lot
residential development at 24th Street
[31:17] in Anderson. The development is expected
to focus primarily on duplexes in the
[31:21] 380 to $400,000 range. The
infrastructure petitions have been
[31:25] approved and dirt work has begun to uh
has begun to prepare the site
[31:30] immediately south of San Creek Station
clubhouse. The fairways is planned as as
[31:35] approximately six 60 single family
residential lots. Those homes are
[31:39] anticipated to range from approximately
400 to 600,000. The developer is
[31:43] pursuing a reinvestment housing
improvement uh incentive district or
[31:47] RHID to help offset the the special
assessments associated with installing
[31:52] infrastructure. Between those two
projects alone, we're talking about
[31:55] approximately 131 new residential lots
around San Creek Station. That's a
[32:00] significant addition to Newton's future
housing inventory.
[32:04] Growing the pipeline is just as
important as these projects moving
[32:07] forward. Just as important as the
projects moving today is what is
[32:11] beginning to develop behind them.
Following the success of Fox Ridge phase
[32:14] one and the developers looking at
opening Fox Ridge phase 2, they intend
[32:18] to pursue an RHID to help offset
infrastructure costs associated with the
[32:22] next phase. Separately, the developer is
also evaluating the Fox Ridge Apartments
[32:26] project that is a separate development
from both phase one and phase two and is
[32:31] also expected to uh is expected to
pursue our HID assistance. We also have
[32:36] the No Morpher development near the
Southeast 14th Street connector. The
[32:40] that project involves approximately 20
acres and is anticipated to include a
[32:44] combination of single family and
multifamily housing. The RHID resolution
[32:49] for that project has been approved by
the Kansas Department of Commerce and we
[32:53] are currently in the pre-planning and
development agreement stages. These
[32:56] projects are important because they give
us a pipeline beyond the housing already
[33:00] under construction.
[33:04] Even with all that activity, the market
continues to tell us that additional
[33:07] housing is needed. The Witchaw area
median sale median sale price is
[33:11] approximately 267,000
while Newton's median sale price remains
[33:16] around 195,000. Home values continue to
appreciate and inventory remains
[33:21] particularly constrained for home prices
below 300,000. Mortgage rates also
[33:26] continue to create affordability
challenges particularly for firsttime
[33:29] home buyers. At the regional level, the
estimated housing deficit has grown to
[33:34] approximately 20,000 single new family
homes or new single family homes. Newton
[33:39] doesn't operate or Newton doesn't
operate in isolation from the regional
[33:43] market. We compete for employees,
residents, businesses, and investment
[33:47] throughout South Central Kansas. Housing
availability directly affects our
[33:51] ability to recruit workforce and support
economic growth. So, even though we're
[33:55] seeing significant progress, the
underlying demand that drove this work
[33:58] has not gone away.
[34:04] I want to also emphasize that our
housing efforts aren't limited to
[34:07] building new subdivisions. The Newton
Land Bank continues to focus on infill
[34:11] development and returning underutilized
properties to productive use. We are
[34:16] hopeful that the sale of 324 East 11
Street will create another opportunity
[34:20] for residential investment with an
establish within an established
[34:23] neighborhood. We're also exploring the
potential acquisition of approximately
[34:27] 3.8 8 acres of city-owned property that
could eventually be redeveloped in a
[34:31] partnership with Habitat for Humanity or
the Housing Alliance. Beyond physical
[34:35] development, we continue working with
the Housing Alliance and other community
[34:39] partners on housing stability. Those
conversations include transitional and
[34:43] supportive housing, renter and landlord
resources, home repair assistance, and
[34:47] the need the needs of residents
experiencing housing insecurity or
[34:51] homelessness. We also continue to offer
programs such as the neighborhood
[34:55] revitalization program and
rehabilitation rebate program to
[34:58] encourage reinvestment in our existing
housing stock. So when we talk about
[35:03] housing, we're really talking about the
entire spectrum. New construction,
[35:06] infill, reinvestment, housing stability,
and helping people remain successfully
[35:11] housed.
So where are we going? [snorts]
[35:16] That's the final question. I would
describe our next phase as moving from
[35:19] pipeline to production. We spent a
considerable amount of time building
[35:23] relationships, identifying sites,
working through financing options,
[35:27] establishing RHIDs, and recruiting
developers. Now, we need to convert
[35:30] those opportunities into housing. That
means getting infrastructure into the
[35:34] ground. It means completing development
agreements and moving RHID projects
[35:38] forward. It means continuing to work
with developers when barriers arise. It
[35:43] means identifying additional development
ready ready property. And it means
[35:46] continuing to recruit builders and
developers so we aren't dependent upon
[35:49] only a handful of projects. We also need
to continue diversifying the types of
[35:54] housing available in Newton. There isn't
one project or one housing type that is
[35:58] going to solve our housing needs. We
need single family housing, duplexes,
[36:02] multifamily housing, senior housing,
infill development, and housing at
[36:05] different price points. The goal is to
create enough diversity and consistent
[36:09] production that housing availability
supports rather than constrains Newton's
[36:13] future growth.
