[0:04] Good good evening. Welcome to your city

[0:06] commission meeting. Please turn off or

[0:08] silence all cell phones during the

[0:10] meeting. Meetings are available for

[0:12] viewing on YouTube. We'll begin the

[0:14] meeting with the pledge of allegiance

[0:16] followed by a silent meditation.

[0:20] I aliance to the flag of the United

[0:22] States of America and to the republic

[0:25] for which it stands. One nation under

[0:28] God, indivisible, with liberty and

[0:31] justice for all.

[0:38] » Thank you.

[0:42] » Okay, to start out with, we have a

[0:44] couple of proclamations

[0:51] and I'm going to take water.

[1:07] All right. First proclamation, chronic

[1:09] recurrent multif focal osteomiitis. CRM

[1:13] O. Is somebody here from that

[1:15] organization? Come on out.

[1:19] CRMO, also known as uh chronic

[1:23] non-acterial osteomi myolitis, is a rare

[1:26] autoinflammatory bone disease that

[1:28] primary affects children and adolescence

[1:30] and can cause chronic pain,

[1:32] inflammation, swelling, and other

[1:33] long-term complications. And whereas

[1:36] [clears throat] CRMO is often difficult

[1:38] to diagnose because it can mimic other

[1:40] conditions and there is no single

[1:42] definitive diagnostic test resulting in

[1:45] delays in diagnosis and treatment for

[1:47] many individuals.

[1:49] And whereas increased awareness and

[1:51] education among the public, healthc care

[1:53] providers, schools, and families can

[1:54] promote earlier recognition, improve

[1:57] support for those affected, and

[1:59] encourage continued research into this

[2:01] rare disease. And whereas the city of

[2:04] Levvenworth recognizes the challenges

[2:06] faced by individuals and families living

[2:08] with CRMO and supports efforts to

[2:10] increase understanding, compassion,

[2:12] education, and awareness of the

[2:14] condition. Now therefore, I Nancy

[2:16] Bouter, mayor of the city of

[2:17] Levvenworth, Kansas, hereby proclaim the

[2:20] month of October 2026 as chronic

[2:23] recurrent multifocal osteomalitis

[2:26] awareness month.

[2:29] [applause]

[2:35] Thank you so much to the mayor and the

[2:37] city of Levvenworth for recognizing

[2:38] chromma awareness month. My name is

[2:40] Sierra and back here in the corner is my

[2:42] son Shawn. Shawn was diagnosed with

[2:45] chronic recurrent multif focal

[2:47] osteomiitis on September 29th, 2017. He

[2:50] was just 10 years old. Just a few months

[2:52] earlier in June, he was an average

[2:53] 10-year-old boy. He was running,

[2:55] playing, and being a kid. By September,

[2:58] he couldn't walk more than the distance

[2:59] from his bed to the bathroom. He was in

[3:01] chronic, debilitating pain. He couldn't

[3:03] keep food down. And the doctors were

[3:06] scared that he might have bone cancer.

[3:07] That's what Cromo looks like. Chromo is

[3:10] a new a rare auto-inflammatory disease

[3:12] that primarily affects children,

[3:14] children, and adolescence.

[3:16] There isn't one test that diagnoses it.

[3:18] Doctors have to put the pieces together,

[3:20] the symptoms, and everything to make it

[3:22] all work. For our family, getting the

[3:25] diagnosis didn't mean the journey was

[3:26] over. We learned how to give injections

[3:28] at home. We learned how to manage a

[3:30] pickline. We learned how to manage

[3:33] antibiotics that had to be given in the

[3:34] pickline with their crazy amounts of

[3:36] detailed instructions.

[3:39] Since 2020, Shawn has been hospitalized

[3:40] at least twice a year due to Cromo and

[3:42] other reoccurring reoccurring diagnoses.

[3:46] We've had to learn things that no parent

[3:48] ever should expect to have to learn.

[3:50] Chrommo can go into remission, but it

[3:52] can also come back. And because it's so

[3:54] rare, many families are navigating a

[3:56] frightening disease that very few people

[3:57] around them have ever even heard of.

[3:59] That's why awareness matters.

[4:02] The chromal awareness ribbon is purple.

[4:04] To me, that purple ribbon represents the

[4:05] children who are hurting, the family

[4:07] searching for answers, and the parents

[4:08] learning how to care for a child with a

[4:10] disease that they never knew existed. It

[4:12] represents kids like Shawn, but Shawn's

[4:14] story is only one of many. There are

[4:16] other children going through this right

[4:18] now whose families may not even know the

[4:19] name of what they were fighting yet. I

[4:22] hope that criminal awareness month helps

[4:23] change that. Maybe a doctor recognizes

[4:26] it sooner. Maybe a family gets answers

[4:28] sooner. Maybe a child doesn't have to

[4:30] spend so long wondering why they hurt.

[4:33] Being rare should never mean being

[4:35] invisible and frequently it does.

[4:39] Thank you for making Chromo a voice for

[4:41] giving Chromo a voice here in

[4:42] Levvenworth and for recognizing the

[4:43] children and families living with it. MY

[4:45] PLEASURE.

[4:46] » [applause]

[4:51] » OKAY. UH, military retirees appreciation

[4:55] day.

[4:57] [snorts] Mr. Gretchen, good to see you.

[5:00] Whereas military retirees have served

[5:02] our country faithfully in times of peace

[5:04] and war. And whereas military retirees

[5:06] have made a significant significant

[5:08] sacrifices in defense of our freedom and

[5:10] liberty. And whereas a large number of

[5:12] military retirees and their families

[5:14] live, work, and play in the Levvenworth

[5:16] community. And whereas the Fort

[5:17] Levvenworth garrison will conduct

[5:19] retirey appreciation day on September

[5:22] 26, 2026. Now therefore, I, Nancy Bower,

[5:25] mayor of the city of Levvenworth,

[5:27] Kansas, do by here, join the Fort

[5:28] Levvenworth Garrison in recognizing the

[5:31] contributions, sacrifices, and loyalty

[5:34] of military retirees in our community by

[5:37] proclaiming September 26, 2026 as

[5:40] military retirey appreciation day.

[5:45] [applause]

[5:50] Honorable mayor, uh, city council, uh,

[5:52] on behalf of the 35,000 plus military

[5:55] retirees that live in what they refer to

[5:58] as the greater Fort Levvenworth Catchman

[6:00] area. I accept this and we appreciate

[6:02] the honor. Uh, we're going to have the

[6:04] appreciation day this coming Saturday.

[6:06] So, if you're free, come on up. They do

[6:08] it at the Louiswis and Clark building.

[6:10] This is a great place to live or 35,000

[6:13] of us wouldn't be here. Thank you very

[6:15] much again. Thank you sir. [applause]

[6:23] Next is domestic violence awareness

[6:25] month.

[6:28] Whereas one in every four women will

[6:30] experience domestic violence during

[6:32] their lifetime with approximately 15.5

[6:35] million children exposed to domestic

[6:37] violence every year. And when a family

[6:40] is abused, it can have a long term

[6:42] long-term damaging effects on the victim

[6:44] that also leaves a mark on family,

[6:46] friends, and community at large. Whereas

[6:49] domestic violence is widespread and

[6:51] devastating to society as a whole. The

[6:53] problem crosses all economic, racial,

[6:55] gender, e, educational, religious, and

[6:57] societal barriers. and the crimes of

[7:01] domestic violence violates an

[7:02] individual's privacy, dignity, security,

[7:04] and humanity due to the systematic use

[7:07] of physical, emotional, sexual,

[7:09] psychological, and economic control and

[7:11] abuse. We encourage whereas we encourage

[7:14] the domestic violence victims and their

[7:16] families to seek assistance from the

[7:18] Alliance Against Family Violence Hotline

[7:21] um 9136757217.

