[0:00] My assistant was like, "I've never followed" cuz I had her follow just in

[0:03] case she didn't know somebody or didn't know where something was. And my

[0:05] assistant was like, "I had no idea that those are the things you do all day."

[0:09] And I Yes.

[0:28] How's that pool? >> The Garden City City Commission meeting

[0:31] is called to order. Today is Tuesday, June 16th. The time is 1:00 p.m. Madam

[0:35] Clerk, do we have a quorum? >> Yes, Mayor.

[0:37] » Please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance and invocation.

[0:42] » I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the

[0:47] republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and

[0:53] justice for all. >> Father, Son, Holy Spirit, amen.

[0:57] Thank you, heavenly Father, for your love. Come, Holy Spirit, move our hearts

[1:01] with strength, wisdom, courage to love one another, and to recognize the

[1:04] dignity in one another. We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

[1:08] » Amen.

[1:14] » Item four on our agenda is the approval of the minutes of the last regular

[1:16] meeting, which if no corrections are offered shall stand approved. Are there

[1:19] any corrections?

[1:23] Seeing no corrections, they stand approved. Item five is public comment.

[1:26] This is an opportunity for the public to share their thoughts to the city

[1:30] commission for items not on the agenda. Are there anyone here for that?

[1:39] » Hello, everyone. >> Hello.

[1:41] » Hello. >> I'm Debbie Reynolds.

[1:43] Uh my regular job, I'm the executive director of CASA,

[1:47] but I'm also the president of the Humane Society board.

[1:51] And uh when we visited with Mayor Ybarra last year about our request, we talked

[1:55] about doing a presentation for the the commissioners a little bit more about us

[2:00] because when you look at the numbers it's why I handed out the annual report

[2:04] it's astounding. We think those numbers are not as robust as they could have

[2:08] been. We had new software we think we'll have

[2:10] better numbers for 2026. But a couple things I wanted to share

[2:14] with you folks is that even with you know

[2:20] doing so much better at the Humane Society managing expenses we hired a vet

[2:25] who's lowered our vet cost. Our line item for our vets was like

[2:29] $300,000 last year. We're we're now looking at about $13,000 gain about

[2:35] every 3 months. We we know we will not have

[2:38] a realization of a whole year till we get to a year. But we know our animals

[2:43] are so much well taken care of. We have a lot less sickness and we're able to

[2:47] spay and neuter so many more animals than we were before

[2:51] cuz we were at the mercy of the other vets that we could be getting animals in

[2:55] to actually get that done. Our vet is she's doing about 150 to 188 surgeries a

[3:02] month. >> Oh wow.

[3:03] » And and of course we're getting our medications at cost now because she has

[3:08] a license to buy them. So we're really excited to bring her on board. That's

[3:11] really a positive for us this year. Another positive for I make my request

[3:16] is we've had our second new signature vet

[3:19] last year which was Dueling for Dogs and we brought in $60,000

[3:24] at that event which was awesome. And our second annual is coming up here soon and

[3:31] we've already got a lot more sponsorships than we had last year.

[3:35] And so we're hoping to make that event an annual event you know and plus also

[3:41] make more money to help our bottom line. The truth of the matter is if we didn't

[3:46] have so many wonderful donors and people who think of us as

[3:50] in their wills we wouldn't be able to do what we do today. You think about just

[3:55] like the transport, we transport that many animals out, but think of all the

[3:58] miles, and those are miles that are not reimbursed by anyone other than through

[4:02] the Humane Society. >> Another positive we started this year,

[4:07] well actually 2025, was Kibbles for Companions. We noticed that so many

[4:12] people were coming into the the shelter looking for food. We We know food

[4:17] insecurity is a big issue in our community. And so we did the Meals on

[4:21] Wheels, we said, "Well, if elderly person needs a meal, probably their

[4:26] companion animal needs a meal, you know." So we developed the Kibbles for

[4:30] Companions, so now you can get a meal for yourself, and you can get cat food

[4:34] or dog food for your animal through the companion program. We just wrote a grant

[4:39] that hopefully will be granted that will allow us to actually

[4:44] do health care for all those animals for seniors

[4:48] for free. So they'll be able to get a dental check, immunizations. Cuz you

[4:52] know, when you're alone at 65 or 66, so I guess like myself in there, but if

[4:57] you're alone and and that's the only person you see, you're only

[5:01] life thing in your life, how important they are to you. So we're we're hoping

[5:05] to take that to a higher level. Um you know, some of the things that

[5:10] we're concerned about is the rising cost of

[5:13] insurance. Insurance is killing us at the

[5:17] Humane Societies, it's probably kill it's killing all of us.

[5:21] But we thought, you know, one of our proposal is would we be able to look at

[5:25] becoming part of the city's plan. We would pay We would pay for our part,

[5:29] it'd be almost cost neutral for the city other than adding our employees onto

[5:34] your plan, but you guys have the buying power that we do not.

[5:39] Uh last year we had almost a 9% increase. We know that most likely when

[5:44] we get our numbers early 2027, we're going to see another 9% increase.

[5:51] Another possible solution as far as helping us uh

[5:55] um better our budget is we know we have

[5:59] utility costs going up. Yeah, we're looking at approximately 18,000.

[6:05] And we thought, well, maybe that'd be something the city would look into

[6:09] helping us offset that, a stipend as far as to actually create that you you own

[6:13] the building. Be nice if you would help us with that increase.

[6:20] State regulations, I'm proud to say that you know, we've had our issues over the

[6:24] years. I've been on the board for a number of years and we've had our issues

[6:26] at the shelter, but I'm proud to say that we've had really some good surveys

[6:31] from the state. We get a lot of people in our community just love to call on

[6:35] us. Keeps us on our toes. And we can we have not we passed every inspection

[6:40] since 2024, which is really awesome. Um but like staying uh current with

[6:48] state regulations and keeping everything current um

[6:51] and up to code is costly. Animals are very hard on things. Like we

[6:57] have to replace all the little things outside their kennels or even if they

[7:01] chew on a bowl like that won't pass code. So, we have a lot of

[7:06] costs involved in those keeping those supplies.

[7:09] Um Jeff Clark is our treasurer. He's going to talk a little bit more about

[7:13] the finances. >> I kind of

[7:16] strong-armed him to do that. >> [laughter]

[7:18] » Yeah. Would you like to talk a little more?

[7:20] » Sure. >> I mean, Jeff is uh a past CPA.

[7:24] He's looked at the numbers. We're so blessed to have him on our board. Before

[7:28] Jeff came on board, we did not have a real budget. It was really kind of

[7:33] it was a budget, but it really wasn't a budget. So, we have really come a long

[7:37] way in having a budget we can look at um every month. We also have scheduled an

[7:43] audit for next year. We're really excited about that. We've never had an

[7:47] actual audit and Jeff Pinkney and company out of Hayes is

[7:51] going to be doing it for our nonprofit. Yeah.

[7:58] » Okay. As she said, I'm Jeff Clark and you know, this is all new to me. So,

[8:03] » [laughter] >> I wasn't sure where this meeting was

[8:05] held. So,

[8:08] Yes, I've been here 44 years. You know, it's my community just as it's yours.

[8:13] I've been on the board about a year and a half, just over I think.

[8:18] I've been I was a volunteer dog walker. So, until Mary convinced me to be on the

[8:23] board. So, I think she has said most of things that

[8:27] I wanted to say is, you know, we are not anywhere near

[8:31] budget neutral. We can't be. The $318,000

[8:34] that the city and county provides is a is a great start, but if

[8:40] like she said, if we didn't have some huge benefactors give us money, we

[8:46] couldn't be doing what we're doing. Uh

[8:48] we would love to be closer to budget neutral. I realize money is tight as for

[8:54] everyone. Uh I just want you to know that I think

[8:58] we're a large part of the community and the society. I think overall does a

[9:03] pretty good job of doing that as stewards of your money. Uh

[9:07] and we want to continue to do that. Uh we just [clears throat]

[9:11] need some ways to come out and get closer to budget

[9:15] neutral. So, thank you.

[9:17] » Thank you. >> Thank you.

[9:20] » I think so.

[9:26] » I know that you're up for a lot of cuts in this year's budget,

[9:30] but uh think of all the cats and and dogs and chickens

[9:35] and guinea pigs and ferrets [laughter] snakes that we have down there.