and what success looks like. It's more
[36:18] it's more homes being built. It's more
residential lots becoming development
[36:21] ready. It's more housing choices
available to current and future
[36:24] residents. It's additional private
investment coming into Newton. It's v
[36:29] vacant and underutilized properties
being returned to productive use. And
[36:33] most importantly, it's establishing a
sustainable housing pipeline where we
[36:37] weren't starting over every year looking
for the next project. When I look back
[36:41] at where we were and compare it to where
we are today, I think we've made
[36:45] meaningful progress. A year ago, many of
these projects were conversations,
[36:49] concepts, or financial discussions.
Today, we are seeing construction, dirt
[36:53] work, infrastructure planning, RHID
approvals, and developers preparing
[36:57] their next phases. Our job now is to
capitalize on that momentum and turn the
[37:01] pipeline we've created into sustainable
housing production. And with that, I
[37:06] conclude my housing update, and I'd be
happy to answer any questions. 32411.
[37:11] That's the old greenhouse by Dylan,
isn't it?
[37:14] » Uh, no. That's it's actually the street.
>> You [clears throat] sure? It's the one
[37:19] across from the
>> behind 12th Street. Uh, what's the the
[37:23] units? Um, it's kind of Don't want to
give away.
[37:28] » No, I got Google. I'll figure it out.
>> Okay. 324. You still haven't.
[37:32] » It's across the street from the
greenhouse.
[37:35] » And I'd like to see that green,
>> but it is not that house.
[37:39] Darn it. All righty. Thank you, Zach.
>> Thank you.
[37:45] » Do you need us to actually receive that
report or
[37:50] Okay, very good. Next item this evening
is to consider an ordinance update fees
[37:56] for sanitation collection. Ed.
>> Yeah, thank you, Commission. I'll start.
[38:01] Chris may want to jump in here at the
end, but um this is just a a correction
[38:07] to an ordinance that you [clears throat]
this body approved last November when we
[38:12] updated our uh s our solid waste
collection ordinance. We inadvertently
[38:18] um missed putting in the fees that would
be charged for um a request for a pickup
[38:25] on a day that wouldn't normally be your
trash day. And so this ordinance or this
[38:30] uh amendment change uh fixes that. We've
attached a red line for you um to look
[38:35] at that. If if you want to approve that
tonight, that'd be fine. If you'd rather
[38:39] us come back after you have some time to
look at it, we can do that also. But but
[38:44] ultimately, we're just trying to fix a
an error that we missed in the first
[38:48] goound. So if Chris, if you have
anything else to add, I
[38:51] » think I'd covered it. Stand for any
questions.
[38:55] » How did you become aware of this issue?
>> [laughter]
[39:02] [cough]
[clears throat]
[39:03] » I'll let the city manager explain that.
>> Yeah. Yeah. Would you like to explain
[39:06] that one, city manager? [laughter]
>> So, there's an extra fee if you if they
[39:13] pick up on a day that they're not.
>> Yeah. So, if you inadvertently forget to
[39:17] set your trash out on your trash day,
say your trash day is Monday,
[39:21] » and you call and say, "Hey, I can't wait
till the following Monday. Can you come
[39:26] pick it up?" Then we charge it a fee
because it's off route. So we have to
[39:30] » right
>> kind of recover some costs there.
[39:32] » Yeah. At the time.
>> Yeah.
[39:36] » And for a homeowner that's 1433. But the
ordinance also makes sure that that
[39:42] we're made whole for somebody who is
>> type two.
[39:45] » Type two or whatever at a different rate
appropriate to their type of service.
[39:50] » Yeah. Based on the size of their
dumpster.
[39:54] » Seems kind of logical. [laughter] Right.
Any further discussion?
[39:58] » Do you have an ordinance number, Denise?
>> Yes. It would be 5205-26.
[40:06] » I move we approve 5205-26.
>> I second.
[40:11] » We have a motion and a second. Any
further discussion?
[40:15] Hearing none. All those in favor say I.
I.
[40:17] » Any opposed? Same sign.
>> That motion carries.
[40:22] » Thank you, Ed. Thank you.
Next item this evening is to consider
[40:26] reacquiring 10 acres of real estate from
21 Aber LLC. That's the northwest corner
[40:32] of Oliver and First Street out by the
airport.
