Embedded Files
SHAWNEE CITY COUNCIL MEETING
September 9, 2024
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 fairly quiet with little discussion. The item that took up the most time was the presentation from the Sister Cities delegation from Erfurt, Germany, who does an exchange program with our fire department each year. There were speeches from a member of their delegation and recorded video messages from their past three mayors.
The only other item worth mentioning was a request from the police department to spend some leftover grant money on new license plate recognition software. Councilmember Gillette said while he supports the police department and all their other requests for funding, he cannot support this because of concerns about personal freedom and violating the principles of “innocent until proven guilty.” Councilmember Kemmling shared those concerns, but after hearing further explanation from the police chief that the data is not shared with other jurisdictions and is deleted after a period of time, was okay with supporting the request. The item passed 5-1 with Gillette in dissent.
Additionally, the Council considered the following:
Passed consent agenda (unanimous)
Approved $12.3m of bonds for an office and industrial building on Martindale Street (unanimous)
Approved $4.2m of bonds for the QuikTrip on 83rd and Hedge Lane (unanimous)
Approved 2025 vehicle purchase requests for Police, Fire, Parks & Rec, and Public Works departments (unanimous.)
Approved agreement with Johnson County on reimbursement for sewer line improvements at 67th and Cottonwood (unanimous)
Approved contract for Parks janitorial services (unanimous)
Approved final plans for the Johnson County Streetscape project (unanimous)
Heard informational presentation from Rita Carr with UCS about warming and cooling centers in the county (no vote needed)
Approved new software development contract (unanimous)
Ratified semimonthly claims (unanimous)
At Council Committee, the committee heard several presentations that were mainly informational. First was a presentation from the city’s legal counsel about some recommended ordinance updates after receiving the state’s Uniform Public Offense Code for 2025. This didn’t generate much discussion but will come up for a formal vote at a future City Council meeting.
Tonya Lecuru from the Parks & Rec Department gave a presentation on the renovations going on at Garrett Park, which were set to include a restoration of the historic Garrett House. Unfortunately, additional structural issues have been found which will more than double the cost of the restoration, and the house will never be suitable for people to go inside due to foundation issues. After hearing feedback from Lecuru and the Monticello Historical Society, the committee came to a consensus that it would be best to demolish the house and work with the historical society and the Garrett family to honor the history of the house at the footprint where the house currently sits.
Lecuru also gave a presentation on Rail Creek Park, which has been in process for several years and has some initial designs. The plan is for the park to be bike-focused and offer several bike amenities not commonly found in the region, including a cyclocross course. Members of the public and the committee overall seemed very supportive of this and saw it as an opportunity to draw bike tourism from across the region for cyclocross tournaments. Councilmember Kemmling balked at the estimated $16m cost, and Councilmember Gillette suggested a phased approach. This was just an informational item so no decisions are being made at this time.
City Council Meeting:
https://cityofshawnee.civicweb.net/document/302623/?splitscreen=true&media=true
Council Committee Meeting:
https://cityofshawnee.civicweb.net/document/302626/?splitscreen=true&media=true
Recap by: Alex Welch Blattner
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