[7:26] And it is important to recognize the

[7:28] compassion and dedication of the

[7:29] individuals who provide services to

[7:31] victims of domestic violence. Whereas

[7:34] the United States President, Congress,

[7:36] and other agencies have expressed a

[7:38] commitment to eliminating domestic

[7:40] violence, we must dedicate ourselves to

[7:42] protect vulner vulnerable members of our

[7:46] society. with local programs, state

[7:48] coalitions, national organizations, and

[7:50] other agencies to increase public

[7:52] awareness of domestic domestic violence

[7:54] and to eliminate it through prevention

[7:56] and education. Now therefore, I Nancy

[7:59] Bouter, mayor of city of Levvenworth,

[8:00] hereby proclaim the month of October

[8:03] 2026 as domestic violence awareness

[8:06] month.

[8:08] [applause]

[8:12] Thank you, mayor and city commission.

[8:14] And I brought some numbers just to let

[8:16] you know what we face in just a year's

[8:19] time. So in a year we have served 160

[8:22] individuals. 48 of those were

[8:25] non-residential which means we helped

[8:26] with housing, jobs, different things

[8:29] that way and 112 were residential to our

[8:32] shelter. So thank you very much. Um,

[8:34] since next month is actually domestic

[8:36] violence awareness, we are kicking off

[8:38] the month with a coffee at Burr Roers.

[8:41] And each bag, they have a sus a specific

[8:44] coffee just for us. Each bag, we will

[8:46] receive $5 for each one sold. So, I

[8:49] would invite you all to come and have

[8:50] your coffee with us.

[8:55] [applause]

[8:59] United Way

[9:04] Whereas the city of Levvenworth, Kansas

[9:06] hopes that all of its citizens enjoy

[9:08] healthy, productive, and meaningful

[9:09] lives. And whereas the United Way of

[9:11] Levvenworth County advances, You should

[9:13] be reading this since you're on board.

[9:15] [clears throat and laughter]

[9:17] The United Way of Levvenworth County

[9:18] advances the common good by creating

[9:20] opportunities for better life for

[9:22] everyone. And whereas the United Way of

[9:24] Levvenworth County focuses on education,

[9:26] income, and health, which are the

[9:28] building blocks for a good quality of

[9:30] life. Because we all win when a child

[9:32] succeeds in school, when families are

[9:34] financially stable, and when people are

[9:36] in good health. And whereas it takes

[9:39] every part of the community,

[9:40] individuals, businesses, and

[9:42] organizations to supply the passion,

[9:44] expertise, and resources needed to

[9:47] create lasting change for the better.

[9:50] And last year, Levmore citizens, less

[9:52] change for the better. And last year,

[9:54] Levvenworth citizens and those of

[9:56] Levvenworth County generously

[9:57] contributed their volunteer energies,

[10:00] time, and money to the United Way of

[10:01] Levvenworth County, thereby investing in

[10:03] programs and initiatives that improve

[10:05] lives and build stronger communities.

[10:08] And whereas the United Way of

[10:09] Levvenworth County kicks off its annual

[10:10] campaign during the months of September

[10:12] through December to unite the community

[10:14] and enhance the lives of those living in

[10:16] [clears throat] Levvenworth, Kansas. Now

[10:18] therefore, I, Nancy Bouter, mayor of the

[10:20] city of Levvenworth, Kansas, hereby

[10:22] proclaim the month of September through

[10:24] December as United Way month.

[10:29] [applause]

[10:34] Come up here. [clears throat]

[10:42] Mayor, city commissioners, thank you so

[10:44] much for recognizing United Way. Um, and

[10:47] also for those who could attend our

[10:49] campaign kickoff this last week. Um,

[10:52] we're very excited for and hopeful for

[10:54] just the direction that United Way is

[10:56] going. Um, we're following in some big

[10:58] footsteps. Um, Mayor Bower um was in

[11:00] this role and so we are excited about

[11:03] what's to come and more than just a

[11:05] campaign uh year after year. We're

[11:07] looking um forward to uniting businesses

[11:09] and donors and nonprofits and everyone

[11:12] around um the common good and really

[11:15] working on um uniting and moving in the

[11:18] same direction. So, I look forward to

[11:20] being back here. You know, I will be um

[11:22] to see how the city of Levvenworth and

[11:24] every city in our county can work

[11:26] together on issues that not just that

[11:28] we're seeing, but that you are seeing as

[11:30] well and see how we can be a part of

[11:31] that. So, I really appreciate this. It

[11:33] means a lot to us. Um, but more

[11:35] importantly, just the camaraderie and

[11:37] the connection that we've had with

[11:38] everybody on the commission and uh, city

[11:41] manager and just the work that you all

[11:43] do. So, thank you for that and I look

[11:45] forward to continuing to work together.

[11:47] » Thank you, MISS.

[11:51] [applause]

[11:52] » YEAH, we have fire prevention week. has

[11:55] someone coming forward. [snorts]

[12:03] Whereas the city of Levvenworth is

[12:06] committed to ensuring safety and

[12:08] security of all those living in and

[12:09] visiting our city. Fire is a serious

[12:12] public safety concern both locally and

[12:14] nationally. And the presence of lithium

[12:16] ion batteries [clears throat] in many

[12:17] household devices introduces unique fire

[12:19] risks. And whereas most electronics used

[12:22] in homes daily including smartphones,

[12:25] tablets, etc. are powered by lithium ion

[12:28] batteries which is misused, damaged or

[12:31] improperly charged, can overheat, start

[12:33] a fire or explode. And whereas the

[12:35] National Fire Protection Association

[12:37] reports an increase in battery related

[12:39] fires, underscoring the need for public

[12:41] education on the safe use of lithium, I

[12:45] can't even say it right, lithium ion

[12:47] batteries and devices

[12:49] and the the way the devices are charged

[12:52] can make a difference in helping prevent

[12:54] [clears throat] fires. And whereas safe

[12:56] charging includes using the cord and

[12:58] charger, there's a lot of rules here,

[13:00] but I don't think I'll go into that

[13:02] right now. Um

[13:04] we can go into that please [laughter]

[13:06] residents whereas residents are

[13:08] encouraged to understand the safe

[13:10] charging means making smart choices

[13:12] every time they plug in and Levvenworth

[13:14] first responders remain dedicated to

[13:17] reducing the occurrence of fires through

[13:18] prevention safety education and

[13:20] community outreach. And whereas the 2026

[13:23] fire prevention week [clears throat]

[13:24] theme, charge into fire safety, safe

[13:27] charging is a superpower, serves to

[13:30] remind all residents that safe charging

[13:32] can help reduce the risk of fires in

[13:34] homes and communities. Now therefore,

[13:36] our Nancy Bower, mayor of the city of

[13:38] Lemworth, Kansas, hereby proclaim

[13:40] October 4 through 10, 2026 as fire

[13:44] prevention week.

[13:46] [applause]

[13:53] Well, fire prevention nationwide has

[13:56] saved countless countless lives. Uh but

[13:59] you don't hear about them. They're not

[14:01] in any statistics. Uh but

[14:04] they save a lot of lives with lithium

[14:08] ion batteries. This being the second

[14:09] year that NPA

[14:12] has put an emphasis on it should speak

[14:15] volumes as to the importance of

[14:18] [clears throat] safety with these. This

[14:20] year they're focusing more on charging

[14:23] um which the rules here um always use a

[14:28] UL listed charger. U make sure it's UL

[14:31] listed or the one that came with your

[14:33] device. Always charge it on a hard

[14:35] surface.

[14:37] Um, if it gets damaged,

[14:40] discard it. Um, and all this stuff's

[14:43] going to be on our website as well as

[14:45] disposal sites and everything, these

[14:47] batteries. Uh, and once something is

[14:50] charged, unplug it. Don't leave it

[14:52] plugged in for days on end, which we do

[14:54] with laptops and, uh, phones, that kind

[14:57] of thing. Once it's charged, unplug it.

[14:59] But all this will be on our website. I'm

[15:01] not going to take any more time. So,

[15:03] thank you. Appreciate it.

[15:04] » THANK YOU, SIR.