[40:35] » And this is a short item. This involves
a city real estate sale back in April of
[40:40] 2022. As you recall, you did sell those
10 acres that were adjacent to the
[40:45] airport. Um often in our PSAs, our
purchase and sale agreements, we do have
[40:50] clawback languages with uh requirements
to develop. Uh this did not meet that
[40:57] threshold. It was extended. Offer was
extended. Um city staff now recommends
[41:03] pursuing a purchase back. We wanted to
put it um kind of on your radar. Um this
[41:09] is property that's adjacent to the
airport that can be developed. It didn't
[41:13] meet the original schedule. The original
reversionary uh interest called for a
[41:18] 40,000 square foot building to be built
before May one of 2025. No permits have
[41:25] been pulled. Um we're open to develop
with that entity and any other entity,
[41:29] but to keep these on the market. City
staff would recommend pursuing it.
[41:35] » You have given extensions. um they
understand they would rather extend but
[41:41] they they understand there was a
reversionary interest and you have the
[41:44] right to to purchase it back. This is
one where the city would purchase it
[41:48] back. It isn't something where it's
forfeited and they have to give it back.
[41:52] So it' be the original purchase price.
>> Is is that purchase price negotiable? I
[41:57] mean I mean we have to
>> Anything's negotiable. you have a
[42:00] contractual right and they have a
contractual obligation to sell it at
[42:04] that $79,000.
Um, of course it could be negotiated. We
[42:10] wouldn't negotiate up because we have a
right at that price. Um,
[42:16] » so we would not negotiate
>> we would not recommend negotiating it.
[42:21] We would purchase it for the price as
outlined in the original PSA.
[42:27] » I guess my concern is if we don't
uh then we set a precedent and then if
[42:33] uh we do this with somebody else um
and just you know let them sit on it. I
[42:41] I mean it it makes sense to me that we
go ahead and purchase it back from
[42:45] » I agree
>> and this the the money's used for that
[42:48] would be from the Ecodo fund which are
set aside for that purpose and this is a
[42:54] situation where we would be
>> controlling our own destiny. We would we
[42:58] would then have a property that we could
go out and market in an area that is
[43:04] seeing increased activity. So
>> So we already have funds that are set
[43:09] aside for a specific
>> Yes, we do.
[43:11] » Uh issue. Okay.
>> And that's their purpose. It's not like
[43:16] they're just sitting there. That's their
purpose is to do that. So
[43:20] » Okay.
I have, this is loosely related, but in
[43:23] the original contract are could they
flip the property now if if land out
[43:28] there is selling at 12,000 acre and they
bought it at 8, can they choose to sell
[43:32] it on to someone else?
>> The property is still encumbered by a
[43:35] reversionary interest.
>> So, we have right of first and it's not
[43:39] technically a right of first refusal,
but we do have an interest to purchase
[43:42] it if they don't make uh
>> because they committed to building on
[43:46] Exactly. Yeah.
>> And that's recorded on the deed. Okay.
[43:51] We don't need formal action, but
direction or if you need more
[43:54] information, we can bring it back to
you.
[43:59] » I think I'm I'm good.
>> I'm good. Um, can we go ahead with a
[44:03] motion?
>> You just need a
[44:04] » head direct staff to come back with a
purchase and sale agreement to reacquire
[44:09] the property.
>> I motion that we direct staff to proceed
[44:12] with the purchase of this property.
>> I second.
[44:16] » We have a motion and a second. All those
in favor say I.
[44:19] » I. Any oppose? Same sign. Motion
carries.
[44:24] Next item this evening is to
consider an asset disposal guidelines. I
[44:30] think Daniellea, are you going to take
this one?
[44:32] » Yes, I will. Um,
the last few months, uh, city staff have
[44:39] taken on, um, some reorganization of
city hall. Um this comes um as a sort of
[44:47] a step number one as to some clearing
out some offices and um
[44:54] making city hall also safer. Um through
that process we found out we have a lot
[45:00] of old furniture um broken tables,
broken chairs, a lot of broken things um
[45:07] or outdated things that don't have a use
anymore. lots of cassette tapes and
[45:12] cassette players that don't work.
Typewriters,
[45:16] » right?
>> What
[45:17] » although it it was nostalgic going
through all of this stuff, um, a lot of
[45:22] it has what I would what I would say has
um no value or a value of under $100.
[45:30] Um what we did is we asked all city
staff and to drop by anything that um
[45:37] they didn't need, they didn't want or
was broken. And we would go through it
[45:41] and determine how best to use the uh
surplus furniture, whether it was to
[45:46] find a a new home for it, repurpose it,
um
[45:52] or throw it away, um or I'm sorry,
donate it. And when going through our
[45:57] purchasing policy, we realized we don't
really have clear guidelines. And so,
[46:01] um, I put my finance hat on and, um, I
think that it would be prudent to sort
[46:06] of give staff some guidelines that we
can use going forward. Um,
[46:13] let me let me bring these up real quick.