[9:40] Uh we really are a big part of our community and uh

[9:44] if you could squeeze in a little extra for us, we sure would appreciate it.

[9:47] Thank you so much. >> Thank you.

[9:49] » Thank you.

[9:52] » Are there any others for public comment?

[9:57] Seeing none, we'll move to item six. Item 6A, the governing body is asked to

[10:02] consider and approve a request from Downtown Vision to allow under code

[10:05] section 6.1 possession, consumption, and sale of cereal malt beverages or

[10:11] alcoholic liquor at Food Truck Friday to be held at Stephen's Park on the

[10:15] following dates: July 10th from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., July 24th

[10:20] from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and August 21st from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00

[10:25] p.m.

[10:31] » If there are no questions, are you presenting [snorts] on this?

[10:34] » [clears throat]

[10:41] » Uh as Matt um stated, the Downtown Vision has asked them to allow

[10:47] for a vendor to have alcoholic beverages served

[10:52] at the Food Truck Friday. And um so, per the City of North City Code of

[10:58] Ordinance section 6-1, unlawful consumption and consumption or

[11:02] possession of alcohol in public, specifically in any public park, um

[11:08] Downtown Vision has requested a waiver from code section 6-1 for the Food Truck

[11:12] Fridays on July 10th, 24th, and August 21st. Um the governing body has approved

[11:19] a similar request like this in the past. So, your all your alternatives are that

[11:24] you may approve the request as presented, or you may not approve the

[11:29] request as presented. There is no fiscal note and staff has no recommendations.

[11:36] Do you have any questions?

[11:41] » So, will there be a specific area that will be

[11:46] cut out or set aside for? >> Yes, Commissioner. When there is alcohol

[11:52] permitted in a park, they do have to by state ABC laws, they do have to have a

[11:58] It's called a 3D barrier around it. So, anything that can be

[12:03] designed to be a barrier to enclose that area.

[12:11] » Any other questions for staff? >> Just checking. We've never had any

[12:14] complaints or anything like this in the past when we've approved it. As far as

[12:17] we know. >> I don't believe so, no.

[12:24] » Does Wojcik have any comment on this or Chief

[12:29] or

[12:33] » Sorry, I'm daydreaming. Um

[12:35] I don't have any concerns. We've had other events where we've done this. It's

[12:38] just the time is different. This is from truck Friday in the middle of the

[12:42] day, but it's not really any different that

[12:45] that I have any concerns about. >> Okay.

[12:47] » We'll have extra patrol like we normally do.

[12:51] » Thanks, Chief. >> Thank you.

[12:53] » Uh my name is Bjorn with Garden City Downtown Vision. I'm the assistant

[12:56] director there. Um I just wanted to kind of talk about

[13:01] um Steve Jessie. He's done it in the past for us. Given those issues, we have

[13:04] never given us any issues. Always followed all the regulations and rules

[13:08] that he needed to. So, um we feel very confident to have it on that particular

[13:11] Friday. He's a great guy to work with.

[13:20] » Any further questions? I'll entertain a motion for this item.

[13:25] » I move to approve the request as presented.

[13:27] » There's been a motion, is there a second?

[13:29] » I second. >> There's been a motion and a second. Any

[13:31] further discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor say

[13:34] "Aye". Opposed, "Nay". Motion passes.

[13:38] » Thank you. >> Item 7A, Chief Cruitt will provide an

[13:41] update to the governing body on the city's new mobile command unit. Chief?

[13:46] » Good afternoon, Mr. Mayor and Commissioners.

[13:48] I'm here to provide an update on our mobile command unit.

[13:51] Uh little background. Uh the mobile command unit was approved to provide the

[13:55] city with a modern, deployable incident command platform capable of supporting

[13:59] large-scale incidents, planned events, critical incidents, emergency

[14:03] operations, and most importantly, backup 911 and

[14:06] communication needs. The unit is currently in the final

[14:10] buildout and inspection phase. And this update is

[14:13] intended to brief the commission on the current project status, upcoming

[14:18] inspection and training events, and update you guys on the deployment

[14:21] location and operational readiness. This unit will enhance the city's

[14:26] ability to manage events that require coordinated field command presence,

[14:31] including backup 911 communication and coordination support,

[14:35] major public safety incidents, severe weather and disaster response, large

[14:39] public events, school and public facilities threats, extended law

[14:44] enforcement or fire operations, and multi-agency response.

[14:48] Before the city takes possession, staff participated in three different

[14:52] inspection and training events to ensure the vehicle, communication systems, and

[14:56] operational components are functioning as expected.

[15:00] Those include uh inspection in Florida at Frontline's facility,

[15:05] uh 13th to 15th July, and we're going to send four

[15:09] participants to that, to be fully paid for by Frontline

[15:13] and Pierce to make sure that we're trained on the on the unit.

[15:18] And we also verify build specifications, receive operational training, and

[15:22] identify any correct final corrections before delivery continues.

[15:27] Next is an inspection in Kansas City at Conrad Fire.

[15:32] And the date's to be determined as are the participants of this inspection will

[15:36] provide an additional review point after the unit reaches regional or vendor

[15:41] local vendor support. It will allow staff to evaluate any

[15:45] remaining vehicle equipment or deployment concerns before it transfers

[15:50] to mobile radio at Great Bend. Again, this one is

[15:54] yet to be determined based on the other inspections and training.

[15:58] This will be more focused on the radio communication systems.

[16:03] And it's probably the most critical step to ensure that it's turnkey ready when

[16:07] it shows up to Garden City. It will also make sure that the unit is

[16:11] compatible with our local and regional public safety communication systems and

[16:16] computer systems as well. The current plan is to house the mobile

[16:20] command unit at station three. And this location provides practical

[16:25] deployment point. And it also allows Garden City Fire Department to assist

[16:29] with the routine vehicle readiness and inspections that they do on a weekly

[16:33] basis, weekly and monthly basis. Those inspections and checks help ensure

[16:39] that the vehicle remains operationally ready and any maintenance or equipment

[16:43] concerns can be identified early and then taken care of.

[16:46] No alternatives as this is informational only. No recommendation and no fiscal

[16:51] note attached to this. I'm happy to answer any questions.

[16:55] And the attachments is the most recent update from

[16:59] um Frontline and Conrad on the buildout.

[17:07] » So, when do you expect to have it in the community then? I mean, you talked about

[17:11] [clears throat] all all these inspections and everything, but kind of

[17:14] an estimated timeline of actually when we have the unit

[17:17] » Yes, sir. >> in our possession.

[17:18] » I think July-August timeframe is kind of what we're expecting.

[17:21] » Okay. >> And we're kind of

[17:23] at the at the mercy of those inspections and if anything

[17:27] is identified at those inspections that has to be corrected and so that's what

[17:30] most of the time we're >> Okay.

[17:34] Any further questions or comments? Thank you, Chief. Thank you.

[17:41] » Items 7B through 7G are monthly [clears throat] staff reports. Any

[17:45] questions on those?

[17:51] Hearing none, item eight, meetings of note. Any of those requiring RSVPs,

[17:56] please do that through the city clerk's office.

[18:00] Item nine is the consideration of the appropriation ordinance.

[18:04] If approved, it would be ordinance number

[18:06] 2613-2026A.

[18:10] » I move to approve appropriation ordinance number 2613-2026A.

[18:15] » Second. >> It's been a motion and a second. Any

[18:17] further discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor say aye.

[18:21] » Aye. >> Opposed, nay.

[18:23] Motion passes.

[18:29] » Item 12A, the governing body is asked to consider and approve three appointments

[18:32] to the Zoo Advisory Board. Christie.

[18:38] » Good afternoon, Mayor and Commissioners. The Zoo Advisory Board is a seven-member

[18:42] board. It has two members that will be expiring their term at the end of this

[18:46] month. One of them, James McGallon, has

[18:49] completed a full term, while the other, Randy Baker, has completed only a

[18:52] partial term. Both are eligible for another term and has have expressed the

[18:57] desire to serve. Another member, Ruth Ann Tone, has

[19:03] put in her resignation due to other time commitments. She has a year left on her

[19:08] term. We reviewed three applications that came

[19:13] in for that position. After consideration, the board

[19:17] recommended that Randy and James both be appointed to another term and that

[19:23] Sorry, Addison Burstrom be appointed to fulfill to fill the uh

[19:30] expired term. So, I'll turn it Other members of the

[19:33] board are listed for your information. Alternatives are the board

[19:39] The body The governing body may appoint Randy and James to another 3-year term

[19:44] and appoint Addison Burstrom to fill the unexpired term.