[15:06] » [applause]

[15:13] [clears throat]

[15:20] » OKAY. NEXT ITEM ON THE agenda is old

[15:22] business minutes from the September 8th,

[15:25] 2026 regular meeting.

[15:28] » Make a motion to approve minutes from

[15:29] September 8th, 2026 regular meeting.

[15:32] » I'll second.

[15:33] » Been moved and seconded. Please begin

[15:34] voting. Commissioner Wilson.

[15:36] » I

[15:37] » I

[15:38] » I

[15:38] » All right. Um, next item on the agenda,

[15:41] second consideration ordinances. The

[15:44] first one is second consideration

[15:45] ordinance 8292, adopt the standard

[15:48] traffic ordinance, 53rd edition.

[15:50] » Madame Mayor, commissioners, there have

[15:52] been no changes or comments. And if

[15:53] you're ready to proceed, um, it's

[15:56] available to pass.

[15:57] » Okay.

[15:59] Are there any questions of the chief? If

[16:02] not, this calls for a roll call vote and

[16:05] please begin the roll call.

[16:06] » Maxwell I.

[16:07] » Hollister I.

[16:08] » Bouter I.

[16:10] » I.

[16:10] » Wilson I.

[16:11] » Thank you.

[16:13] Um well this is yours too. Uh second

[16:15] consideration ordinance 8293 adopt

[16:18] uniform public offense code 40 42nd

[16:21] edition.

[16:22] » Madame mayor commissioner. The city of

[16:24] Leworth received one comment in

[16:25] opposition of passing it specific to the

[16:27] Halo law, but there have been no

[16:29] additional comments or changes and so

[16:31] it's ready to proceed unless there are

[16:33] questions.

[16:33] » Okay. Are there any questions regarding

[16:35] this ordinance?

[16:38] » No. Are there any questions?

[16:40] All right. If not, this will um this

[16:44] this calls for a roll call vote as well.

[16:46] » Wilson I.

[16:47] » Pman I.

[16:48] » Bout I.

[16:49] » Hollister. No.

[16:50] » Maxwell I.

[16:51] » Okay.

[16:53] Um the next item is second consideration

[16:57] ordinance 8294 amending chapter 44

[17:00] section 87. No parking any time.

[17:04] » Madam mayor commissioners, there have

[17:05] been no comments or changes uh since

[17:07] previously. It's ready to proceed.

[17:09] » Okay.

[17:11] Any questions?

[17:13] If not, this also calls for a roll call

[17:15] vote.

[17:17] » Maxwell I.

[17:18] » Hollister. I

[17:19] » Bouter. I

[17:20] » Wilson I. Okay. Thank you.

[17:23] » Thank you.

[17:24] » All right. Next item on the agenda

[17:25] [clears throat] is public comment. Miss

[17:27] Sarah,

[17:28] public Oh, I'll read this. Sorry. Public

[17:30] comments are limited to three minutes

[17:32] per speaker. In the interest of time, we

[17:34] ask that groups wishing to speak limit

[17:36] their public comment to one presenter.

[17:38] This is an opportunity for the city

[17:39] commission to hear the thoughts of the

[17:41] public prior to conducting official city

[17:43] business. The mayor, city commission,

[17:44] and city staff have been asked not to

[17:47] respond to those giving public comment.

[17:49] An action may not be taken by the

[17:50] commission on public comment items. The

[17:53] mayor may direct staff to follow up with

[17:55] specific individuals after the meeting.

[17:57] When speaking, please state your name

[17:59] and address. A signup sheet has been

[18:01] provided to in the commission chambers

[18:03] for anyone wishing to speak. Now, Miss

[18:05] Sarah,

[18:06] » First up, we have William Rogers.

[18:08] » Okay.

[18:19] William Rogers more throat easy K.

[18:24] For once, I'm kind of at a loss for

[18:26] words tonight. I have been thinking all

[18:28] day how to how to present this, how to

[18:30] approach this, and I'll be honest with

[18:32] you, I really don't know how. This is a

[18:35] uh a matter that's very personal to me

[18:38] after watching somebody. So, I want to

[18:41] talk about a young lady named Kate, um,

[18:43] who was housed up at Lemworth. Um,

[18:45] [snorts] in my opinion, and I've done a

[18:47] lot of research to back this up, Core

[18:49] Civic is, uh, is very, uh, they're just

[18:52] not trustworthy. They're all about the

[18:55] dollar. They don't care about their

[18:56] employees, and they don't care about

[18:58] their detainees.

[19:00] Um,

[19:02] I understand if if my information is

[19:05] accurate, I'm going to tell you this is

[19:07] not something that I have documented

[19:08] here, but I understand that that young

[19:10] lady was moved into medical and and I

[19:12] know that medical sounds like, wow,

[19:13] they're really taking good care of her.

[19:15] That's the same room probably that I

[19:17] stood next to a kid and watched him

[19:18] shake uncontrollably and they didn't

[19:21] send him out to medical and they allowed

[19:22] him to die. That's that's their medical.

[19:26] Um, but I want to talk about Kate

[19:27] tonight a little bit. I understand too

[19:29] that there may be some misinformation

[19:30] that uh that was Core Civic was putting

[19:33] out and and again this is I'm not

[19:36] accurate on this but you guys probably

[19:38] know or don't know uh that Core Civic

[19:41] said she had refused her medication

[19:43] and um I thought man that's odd you know

[19:46] so what I did was I was able to obtain

[19:49] the actual records from Core Civic on

[19:51] her medical so if any of you think she

[19:54] was refusing her medication these are

[19:57] the documents, these are the facts.

[20:00] They're straight from Core Civic. They

[20:02] show every day that she was housed

[20:05] every day.

[20:07] So, if Core Civic is telling you that

[20:09] she refused her medication,

[20:12] man, it's about time you guys start

[20:14] questioning a little bit. If you don't

[20:15] question him now, off that, I don't know

[20:18] what it's [cough] going to take.

[20:18] [clears throat]

[20:20] I know that uh there's a story coming

[20:22] out in the next couple days that uh they

[20:26] interviewed her for today that I think

[20:27] you guys might find interesting. Um I

[20:30] would I would ask you to watch it

[20:34] and I can tell you it's accurate. Thank

[20:37] you.

[20:38] » Thank you, sir.

[20:42] » Next up is Renee Chvet.

[20:47] » Grab my water. Just a second.

[20:54] Thanks. Take a tea [laughter]

[21:09] shop and my business is at 223 South

[21:12] Fifth Street in Levvenworth. As most of

[21:14] you know, I'm passionate about our

[21:15] downtown, not just because of the

[21:16] wonderful history um and it being the

[21:18] first city of Kansas, but because I also

[21:20] have a business here, and that is how I

[21:22] single-handedly provide for my family.

[21:24] I've been in business for over 15 years

[21:26] now. I work on an average of at least 70

[21:29] hours a week. From that, I provide sales

[21:31] tax to the city. It may not be much in

[21:32] the grand aspect of things. Um but I've

[21:35] also taken an eyesore of a building and

[21:36] turned it into a thriving business and a

[21:38] place people come from all over to to

[21:40] enjoy. I also have a nonprofit to help

[21:42] local foster kids with clothing and I'm

[21:44] a founding member of a Limworth vibe. As

[21:46] you can see, I'm very vested in our

[21:48] downtown. Having been coming to these

[21:50] meetings, I've learned a lot. And one of

[21:52] the key things I've taken from them is

[21:53] that the city absolutely needs sales tax

[21:55] to survive. If we removed all the sales

[21:58] tax that came from our small businesses

[21:59] downtown, what kind of an impact would

[22:01] that make? What if we have no more

[22:02] downtown? That is a huge part of what

[22:04] makes Levmore special. Now, what about

[22:06] flipping that scenario? And I ask you,

[22:08] what kind of an impact would it make if

[22:10] we had even more businesses and revenue

[22:12] from your downtown? More front

[22:14] storefronts open, more tourists visiting

[22:16] to shop, and more locals with a place to

[22:18] shop at home. There are a few things in

[22:20] the way of this improvement, which I am

[22:22] only going to touch on one important but

[22:24] tricky one. That is the unhoused. Um, in

[22:27] the last months, we've had one

[22:28] individual that I will focus primarily

[22:30] on. He has finally he was finally

[22:32] arrested last week. And while that is a

[22:34] relief for the moment, we all know he

[22:36] will be back out very soon and more than

[22:38] likely be making our downtown once again

[22:40] his home. He is allowed to sleep on

[22:41] benches, hey market square stage, store

[22:44] entrance, coves, and really wherever he

[22:46] wants to. What also comes with his

[22:48] presence is his trash everywhere,

[22:50] especially when he's upset and throws it

[22:51] all over, leaving it for us business

[22:53] owners to clean up. I've personally had

[22:55] a few confrontations with him, and as

[22:57] time has gone, he is getting more and

[22:58] more hostile. I had a customer call.

