Wichita City Council — May 5, 2026: Students Lead on Clean Energy, $191.7M STAR Bond Advances, and a Bruising CDBG Fight Ends in Compromise
Meeting Date: Tuesday, May 5, 2026 | Regular Session, 9:00 AM Council Chambers, City Hall, Wichita, Kansas
Summary
The Wichita City Council’s May 5, 2026 regular session ran nearly seven hours, touching everything from the sweet opening of elementary school students presenting renewable energy models to a bruising end-of-day fight over $475,000 in federal community development funding. Along the way, the council approved a $191.7 million STAR Bond development at K-96 and Greenwich, advanced three new affordable housing projects backed by revenue bonds, approved a first-responder wellness center driven by a $5 million private commitment from the Wichita Metro Crime Commission, authorized a Safe Haven Baby Box at Fire Station 9, and narrowly funded the Douglas Avenue bike lane pilot 6-to-1. The longest and most contentious action of the day was the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) public services allocation, where the council overrode its own Grant Review Committee’s recommendations, tried and failed on four successive motions over nearly two hours, and finally settled on a fifth compromise — giving every recommended organization $50,000 and routing the remaining $25,000 to the Wichita Family Crisis Center, while leaving the YMCA’s middle school after-school program unfunded. The council also directed staff to draft an ordinance repealing a 2008 ban on backing into parking stalls, to come back for public comment at the June 2 evening meeting.
Council Members Present: Mayor Lily Wu, Vice Mayor Dalton Glasscock, Becky Tuttle, Joseph Shepard, Mike Hoheisel, JV Johnston, Maggie Ballard
Staff Present: Dennis Marstall, City Manager; Jennifer Magana, City Attorney; Shinita Rice, City Clerk
Assistance from Claude AI.
Proclamations
The council recognized National Small Business Week, Goodwill Week, Wichita Heights Women’s Basketball Day, and Provider Appreciation Day.
I. Public Agenda: Elementary Students Make the Case for Renewable Energy
The meeting opened with a memorable public hearing segment: five students from Independent School, each paired with an “engineer” classmate who built a working model, delivered research-based presentations to the full council on solar energy, wind power, and hydropower.
What this looked like in practice. Lola Eastwood argued for rooftop solar in Wichita, citing federal data that 65 percent of the year is sunny here and noting the drop in the stock of Sunrun — the nation’s largest residential solar provider — as evidence of what happens when government steps back from renewable incentives. Hazel Nordine made the case for wind power, including the counterintuitive statistic that domestic and feral cats kill roughly a billion birds annually in the U.S. while wind turbines kill about 150,000, making cats the more serious threat to bird populations. Charak Sadasivuni proposed building a hydropower reservoir at the junction of the Mitch Mitchell Floodway and the Arkansas River, with fish elevators modeled on the Safe Harbor Dam in Pennsylvania. Mia Cabrera-Beltrán cited an IEA study on fossil fuels and climate change while noting that Oklahoma landowners earned as much as $22 million from wind turbine leases in 2014 — and suggesting Wichitans might consider the same. Maya Gurshstein focused on solar as the cheapest long-run energy source, citing a 2021 Carbon Tracker report’s prediction that solar will supply the majority of the world’s electricity by century’s end.
Each student’s engineer partner demonstrated a working scale model — a solar-powered house, a wind turbine lighting a streetlamp, a hydropower turbine spinning off a water channel.
Council response. The reception was warm and substantive. Vice Mayor Glasscock, who noted he had worked in solar and wind energy, told the students that the Board of County Commissioners and the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission are currently hearing solar applications and meet Wednesdays at 9 a.m. Council Member Hoheisel pointed out that the City’s Public Works Director was in the room and joked about recruiting the presenters for future employment. Council Member Shepard made a direct commitment: “My commitment to you is making sure that I work with your administration to figure out how we can make that happen” — referring to a potential science fair at City Hall to bring the broader community to see student work. He also distributed Wichita lapel pins to each presenter.
Mayor Wu thanked Independent School’s teachers for bringing the students, then turned to the rest of the agenda.
II. Consent Agenda — Items 1–20
The consent agenda was approved unanimously 7 to 0, with one item pulled for separate discussion: Item 5a, the Douglas Avenue bike lane pilot. The remaining 19 items included routine business licenses, cereal malt beverage licenses, preliminary estimates for infrastructure projects, advisory board minutes, a design contract for converting the former Central Library into an event venue, a fee waiver for the Knox Court affordable housing projects, authorization for a FIFA World Cup community fan zone, and several zone changes, subdivision plats, and vacation requests.
Notable consent items include:
A design contract for converting the former Central Library into an event venue (District I) was approved as part of the consent package. The Downtown Wichita cultural and events corridor continues to expand, with this conversion adding another activation point near the Biomed Center zone.
A police armored rescue vehicle purchase was authorized. Separately from the storage building discussion later in the meeting, this represents routine fleet maintenance for the department’s tactical capability.