[19:49] Or the other alternative is pick any of the three and assign them.

[19:54] Um The Zoo Advisory Board recommends the

[19:57] governing body appoint Randy Baker and James McGowan each to 3-year terms and

[20:02] appoint Addison Burstrom to fill the unexpired term. There is no fiscal

[20:06] impact of this action.

[20:10] » Any questions?

[20:14] I will entertain a motion for this item. >> I make a motion we appoint

[20:19] Randy Baker and James McGowan to 3-year terms and appoint Addison

[20:24] Burstrom to fulfill the unexpired term on the board as presented.

[20:29] » There's been a motion and is there a second?

[20:31] » Second. >> There's been a motion and a second. Any

[20:33] further discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor say

[20:36] "Aye." >> Aye.

[20:37] » Opposed, "Nay." Motion passes.

[20:40] » Item Item 12B, the governing body is asked to

[20:43] consider and approve a recommendation from the Traffic Advisory Committee to

[20:46] remove two parking spots along the 200 block of Pine Street.

[20:51] » Good afternoon, commissioners. So, yeah, our Traffic Advisory Committee

[20:55] meets the first Thursday of the the month 5:30 p.m.

[21:00] Uh, this last meeting we had several items on there and that's what's before

[21:04] you today. Uh, Uh,

[21:06] first item on here, John Hahn, owner owner of King Glass Incorporated,

[21:11] located at 415 North 8th Street, submitted a formal email request stating

[21:16] that freight trucks accessing King Glass Incorporated through the alley are

[21:21] frequently unable to complete the turn when exiting onto Pine Street due to

[21:26] vehicles parked in the adjacent parking spots.

[21:29] His request is to remove one or two parking spots to provide sufficient

[21:34] turning radius for trucks to safely exit the alley.

[21:38] And according to the request, truck drivers sometimes must wait while the

[21:41] vehicle owners are located and asked to move, resulting in delays up to 1 hour.

[21:47] Mr. Hahn indicated that the only other option would be to block off a portion

[21:52] of the 8th Street for an hour every Monday and Thursday to unload.

[21:57] On June 5th, 2026, this request was presented to the Traffic Advisory

[22:01] Committee, TAC. The TAC recommended removing one parking spot on the south

[22:07] side of Pine Street and one parking spot on the north side of Pine Street.

[22:12] The committee noted that one parking spot on the south I'm sorry, one parking

[22:15] spot on the north side appeared to be too close to the entrance of the Finney

[22:19] County Courthouse's entrance. And that there is plenty of room of

[22:24] public parking in the lot across the street from the courthouse.

[22:28] Uh, as you can see there in the map attached.

[22:32] It was also discussed that others, such as the Finney County Jail, receive

[22:35] freight and those drivers often deal with the same issues pulling out that

[22:40] alleyway. If approved, staff would remove the

[22:43] parking stripes and paint the curb yellow in the affected area.

[22:48] The alternatives before you, one, the governing body may approve the

[22:51] recommendation of the Traffic Advisory Committee and direct staff to remove the

[22:55] two parking spots along the 200 block of Pine Street. Two, the governing body may

[23:01] recommend an alternative option to the to the recommendation being

[23:05] proposed. And three, the governing body may not approve the request and redirect

[23:10] the staff. Recommendation is the traffic advisory

[23:13] committee is to remove the two parking spots identified on the attached map.

[23:19] And there is no fiscal impact on this item.

[23:23] With that, I'm happy to answer any questions you might have on this.

[23:29] » Tyler, from the memo, um just some clarification. Is the owner looking for

[23:35] one or two on both sides, or just one or two in total?

[23:38] » In total. >> Okay.

[23:44] » And that would alleviate or help with the truck situation if there's just the

[23:48] one on each side. >> Correct.

[23:50] » Okay. >> Okay.

[23:54] » Any further questions?

[23:57] » I move to approve the recommendation of the traffic advisory committee and

[24:01] direct staff to remove the two parking spots along the 200 block of Pine Street

[24:04] as presented. >> Second.

[24:08] » It's been a motion and second. Any further discussion?

[24:11] Seeing none, all those in favor, say "Aye."

[24:13] Any opposed, "Nay." Motion passes. >> Item 12C, the governing body is asked to

[24:19] consider and approve the traffic advisory committee recommendation to

[24:23] deny the request to reduce the speed limit from 40 mph to 30 mph along Mary

[24:29] Street from Fleming Street to 8th Street.

[24:33] » All right. So, here we have Lisa Harrison, a local resident, has

[24:38] formally requested the speed limit on Mary Street to be reduced from 40 mph to

[24:43] 30 mph from Fleming Street to 8th Street. This request is based on

[24:51] concerns regarding vehicle speeding in the area, particularly during the school

[24:55] year. On June 5th, 2026, the Traffic Advisory

[24:59] Committee was presented the request for consideration and open discussion with

[25:04] Lisa Harris being present. After this After further discussion of

[25:08] the issue and review of the available information, TAC recommended that the

[25:13] speed limit remain remain unchanged. Staff concurred with the TAC

[25:18] recommendation to leave the speed limit as currently posted at 40 mph.

[25:23] Uh three alternatives before you today The governing body may approve the

[25:26] recommendation of the TAC to deny the request to reduce the speed limit from

[25:31] 40 mph to 30 mph along Mary Street from Fleming Street to 8th Street. Two, the

[25:37] governing body may request the staff to further research to the matter of the

[25:41] requested speed reduction along Mary Street. Three, the governing body may

[25:45] approve the request to reduce the speed limit along Mary Street from 40 mph to

[25:49] 30 mph from from Fleming Street to 8th Street.

[25:54] The recommendation of the Traffic Advisory Committee recommends denying

[25:57] the request to reduce the speed limit along Mary Street from 40 mph to 30 mph

[26:02] between Fleming Street and 8th Street. And there is no fiscal impact on this

[26:06] item. And again, a map is attached there

[26:10] showing the affected area.

[26:16] » I think a couple questions here for me. So, first is

[26:19] for Lisa's request, what is her justification beyond um vehicle

[26:24] speeding? Is she seeing an increase in accidents or is that some data that we

[26:28] can say? Is Is it more than just people are speeding?

[26:32] » Yeah, her her main reason was vehicle speeding. Um

[26:36] she did discuss a little bit about um you know, difficulties pulling out of

[26:39] her driveway in and out at times, uh particularly during the school uh being

[26:44] in session, but other than that, it was mainly just speeding vehicles.

[26:52] » And then what justification did the staff see to leave the speed limit and

[26:57] TAC's recommendation to leave the speed limit as is? Just status quo or

[27:02] » Um you know, so that's that map there that section, you know, that I mean if

[27:05] we did drop it to 30, you know, there

[27:09] then it would you know, there's two sections one on each side that would be

[27:13] 40. And so I mean

[27:17] we didn't see that you know, really be any of fixing this area.

[27:21] Um we have made some changes. This has come

[27:25] before the traffic advisory committee before

[27:28] [clears throat] and uh talking with Marius Alcazar our traffic foreman, we

[27:32] did make some changes to the traffic light on 3rd and Mary and also on

[27:37] Fleming and uh Mary Street there to to change that timing that light so that

[27:42] you can't just get a green and blow through Mary Street. Um so that has

[27:46] helped. We've we've seen um but

[27:49] yeah, you know, that's kind of that that was

[27:52] our discussion at our at our meeting that evening.

[27:59] » Any further questions? >> Is there any data that shows

[28:04] a number of accidents or traffic violations, people

[28:08] going more than 40?

[28:12] » As far as traffic violations and accidents, no, we we did

[28:18] not look into that. Um However, we could if you if that's what

[28:21] you would like us to do. Um but [clears throat] we did not

[28:24] » I know that I know that there has been additional patrol down right there by

[28:28] the church. Um but yeah, she hit on that.

[28:33] » We'd be happy to try to pull some stats. >> Just to to know, I know I'm trying to

[28:37] think right now there is a piece that is school zone.

[28:42] And that is 20 miles an hour, right, on Mary Street. Isn't there? About Yeah,

[28:48] Main Street. >> past third.

[28:50] » Yeah, so. >> It's before It's East of Mary.