[23:01] This was the straw that broke the back

[23:04] here. Um, I had a customer call just

[23:06] last week and asked us if it is even

[23:08] safe for them to come downtown anymore

[23:10] as her and her family have had two

[23:11] encounters with this said person and

[23:13] they're now scared to come downtown with

[23:15] their children. One of their kids goes

[23:17] to dance class and he confronted them

[23:18] one evening after dance and left them

[23:20] scared from that instance. Then a few

[23:22] days later, they left my business and

[23:23] had another encounter.

[23:26] He came into my business only to use the

[23:28] restroom and locked himself in there for

[23:29] 45 minutes. Um, a few Saturdays ago, I

[23:32] came to work at 2 am. He was on my block

[23:35] and I tried to wait it out, um, waiting

[23:37] for him to walk away before I got on my

[23:39] vehicle, but he didn't. So, I made a run

[23:40] for the door. Um, he came and he stared

[23:43] into my shop while I worked for over 2

[23:45] hours. You guys just sitting there

[23:46] blankly staring in the window. So, I

[23:48] just put up some racks and just kept on

[23:51] working. Um, and then he finally went to

[23:53] sleep over in the cove across the street

[23:55] um, of the lease building.

[23:57] um what we what can we do to keep people

[24:00] from making downtown their living room?

[24:03] It is not just this one particular man.

[24:04] We have so many. Some we see they're

[24:07] here all the time, but there are more

[24:08] than that. There's even ones that drift

[24:11] in and out. Um anyways,

[24:14] my heart goes out to them and I wish

[24:16] there was a solution, but what I need to

[24:18] protect right now is how I feed and

[24:20] house my own family and that is with my

[24:21] business and it success. Um, can the

[24:24] camping ordinance be rewritten to be

[24:26] more broad? Um, a few other things. Um,

[24:29] can we create a district downtown that

[24:31] it's not accepted for this to happen? I

[24:33] have other ideas, too. I don't want to

[24:34] go much over my time. I'm just asking

[24:36] that we can come up with some kind of a

[24:38] positive solution.

[24:40] » Thank you.

[24:40] » Let's work on that. Thank you. Thank

[24:42] you, Renee.

[24:43] » Next up is Megan Gilland.

[24:51] » Good evening, commissioners. My name is

[24:52] Megan Gilland, uh owner of Next to

[24:55] Nature. My husband and I own Next to

[24:56] Nature Farm, 624 Cherokee. Similar to

[24:59] Renee, I am coming with uh comments

[25:02] about issues that we've had recently.

[25:04] We, the businesses of downtown

[25:05] Levvenworth, have an identifiable issue,

[25:07] and there seems to be no significant

[25:08] level of interest in solving the

[25:10] problem. As business owners, on a daily

[25:12] basis, we are confronted with situations

[25:14] that have comfortably made downtown Le

[25:16] of issues that no business owner should

[25:19] ever have to contend with. These issues

[25:21] stem from the unhoused homelessness that

[25:23] have comfortably made downtown

[25:24] Levvenworth their living room during the

[25:26] daytime and quite assuredly their

[25:28] bedroom overnight. The city has

[25:30] ordinances in place for camping

[25:31] solicitation, sexual conduct, and Luden

[25:33] acts, but they are not being enforced.

[25:36] The city is not taking steps to

[25:38] discourage the loitering and the ill

[25:39] effects of this behavior. It's damaging

[25:41] our downtown, our businesses, the city's

[25:43] reputation, and destroying the one

[25:45] aspect of your community that is

[25:46] authentic and with the mom and pop

[25:48] storefronts. This issue, coupled with

[25:50] zoning and building code issues that

[25:51] limit our ability to do anything, is

[25:54] effectively compounding all the problems

[25:55] plaguing the small businesses and

[25:57] private ownership. It's increasingly

[25:59] difficult to run a business when the

[26:01] city isn't in working partnership to

[26:02] solve problems and instead ignoring the

[26:04] issues. You just tonight adopted the

[26:07] 2026 uniform public offense code, which

[26:09] is a comprehensive public offense

[26:11] ordinance for all for most Kansas

[26:13] cities. Here are some examples of

[26:15] offenses that that we have personally

[26:17] witnessed. Some of these issues are

[26:18] citable offenses and others just

[26:20] contribute to the negative view of

[26:21] downtown and inhibit customers from

[26:23] freely wanting to spend their time in

[26:25] the downtown and patronize businesses.

[26:27] You should have a vested interest in

[26:29] your downtown. Downtown Levvenworth is a

[26:32] central hub for social, recreational,

[26:34] and commercial activities. Lack of

[26:35] efforts to revitalize downtown and

[26:37] create a sense of place that is

[26:39] welcoming and safe will contribute to

[26:40] public safety problems, property

[26:42] maintenance issues, and a lack of

[26:43] revenue for the city and property taxes

[26:45] and sales taxes. Recent issues that have

[26:49] come up, one individual that Renee spoke

[26:51] about stands outside of a certain

[26:53] business where adults and children are

[26:54] coming out of class with his hands down

[26:55] his pants making lude gestures and

[26:57] noises. That's UPOC section 4.1.

[27:01] Prostitution and sexual relations,

[27:03] particularly in areas where children are

[27:04] known to be present in alleyways. UPC

[27:06] UPOC 43 and 45. Littering and leaving

[27:10] possessions, blankets, trash, and food

[27:12] around public areas. UPOC section 6.8.

[27:15] Hey, Market Square is a regular hangout

[27:17] for individuals sleeping on the bandand

[27:19] all day and all night. The illegal

[27:20] camping ordinance needs to be enforced.

[27:23] The band stand and the parking medians

[27:24] are in use for amenities, specifically

[27:26] charging phones and coverage. And

[27:28] they're providing li living

[27:29] accommodations when these individuals

[27:30] are away from wherever they're spending

[27:32] the night. And often times it's the

[27:34] pavilion, defecation, and urination in

[27:37] public spaces and private areas. Several

[27:39] business owners have had to on multiple

[27:41] occasions clean up human feces on their

[27:43] approaches, loading docks, and um that

[27:45] is against UN Levvenworth Municipal Code

[27:47] 30-6. These issues do not have some of

[27:50] these issues do not have direct criminal

[27:52] conduct, but many do. So, we would like

[27:55] to ask you, would you want to shop and

[27:56] spend time in an area where you felt

[27:58] threatened? We get calls just like

[28:00] Renee. We have people tell us they don't

[28:02] want to come downtown. They don't want

[28:04] to shop in our store. So, I ask you to

[28:07] stop accepting the status quo, take

[28:09] steps for action, enact codes, respond

[28:11] to calls for service, and be viligent,

[28:13] and take actions to serve citations and

[28:15] discourage behaviors like this. I also

[28:17] have my comments and photos for the

[28:20] record. Thank you. Thank you, Megan.

[28:23] » Thank you.

[28:25] » Do we not have a homeless task force?

[28:27] » We do. We just met last week.

[28:30] » Did they do anything?

[28:30] » Are they?

[28:32] » Yeah. So, you met last week, right?

[28:35] » Uh, next

[28:37] people.

[28:38] » Whoever was on the task force was

[28:40] invited every meeting.