Um I haven't been
[46:21] um
okay I haven't worn my finance hat um in
[46:26] a formal role in a while. So, I uh spoke
with our assistant finance director um
[46:31] and with our management consultant um
Baker Tilly. And I know Ben's not here
[46:35] anymore, but they recommended sort of
this these guidelines, which was
[46:40] anything under $100 we can recycle,
scrap, donate, or dispose of. Uh $100 to
[46:45] $500 we can sell um if bundled or
disposed with minimal staff effort. Uh
[46:51] 500 to 2500 we would sell efficient
method. over 200, we would absolutely
[46:57] sell and a formal control documented um
process. So, um if you approve this,
[47:03] then we're going to go through our uh
surplus room and uh we might find more
[47:09] homes for um a lot of those chairs than
we thought we would, but a lot of that
[47:13] will be uh thrown away or or donated.
>> Awesome. H happy to answer any
[47:20] questions.
Anything?
[47:24] » I don't
>> I don't have any. I just I've been there
[47:27] done that.
>> Yes.
[47:29] » Yeah.
>> I think it was last what
[47:32] » who determines
>> Wednesday everybody was in clothes
[47:34] cleaning.
>> Who determines the value of these items?
[47:39] » Do you com combined
>> or the value? No one item had a value of
[47:46] over $100.
>> Oh, okay. Okay. So, we're we're we can I
[47:51] don't have a number of everything
combined. It's all stacked in this room.
[47:54] I can see chairs and tables. And
>> so, you're talking about combined, not
[47:58] individual.
>> Individual. Indiv each item. Okay.
[48:01] » $100 under $100. Yeah.
>> Actually, combined I might argue that
[48:05] combined the entire thing is not worth
$100. Okay.
[48:08] » These are these these things are 50
years old that have been sitting in
[48:13] corners. more than $100 in staff time to
get rid of the dunk or whatever.
[48:19] » Yes. Yes.
>> And we have um we have our own internal
[48:24] control. So if there's ever a question
of the value of something, we would have
[48:27] some someone else look at it and say,
"Okay, I think that's worth $500 to
[48:32] $1,000." I would have someone else look
at it and say, "Yeah, that's $500 to
[48:35] $1,000. Let's sell it per these
guidelines." And then we would remove it
[48:39] off our asset disposal. Um, we would
remove it off of our asset listing, also
[48:45] off of our insurance listing if on the
insurance um um
[48:51] listing. Excuse me.
>> I motion that we approve the asset
[48:57] disposal guidelines.
>> Okay, we have a motion. Do we need a
[49:01] second?
>> A second.
[49:03] » Awesome. All in favor say I.
>> I.
[49:05] » Any oppose? Same sign. Motion carries.
Awesome.
[49:09] » Thank you. Thank you. All right, we are
done with our regular agenda items. We
[49:17] don't have any executive sessions this
evening. So, we are going to
[49:21] [clears throat] move into our citizens
forum. So, first item this evening,
[49:26] Christopher Snow.
[49:34] » How much time do I have? Five minutes or
something?
[49:36] » Yeah, three three to five minutes would
be great. We got several people on the
[49:40] list this evening and everything. If you
would name and address and
[49:44] [clears throat]
>> my name is Christopher Snow. I live at
[49:46] one Sherman Court, Newton, Kansas.
[49:52] So, I'm here to talk about the flock
cameras and just let you know that, you
[49:57] know, I've had 25 years in cyber
security and I hold a CISSP
[50:03] and I defend networks and sensitive data
for a living. But I'm not here as a
[50:08] consultant. I'm here as your neighbor
because Newton is installing 11 flock
[50:15] cameras at every instance
to this city. And I believe we are
[50:21] making a mistake. We will not easily
undo.
[50:26] Let me tell you what these cameras
actually are because the sales pitch
[50:31] leaves it out. They are not Newton's
cameras. They are nodes in a private
[50:36] company's national surveillance
database.
[50:39] Every car that enters the city gets
photographed,
[50:44] tagged, and logged. Your plate, your
truck's dented tailgate, the bumper
[50:52] sticker that says who you voted for or
where you worship.
[50:58] And once that record exists, it can be
searched by thousands of agencies across
[51:03] the country. Agencies that have never
heard of Newton, Kansas,
[51:10] an answer to no one in this room.
In 1984, George Orwell gave us the
[51:18] telescreen.
And here's the detail people forgot. The
[51:23] telescreen didn't have to watch everyone
all the time. It only had to make
[51:30] everyone believe it might.
That's what broke the people of
[51:35] Oceanana. not watching the possibility
of being watched when every trip to the
[51:41] doctor, the gun shop, the church, the
political meeting, the AA meeting is
[51:48] logged and at the city line. Free people
start editing their own lives.
[51:56] Orwell wrote the book as a warning.
Somewhere along the way, someone started
[52:02] reading it as a product road map.