[28:54] » it's East of Yeah, right. Okay, so part of Mary is already 20. Do we have people

[29:01] going above 20 during when it's posted? I mean, and I know that

[29:08] I'm just trying to Okay.

[29:13] » Mhm. >> Um Well, Mary Yeah, let me Oh, wait.

[29:18] Eighth Street. Eighth from Main to Eighth.

[29:21] » It's a little piece. >> But it's small. Yeah.

[29:25] » So, we'll pull up some more some data. One thing I will say is that when

[29:28] school's in session, Mary Street is is very hard to do traffic enforcement on

[29:33] because it would back up. >> Mhm.

[29:35] » Yeah. pull somebody over, so we have to kind

[29:38] of anticipate our stops and make sure that

[29:40] we're pulling them off of Mary Street so we can not

[29:44] cause for traffic jams, traffic accidents, that

[29:47] type of thing. >> Okay.

[29:48] » We'll pull that up. We'll get it to Tyler. He'll have it ready for you for

[29:51] you guys. >> I mean, the the deeper rooted issue I

[29:54] feel like is if her issue is that it's backing So, if she has a hard time

[29:58] backing out of her property, I also don't necessarily know if reducing speed

[30:02] limit fixes that, but >> Um

[30:05] I'm just I can't brainstorm any other problems or solutions that would be

[30:10] helpful. Like, is there anything else that would

[30:13] might be helpful? Like, I can't think of any on the top of my head of for her.

[30:17] » I think the lights have made a difference. I live right there.

[30:21] » Yeah. >> And um and so and and I travel up and

[30:24] down that street many, many times a day. And and I will say that and I couldn't

[30:28] figure out why it was a little bit different, but now it makes sense if

[30:31] you've cuz like some I was like, "Hey, how come

[30:34] I'm turning left when everyone So, it it did make a difference, but I I know what

[30:40] you mean with traffic backing up. I think that's

[30:43] just a natural occurrence. I mean it backs up on Third Street and I mean any

[30:47] school zone, but it's very, very It's for a very short time. It's twice a day,

[30:52] so.

[30:58] » Mayor, I make a motion that we approve the recommendation of the traffic

[31:03] advisory committee to deny the request to reduce the speed limit to 40 miles an

[31:07] hour from 40 to 30 along Mary Street from

[31:11] Fleming to Eighth. To deny. So, alternative one.

[31:15] There's been a motion. Is there a second?

[31:17] » Second. >> There's been a motion and a second. Any

[31:20] further discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor say

[31:24] "Aye." Opposed, "Nay."

[31:27] Motion passes. >> [snorts]

[31:31] » Item 12 >> sure that we get that data to you.

[31:33] » Yep. Thank you, Chief. >> Thank you. Thank you.

[31:36] » Item 12D, the governing body is asked to consider and approve the recommendation

[31:41] from the traffic advisory committee to deny the change of the alleyway behind

[31:45] the Emmaus House, 802 North Fifth Street, to one-way only.

[31:52] » Yes, so Donnie Lenzmeier representing the Emmaus House located at 802 North

[31:57] Fifth Street has formally requested that the alley adjacent to the facility be

[32:01] designated as one-way only traffic from north to south. This requested is

[32:08] intended to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion associated with the

[32:12] freight truck deliveries to the facility.

[32:15] On June 5th, 2026, the request was presented to the traffic

[32:20] advisory committee for discussion. During the review, city staff identified

[32:24] concerns regarding the impact on the current solid waste operations.

[32:29] The existing collection route travels south to north through the alley with

[32:33] dumpsters located along the west side. There are insufficient space to on the

[32:39] east side of the alley to relocate the dumpsters and implementing the requested

[32:44] traffic change would require relocating all the dumpsters between Walnut Street

[32:48] and Kansas Avenue. The TAC also discussed the possibility

[32:52] of designating the alley as one way from south to north. However, concerns were

[32:57] raised regarding potential traffic queuing on Walnut Street, impacts to

[33:02] hospital access, and congestion near the traffic signal at Fourth Street.

[33:08] Following the discussion, it was recommended that no changes to be made

[33:11] to the current alley traffic flow at this time, and the TAC discussed the

[33:15] possibilities of educating the Mayes House staff to help situation and

[33:19] exploring the use of temporary signage for traffic management measures during

[33:24] the peak operating hours and freight deliveries to mitigate congestion.

[33:30] The alternatives before you, one, the governing body may approve the

[33:33] recommendation of the TAC to deny the request of the changing

[33:37] of the alleyway of the Mayes House located at 802 North Fifth Street to a

[33:42] one-way only north to south. Two, the governing body may request the

[33:46] staff to further research the matter and return with other possible options.

[33:51] Or three, the governing body may accept the request to change the alleyway to

[33:54] one-way only from north to south at the Mayes House, 802 North Fifth Street.

[34:01] The recommendation is that the TAC recommends denying the request to the

[34:04] change of the alleyway behind the Mayes House, the Mayes House at 802 North

[34:08] Fifth Street to one-way only. And there is no fiscal impact on this item.

[34:14] With that, I'm happy to answer any questions on that.

[34:17] » Any questions for staff? >> What would the I just

[34:20] I'm just not clear. What would the temporary signage look like for the

[34:23] traffic management measures? It would it be just to be like during specific hours

[34:29] or how would that What would that look like?

[34:31] » Yeah, good question. So, it'd be real similar to some of the what the school

[34:35] does whenever they have the free meal pick up I believe that comes

[34:39] around I think over by the Buffalo Jim school. They put out the little like

[34:43] tripod stands with directing traffic. It was that that was was discussed

[34:49] when Donna was there and she agreed that might help with employees and educating

[34:53] some of the staff. >> Okay.

[34:54] » But it would be up to them to pay for that

[34:56] » [laughter] >> and put those out and pick them up.

[34:58] » Okay.

[35:03] I approve the recommendation of the TAC to deny the request of changing the

[35:08] alleyway of the MAHS house 802 North 5th Street to a one-way only north to south.

[35:14] » There's been a motion for alternative one, is there a second?

[35:17] » I second. >> There's been a motion and a second, any

[35:19] further discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor say aye.

[35:23] » Aye. >> Opposed nay.

[35:25] Motion passes. >> I'm stepping down for this next item.

[35:29] » Please note that Commissioner Cessna is stepping down for item 12E.

[35:46] » Item 12E, the governing body is asked to consider and approve a recommendation

[35:49] from the traffic advisory committee to install a new

[35:53] flashing crosswalk light and equipment at the intersection of 3rd Street and

[35:57] Harding contingent upon financial participation from USD 457.

[36:04] » Yes, so Victor Garay, a local resident, has

[36:07] requested installation of a flashing pedestrian crosswalk at intersection of

[36:12] 3rd Street and Harding Avenue. The request is based on high volume of

[36:17] pedestrian traffic in the area and student traffic attending Horace Mann

[36:21] Middle School. According to the request, motorists

[36:24] frequently fail to stop for pedestrians even after they have entered the

[36:28] crosswalk, creating a significant safety concern.

[36:32] On June 5th, 2026, the Traffic Advisory Committee reviewed the request.

[36:37] Following discussion, both the TAC and staff agreed that the flashing

[36:41] pedestrian crosswalk would improve safety at this location and is warranted

[36:45] based on the pedestrian activity and school-related traffic.

[36:50] The cost of the flashing crosswalk equipment is $10,626.

[36:56] The TAC recommended that city staff contact the USD 457 to determine whether

[37:02] the school district would be would be willing to contribute 50% of

[37:07] the equipment cost. If the USD 457 457 agrees to

[37:13] participate, the city's share would be $5,313.

[37:19] If the USD 457 declines to contribute toward the project, the TAC's

[37:24] recommendation is that the flash flashing crosswalk does not be installed

[37:29] at this time. Three alternatives before you is one,

[37:33] the governing body may approve the recommendation of the TAC of

[37:36] installation of new flashing crosswalk contingent upon the USD 457 agreeing to

[37:42] pay 50% of the cost. Two, the governing body

[37:45] the governing body may not approve the request.

[37:48] And three, the governing body may decide to move forward with the cost even if

[37:52] the USD 457 does not agree to pay the cost, leaving the city with a total

[37:57] expense of $10,626.