[28:42] » Okay.

[28:44] Next up is Garren Stickleman.

[28:56] Madame Mayor, commissioners, I'm going

[28:59] to speak for a little bit about

[29:00] Levvenworth as a destination.

[29:03] KZ KZA tribe early explorers and

[29:06] trappers enjoyed quite a bit of freedom

[29:08] in this area years and years ago. King

[29:11] Louis X the 15th from France and his

[29:14] government in 1743

[29:17] decided to put a frontier post just

[29:20] north of what is now Fort Levvenworth.

[29:22] Lewis and Clark came through in 1804.

[29:25] They paused across the river and

[29:26] surveyed some of the area around here

[29:28] and said this make a nice place for a

[29:29] city someday.

[29:32] Many travelers, including presidents and

[29:34] dignitaries, have spent time in

[29:36] Levvenworth and and uh Ulissiz Grant

[29:38] came here for a vacation one summer

[29:40] while while he was president

[29:44] by sidewheer, riverboats, horse and

[29:47] buggies and wagons and planes, trains

[29:49] and automobiles. People that made them

[29:51] worth their destination.

[29:53] I'm pretty proud to live here. I hope

[29:55] you are. Those speaking before me this

[29:58] evening have exposed some of our city's

[30:00] dark underside, our dark underbelly.

[30:04] Exposed and recently officially

[30:06] confirmed. There exists a planned and

[30:08] functioning underground railroad

[30:10] bringing people from other parts of the

[30:12] Midwest to Levvenworth.

[30:16] Cities are providing transportation and

[30:18] monetary compensation for homeless and

[30:20] vagrants to get to Levvenworth. Those

[30:24] people sending their homeless and

[30:25] vagrants here are Lawrence,

[30:28] Hutchinson, Witchah, Plat City, and

[30:30] Weston.

[30:33] This is abhorrent and wrong in so many

[30:36] ways. This commission and the city

[30:38] should condemn this practice and defend

[30:40] our businesses and citizens. Thank you.

[30:45] » Thank you, sir.

[30:47] And finally, we have Kathleen Wade.

[30:55] Good evening. No one's mentioned the

[30:57] young man's name who we've all talked

[30:59] about. Not sure if it's appropriate or

[31:01] not. So, Mr. C will

[31:03] » Probably not.

[31:04] » Mr. C will suffice. Um, hours after he

[31:07] failed to appear,

[31:09] Mr. C stood in front of the church and

[31:13] blocked my way walking down the

[31:14] sidewalk, clapping his hands lightly.

[31:17] And I asked him to move. He did not. As

[31:20] I walked by, he said, "I can kill you.

[31:23] Kill you. Kill you." I had my dog with

[31:26] me. We did not approach him. We walked

[31:29] 20 ft down the way. We turned and took

[31:31] his photograph and called 911. He knew

[31:33] what I was doing because he and I have

[31:35] talked before. He headed over to Hey

[31:38] Market. That is where Officer Howard, I

[31:40] believe, found him.

[31:43] The week before, I walked a woman from

[31:45] the yoga studio to her car open carrying

[31:48] to back Mr. see up. He was blocking the

[31:51] sidewalk with his hands down his pants,

[31:53] drooling and staring at the children.

[31:56] Not a good look. The shop owner was on

[31:59] the phone, Robin. She was with the on

[32:02] the phone with the police at the time

[32:04] and I confronted him and said, "Move."

[32:09] Because of a previous time, he backs up

[32:12] for me most of the time. He's a little

[32:14] afraid of me. Weeks ago, I confronted

[32:17] him because on a Saturday, he greeted

[32:20] all of the over 70 yearear-old women and

[32:22] asked him if he could do them with sex

[32:25] for money because he was hungry. Not a

[32:28] good look. That was our confrontation

[32:30] day. He now just looks at me and says,

[32:32] "Red bricks. If he steps on mine, I'm

[32:36] going to be angry."

[32:39] Last week, a man who is equal to him

[32:42] said he gives all of us a bad name.

[32:45] That's important. All of a sudden here,

[32:48] that's one thing. If we look at somebody

[32:49] and think they're dangerous, but when

[32:51] another homeless person, unhoused,

[32:53] whatever you want to call them, says

[32:55] that's a bad egg, you have a problem.

[33:00] There are people who are down. Let's

[33:02] give them a hand up. There are people

[33:04] who are using the system. He's smart

[33:06] enough to know not to get on my

[33:07] property. He's of sound mind. He's

[33:11] pushing everybody.

[33:14] I fought and expanded canons's rights in

[33:17] this state. So I know the difference

[33:19] between exercising a right and having no

[33:21] regard for someone else's. So we are not

[33:24] asking that. Right now he's sitting in

[33:26] jail for 5 days. We're all happy. But

[33:29] when he gets out, it's going to start

[33:31] all over again. And when he's gone,

[33:32] it'll be the next person. Three years

[33:35] ago, I sent to the commissioners through

[33:38] the city manager sample ordinances to

[33:41] change. I have a law degree. I do not

[33:43] practice law, but I can look at things

[33:45] and write them up. When I [snorts] ask,

[33:48] supposedly the city manager never passed

[33:50] them on to you or to the city attorney.

[33:53] I have more samples here if you'd like

[33:54] me to hand them to somebody. I know

[33:57] everybody's busy, but we're not asking

[34:00] anymore. I think that what you see here

[34:02] are people who are absolutely mad and we

[34:05] would much rather work with you than

[34:07] condemn you for not taking any action.

[34:10] » Thank you, Suite.

[34:13] We have a problem.

[34:15] » We do have a problem.

[34:18] » Can someone be added to the list? He was

[34:20] working when you started meeting.

[34:23] » Sure. Um I'm not Are you

[34:26] » Who who is who who who do you who who is

[34:28] wants to speak?

[34:29] » Chad.

[34:30] » Chad. Okay. Chad, go ahead.

[34:34] » Oh, I thought they meant the task force.

[34:36] » No.

[34:38] » Good evening. My name is Chad Gilland

[34:41] and co-owner of Next to Nature Farm at

[34:43] 624 Cherokee Street.

[34:46] As businesses, we are trying to create a

[34:48] climate of commerce, inclusion, and

[34:51] welcoming people in downtown. Your

[34:54] downtown can be an asset if you invest

[34:57] and cultivate a sense of place. It takes

[35:00] action and investment of time, finances,

[35:03] and policy changes.

[35:05] We get it. Being homeless, unhoused

[35:07] isn't illegal, but 11worth is certainly

[35:09] not doing much to stop the behavior and

[35:12] protect the assets you have as a

[35:14] community. We are encouraging all of the

[35:17] businesses to report and call in

[35:18] activity, but when nothing is done, we

[35:22] ask, why are we spending our time if the

[35:25] laws won't be upheld?

[35:27] Lastly, you may not see this every day

[35:30] like we do. Maybe we should encourage

[35:32] the regulars to loiter on the front uh

[35:36] lawn of city hall or the justice center.

[35:39] Would action

[35:41] happen quicker if they are staring in

[35:44] your windows, sitting in front of your

[35:48] space every day and loitering,

[35:51] littering, defecating in front of your

[35:54] place of business. It's not just one

[35:57] individual. There's at least eight that

[36:00] hang out and on a daily basis or at

[36:04] least multiple days through the week

[36:07] inhabit the area at Hey Market Square.

[36:10] That doesn't include the rest of the

[36:12] downtown area, but that's what I see

[36:13] every day as a business owner uh 7 days

[36:16] a week, 24 hours a day. Thank you.

[36:20] » Thank you, Chair.

[36:23] Okay. Is that all Sarah? All right. Next

[36:26] item on the agenda

[36:29] resolution

[36:30] resolutions resolution B 2434 capital

[36:33] fund program grant for planters 2.

[36:38] » Hi.

[36:39] » Good evening madam mayor.

