[0:00] Get ready here. We are calling the meeting to order.

[0:04] Alderman Cockrell? Yes. Palmes absent. Potter?

[0:11] You're muted.

[0:12] Pot, unmute.

[0:13] There we go. Milner?

[0:15] Yes.

[0:15] Bundy?

[0:16] Yes.

[0:17] Yes.

[0:18] Okay. Please stand for the pledge of allegiance.

[0:21] I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic

[0:27] for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and

[0:33] justice for all. Thank you. Any comments this evening?

[0:38] Seeing none, we'll go into the legislative session and the consent agenda.

[0:42] Does anything need to be withheld from the consent agenda?

[0:49] Hearing none, do I have a motion?

[0:51] So moved.

[0:54] Second. Second.

[0:54] Alderman Cockrell? Yes. Milner?

[0:56] Yes.

[0:56] Bundy?

[0:57] Yes.

[0:57] Strout?

[0:58] Yes.

[0:58] Potter?

[1:00] Yes.

[1:00] Motion carries.

[1:01] Okay, we'll go into the regular agenda, have first reading for bill number

[1:04] 2026-062.

[1:07] An ordinance approving a cost share agreement with the Missouri Department of

[1:10] Conservation.

[1:12] Amy?

[1:14] We had the opportunity to consult with the Missouri Department of Conservation on

[1:18] the landscape plans for a Variety KC park, and in that conversation, the staff

[1:23] suggested that we should apply for cost share funds.

[1:26] So we applied for the funds for the landscaping, which includes 44 trees and then

[1:32] the wildflowers in the landscape beds.

[1:36] So they've agreed to award just over $20,000 to us

[1:41] for the landscape cost, which is equal as about 50% of the cost of the

[1:47] landscape.

[1:48] That's phenomenal. Great.

[1:51] That's great.

[1:52] That's awesome.

[1:53] Thank you.

[1:54] Thank you. Move to accept first reading of bill 2026-062 and place it on second and

[1:59] final reading.

[1:59] Second.

[2:01] Milner?

[2:02] Yes.

[2:02] Cockrell? Yes. Strout?

[2:04] Yes.

[2:04] Bundy?

[2:05] Yes.

[2:05] Potter?

[2:07] Yes.

[2:07] Motion carries.

[2:08] Second reading.

[2:09] An ordinance approving a cost share agreement with the Missouri Department of

[2:12] Conservation.

[2:15] Move to approve bill 2026-062 and enact said bill as ordinance.

[2:19] Second.

[2:21] Milner?

[2:22] Yes.

[2:22] Strout?

[2:23] Yes.

[2:23] Cockrell? Yes. Bundy?

[2:24] Yes.

[2:25] Potter?

[2:26] Yes.

[2:27] Motion carries.

[2:29] Okay. We got a pretty small agenda, so Andrew, it shouldn't take too long here.

[2:34] Okay. What do we got this evening, Amy?

[2:40] I just have one quick thing. I just wanted to give you guys an update.

[2:43] We have a retirement coming up in November.

[2:44] It's Lori Boje, who is the manager of the community center over there.

[2:50] We have reached out to the YMCA to give us a proposal to take over the contract for

[2:54] that whole building, and does not have any employees over there.

[2:57] It is quite pricey, so Noelle and I are in the middle of analyzing all of that,

[3:01] coming up with some additional options, and at the next meeting, we're probably

[3:04] going to give you guys some options and things to talk about and discuss where we

[3:08] want to go with the community center.

[3:09] So just wanted to give you a heads up on that.

[3:12] And then other than that, we have a couple other things to talk about for previews

[3:16] tonight as well.

[3:17] Okay.

[3:17] So.

[3:17] So let's start with the Platte County Partnership Grant.

[3:20] Cool.

[3:25] Good evening again. As you may recall from our FY27 budget

[3:31] presentations, we identified several capital improvement projects where we would

[3:36] seek outside funding to offset the city expenditures, and this E.H.

[3:41] Young Riverfront Park was one of those projects.

[3:43] And so there's an opportunity now to apply for the Platte County Partnership

[3:49] Grant, which is up to a million dollars.