Fee waivers for Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) projects were approved. These fee waivers apply to the Knox Court senior housing projects discussed in detail later in the meeting and represent the City’s in-kind financial contribution to support their tax credit applications.
Consent Item 5a — Douglas Avenue Bike Lane Pilot (District I): Approved 6–1
This item was pulled from the consent agenda by Mayor Wu, who wanted it discussed publicly given that it had previously passed the council on a divided vote.
Background. In December 2025, the City Council voted 6 to 1 to approve a design concept for reconfiguring Douglas Avenue between Washington Street and Grove Street — narrowing the street from four travel lanes to three, adding on-street protected bike lanes along the curb, and retaining diagonal parking on the south side while switching the north side from angled to parallel parking. Mayor Wu voted no in December. The item before the council on May 5 was not the full $4.7 million project — roughly $3.3 million remains in the Capital Improvement Program for future phases — but rather a supplemental design agreement and pilot construction budget totaling approximately $1.4 million, broken into about $105,000 for Baughman Engineering to complete design and data-collection plans and roughly $300,000 for construction of the temporary pavement markings and tubular delineators (protective posts separating the bike lanes from travel lanes). An additional $15,000 was included to begin an artist selection process for eventual curb extension art.
How the pilot will work. Contractor mobilization and restriping are expected in early July 2026. The temporary markings will remain in place for approximately six months while the City collects data: pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicle counts; intersection timing; and travel speeds. Staff will return to the council in roughly early 2027 with the data in hand before any final construction decisions are made.
The public comment and council debate. Tex Dozier, Chair of District Advisory Board 1, raised an alternative vision: back-in angled parking on both sides of Douglas, potentially adding 20 to 70 percent more parking than the current proposal while also providing safety benefits. He cited the City of Tucson, which saw zero parking-related accidents over four years after switching from parallel to back-in angled parking, and the City of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, which achieved a 21 percent net gain in parking with a hybrid of parallel and back-in angled spots. He argued that Wichita has a rare opportunity to use the Douglas Corridor as a walkable “main street” alternative, and he expressed frustration that this option had not been more seriously explored.
Council Member Hoheisel, who visited Tulsa the previous week and observed back-in parking working well there, asked whether there was still room to incorporate back-in spots. Public Works staff recommended proceeding with the pilot as designed — noting that previous attempts at back-in diagonal parking (including near Clapp Park and on 17th Street) showed that drivers frequently ignored the back-in designation and pulled in forward-facing anyway.
Council Member Shepard, who served on District Advisory Board 1 before joining the council and attended multiple community meetings during the design process, noted that part of a USD 259 bond will remove school buses from Douglas — addressing one of the prior concerns about lane narrowing. Council Member Tuttle, who helped broker the pivot from a full redesign to a pilot approach in meetings with business owners, expressed support.
Mayor Wu voted no, consistent with her December 2025 position: “On December 16, 2025, I voted against the design concept for Douglas from Washington to Grove. That motion passed six to one with the Mayor choosing to vote no. And I will be consistent with that vote.”
Vote: 6 to 1 (Nay: Mayor Wu).
III. Board of Bids and Contracts
Finance Director Josh Lauber reviewed the Board of Bids and Contracts report dated May 4, 2026. Mayor Wu asked about Slide 15, which showed all bids rejected for an airport project. Lauber explained that none of the vendors provided all required information, so the City will revise the specifications and rebid.
Vote: 7 to 0.
IV. Petitions for Public Improvements
Paul Gunzelman, Director of Public Works and Utilities, reviewed petitions and budgets for infrastructure serving three new residential additions: Clear Ridge Addition Phase 3 (water, sewer, and paving), First Furlong Addition (water and sewer), and Stoney Pointe Addition (water and sewer). These are standard special-assessment petitions, where property owners in a new development petition the City to construct infrastructure that is then assessed back to the benefiting properties over time.
Vote: 6 to 0 (Vice Mayor Glasscock stepped away briefly).
VI. New Council Business
Item 1 — Knox Court East Senior Housing Revenue Bonds (District II): Approved 7–0
Korey Kneisley of Development Services introduced a request from Knox Court LLC — a partnership between Mennonite Housing and Presbyterian Southern Kansas — for a Letter of Intent to issue multi-family housing revenue bonds for Knox Court East. This triggers a formal state process that supports the project’s application for 9 percent Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) financing.
What the project entails. A Presbyterian congregation in District 2 (Council Member Tuttle’s district) owns a property where active worship has ended. Rather than leave the building vacant, the congregation partnered with Mennonite Housing to convert the church facility into a senior housing community. The plan calls for 27 units, using the existing church building partly as a clubhouse with amenities for senior residents and their families, with three units (two one-bedrooms and one two-bedroom) carved out of the church structure itself. New construction will add the remainder of the units.
Why it matters for the housing pipeline. Byron Adrian of Mennonite Housing told the council that this is the first of potentially multiple Presbyterian Southern Kansas properties available for conversion, and that the organization is increasingly exploring adaptive reuse of existing buildings rather than ground-up construction only. Mayor Wu pointed out that the project is within walking distance of multiple amenities, a criterion the council considers important for senior housing in particular. Council Member Tuttle noted she had met with Adrian four or five times and praised his persistence navigating both city and state processes.