[36:41] » Good evening commissioners. I am

[36:43] actually here today and representing the

[36:45] planners 2 building for our Lenworth

[36:48] housing authority and I'm actually here

[36:50] to ask that you accept our 2026 capital

[36:53] fund program grant to consider um us to

[36:58] be able to allow access to the funds

[36:59] that's been granted to us by the US

[37:01] Department of Housing and Urban

[37:03] Development.

[37:06] » All right, sounds good. Any questions?

[37:11] Pretty standard. We do this every year.

[37:13] So,

[37:15] no question. All right. Um, we need a

[37:19] motion then.

[37:20] » I'll make a motion to adopt uh

[37:22] resolution number B-2434

[37:26] accepting the 2026 CFP grant for

[37:29] planters 2.

[37:31] » Second.

[37:32] » Moved and second. Please begin voting.

[37:33] Commissioner Wilson.

[37:34] » I

[37:35] » I

[37:36] » I

[37:37] » Thank you.

[37:38] » Thank you so much.

[37:39] » And we also have the

[37:40] » Oh, you have the next one. Sorry.

[37:42] [laughter]

[37:42] » The second resolution.

[37:45] » Okay. Next one is resolution B 2435.

[37:48] Capital fund program 5-year action plan

[37:50] and capital fund annual statement

[37:52] [clears throat] for cap for planners

[37:54] too. Again, uh requesting acceptance of

[37:56] our 5-year action plan for our planners

[37:59] 2 building um to in order to keep the um

[38:02] property up and running um and making

[38:05] sure that the funds are allocated

[38:06] towards certain programs and um actual

[38:09] uh projects. Okay. Any questions on

[38:12] this?

[38:14] Same thing.

[38:16] All right, I will accept a motion.

[38:19] » I will I will move to um adopt

[38:21] resolution number B-2435

[38:26] um to approve the plan and authorize its

[38:27] submission to HUD.

[38:29] » I'll second.

[38:30] » Been moved and seconded. Please begin

[38:31] voting. Commissioner Maxwell.

[38:33] » I I

[38:34] » I

[38:35] » All right. Thank you.

[38:36] » Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.

[38:38] » Okay. Next item, resolution B 2436,

[38:42] community development block grant

[38:44] consolidated annual performance and

[38:46] evaluation report. Good evening.

[38:48] » Good evening.

[38:51] » I'm here to request to be able to send

[38:54] my papers report for short so we don't

[38:57] have to go over that 100 times uh to HUD

[39:01] for approval. This year we successfully

[39:05] uh helped in repairing 11 homes which

[39:08] met the target. We assisted in three

[39:10] home ownership uh down payments that was

[39:14] under target. The housing market's bad.

[39:17] Still get to use that money next year.

[39:18] Just hopefully things start rolling. I

[39:21] did get a lot of telephone calls about

[39:23] it. Um, I

[39:26] uh repaved ADA sidewalks and ramps at

[39:31] the 2300 block of Padawatami

[39:34] and our

[39:36] public service agencies supported 5,888

[39:41] individuals

[39:43] um in whatever service they provided.

[39:46] » Okay.

[39:47] Um,

[39:49] how how many homes [snorts] can we

[39:51] first-time home buyers can we support?

[39:54] » The goal is five per year, but we've not

[39:57] really

[39:58] » Been able to meet that goal. So, I have

[40:02] with the current funding that I have

[40:03] now, I could probably get,

[40:07] including the new one that I'll be

[40:08] getting, probably 15 next year if it's

[40:12] there.

[40:13] » Yeah, we are. We need to put more

[40:15] » What the house

[40:16] » The word out there

[40:17] » The house is 239 is that the max

[40:19] » Yes

[40:20] » Okay that I mean that

[40:22] » Keeps it down

[40:23] » Yeah the housing market is going up and

[40:26] » Right

[40:26] » Who decides the max HUD

[40:29] » Uh that's that's

[40:29] » That's okay [clears throat]

[40:31] » I am going to my next annual action plan

[40:35] so we'll be back in I think May to talk

[40:38] about that uh I plan on having my

[40:41] committee uh raise the

[40:45] payouts cuz right now it's 5,000 for

[40:48] median income, 8,000 for low income.

[40:51] » Mhm.

[40:52] » I'd like to get that. Like she said,

[40:54] everything's going up. So that when that

[40:57] I think it was 2013 when they changed it

[40:59] to 5,000.

[41:00] » Oh wow.

[41:01] » Prices have gone way higher than 2013.

[41:04] So it's not the percentage it used to

[41:06] be.

[41:07] » Yeah.

[41:07] » I mean it still helps though. It's

[41:09] helped.

[41:10] » It's something.

[41:11] » Yes. especially with closing costs and

[41:12] not having your money to the table.

[41:14] » This has been an issue ever since I've

[41:15] been on the commission. They're just

[41:17] that we've always had extra money for

[41:19] this and it hasn't been used

[41:21] » And so I think I don't know what we can

[41:23] do.

[41:23] » Have you thought about hosting like a um

[41:25] something for local realtors?

[41:28] » I would say people know I do get phone

[41:30] calls.

[41:31] » Yeah,

[41:31] » It's the one of the conditions that has

[41:34] to be in the city limits a little more.

[41:35] So, I get a lot of people that want to

[41:37] look and they find something in Lancing

[41:40] or just right outside the limits.

[41:41] » Mhm.

[41:42] » Uh the market

[41:46] for Levvenworth is

[41:54] kind of stagnant, I would say, for the

[41:56] under the underpric and the middle

[41:59] income people.

[42:00] » Yeah. Okay. Well, if we raise the amount

[42:04] people get, then if we have less people,

[42:06] we can still use more of the funds,

[42:07] » Right?

[42:08] » If we raise there's a limit on how how

[42:11] expensive the house is, right, that you

[42:13] can use. So, that's that's the issue you

[42:15] » That is one issue. Yes.

[42:16] » And there's one issue like you can only

[42:18] like with an FHA loan, you can only get

[42:20] 6% in like sellers credit. So,

[42:24] » Interesting.

[42:25] » But I I don't know. I disagree. I think

[42:26] that like the houses that I list, I

[42:29] personally list for like under 200 are

[42:31] flying off

[42:33] » And

[42:33] » They're selling really fast, right? But

[42:35] they're only two bedrooms. And so most

[42:37] of the people, a lot of people have

[42:39] families, it's not going to work. So

[42:41] when you get to a threebedroom or

[42:42] fourbedroom or even three, it goes over

[42:45] 240. So that's hard to

[42:49] » And people aren't leaving their homes

[42:50] like they used to. So there's not

[42:52] there's not

[42:54] » Turnover

[42:54] » There's no turnover. There's not

[42:55] availability,

[42:56] » Right?

[42:57] » Okay. Thanks.

[42:58] » My only other question is so the public

[43:00] service funds the 55,359

[43:03] where does that number come from?

[43:05] » It has to be we are capped through HUD.

[43:09] It has to be 20% of the award.

[43:11] » Oh, interesting. [clears throat] Okay.

[43:13] » I have a spreadsheet that I put the

[43:15] award in. It breaks down and then I

[43:17] » Yeah.

[43:18] » That out.

[43:18] » Cool. Thank you.

[43:20] Okay. Any other questions or comments?

[43:25] Uh, if not, I'll entertain a motion.

[43:28] » Um, I will move to approve resolution

[43:31] number B-2436 approving the 2025 caper

[43:35] for submitt to the HUD.

[43:37] » Second.

[43:38] » And moved and seconded. Please begin

[43:39] voting. Commissioner Wilson.

[43:41] » I

[43:42] » I

[43:43] » I thank you, sir.

[43:45] » Thank you.

[43:46] » Have a good evening.

[43:47] » Mayor myself.

[43:49] » Okay.

[43:50] » Goodbye.

[43:53] Okay. Next item on the agenda,

[43:56] consider final change order and

[43:58] acceptance of Wilson Avenue

[44:00] reconstruction project. [clears throat]

[44:04] Madame Mayor and Commissioners, uh I'm

[44:06] here for the engineering department to

[44:08] ask for acceptance of the Wilson Avenue

[44:11] project. And there is a change or final

[44:14] change order that increased the original

[44:18] bid amount by

[44:21] amount of $55,39.50.