[3:52] We've also already received the $50,000 outreach grant from them for the

[3:58] restroom. But this particular application would be focused on the nature play

[4:04] area at E.H. Young. And I know it's kind of a small image, but basically the

[4:10] area circled there in red, the oval along Line Creek is where we would add the

[4:16] nature play area. So several embankment slides and other

[4:21] features there in the trees. So a very different destination than

[4:27] what we have there currently with our existing playground.

[4:32] This improvement was supported by the master plan update, and also the park board

[4:37] has been instrumental in providing input on the plan.

[4:42] The overall budget for the park, including the restroom, is 2.7 million, and we

[4:48] would be seeking the full million dollar grant from the county to see

[4:55] if they would award us that amount.

[4:57] So if this is something that you would be supportive of us applying for, we'll

[5:02] bring a resolution to your next meeting on August 18th.

[5:06] Okay. So yes, we

[5:11] know that this is in the next phase of E.H. Young.

[5:15] We've talked about where we're at with the different phases down there, that

[5:20] this is what the park board thought would be the...

[5:24] It's a destination through the trees, it's through the forest area, and it's really

[5:28] a unique experience that we're going to be providing people.

[5:31] So, I think it will be well attended and people will love it.

[5:36] Again,

[5:38] having the opportunity for this grant is huge, and I think we should apply for it.

[5:42] So any other comments?

[5:46] I agree.

[5:46] I agree. If we can get a grant for it, I'll be looking forward to it.

[5:51] If not, I would not be.

[5:55] Okay.

[5:56] Same.

[5:57] Okay. Do we need any kind of vote or anything? Just we're okay.

[6:01] Yeah, we'll just bring the resolution next time.

[6:04] Just didn't want to continue down the road of applying-

[6:07] Yeah. Okay

[6:07] ... if it wasn't going to be supported, so. Thank you.

[6:10] Take it off.

[6:11] Thank you.

[6:11] All right, who's going to talk to me about e-bikes?

[6:14] Paul is.

[6:14] I am.

[6:16] Okay.

[6:16] So we're looking at regulations concerning electronic bicycles, electronic

[6:22] motorcycles, and other similar devices.

[6:26] I think staff, like other cities, have seen an increased use of these devices,

[6:31] especially amongst younger people.

[6:36] And there have been, at least in other cities and I think here, some concerns about

[6:40] safety, about the way these devices are being operated and where they're being

[6:45] operated, the speeds at which they're being operated.

[6:50] One thing, it's important to distinguish, a lot of people just

[6:55] shorthand it to e-bikes, and it's probably well enough.

[7:01] But as we get into this discussion,

[7:05] there is a distinction between electronic bicycles, which do provide

[7:11] some limited motorized assist, but it's also pedal assist.

[7:17] So in my mind, an e-bike is a traditional bicycle that does

[7:23] have a motor

[7:25] assist to it, but you're still pedaling.

[7:28] And quite honestly, in other communities,

[7:32] the problems aren't with the 12-year-olds who are going fast, even on an

[7:37] e-bicycle.

[7:39] The problems are arising on electronic motorcycles.

[7:44] These are these things that are not pedal assist. You can find them...

[7:51] I think Lowe's sells them. With the rise of these batteries, you can

[7:57] put a battery on anything nowadays. So they're being marketed to young children.

[8:03] One of the issues from a code drafting challenge is our definition

[8:09] of motorcycle. So these e-motorcycles will go 30, 40-plus miles per

[8:15] hour, and you've got 12-year-olds on them.

[8:19] The problem with our code definition is the

[8:25] definition of what is a motorcycle was written before the rise of all these

[8:30] batteries. So typically, the motorcycle is defined in terms

[8:36] of Engine displacement of cubic centimeters.

[8:41] So you'll hear

[8:43] language about 50cc's. It gets into the displacement of

[8:49] the air-fuel mixture with the piston and the

[8:52] cylinder. But of course, the battery doesn't have a piston, it doesn't have a

[8:58] cylinder. So our legacy definition of what is a motorcycle,

[9:03] 50cc's or whatever, doesn't really apply when you're talking about a

[9:09] supercharged lithium battery. So that's one of the things we're working through, is

[9:14] to figure out the right way to define these e-motorcycles.

[9:19] We don't have any specific regulations yet.

[9:23] Other communities have already adopted some regulations.