Now, let me put my professional hat on
[52:08] because this is the part I know cold. In
security, we live by the simple rule.
[52:16] Every piece of data you collect is data
you must defend forever against
[52:21] everyone. The cheapest data to defend is
the data you never collect.
[52:27] We're told the data deletes after 30
days. Fine.
[52:32] But for those 30 days, it lives on a
vendor's servers outside our control,
[52:38] inside a network we do not audit.
Syracuse, New York, learned its local
[52:44] flock data had been searched more than 4
million times by outside police without
[52:50] warrants. Evston, Illinois found federal
immigration searches running against its
[52:56] data despite a state law forbidding
exactly that.
[53:01] A Texas officer used the same network to
hunt nationwide for a woman over pro for
[53:08] a private medical decision.
And every vendor database on the breach,
[53:14] every vendor's database is one breach
away from being everyone's database.
[53:20] I have watched breach after breach
across my career. And the question is
[53:25] never if, it is when, and how bad.
When flock is breached, and it will be
[53:32] breached, the travel patterns of every
family in Newton are the payload.
[53:41] [sighs]
I grew up on Star Trek. I don't think
[53:45] that's a small thing to bring up in this
chamber. Star Trek is the story we tell
[53:50] about the future we actually want. A
future where we solved our problems
[53:55] without surrendering who we are.
There's an episode where Captain Pequard
[54:00] watches a security investigation spiral
out of control and he warns that the
[54:05] road from legitimate suspicion to rampid
paranoia is very much shorter than we
[54:11] think. He was right. In Deep Space 9,
Star Trek or Starfleet put armed
[54:18] checkpoints on every corner of Earth to
protect it. And the show haunted us with
[54:24] the verdict in a single line. Paradise
has never seemed so wellarmed.
[54:31] Nobody dreams of a future with a camera
on every off ramp. We dream of a future
[54:37] where we never needed one.
Nobody doubts our officers intentions.
[54:44] This is not about them. It's about the
fact that good intentions do not secure
[54:49] a database. And local controls written
into contracts is not local control
[54:56] written into physics.
The moment our data leaves Newton, our
[55:01] police stop protecting it. So here is my
ask and it is specific.
[55:08] Pause the seven cameras not yet
installed
[55:12] for any that remain.
No national network sharing searches by
[55:17] warrant or documented emergencies only.
Independent audits published to the
[55:23] public
and an annual vote is open session to
[55:28] review or end this program.
If lock will not accept these terms that
[55:35] tells you everything about whose data
this really is.
[55:40] Newton has thrived for more than 150
years without logging every soul who
[55:45] drives in. We are a town, not a
checkpoint.
[55:51] Orwell warned us. Peard warned us. And
25 years in this field taught me the
[55:57] same lesson they were teaching. The
surveillance you accept in fear, you
[56:04] keep forever.
Mr. Mayor, don't build the telescreen.
[56:11] Thank you.
>> Thank you.
[56:13] » Thank you.
[56:17] [sighs]
>> Mr. Sanders, you already spoke. So,
[56:22] you spoke already, right?
>> Yes.
[56:24] » Okay. I'm going to go ahead and Did you
want to speak again or you could
[56:29] normally when you sign up on the roster,
it's at the end of the meeting, but we
[56:32] let you speak earlier, so I'm just
double checking. You didn't want to come
[56:36] back up. Okay. Very good. Maggie Snow.
[56:46] » Maggie Snow. on Sherman Court. Good
evening, commissioners. You all know why
[56:51] I'm here. At this point, I'm starting to
wonder if I should just reserve the
[56:55] podium every other Tuesday.
I first stood at this podium on July
[57:00] 28th. I returned again on August 11th,
and I am standing here again tonight on
[57:06] August 25th. During that time, I have
done exactly what residents are asked to
[57:11] do. I have submitted records requests. I
have reviewed the documents the city
[57:15] provided. I have submitted specific
follow-up questions. I have communicated
[57:20] professionally and respectfully with
staff who, I'm sure, as Denise can
[57:24] attest, probably groans audibly when my
name hurts her email inbox.
[57:28] I gave the city additional time when I
was told that answers were being
[57:32] prepared. On August 13th, the city clerk
told me the staff had hoped to provide
[57:37] responses to my Kora request the
following week. That week passed without
[57:40] a response. Sunday, I specifically asked
whether I should expect an answer before
[57:45] tonight's meeting. I received additional
information, quite a lot of it, at 4:37
[57:51] p.m. today, including the new city
website, which was published yesterday
[57:57] and announced this morning.
Um, that also has the link to the flock
[58:03] portal on it where you can see that
95,000
[58:06] plus images have already been logged in
the Newton Flock system. Again, the
[58:12] website went live yesterday.