[44:25] that resulted due to

[44:28] mainly one large item which was cement

[44:30] treated subgrade where the subgrade of

[44:32] the road rather we couldn't build on it

[44:34] without hardening it and they use cement

[44:37] treated they till it into the soil and

[44:39] make it work so uh I ask that you

[44:44] approve the final change order and

[44:46] accept the Wilson Avenue project as

[44:48] built

[44:49] » It still follow fall falls under the

[44:51] budget estimate of 2 million which is

[44:54] great

[44:56] » Um exciting project. I'm glad to see

[44:59] this being completed.

[45:01] Any questions, comments?

[45:04] » Anything? All right. Um I'll entertain a

[45:08] motion.

[45:09] » I'll move that we approve the final

[45:11] change order for the Wilson Avenue

[45:13] reconstruction project in the amount of

[45:14] $55,39.50

[45:17] and grant acceptance of the project.

[45:19] » I'll second.

[45:21] » Okay. Please begin voting. Commissioner

[45:22] Hollister. I

[45:24] » I

[45:25] » I

[45:25] » All right. Thank you very much.

[45:29] Um, next item on the agenda, consider

[45:31] award of contract for Fourth Street

[45:33] sidewalk and curb repair project, Senica

[45:35] to Metropolitan.

[45:36] » Yeah.

[45:37] » As part of the North Fourth Street clip

[45:40] project. We received money for uh Melon

[45:44] Overlay, so it's resurfacing, but it was

[45:47] limited to 400,000.

[45:49] So, we couldn't really do a lot of the

[45:51] extra repairs we like to do. So, we've

[45:53] created a separate project away from the

[45:55] K. Clip project and that's what this is

[45:58] for. We received uh six, seven, eight by

[46:02] eight estimates, which was great. We

[46:04] usually don't get that many.

[46:06] » Uh Max Paving was the low bid. Uh

[46:09] they've not done work in the city of

[46:11] Levvenworth, but we've checked their

[46:13] references and got favorable references

[46:15] from everybody that we called. And so we

[46:18] recommend that we accept the low bid

[46:21] from max paving to of $249,997.71

[46:28] and we'd like to add additional 10%

[46:30] contingency approximately 25,000 to

[46:33] cover any issues that arise in the

[46:35] field.

[46:36] » Okay,

[46:38] any questions?

[46:40] » No, I hate giving contracts to Missouri,

[46:42] but they are cheaper. So, am I reading

[46:45] this right that this is a project that

[46:47] kind of is extra because we have

[46:49] remaining funds for the mill and

[46:51] overlay. Is that what that says?

[46:52] » We have funds available from our

[46:54] pavement management program.

[46:55] » Yeah.

[46:56] » That we want to use to pay for this. And

[46:58] it it's it's a similar project. We do

[47:01] curbs and gutters and ADA ramps and

[47:03] stuff on our pavement management

[47:04] projects. So, since this is really not

[47:07] covered under the clip grant, we just

[47:09] made it a separate project and we have

[47:10] funds available for that.

[47:12] » Cool. This is These bids are amazing.

[47:15] Ranging from

[47:16] » Yeah, the range is

[47:17] » 249 to 675.

[47:22] » Yeah, that's interesting.

[47:23] » Amazing. Okay. Um, [snorts] any other

[47:27] questions?

[47:29] » If not, I'll entertain a motion.

[47:31] I'll move that we the city commission

[47:34] authorize the mayor to sign a

[47:35] construction services contract for

[47:37] concrete curb and sidewalk repairs on

[47:38] fourth between Senica and Metropolitan

[47:41] with max paving in the amount of

[47:42] $249,997.71

[47:46] with an additional 10% contingency

[47:48] approximately $25,000 to cover issues

[47:50] that arise in the field.

[47:52] » I'll second moved and seconded. Please

[47:54] begin voting. Commissioner Wilson

[47:56] » I

[47:57] » I

[47:58] » Thank you. That passes. Okay. Uh, next.

[48:02] Thank you.

[48:02] » Thank you.

[48:03] » Next item on the agenda, consent agenda.

[48:05] » Uh, Madame Mayor, I'd like to make a

[48:07] motion to accept the consent agenda as

[48:09] follows. Claims for September 4, 2026

[48:11] through September 17, 2026 in the amount

[48:14] of 1,598,5811.

[48:20] Net amount for payroll 18 effective

[48:22] September 4, 2026 in the amount of

[48:25] $476,5845.

[48:28] No police and fire pension.

[48:30] » Second.

[48:31] » Been moved and seconded. Please, please

[48:33] begin voting. Commissioner

[48:35] » I.

[48:35] » Maxwell.

[48:36] » I I

[48:37] » I

[48:38] » Okay, that ends our um regular meeting.

[48:41] Um we'll go into executive session in a

[48:44] few minutes, but let's go around the

[48:45] table first because we don't have any

[48:48] other business afterwards. Correct.

[48:51] » I just want to thank all the staff uh

[48:53] that helped out at Camp Levvenworth over

[48:54] the weekend. Um I thought uh overall it

[48:57] was a big success. I don't think we're

[48:58] going to have the numbers that we had

[49:00] last year uh unfortunately, but um the

[49:02] staff did a really great job. Um

[49:04] everybody that was involved in that um I

[49:06] love appreciated all the good attitudes

[49:08] from our people despite the weather. Um

[49:10] and uh I had a good time. So that's all

[49:12] I

[49:13] » Do we have an estimated count yet or at

[49:14] all?

[49:15] » We don't yet. No, but um just based on

[49:17] the early numbers we had, we were we

[49:19] were down both nights. So

[49:21] » Thank you.

[49:22] » It's so hot.

[49:22] » It was so hot out there. I still

[49:24] couldn't believe how many people were

[49:25] there on Saturday afternoon and But it

[49:27] was

[49:28] » Fall's coming so I felt it today.

[49:29] » Paul's here. Fall was there the next

[49:31] day.

[49:32] » I think [laughter]

[49:33] during the concert.

[49:35] » Yeah, it felt good after. Yeah.

[49:37] » Mhm. Felt good going home then.

[49:38] » No, I don't really have anything.

[49:40] » Okay. No, I just echo that. Um, Camp

[49:43] Levvenworth was great. I had a really

[49:45] good time. Um, I appreciate staff

[49:48] pivoted. I wanted water cups for the

[49:50] water thing, so I appreciate staff

[49:52] pivoting on that. And I just wish it

[49:55] wasn't so hot, but there's nothing you

[49:57] can do about that. But every it was

[49:58] great.

[49:59] » It was great.

[50:00] » Um, again, I I have to say the staff is

[50:04] just amazing at Camp Bloodworth. They

[50:06] work so hard. They come in, they got it

[50:08] down to science and so I appreciate

[50:10] that. I've decided next year if we do

[50:12] it, we're going to put Mother Nature on

[50:13] the committee.

[50:14] » Yeah.

[50:15] » So that she can kind of help let us know

[50:18] what's happening. So that that might be

[50:20] a good solution. um got a call today

[50:23] about and I just have a question for

[50:24] Scott. Maybe he can help. Um

[50:27] the city of Levvenworth underneath by

[50:29] the back gate.

[50:32] Do we mo is that that's our property? Is

[50:34] that city property? Are we supposed to

[50:36] mow that?

[50:37] » By the back gate

[50:38] » By the back gate of Fort Lorth. That's

[50:41] some of that is

[50:43] » Penitentiary.

[50:44] » Penitentiary property. Well, I guess

[50:46] it's

[50:47] » Yeah, you and I have talked and then

[50:49] underneath the bridge is that's also

[50:51] really bad. I guess needs to be

[50:53] » I think a portion of that is ours and a

[50:55] portion of that is um Kot.

[50:57] » Okay. Can we look what our portion is

[50:58] and just

[50:59] » Did I answer that correctly, Mike?