[9:28] Over on the east side of the state, there's one community, maybe O'Fallon, which

[9:33] was very strict. Other communities have just tried to dial it back.

[9:38] Mid-America Regional Council is trying to work on coordinating some sort

[9:44] of approach as well. But we're just starting

[9:49] that. And our goal isn't to prohibit responsible

[9:55] use. I think everybody wants kids outside doing things.

[10:01] I'm a proponent of bicycles, even if they are e-bikes.

[10:05] But other communities have determined that it's appropriate to have some reasonable

[10:10] rules.

[10:13] I don't know, Chris isn't here tonight, so I can't speak for the police department

[10:18] here. But I know in some of our other clients,

[10:23] mainly these e-motorcycles. It's not the 13-year-old who's thinking

[10:29] he's in the Tour de France riding a pedal assist bike really quick.

[10:32] A lot of it are these e-motorcycles.

[10:36] So that's on the horizon.

[10:41] It's kind of a sticky web.

[10:43] Because again, I

[10:46] love the whole idea about them, but again, I don't want somebody riding it too

[10:52] fast, by an elderly person that's walking on the trail.

[10:55] And again, I think enforcement's going to be very difficult, and

[11:00] a lot of it's going to be based upon

[11:04] just people wanting to do the right thing.

[11:07] Yeah. Cities have struggled with...

[11:10] Again, and part of the sticky widget part is, and that's why

[11:16] I started out, it's important not to just

[11:21] consider e-bikes as everything. Because the

[11:27] state already regulates e-bicycles into class one, two, and three with speed

[11:33] maximums and whatnot. At least in other cities, that's really not the issue we're

[11:38] seeing. It's really, we're seeing 12, 13 year olds, 14 year olds, basically

[11:44] on motorcycles going 30, 40 miles per hour down the sidewalk.

[11:50] That's the

[11:52] issue in some other cities, is do you want a 12-year-old going 35 miles on a

[11:58] motorcycle down the sidewalk?

[12:01] So those are issues other cities are dealing with.

[12:05] But then apparently you can get bikes that just won't go any more than 20 miles an

[12:10] hour.

[12:11] Right.

[12:11] So we can regulate the type of bike.

[12:14] So that goes back to the e-bicycle, and the state already has

[12:20] regulations on those. And so we'll be looking to bring our city code into alignment

[12:26] with the state law on the class one, two, and three bicycles.

[12:31] And then

[12:33] we'll bring forward a proposal, but ultimately, you are going to have to decide

[12:38] about the e-motorcycle. And we'll present some

[12:43] information to try and give you an apples to apples on

[12:48] the equivalent of some of these devices

[12:53] compared to what we all would think of as a dirt

[12:59] bike or a motorcycle. Something that we can wrap our head around a little bit

[13:03] better.

[13:05] Okay.

[13:07] I have a question.

[13:08] Yeah.

[13:10] So I don't see a lot of the motorcycle and e-motorcycle type things in Riverside.

[13:15] I do see a lot of scooters, electric scooters and

[13:21] whatnot. Well, let me ask first, does Kansas City and Overland Park there, where

[13:25] they said they were going to put the same thing on scooters, and my second question

[13:31] is, have we considered something along those same lines as Kansas City with the

[13:34] scooters?

[13:36] So I don't know what Kansas City, I haven't studied their ordinances yet,

[13:41] especially Overland Park. But we intend to

[13:46] address the bicycles, the motorcycles, and other similar motorized

[13:52] devices, and we can certainly look at scooters as

[13:57] well.

[13:58] Let's get all the information, Andrew, and then we'll put it all together and see

[14:02] where we're at. But it's definitely something that we need to give our full

[14:05] attention to before we say yes.

[14:07] Yeah. I know Overland Park, they just created it, and they had a couple deaths

[14:11] already in the past year from these things.

[14:14] And so I know Overland Park did something.

[14:16] I don't know what it is, but they've restricted them.

[14:19] Yeah.

[14:19] Almost like fully, I think.

[14:21] I thought, was it a motorcycle or was it an e-bike?

[14:23] Well, I understand that. No, I think these-

[14:25] So we need to figure out what exactly-

[14:27] When these kids, like I said, are 10, 12, 14 years old, and they don't know street

[14:30] rules, and they're just flying all over the place.

[14:33] Yeah.