Here we are again. Same cameras, same
[58:19] fundamental questions, and this time
we've got a little bit more data, but
[58:26] not sufficient to answer all of my
questions.
[58:31] Our first duty is to truth. And so, I
think tonight it is about time to get
[58:35] real with where we are. The cameras are
already installed.
[58:42] Again, the database that went live
yesterday
[58:46] shows that as of right now, 95,145
images, unique images have been
[58:52] detected. 30-day data retention. Total
of 81 searches to date. The contract's
[59:00] been signed. a sixf figure 36-month
commitment of Newton taxpayers. Your
[59:06] money has already been dispended for
this camera installation. For three
[59:12] commission meetings now, I still can't
get a clear, straightforward answer of
[59:16] how we got here. This doesn't have to
drag on for another meeting. You can all
[59:22] end this easily.
If the records exist that I've
[59:28] requested, simply produce them.
If they don't exist, then own it and say
[59:34] that
I am not willing to accept another
[59:38] iteration of staff is still working on
it. The July 13th announcement told the
[59:42] public that there were safeguards in
place and documented. If the system were
[59:47] properly authorized, documented,
reviewed, and governed before
[59:50] deployment, why is it taking so much
time to reconstruct that data?
[59:56] On July 13th, city told the public
policies and training were in place. The
[1:00:01] policy I've provided was dated July
14th. If there was anything in effect on
[1:00:05] the 13th, just provide it. If there
wasn't, own it and say so. If the
[1:00:11] technology review required by the city's
own purchasing policy occurred before
[1:00:15] the purchase, including the security,
legal compliance, CJIS compliance, audit
[1:00:20] requirements, compatibility, and future
resource needs were provided, then
[1:00:24] provide it. If it didn't occur, then own
it and say that it did not occur. I
[1:00:31] repeat, I am not asking the city to
manufacture explanations after the fact.
[1:00:37] I am asking for what existed when the
decisions were made. At some point,
[1:00:43] we're still working on it stops being an
explanation and starts sounding an awful
[1:00:46] lot like obfuscation.
So, tonight I have a question.
[1:00:51] Are you willing to request that the flop
camera program be placed on a future
[1:00:56] commission agenda for formal public
discussion with staff provided directed
[1:01:01] to provide the outstanding written
answers and supporting records in
[1:01:04] advance of that meeting?
It's a simple yes or no. If the citizens
[1:01:10] forum isn't a proper place to address
this, then put it somewhere where we can
[1:01:15] on a commission agenda. Put it on the
agenda. review the procurement, the
[1:01:20] policies, the safeguards, and the
oversight. According to the uh Flock
[1:01:24] website that just went live, access is
controlled for reasons.
[1:01:30] Reasons.
What's a valid reason?
[1:01:35] Is it I have questions about where
someone's going?
[1:01:38] Is it I suspect something? Is it I have
a case number? We don't know.
[1:01:45] That's the controls we have apparently
have in place. So, commissioners, I ask
[1:01:49] again, who among you is willing to
request that flock be placed on a future
[1:01:53] agenda so these questions can be
publicly discussed and answered
[1:01:58] publicly.
[1:02:07] » Well, let the record show. And for the
citizens of Newton,
[1:02:11] » Maggie
>> Melanie, please. [clears throat] um we
[1:02:15] we get discouraged from interacting with
with um
[1:02:21] » during the citizens forum.
>> So I think that might be why you're
[1:02:24] getting some [clears throat] fillets.
>> So in that case again place it on the
[1:02:30] agenda. As of right now, no one on the
commission is willing to express that
[1:02:34] that be placed on a public agenda.
That is good information for the
[1:02:40] citizens of Newton. I will be continuing
to review the documents that I have been
[1:02:44] provided and I am sure that I will be
coming back with more questions.
[1:02:48] » Thank you, Maggie.
>> All righty. Tanner Dickerson.
[1:02:56] » Tanner Dickerson down on Winward Drive.
Uh just came to the council to see if
[1:03:01] you guys would consider using shipping
containers as a garden shed for
[1:03:07] feasibility there. I know it's on the
commercial building code already.
[1:03:11] There's some regulations around that
which is good. Um I'd like to see the
[1:03:16] regulation around that preferred to just
provision continuously
[1:03:21] on the shipping containers. Uh they're
durable, they're structurally sound. Um
[1:03:27] they withstand heavy loads
transportation across the ocean. They're
[1:03:31] more secure than conventional sheds
and they're affordable option.
[1:03:37] Uh, the appearance I get is the big
hitter. Uh, rather than prohibiting
[1:03:41] them, I'd like to see the city establish
reasonable requirements for paint color,
[1:03:45] condition, screening, setbacks,
placement, maintenance, and so they fit
[1:03:49] in with residential
neighborhoods.
[1:03:54] Um,
I guess it's the big points there.