[51:01] » You did.

[51:01] » Okay.

[51:02] » Okay. [snorts] Thank you. And then um

[51:04] yeah, obviously tonight is pretty

[51:07] alarming to me about what was said by

[51:09] the downtown. Uh I know the downtown's

[51:12] very important to all of us here at the

[51:13] commission. So, yeah. Um maybe we invite

[51:17] everybody who spoke tonight to attend

[51:18] the homeless committee. I I don't get

[51:20] those invites anymore, but perhaps we

[51:22] can all be invited to attend those and

[51:25] work with them. I think that they're

[51:27] they're asking for help and I think we

[51:29] need to provide that. I don't know what

[51:30] the laws are. I mean, we'll have to talk

[51:32] to Chief. He's always

[51:34] » Um but you know, I I don't know what the

[51:37] solution is, but I I heard a cry for

[51:40] help tonight. So, I hope we can help

[51:42] them somehow.

[51:44] I work with them.

[51:45] » We had made the determination months ago

[51:47] that we um as we had gone around the

[51:49] table that there was nothing that we all

[51:52] as a group at the table could do to

[51:53] solve the problem. Um it was

[51:56] [clears throat] a group of you know

[51:57] everybody involved that touches the

[51:59] homeless you know group in some way and

[52:02] it was just a lot of you know we've

[52:03] reached the limit of what we can do. Um,

[52:06] so we had made the determination that we

[52:08] were going to compile a list of

[52:09] recommendations and then go up to the

[52:11] state and lobby the state for support

[52:14] from them. Um, as people mentioned, this

[52:16] is a regional issue. Not everybody here

[52:18] is um from Levvenworth or but you know,

[52:21] if you move them to somewhere else,

[52:22] they're just going to come back or

[52:23] somebody else will come in. Um, as chief

[52:26] has has mentioned many many different

[52:28] times, you cannot legislate your way out

[52:31] of this. Um you cannot just cite

[52:33] somebody a hundred times and expect them

[52:36] to leave or to fix their behavior. Um

[52:40] because what you were talking about is a

[52:42] mental health and a substance abuse

[52:43] problem. And the other you know I the

[52:46] only thing that we the the issues that

[52:48] we can do to recommend to make changes

[52:49] that are within the city's power. I I

[52:52] can come to you guys and say give me a

[52:53] million dollars to build housing but

[52:55] those people don't want to live in the

[52:57] housing. And so I mean it's and again as

[53:01] you know we talk about it is not illegal

[53:03] to be homeless. That is correct. Um it

[53:06] is you know at the same time these they

[53:08] are they've been interacted with the

[53:09] police department enough that they know

[53:11] their rights.

[53:12] » And so yes they do are they are able to

[53:14] wiggle through the gray areas of the

[53:16] legal system because what is a $500 fine

[53:19] to somebody who is homeless and has no

[53:21] money.

[53:22] » But what about are they allowed to sleep

[53:23] on I see them sleeping in the hay

[53:25] market. They are generally not allowed

[53:27] to sleep and if we get called into

[53:29] public spaces I mean I know chief could

[53:30] talk about this but we move them along

[53:33] but they will come back.

[53:34] » I mean

[53:36] » I I wouldn't want to own a business

[53:37] downtown where people are defecating.

[53:40] » I I can't control that either but

[53:43] » But again the penalty for that is a fine

[53:46] or you know a night in jail or whatever

[53:47] which again is what is that to them

[53:51] » You know I mean what I mean what is that

[53:52] consequence? I can't don't I can't

[53:55] believe we're just we could throw up our

[53:57] hands in the air and says there's

[53:57] nothing we can do. We've got people

[53:59] downtown crying for help and we want to

[54:02] build this downtown and we're talking

[54:03] about bringing businesses in, but why

[54:06] would anybody business come in if we

[54:07] have this problem? I mean, there's I

[54:09] understand what you're saying and I'm

[54:11] not

[54:11] » Right

[54:12] » Chastising you, but it is frustrating

[54:14] and as a business owner in town now, it

[54:17] would be very frustrating for me if I

[54:19] were downtown to be dealing with this.

[54:21] And we have homeowner or business owners

[54:23] scared to go in their buildings at 2 am.

[54:26] That is a problem that we have to

[54:27] address,

[54:28] » Right? And we've got kids, why am I

[54:30] going to take my kid to the dance studio

[54:32] anymore if there's a guy, you know,

[54:33] masturbating across the street? I mean,

[54:35] that's not okay for me,

[54:37] » You know?

[54:37] » Um, I just think that we we've got to do

[54:40] something.

[54:44] Can we have an executive session just

[54:46] kind of talk about this at some point in

[54:48] the near future? Maybe with the chief

[54:50] and just see what other ideas we can

[54:52] come up with.

[54:53] » An executive session or a study?

[54:55] » Study session. I don't care what it is.

[54:57] I want to have a session where we can

[54:58] talk about this and and try to find some

[55:00] kind of solution. I understand and I'm

[55:02] sensitive to the homeless issue, but at

[55:05] the same time, I'm also sensitive to the

[55:07] people that are paying taxes and want us

[55:09] to protect them as well

[55:10] » And businesses are being abused by this.

[55:13] So, I we need to we need to

[55:16] » We need to work on this.

[55:17] » Actually, that wasn't the thing that I

[55:19] had wanted to originally say. So, I'd

[55:20] like to read this text message that I

[55:21] got today. Um because normally we don't

[55:24] get good news and this was a very

[55:26] positive text and I was hoping to share

[55:28] this. Joe, I know from watching and

[55:30] helping my dad when he was in the

[55:32] office, most of what you hear is

[55:33] negative. Here's an observation that

[55:34] touched me this morning. At the brush

[55:36] site this morning, the attendant took my

[55:38] fee and then said he would help unload

[55:39] my load of brush. He did that just that.

[55:42] I don't know if that's part of his job,

[55:43] but it's the first time that's happened

[55:45] to me. I don't know his name. I know

[55:47] he's a nice young man and a great

[55:48] employee. So, um, I'd like to end on a

[55:51] positive note.

[55:52] » Yeah, that's good.

[55:54] The only thing I have to say about Kemp

[55:56] Levvenworth is all of the all of the

[55:59] commissioners volunteered this year,

[56:01] which I think is wonderful. I think I

[56:04] think uh not only was the staff

[56:06] fantastic and was there all weekend, but

[56:08] the commissioners were there as well,

[56:10] and I appreciate all of you being there.

[56:13] Thank you. Okay, we will move into

[56:16] um

[56:18] executive session. How long are we going

[56:21] to need?

[56:23] You think

[56:24] » 45 minutes?

[56:25] » Probably take at least 45.

[56:27] » Okay.

[56:27] » 45 minutes.

[56:32] » Okay. Um I move the city commission

[56:35] recess into executive session for 45

[56:38] minutes for the purpose of discussing a

[56:40] development matter in consultation with

[56:41] an attorney which would be deemed

[56:43] privilege in the attorney client

[56:45] relationship pursuant to KSA75-4319B2.

[56:50] the city commission, city manager, city

[56:53] attorney, city bound

[56:56] council, bond council,

[56:57] » Bond council,

[56:58] » Bond council, and city financial advisor

[57:01] will be present. The open meeting will

[57:03] resume the city commission chambers at

[57:06] » 7:42.

[57:07] » 7:42.

[57:09] » I second.

[57:10] » Okay. Moved and seconded. Please begin

[57:12] voting. Commissioner Maxwell. Hi. Hi.

[57:15] » Hi.

[57:16] » All right,

[57:18] we're not in

[1:42:52] Okay.

[1:42:54] » No, we don't have to. We just have to

[1:42:57] » Leave. So, um there's no me no more

[1:43:00] meeting. So, we just g out. We have a

[1:43:03] motion to

[1:43:05] » So, moved.

[1:43:06] » Okay. Move and seconded. All in favor?

[1:43:09] » I

[1:43:10] » We are journ. Thank you.

Untitled meeting

Transcript