[38:01] Recommendation, the Traffic Advisory Committee recommends installing a new

[38:04] traffic flashing crosswalk at 3rd Street and Harding Avenue contingent upon the

[38:09] USD 457 agreeing to pay half the cost. Fiscal note, uh new crosswalk uh would

[38:15] be charged to the street traffic signal account, uh which is lined up there,

[38:20] which has a current balance of $77,363

[38:25] and 12 cents. I'd be happy to answer any questions on

[38:28] that. >> Any questions for Tyler?

[38:35] » No, I don't have any questions, but I I have seen vehicles not stop more than

[38:40] one time, and so I I'm glad to see that this came before the traffic advisory

[38:45] committee. >> Tyler, you know that

[38:49] USD 457's budget is over with the oversight of the school board, but have

[38:52] you chatted with USD 457 if they've had a pallet

[38:55] uh to want to cover half? Have they kind of

[39:00] What have these conversations been like? >> Yes, Mayor. I have. So, I hate to try to

[39:04] I hate to kind of jump ahead of the game. We we actually we actually have

[39:07] another item that's going to be going in front of the

[39:10] traffic advisory committee next month that'll be ultimately coming before you.

[39:15] Um it's for another crosswalk um at Buffalo Jones school. Um so, I did reach

[39:19] out to the USD 457 staff. Um they did agree in an email to pay half the cost

[39:26] for this one. So, we do have another one that's going to be coming before you. Um

[39:30] and so, in that email does indicate that they are willing to pay for half the

[39:34] cost to that one as well. >> Got you. Okay.

[39:41] Any further questions? Seeing none, I'll entertain a motion for

[39:44] this item. >> I move to approve the recommendation of

[39:48] the TAC of the installation of the new flashing crosswalk contingent upon the

[39:52] USD 457 agreeing to pay 50% of the cost. >> It's been motioned. Is there a second?

[39:57] » I second. >> It's been motioned and seconded. Any

[39:59] further discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor say aye.

[40:03] Aye. Opposed, nay. Motion passes.

[40:06] » Thank you. >> Thank you, Tyler.

[40:15] Please note that Commissioner Cessna is returning back to the bench.

[40:26] » Item 12F, the governing body is asked to consider and approve a recommendation by

[40:30] the Public Utilities Advisory Board regarding the logo design for the

[40:33] Jameson water tower. >> Good afternoon, Mayor and Commissioners.

[40:39] Uh city staff received a logo submittal for the Jameson water tower. That's the

[40:42] new water tower being constructed by Jameson Interurban Center and the waste

[40:46] water treatment facility. After reviewing this submittal, staff

[40:50] raised concerns regarding the logo's visibility from US 50. It is 1,600 ft to

[40:55] the tower and from US 83 it is 2,700 ft to the tower. The submittal indicates

[41:02] that the words "World Growth Here" logo tagline will be less than 2 ft tall,

[41:07] making it unreadable. Uh including the tagline also makes the city name too

[41:12] small. So, ideally the text should be 5 ft or 6 ft tall to maximize the the

[41:18] legibility of the city's name. Staff requested a second submittal with

[41:22] the tagline removed. Three options were presented to the

[41:25] Public Utilities Advisory Board. The Advisory Board recommends option three.

[41:30] Uh city logo with the tagline and the word "Kansas" removed for maximum

[41:34] visibility. The Jameson water tower's tank is now

[41:38] being painted upon final approval from the City Commission. The contractor will

[41:42] supply the They will apply the selected city logo.

[41:45] The memo presented to the Public Utilities Advisory Board and both

[41:49] submittals are attached to this memo that was in your packet. Alternatives,

[41:53] uh one, the governing body may approve the recommendation of the Public

[41:56] Utilities Advisory Board to use design outlined as option three.

[42:01] Or the governing may governing body may not approve the recommendation of the

[42:05] PUAB and use the design of either option one or two. Or or governing body may not

[42:10] approve the recommendation of the public utilities advisory board and provide

[42:14] some other alternative or something else being up there.

[42:19] Choose from Bronco. >> [laughter]

[42:22] » I suggest that the governing body approve the

[42:24] recommendation of the public utilities advisory board and use the design

[42:27] outlined in option three. And

[42:31] there's no fiscal impact on part of the project on the long run. I'm happy to

[42:35] try to answer any questions on that.

[42:39] » Any questions?

[42:42] How's the nomination for this item? >> I make a motion that we approve the

[42:47] recommendation of the public utilities advisory board and use the design

[42:52] outlined in option three as presented. >> This motion is there a second?

[42:57] » I second. >> There's been a motion and a second. Any

[42:59] further discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor say I.

[43:03] All opposed, nay. Motion passes. Thank you, Mike.

[43:09] » Item 12G, Finance Director Coleman will review potential adjustments to the

[43:13] budgets as [snorts] presented. I'll give up.

[43:18] » I used to sit there. >> Is that where you want me?

[43:20] » All right. >> [laughter]

[43:22] » We're all We're all relieved that he didn't sit down.

[43:25] » He wouldn't offer if he didn't believe [laughter] it.

[43:29] » All right. At the June 2nd, 2026 City Commission meeting, staff completed the

[43:33] presentation of the 2027 City Manager's proposed budget. From this point, the

[43:37] City Commission begins deliberation of the budget. In past years, discussions

[43:40] were held during the first and second meetings in July to determine the target

[43:44] mill levy rate desired by the City Commission and the appropriate

[43:46] adjustments to achieve it. If the City Commission decides to exceed the revenue

[43:50] neutral rate, the city is required to provide a notice of intent to exceed the

[43:53] revenue neutral rate to the county by July 20th. With the third Tuesday of

[43:57] July falling on the 21st of 2026, the City Commission will be able to

[44:01] determine whether to exceed the revenue neutral rate and approve the appropriate

[44:04] notice to the county at their first July meeting.

[44:07] To that end, the staff has prepared a breakdown of the preliminary adjustments

[44:10] recommended to begin moving forward what they anticipate to be the city

[44:13] commission's desired mill levy for the 2027 budget. As the budget currently

[44:17] stands, the city would need to increase revenues or decrease expenses by

[44:21] approximately $3,695,000 to achieve a level mill levy rate

[44:25] assuming 3% valuation increase. The county will provide a preliminary

[44:29] valuation estimate on or before June 15th, 2026, and that figure will be

[44:33] incorporated in the budget discussion for the presentation as following

[44:36] today's meetings. I did get an email yesterday with that number and it the a

[44:41] estimated valuation was 2.62% up, so less than the 3% assumption that we

[44:46] utilized, which is the first time in a few years that it's been lower than that

[44:48] 3% assumption. Um so, that will represent an increase in what we need to

[44:52] figure out rather than a kind of absolution of pain.

[44:56] Uh the recommended adjustments to the budget considered by staff include the

[44:59] following this time. Number one, staff has reviewed vacancies

[45:03] in positions from January 2026 through April 30th, 2026. Based on the positions

[45:07] vacant during that time, salaries and benefits can be adjusted to capture some

[45:11] of the vacancy savings. These adjustments amount to $323,500

[45:15] in general fund, $29,600 in airport fund, $83,750

[45:20] in electric fund, and $15,300 in the solid waste fund.

[45:24] Number two, city sales tax collections in 2026 are up 3.5% over 2025 on pace

[45:30] for $8,870,300 for 2026.

[45:33] The current 2026 budget figure is $8,600,000.

[45:37] This can be increased by $100,000. County sales tax collections in 2026 are

[45:41] up 3.4% over 2025 on pace for $5,425,500 for 2026.

[45:48] The current 2026 budget figure is $5,200,000. This can be increased by

[45:52] $100,000. Use tax collections in 2026 are up 7.7%

[45:56] over 2025 on pace for $2,300,000 for 2026. The current 2026 budget figure is

[46:02] 2.1 million. This can be increased by 100,000.

[46:06] Revenues from fines for municipal court are on pace for approximately 915,000

[46:10] for 2026. The current 2026 budget figure is 775,000.

[46:15] This can be increased by 75,000. The rental agreement line in recreation

[46:19] and athletics was originally budgeted at 31,000 for 2026 and 31,500 for 2027.

[46:24] This can be reduced to 11,000 each year as this cost is for one contractual

[46:27] obligation with an annual cost of approximately 11,000.