[1:03:59] That's all I got.
>> Thank you for your consideration.
[1:04:03] » Do you have a moment to stay after the
commission meetings? I talk to you real
[1:04:06] quick. Okay. Absolutely.
>> Thank you.
[1:04:07] » Thank you.
>> Cody Salem,
[1:04:14] » is it sllum? Yeah,
>> it's good enough.
[1:04:16] » All right.
>> Good evening. Uh my name is Cody Silian.
[1:04:19] I live at 1015 East 8th Street. It's
good to see you all again. Last time I
[1:04:23] was here, uh I got to speak with
everybody, but I didn't get to speak to
[1:04:26] you, mayor. Um so I am also here to talk
about flock alprs, which is a bit of a
[1:04:31] misnomer. Um, so for the information
that I gathered from the internet, u I
[1:04:36] was really on the fence about this kind
of thing. Um, but after hearing what I
[1:04:42] just heard, there's a lot more because I
am not a cyber savvy person whatsoever.
[1:04:46] Um, so I didn't get to speak at the
first meeting. So I did propose a few
[1:04:50] questions. One of them was if flock was
so great for the community, why didn't
[1:04:54] the community know about it?
Um, the city of Witchaw is currently
[1:04:58] being sued for the use of lock cameras.
And we had two cities in Kansas their
[1:05:03] flock contracts just last week. One was
Wellsville, Kansas with a population of
[1:05:08] 2,000 people. Gardener, Kansas with a
population of 2,000, sorry, 26,000
[1:05:13] people. Newton has a population of
18,000 people. Having cameras is not the
[1:05:18] main issue. All businesses and homes
around have cameras. The issue is the
[1:05:23] aggregation of the information and who
it is being shared with.
[1:05:28] Um, currently I believe a lot of that
information is stored on Amazon servers.
[1:05:32] That's why we seen a flock was posing
with Ring and then that busted up during
[1:05:36] the um, Super Bowl ad debacle.
Um,
[1:05:42] we have a wealth of knowledge in this
community and experience as well. Um, if
[1:05:47] we were brought in to the conversation
from the beginning, we could have worked
[1:05:51] together for an optimal outcome for the
community, especially when safety is the
[1:05:55] concern.
Um, but Newton's crime rate is actually
[1:05:59] declining and Kansas's crime rates are
as a whole are at a 57-year low. So, at
[1:06:06] this point, Flock feels like a solution
in search of a problem.
[1:06:10] I'm not a public speaker by nature, but
I don't mind spending an evening
[1:06:13] aggregating some information to bring to
an argument that passed us by or really
[1:06:18] a conversation. I apologize.
Uh, at this point, I'd like to ask
[1:06:23] anyone who may be listening who would
like to see flock be removed, come out,
[1:06:27] get involved, and speak at these
meetings. Thank you.
[1:06:31] » Thank you.
>> Thank you.
[1:06:36] » That's the end of that.
Um,
[1:06:41] that's the end of our regular meeting.
Um as Maggie Snow shared the city portal
[1:06:47] with the flock um is out there. It shows
not only the number of images but the
[1:06:53] few number of actual accesses and
searches of the data that has been
[1:06:59] collected in our community. Um I might
clarify on the edge of our community.
[1:07:06] It's not patterns within our community.
Um
[1:07:10] take a look. You can really dive in
there. I am a data monkey. I I like it.
[1:07:15] Um you can even go out and see the
communities that we have uh sharing
[1:07:19] agreements with and conversely those
that we do not have sharing agreements
[1:07:23] with and everything. Um
you know the the commission doesn't get
[1:07:30] into individual procurement issues very
often. this this was within uh the
[1:07:35] purview of our police chief and u this
was a subscription to a tool that didn't
[1:07:42] bubble up to the the body's visibility
of it. I mean many of us have all been
[1:07:49] part of group projects and everything
and if we made every project there every
[1:07:53] decision to be a group decision I don't
think we'd ever get anything done. So,
[1:07:57] um I don't think it was through any sort
of obstucation or or in intent to skirt
[1:08:03] anything. It was just simply uh Chiefs
and his team trying to u get another
[1:08:09] tool in in their tool belt. Um and with
that, I will go around the horn for
[1:08:15] commissioner comments
>> regarding the same
[1:08:20] » regarding anything this evening. We're
about to close.
