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SHAWNEE CITY COUNCIL MEETING
March 9, 2026
You can stream the full City Council meeting at the link below! If you don't have time to watch, here's my quick recap.
Tonight’s meeting was quite brief with little discussion, but the council did move forward with contracts for several street improvement and pipe replacement projects that have been in the works and are part of the city’s strategic plan to replace aging pipes, add curbs/gutters/sidewalks to neighborhoods, etc. They also heard an update from Public Works Director Kevin Manning on outside funding opportunities from MARC that could help fund this type of project.
Two residents spoke during Business from the Floor. One complained of a gate added at Riverfront Park which he believed was allowing people to practice “rough lifestyles” in the park. The other asked the city to recognize Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31 especially in light of recent anti-trans laws passed in Kansas. Councilmember Burchfield thanked him and echoed with support for the trans community. She stated while she would rather stick to routine city business, the state legislature has forced the city to address this by dictating who can use which city facilities, so it has unfortunately become city business and we have to figure out a way to address it. Burchfield asked if city staff could look into how much it would cost to have single-occupancy restrooms at city facilities so everyone can use the restrooms. Councilmembers Rainey, Aldridge, and Persson expressed support for pursuing this idea further and Councilmember Murphy added that she would like to see the city do a TDOV proclamation in support of our trans neighbors.
Additionally, the Council considered the following:
Passed consent agenda (unanimous)
Approved benefit renewals for 2026-27 (unanimous)
Approved revisions to Policy Statement 9 (unanimous)
Approved final change order to the Renner Road Pipe Repair project (unanimous)
Approved final plans and authorized bid for the McAnany Drive project (unanimous)
Approved construction and professional engineering contracts for the Monticello East and Mill Valley HS pipe replacement projects (unanimous)
Approved easement acquisition for 51st Street (Black Swan to Quivira) project (unanimous)
Approved engineering services contract and easement acquisition for the Caenen Street (55th St. to Johnson Drive) project (unanimous)
Ratified semimonthly claims (unanimous)
During Council Committee, the committee heard the police department’s annual update. Several councilmembers thanked the police for their work, appreciated the training given to new councilmembers upon their election, and praised the police’s presence and engagement at community events.
Live Stream Meeting Link:
https://cityofshawnee.civicweb.net/document/317016/?splitscreen=true&media=true
Recap by: Alex Welch Blattner
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