[46:31] In the 2027 budget, there is $50,000 for a transfer from the general fund to

[46:35] recreation reserve to continue building that fund. The recreation reserve

[46:39] currently has a balance of $460,094, which represents 14% of annual operating

[46:44] costs for the entire recreation budget. This $50,000 transfer can be eliminated

[46:48] from the 2027 budget as staff do not currently see a need to increase the

[46:51] balance of the recreation reserve fund. The city has an agreement with Finney

[46:54] County for the operational costs of the temporary law enforcement facility to

[46:57] encompass the lease obligation, utilities, and other operational costs.

[47:01] Since July 2025, the city has been paying these costs and Finney County has

[47:04] not yet been invoiced as the discussions regarding the payment of the

[47:07] construction improvements have been ongoing. With reimbursements for the

[47:10] costs incurred in 2025 and costs throughout 2026 and 2027, the city can

[47:13] anticipate at least 324,000 in reimbursements from the county during

[47:17] 2026 and 2027. These adjustments total $1,142,100.

[47:23] This leaves a balance of approximately 2,553,000

[47:26] in additional adjustments needed to achieve a balanced levy.

[47:29] With the additional increase from the 2.62% valuation, there's an additional

[47:33] 82,000 83,000 approximately added to that

[47:37] number. Due to the compressed timeline to

[47:39] consider budget adjustments before indicating an intent on revenue neutral

[47:42] the city commission could consider utilizing a portion of the town hall

[47:45] meeting scheduled for June 30th for a budget discussion. Staff could prepare a

[47:49] list of items for consideration for addition or removal from the budget.

[47:52] This would allow the governing body to conduct this discussion outside of

[47:55] business hours, which may provide an opportunity for some citizens to provide

[47:58] input where otherwise they may not be able to attend a city commission meeting

[48:02] when the budget is considered. Staff can take the input received from the

[48:05] governing body at that meeting to prepare discussion and consideration of

[48:08] an indication on a recommended tax rate, as well as a target mill levy during the

[48:12] first meeting in July. If the governing body's goal is to

[48:14] maintain a flat mill levy rate, it is unlikely that one-time budget cuts, such

[48:18] as repairs, capital improvements, or equipment, or vacant positions will

[48:21] fully cover the cost or the remaining budget gap. These types

[48:25] of reductions also tend to appear in future budgets as increased costs as

[48:28] acquisitions can sometimes be delayed but will eventually be realized. A

[48:31] reduction in the city's programs or services creates a recurring budget

[48:35] reduction is more likely to be the solution needed to achieve a flat mill

[48:37] levy. Staff welcomes any input from the City Commission regarding programs or

[48:41] services they would like information on as they consider these items for

[48:44] achieving their target budget at the following following meetings.

[48:48] An alternative for you today is that staff will make the listed adjustments

[48:51] to the '26 revised and '27 original budget figures barring any input from

[48:54] the City Commission to do anything apart from listed items.

[48:58] So, unless there's something you want me to not change based on what I presented,

[49:01] I'll make those modifications in preparation for the next meeting. So,

[49:04] the clear questions before you are, do you want to use the June 30th meeting as

[49:07] that budget discussion, kind of the first stab at the budget discussion, and

[49:11] then are there any specific elements or items you want me to present? In the

[49:14] past, I've very much presented on, here's the cost for this equipment,

[49:17] here's the cost for this program, here's what we paid downtown development, you

[49:20] know, X, Y, and Z. Um, but more programmatically functionally, is there

[49:24] something I would look at as far as, here's the cost for running court,

[49:27] here's the cost for running the pool, here's the cost for doing any other

[49:30] programs or services or kind of identified fields the city could covers.

[49:34] So, that as you analyze kind of the the levers to pull, you can have a

[49:38] programmatic approach to it as well. Um, so any feedback you have, anything that

[49:42] would help me to know what to go prepare for you.

[49:44] Um, and then do we want to use June 30th?

[49:49] » I feel like the the second question there is, if we want to use June 30th,

[49:52] it might be a little bit easier. Um is this something the governing body would

[49:56] prefer? >> Sure. Yeah, I think that would be a good

[50:00] time. And I do like the aspect of having having it be in the evening so that

[50:04] people can come in if they so choose. >> Me too.

[50:08] Mhm. I agree.

[50:10] » Okay. >> Okay. I'll prepare for that.

[50:13] » As for the first question, any considerations from the governing body

[50:17] for Jared? >> Not so much cuts. Like something we're

[50:21] saying now you want to cut, but something you want me to bring you data

[50:24] or information on.

[50:28] » I think for myself, the big thing is like if there is a reduction in city

[50:32] programs, what would that structure look like?

[50:35] What is the cost savings in that? Or what are the cons that we might have in

[50:40] a introduction of a certain program or

[50:43] service. I can't really think of one that would be impactful

[50:47] to present on cuz I think they're all impactful.

[50:50] So, those are some of my thoughts.

[50:53] » And also maybe just some scenarios of what it could look like, flat, up,

[50:58] you know, down. Just, you know, what that could

[51:02] look like with the bottom line to kind of give us an idea of of what

[51:06] that what that bottom number is.

[51:09] » Okay. Yep.

[51:12] Anyone else?

[51:16] » So, so

[51:19] » [clears throat] >> our final what we're trying to get to,

[51:23] I mean, after all those adjustments that you told us, what we're we're trying to

[51:26] get to is 2.5 or well, actually now about 2.7 million

[51:30] » Mhm. >> is what what we're looking at.

[51:33] » Yeah.

[51:35] And that is the largest it's been in the last few

[51:37] years. We've had >> Well, I know last year

[51:40] » Um but for to kind of get to the final levers of the budget, it's been less

[51:44] than that for the kind of the final levers to pull. So, this that's why I

[51:47] expressed that I think this is going to be a more significant conversation for

[51:50] the city commission to consider programmatically, rather than just kind

[51:53] of a one-time line in the budget to reduce down.

[51:56] » Mhm. >> Well, I know last year it was like 263

[51:59] or 200 863,000 that we had to try to whittle out. So,

[52:05] when I When I looked at this, it was I don't know if it's I don't know if

[52:11] Well, you kind of mentioned it in the in the memo that, you know, there's

[52:14] items that we've kind of just kept pushing down and it It just kind of

[52:18] keeps building. So, we either need to

[52:23] Yeah. We have to do something cuz it just keeps getting bigger Yeah. Every

[52:27] year. >> have

[52:31] been delaying inevitable pain. And so, that's where I think programmatically

[52:34] it's it's a looking at the scope of what we do. Where your expenses have been

[52:37] accelerating at a greater pace than your revenues, you've got to bring the

[52:40] expenses down or increase the revenues. They both have to be the same

[52:43] trajectory. >> Um and so, I also have been preparing a

[52:46] look back of kind of the past 10 years during the presentations that the

[52:51] um the auditors provided, where you can see kind of the last 10 years of budget.

[52:54] You notice that 5 years ago that the trajectory went up quite a bit. And so,

[52:59] I wanted to kind of paint that picture for you. So, I'll prepare In preparation

[53:01] for the next meeting, I'll have a little bit of a history for you to kind of show

[53:05] the 10-year period over the administration departments and the

[53:08] different budgets within the general fund. Um and really looking at the story

[53:11] to that. You know, we point often to the fire department increase in the staff of

[53:15] the fire station, the airport increase in the staff for their operational

[53:18] increase, um and then the acquisition of the recreation commission combined with

[53:21] the city. But, the story will tell you those are big big parts of the story as

[53:25] we look at that 10-year look back. But, I wanted to be able to quantify that to

[53:28] you and show you kind of staffing numbers along the way, as well as just

[53:32] financial impact. Um there's also some consideration that the pre-meeting for

[53:36] the first meeting in July, we have been working with Enterprise Fleet Management

[53:39] as far as the vehicle acquisition and rotation plan. So, we'll present more

[53:43] information to anybody on that, but trying to get a more strategized

[53:46] approach to our vehicles cuz that's been one of the the cuts that's been made

[53:50] over the last few years. We keep pushing out vehicles. Um that is a pain that's

[53:53] going to continue to increase and or will have operationally

[53:56] uh issues with our vehicles if they're not running and not going to be a

[53:59] functional service. And so, um kind of choosing I really comes out of as a

[54:03] little bit aggressive staff. You you pick your poison. You know, you you

[54:05] might take care of vehicles through that plan, but then something else has to

[54:08] give to to make up the cost for that. So,

[54:11] um I'll come back with the kind of here's what an increase would look like

[54:15] for a bill or two. Here's what a decrease would look like. Here's the

[54:17] revenue neutral target, how much you would have to have to reduce tickets for

[54:20] that. Um just like we've done the past years.