[1:08:24] » U
well
[1:08:27] I I think uh the other the commissioners
kind of know where I stand and uh with
[1:08:33] this is just that
I really think we need to review our
[1:08:38] policy and and do some you know real
make it more detailed or something more
[1:08:48] accountability something um as I go as
we go along here and I learn more and
[1:08:54] more about these um cameras. You know, I
I get it. I get why people are concerned
[1:09:02] about it and um and it I feel it is
something that should have came through
[1:09:09] the public and we should have gotten
public
[1:09:12] uh feedback from it and and actually
that's really good as well because then
[1:09:17] you get policies can get built from the
that collaboration. Um, so that's kind
[1:09:24] of where I stand with the the flock
stuff. I I'm not to against it
[1:09:28] necessarily. I'm just I just think that
we uh could have handled this a little
[1:09:34] better maybe than we did. But lesson
learned. I mean, we were not with
[1:09:41] without flaw for for sure. Um,
so that that's all I have to say about
[1:09:48] that.
>> Thank you, sir.
[1:09:51] No sir.
>> No sir.
[1:09:56] » It it was really nice to see that the
audit and the budget get, you know, kind
[1:10:02] of wrapped up in the same night. Um it's
it's sort of the um the what we work on
[1:10:09] um almost the entire year. We're
constantly looking back through an
[1:10:14] audit. Um and we're working in today in
our every day and then in our budget
[1:10:20] we're always looking ahead. So we're
looking at a period of about three years
[1:10:24] um at any given point during the year
and seeing these documents adopted and
[1:10:30] the amount of time that staff worked on
these um especially without um someone
[1:10:36] in the finance director role. the
finance department um was actually down
[1:10:41] another the um accounts receivable gal
so was down 40% of the staff um there's
[1:10:47] just been a lot of transition this year
and I I think the it says a lot about
[1:10:53] staff and um we banded together to get
through this and I know it was messy and
[1:10:58] it wasn't typical of what you see um
every year but we learned a lot and we
[1:11:03] grew a lot and I'm glad that it's
adopted but I just wanted to thank you
[1:11:07] for your support and your grace. And I
wanted to thank my team because they I'm
[1:11:11] sure they are are happy and will
celebrate tonight that we did get
[1:11:14] through a great audit. We're in a great
financial position. You see that our
[1:11:17] budget um ended us in a good cash
position. Um I'm I'm cautiously
[1:11:24] optimistic about the future of our
property taxes. Like Dan um is it
[1:11:28] Daniel?
Like Daniel mentioned, I know that
[1:11:31] there's changes that are coming um at at
the state level and so we'll be ready
[1:11:36] for those next year. Um we'll be having
a lot of conversations in the next 12
[1:11:40] months before you get a new budget of
how we can prepare ourselves for
[1:11:44] potential changes. Um because I I I like
Daniel understand where our residents
[1:11:49] are coming from and we don't we we don't
want to do that for our residents. You
[1:11:53] know, we want to provide them the
services that they deserve and they pay
[1:11:55] for, but at the same time, we want to be
good fiscal stewards of our money. So,
[1:12:00] um, we hear you and, uh, we're working
really hard. So, thank you.
[1:12:03] » Thank you. [clears throat]
[1:12:06] » Just a reminder not to leave because you
do all need to sign this budget.
[1:12:11] » It's not done to the paperwork.
>> A reminder, [laughter]
[1:12:14] sir.
>> No, sir. Okay.
[1:12:17] » Um, well, I will add to what Melanie
said. Uh, I'm going to take a different
[1:12:22] take on that. I do appreciate, um,
chief, what you are doing. I uh applaud
[1:12:30] applaud you and Erin in the uh building
of that website. I've had time to look
[1:12:36] at some, not all. It's very clear. Um I
I'm I personally believe that we hire
[1:12:43] our city manager who works with our
department heads to make the best and
[1:12:48] wisest decisions with our taxpayer
dollars. Um I will say I consider this
[1:12:55] to be a much more dangerous
item than that. I have literally sat at
[1:13:02] my desk at work,
have visited with other co-workers about
[1:13:07] a this or that only to find within
minutes
[1:13:12] something has popped up on my phone with
regard to what I have spoken of.
[1:13:18] And I think that can be it to me that's
dangerous. Um, I it it requires being
[1:13:25] really careful and mindful about the
discussions you might have. So, thank
[1:13:31] you for what you do. I thank all of the
staff for this budget season. We always
[1:13:35] take a deep breath after this is over
with and we start to look forward and
[1:13:40] move forward. So, thank you for all the
hard work that you did. When we asked
[1:13:45] something of you, you gave. And we are
so thankful for how you supplied us with
[1:13:49] whatever we needed at the time we needed
it. So, thank you very much. Um, that's
[1:13:54] it.
>> Well, thank you. Um, policies are living
[1:13:57] documents. We're going to learn from
this and we're going to continue to
[1:14:01] grow. So, you know, of that I have
confidence. I would like to say to our
[1:14:05] finance team and all of our department
heads and everything. Thank you for all
[1:14:08] your hard work on the budget.
Congratulations on a clean uh audit and
[1:14:13] enjoy your two weeks off before we have
to start thinking about FY28. So,
[1:14:17] [laughter] with that, we are ajourned.