[14:33] Well, I'm sitting in my office last Thursday or Friday, and a motorcycle comes

[14:38] flying down the sidewalk. It was a young kid.

[14:41] And he turned into the skateboard

[14:45] park. But he wasn't on the street, but he was flying down the sidewalk.

[14:48] Yeah.

[14:49] So that was kind of scary. The sound of the motorcycle

[14:54] got my attention that I got up and looked out the window.

[14:57] So it was a pretty good size thing. All right. Well, then let's do that.

[15:03] Let's get all the information before we go further with that one.

[15:07] All right. Appreciate it. So now we're going into our department reports.

[15:11] Do we have anything for community development this evening?

[15:13] Nothing this evening.

[15:14] Finance?

[15:16] I

[15:20] put a physical copy of the budget in front of you. Thank you.

[15:23] And it's also posted on the website. And so if you have any questions, let me know.

[15:28] Great.

[15:28] Yeah. This looks great. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Mitch.

[15:31] I really appreciate that.

[15:32] Appreciate your work.

[15:33] Well, it was done by Greg.

[15:35] Oh, Greg.

[15:36] Well, that's true.

[15:38] It's for integrity.

[15:42] Anything for fire?

[15:43] Nothing for fire,

[15:45] ma'am.

[15:45] Police and... I don't see anyone. So, okay. Public works?

[15:49] Nothing.

[15:52] Legal?

[15:53] Nothing.

[15:54] Okay. I don't have anything. I've actually enjoyed my last couple

[16:00] weeks, just kind of regrouping from all the chaos. So it's been good.

[16:06] I hope everybody went and voted today, and we'll see how that fares in just here a

[16:10] little bit, but that's an important thing.

[16:12] We did have, at 4:30, and I don't know what the numbers were, but at 4:30, I was

[16:18] 733, so I was really pleased about the turnout here. So it was heavy.

[16:23] And a lot of people were here after me.

[16:25] So anyway,

[16:29] I don't have anything else, so I'll go to Alderman Cockrell.

[16:34] I don't have anything, so thank you. Okay. Alderman Miller.

[16:37] Thank you, guys, Board of Alderman, and Mayor, and Amy, and fire and police for

[16:43] coming to Park Hill South last week. I always appreciate that time together.

[16:46] It's very unifying. And I was telling them it feels like I'm bringing my work

[16:52] family into my home over there.

[16:54] Mm-hmm.

[16:54] And so I like to impress them, and so I was frantically vacuuming.

[16:57] I'm like, "How is the floor not vacuumed?" And, "How is the stuff on the counter?"

[17:01] So I'm trying to get it all ready. But it's just a great time for me to have y'all

[17:05] into our home at South Hill. So I really appreciate you guys coming in.

[17:08] It was a great time. But just appreciate you. That's it.

[17:11] It was great. Thank you. And I think it's really beneficial for us to have those

[17:15] relationships.

[17:15] Yeah.

[17:16] So thank you. Okay, Alderman Drop.

[17:20] Just enjoy the rest of your little bit of summer we have left before kids go back

[17:23] to school.

[17:24] Yeah.

[17:25] That's true. Alderman Bundy.

[17:28] Nothing from me tonight.

[17:29] Okay. I knew it'd be short and sweet tonight, so I'll take a motion to adjourn.

[17:33] So moved.

[17:33] Oh, one more thing.

[17:35] Oh, Andrew, you have a-

[17:35] Yes. Andrew, do you have anything?

[17:38] Nothing for me.

[17:39] Okay. I'm sorry. Yes. One more thing, and you'll find it here, is your

[17:46] scope of work for Woodruff, our marketing company. This is for the next year.

[17:51] We will be bringing this back for our 18th next meeting.

[17:54] Paul will have a resolution. But I wanted you to go through all the parameters of

[17:59] it and get familiar with it before we vote it and talk about it on the 18th.

[18:04] So now I'll have a motion to adjourn.

[18:07] So moved.

[18:08] Second.

[18:10] Miller?

[18:11] Yes.

[18:11] Cockrell? Yes. Conner?

[18:14] Yes.

[18:14] Bundy?

[18:15] Yes.

[18:15] Jack?

[18:16] Yes.

[18:17] Thank you.

2026-08-04 BoA

Transcript