[54:23] But as far as kind of the red, green, and yellow levers to pull, there's not a

[54:26] lot of green. Today is kind of the green levers. These are the ones that are

[54:30] saying, "Hey, low-hanging fruit, the things you can do that we've done in

[54:33] traditionally." Looking at sales tax revenues through today with a better

[54:36] scope than we had in January, we think there's a little ebb and flow there. Um

[54:40] but just prepare that the items are all going to be kind of yellow and red items

[54:43] and maybe a little bit of green. >> Sure.

[54:45] » There is uh one point I'll remind you of is that um there is a million dollars as

[54:49] a holding spot for the implementation of the Pace on Go.

[54:52] And so, what would have been 1.5 million last year is 2.5 million this year

[54:57] because of that million. So, there is a a very quantifiable

[55:00] identifier to that piece of this, which brings you closer to what kind of the

[55:04] experience would have been last year's budget of finalizing a number. Um but we

[55:07] do believe that's a fairly accurate number for what we'd need or or close to

[55:11] what we would need to implement um or give you the option to implement

[55:14] sooner rather than later if so chosen by the governing body.

[55:18] » Okay. >> If you do think of anything else between

[55:21] now and June 3rd, if if you want to email and shoot me, "Hey, can you make

[55:24] sure you bring up, you know, what would the cost be to do this?" Um

[55:28] I to to avoid having to start with my math and saying, "Hey, guess what? Every

[55:31] other department, I'm going to go put your department at last and say what it

[55:34] costs to run it." I'll try to be pretty wide scope and bring you quite a bit of

[55:38] information in the session. It'll be kind of a work session at that June 3rd

[55:41] meeting and try to quantify different elements of kind of programs and things

[55:44] from the different divisions. Um not to identify that that's a

[55:47] recommendation from the finance director to say manager saying yes, reduce this,

[55:50] cut this program, let's take this out, but just giving some quantifiable data

[55:55] behind the numbers attributed to those programs. So that as you make decisions,

[55:59] you kind of have know where the the high and low limits are for what those

[56:02] impacts would be. No easy answers, but that's fine.

[56:06] » Well, but >> Anything I can do to help you have data

[56:09] and information, I want to make sure I provide you.

[56:12] » Yeah. This is I mean This is almost I mean this number is

[56:17] like getting rid of literally a department in our

[56:20] in our city. So >> It's

[56:23] » This one's going to be Yeah, when I when I read that and I kept

[56:26] looking at that number and I'm like And

[56:30] » [clears throat] >> you know, the more I thought about it,

[56:31] it's like yeah, we've kind of just been kind of pushing this down the road and

[56:35] the numbers just kept getting bigger and it got really big really fast this year.

[56:40] So >> Yeah.

[56:41] » I think the story for you is >> But we've been

[56:45] » Right. >> Right.

[56:49] It's accumulation. >> Well, but we've we've also grown the

[56:52] community has also grown like he said. We've added staff to the airport because

[56:57] we've increased the size of the airport as well as fire station three. So I mean

[57:01] it's it's been intentional too by not only this commission, but other

[57:07] commissions because the community has grown.

[57:10] » Absolutely. >> Yeah. So

[57:12] » I plan to bring you a lot of information, a lot of data, so just kind

[57:15] of buckle up and be ready, but I feel like more is better than less that way

[57:17] you have the tools needed to make that decision and then we'll plan on June

[57:20] 30th having that be somewhat of a work session to to give staff an indication

[57:24] and then your first meeting in July is where we need to finalize it and you

[57:27] don't have to have a final budget at point, but what you do want to finalize

[57:30] is if you're going to exceed the revenue neutral rate, we need to indicate that

[57:33] to the county, and then they publish that notification to citizens and

[57:36] identify a target mill levy rate. You can change from that, but our practice

[57:40] has been to try to put that number, especially to not exceed that number.

[57:44] That would be that or lower. So, if you want to follow the same practice, you

[57:47] would indicate kind of your anticipated high watermark for what your mill levy

[57:52] allotment would be, and then we would broadcast and publish that. You can

[57:55] always then come back from that in your final proposed budget. You have that

[57:58] meeting in a couple of weeks to finalize to then kind of tweak in

[58:02] our our final presentation will be in August

[58:05] for kind of the levers adjusting, and we publish our notification for our

[58:09] hearings at that point with the hearing happening in the first week of

[58:12] September. So, you still have time to make the tweaks, but the the indication

[58:16] of what your target would need to be consolidated in time by the July first

[58:20] meeting in July. >> Great.

[58:22] » Thank you. >> Thank you, Jared.

[58:23] » Thank you. >> Thank you.

[58:29] » Item 12H is an executive session, and we don't anticipate any action needed

[58:34] coming out of that executive session. So, if you want to take up the consent

[58:40] agenda item next, the appropriate motion would be

[58:44] to approve items 13A through 13E unless someone's here to talk on one of the

[58:49] environmental code issues. >> Is there anyone present for the

[58:53] environmental code nuisances?

[58:58] Seeing none, I move >> Move to approve consent agenda items 13A

[59:02] through 13E. >> Second. There's been a motion and a

[59:06] second. Any further discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor say I.

[59:11] » I. >> Opposed, nay.

[59:13] Motion passes. And then before executive session, we

[59:16] will also do our commissioner reports. Vice Mayor Ordler.

[59:21] » Um I enjoyed the pre-meeting. Um I think it's always

[59:25] I always appreciate um when when

[59:29] department heads are when the discussion comes around of always improving the

[59:33] work situation or the working hours for our employees because I think you know

[59:38] it's easy to get complacent and it's easy to just continue to do things the

[59:41] way they are, you know, but to try and help with that work-life balance. I

[59:45] think that was certainly something that I took away from that meeting which is,

[59:49] you know, as we work really hard to be the employer of choice. Sometimes you

[59:54] have to make those changes and so thanks for for presenting that and and for all

[59:59] the thought and research that went into it and so I think that was great.

[1:00:04] So my competitive eating is done. >> [laughter]

[1:00:09] » Um

[1:00:12] June 5th is part of National Donut Day for the Salvation Army.

[1:00:17] I was able to eat 21 out of 25 donut holes

[1:00:22] in 5 minutes. Don't ask, it wasn't pretty. But and unfortunately there is

[1:00:26] video. But congratulations to I think it was

[1:00:29] Officer Hall who beat me.

[1:00:32] He beat all of us and it was fun to be able to be there with the fire

[1:00:36] department, the police department and some of the employees from from the you

[1:00:41] know Randy's Donuts and and then also a little girl who was there who almost

[1:00:46] beat all of us. She's probably 8 years old and she had a strategy. So anyway,

[1:00:51] but then you know, to counteract all that sugar

[1:00:53] being able to help with the brisket judging on Sunday was also something

[1:00:58] that was fun to do and I enjoy Beef Empire Days. I was out of town for a lot

[1:01:04] of it this year but I was glad to at least be able to participate in some of

[1:01:07] the activities that we had this year. I also enjoyed the opportunity to visit

[1:01:12] with the Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine students.

[1:01:16] I love the fact that that some of them are even

[1:01:21] you know, choosing to come back to Garden City, you know, after the

[1:01:23] presentations and and coming here and doing their clinicals and and doing some

[1:01:28] of the rotations, you know, the fact that they're at least considering

[1:01:32] Southwest Kansas is a benefit to all of us and, you know, especially

[1:01:36] » [snorts] >> when they may not not have even ever

[1:01:39] heard of Garden City before, but to come here and to experience it and to

[1:01:43] actually know that there's a need for them that they

[1:01:46] wouldn't just come here and and not be busy, you know, they there is a definite

[1:01:51] need in our community to be able to provide that that healthcare.

[1:01:56] And then congratulations to Fred Jones, who, you know, is the new public works

[1:02:01] director. It was a great opportunity to be able to be on the stakeholder panel

[1:02:06] and to interview the the applicants and so

[1:02:11] Fred, that was a great choice and I know that, you know, be easier for Mike as he

[1:02:15] retires knowing that his replacement is there. Although nobody will ever replace

[1:02:19] Mike. It'll just be someone to, you know, move

[1:02:23] that department where it needs to go for the next iteration of public works.

[1:02:28] That's all I have. >> Thank you. Commissioner says I'm out.

[1:02:34] » Yes, so I can attest to Miss Deb at her donut eating abilities.

[1:02:40] I we were there and she did a great job. Thank you. And also it was a pleasure to

[1:02:46] be part of the brisket judging panel. Um

[1:02:50] and also want to recognize or congratulate Fred Jones for his new

[1:02:55] position. And then also the work being done at the Jameson water tower. That is

[1:03:01] exciting. And I would just want to thank all of

[1:03:04] our first responders and thank you for keeping Garden City safe. Thank you.

[1:03:09] » Thank you. Commissioner says I'm out. Just kind of echoing what the other

[1:03:13] commissioners have already uh stated. Just wanted to mention that uh Buffalo

[1:03:18] Jo- Buffalo Jo- Buffalo Dunes Golf Course is having uh their 50th

[1:03:23] anniversary celebration on July 2nd. That's at 5:00. Um, just want to invite

[1:03:29] everybody out to celebrate that and check out the golf course. Um,

[1:03:33] great things going on not only at the golf course but around

[1:03:37] our community. Also had the opportunity to uh visit with the Kansas College of

[1:03:42] Osteopathic uh students. Um, a lot of them from uh large cities, um,

[1:03:49] Houston, Dallas, Los Angeles, uh but [music] coming to Garden City

[1:03:53] they really thought uh Garden City was uh really um

[1:03:58] some of them thought it was a unique town um because um a lot of them were

[1:04:02] looking at rural and being in rural but they they thought it was uh you know, we

[1:04:08] had a lot of the urban uh setting and uh

[1:04:12] I said, "Well, if you want to drive 5 minutes out of town, you're going to be

[1:04:15] definitely in rural a rural community. I mean, you're out out in the middle of

[1:04:19] nowhere which is in the middle of somewhere which is in the middle of

[1:04:22] everywhere, so." But uh always it's always nice to visit with those

[1:04:25] students. A lot of them like uh Vice Mayor uh Euler noted that they're

[1:04:31] looking at coming to Western Kansas uh in some capacity, so

[1:04:37] um so it's always good to hear that uh they

[1:04:40] they're really taking an opportunity to uh check us out and we always put our

[1:04:44] best foot forward in everything. Uh and congratulations to uh Fred Jones

[1:04:50] on being named the uh Director of Public Works and Utilities.

[1:04:54] Uh I think he'll do a great job for that

[1:04:57] department and continue moving it forward in a positive direction.

[1:05:01] Um, I'm going to be uh attending the League of Kansas Municipalities Regional

[1:05:05] Forum in Dodge City tomorrow evening and that'll start at 5:00, but um part of

[1:05:12] their regional uh uh tour around Kansas, they go to different communities. So, uh

[1:05:17] being on the board, I thought probably be important that I be at that that

[1:05:22] forum. So, that's all I've got. Thank you.

[1:05:25] » Thank you, Commissioner Langraf. >> Also just echoing what the other

[1:05:28] commissioner said as well. Was able to attend the luncheon with 11 students

[1:05:32] from all across the United States. Being able to see Being able to tell them kind

[1:05:35] of what Garden City has to offer, and also being able to kind of pick their

[1:05:38] brain and see what all that is that they're looking for in the community

[1:05:41] once they get their career started. You know, my

[1:05:44] kind of what I thought was like the most interesting part was a lot of these

[1:05:46] people had the misconception that Garden City's a tiny town with a very tiny

[1:05:51] hospital. And so, one of my favorite quotes one of the students said to me

[1:05:54] was, "You know, start looking around Garden City, saw

[1:05:57] you guys have a Target, saw you guys have a Starbucks. I think I could live

[1:06:00] here." >> [laughter]

[1:06:02] » And so, it's just kind of nice being able to hear that sort of stuff from the

[1:06:05] students. Also just want to say congratulations to Fred Jones on his

[1:06:08] promotion to public works and utilities director. I just want to also say that

[1:06:12] you've done an amazing job as a water resource manager, and I know you'll

[1:06:15] continue to do great work as the public works and utility director. I know you

[1:06:19] have big shoes to fill with Mike, maybe not literal big shoes, but metaphorical

[1:06:23] big shoes. But, I know you can [laughter] do it

[1:06:26] well.

[1:06:29] » Oh, no.

[1:06:34] » Great. I don't know, maybe they might be the

[1:06:36] same size shoes. >> [laughter]

[1:06:39] » But yeah, congratulations to Mr. Fred Jones. Um,

[1:06:42] it's very exciting for us as we see this new shift in leadership, and I think

[1:06:45] it'll be very You will do an impactful job for our community. But also, Mr.

[1:06:50] Mike Muirhead, if retirement gets boring for you, I think you'll be okay as a pro

[1:06:54] pitcher uh for the Pecos League. So, yeah, I also got to attend the lunch

[1:06:59] with Kansas College College of Osteopathic Medicine. Um, something that

[1:07:03] I really thoroughly enjoyed was hearing what they desired to build their careers

[1:07:07] and like what what aspect of community and it

[1:07:10] literally is having a community facing place to live in and for them I think

[1:07:15] that is so important and so inspiring for me because if that is what these

[1:07:19] people are looking for then I am sure and proud to say that Garden City is a

[1:07:23] place that offers that too. Somebody that was I was very upset not

[1:07:28] to be at the donut eating contest and the brisket judging but I think one

[1:07:31] person that I got failed to be mentioned there was actually officer Wilson who

[1:07:35] came pretty close I hear. So he and I joked about maybe we need to have our

[1:07:39] own donut eating contest and have to be

[1:07:43] crowned the champion for the whole city as opposed to just the Salvation Army.

[1:07:47] What a joy and also prayer in action and organization that I love is in town the

[1:07:52] last two weeks this week also and they've garnered about 80 young adults

[1:07:56] youth from Southwest Kansas so it's been a joy if you guys see them out pulling

[1:08:00] weeds or myself getting a little dirty please say hi. It It is an incredible

[1:08:05] joy to serve your community and I hope that inspires everybody to find a

[1:08:09] neighbor to help find somebody around their backyard to love and to serve.

[1:08:13] But on that that's all I have so let's jump back to item at 12H.

[1:08:24] » Thank you Mayor Commissioner I think this executive session which is

[1:08:29] a request to go under the statute 754396 pertaining to preliminary discussions

[1:08:37] relating to the acquisition of real property.

[1:08:41] I think we estimate 15 minutes and

[1:08:45] ask that city attorney

[1:08:50] city manager deputy city manager Burke public works and utilities director

[1:08:54] Muirhead and director of electric operations Chan be

[1:09:01] included in that executive session. >> I want to make a motion for this item.

[1:09:10] » I move to go into executive session pursuant to KSA 75-4319

[1:09:15] B6 pertaining to preliminary discussions relating to the acquisition of real

[1:09:20] property for 15 minutes starting at 2 15.

[1:09:25] » [snorts] >> Um including um Jennifer Cunningham,

[1:09:28] Matt Allen, Daniel Burke, Mike Muirhead, and Jose Chan.

[1:09:33] » Second. >> There's been a motion and a second. Any

[1:09:35] further discussion? I'm seeing none. All those in favor say

[1:09:38] "Aye." >> Aye.

[1:09:39] » Opposed, nay. Motion passes. Yeah.

[1:09:43] » Yes.

[1:18:39] » Mhm.

[1:24:24] » Mhm.

[1:26:19] » Mhm.

[1:31:39] » Yeah. >> Whatever you guys think.

[1:31:42] » Yeah, that'll work. No, I just extend

[1:31:46] » We have left executive session and no binding action was taken. I'll entertain

[1:31:49] a motion to return to executive session. >> I move to return to executive session

[1:31:53] for 15 minutes. >> I'll second.

[1:31:55] » There's been a motion and a second. Any further discussion?

[1:31:58] Seeing none, all those in favor say I. I. Opposed nay.

[1:32:01] Motion passes.

[1:35:54] » Mhm.

[1:39:44] » Mhm.

[1:43:34] » Mhm.

[1:45:29] » Mhm.

[1:46:40] » Our executive session has expired with no items left on the agenda. This

[1:46:43] meeting is adjourned.

June 16, 2026 City Commission Meeting

Transcript