The council had already approved a zone change for the site and HOME Fund support earlier in the year, both of which strengthen the LIHTC application. The fee waiver was included in the consent agenda.
Vote: 7 to 0 (Tuttle moved).
Item 2 — Knox Court South Senior Housing Revenue Bonds (District IV): Approved 7–0
An identical structure to Knox Court East, but located in District IV (Vice Mayor Glasscock’s district), this project is entirely new construction — the church building on the south site is not suitable for adaptive reuse in the same way. Mayor Wu used the discussion to ask Adrian whether Mennonite Housing sees broader opportunity for this kind of church-to-housing conversion across Wichita; he confirmed the pipeline of opportunity is substantial.
Vote: 7 to 0 (Glasscock moved).
Item 3 — Vecino Bond Group / Breakthrough South Broadway Affordable Housing (District III): Approved 7–0
This project follows the same LIHTC revenue bond structure but serves a different population and a different neighborhood. Vecino Group, a national supportive housing developer based in the Midwest (presenter Heather spoke from Olathe, Kansas), is partnering with Breakthrough (Andy and his team, as referenced by the developer) to build 15 affordable housing units on South Broadway, with 10 units set aside for individuals exiting homelessness who already hold vouchers.
What makes this project distinctive. Beyond the housing units themselves, the project partners plan to purchase back a portion of the current Christian Faith Center property and convert it into a co-op grocery store, laundromat, and small retail incubator space — addressing what Amy, a spokesperson for the Neighboring Movement, called a lack of basic retail services in the SoCe (South Central) neighborhood. The combination of housing plus neighborhood commercial infrastructure is rare in Wichita’s affordable housing pipeline.
Heather of Vecino noted that in 2025, the organization permanently ended homelessness for 621 households nationally, and that individuals who remain housed for more than two years have only a 5 percent chance of returning to homelessness — framing permanent housing as the most effective homelessness intervention available.
Council Member Hoheisel, in whose district the project sits, was visibly enthusiastic. Council Member Johnston thanked Vecino for “investing in an area of town that’s often forgotten.” Council Member Shepard, representing an adjacent district, extended an invitation: “I invite you all to take that step and learn and then bring it on over to District 1.”
Vote: 7 to 0 (Hoheisel moved).
Item 4 — Proposed Assessments for September 2026 Bond Sale (Series 838): Approved 7–0, Workshop Directed
Paul Gunzelman returned to present 91 ordinances — 28 paving projects, 24 water projects, 24 sewer projects, and 15 storm sewer projects — that will be rolled into the City’s September 2026 bond sale. This is the standard mechanism by which the City finances improvements petitioned by developers in new subdivisions: the City builds the infrastructure, then assesses the cost back to the benefiting properties, and bonds the outstanding assessments in periodic sales.
A process failure surfaced. Two residents came forward during public comment to describe a problem that generated significant council concern: their projects were completed years ago, but they are only now receiving their assessments.
Gabe Schultz, a resident of Rainbow Lakes (Wheatland Place), explained that residents in his 27-home neighborhood agreed to and expected the assessment process, but the project took roughly double the expected time to close out — and in the intervening years, interest rates rose from roughly 0.26 percent to 2.25 percent, adding approximately $200,000 to the total project cost that residents must now absorb. His question was direct: if the City’s own process delays were the cause of the cost increase, should residents bear the full burden?
Jeff Roberts, also from Wheatland Place, added a second concern: the paving contractor’s sodding work was done by an unlicensed landscape professional, was poorly executed (wrong grass match, mesh left on the back of sod, compacted by an asphalt roller), and was repaired entirely by homeowners themselves — yet is included in the assessment.
Paul Gunzelman acknowledged that the Auburn Lakes project “did take longer to process than what typically is” due to staff turnover, describing the normal timeline as 18 months from construction completion to bond sale. The Wheatland Place project took five to six years. Mark Manning of Finance noted that the City uses temporary financing notes during the gap, and that interest rate changes during that period are reflected in the final assessment — meaning a longer delay with rising rates is directly costly to residents.
The council response. Vice Mayor Glasscock called for a policy reform workshop: “I don’t know what the solution is, but I think we can find something.” Mayor Wu agreed and directed City Manager Marstall to bring the issue to a workshop, with support from Johnston, Glasscock, and Hoheisel forming the required four-vote majority. Council Member Shepard broadened the framing, arguing the workshop should address historically disadvantaged communities with similar patterns of government-caused harm: “I just hope that we do it inclusively and holistically.”
Vote on the assessments themselves: 7 to 0.
Item 5 — Pinnacle Wellness Facility Operating Agreement: Approved 7–0
This item represented the most significant new public-private partnership of the meeting: a formal operating agreement for a first-responder wellness center at a property near 3rd Street and Broadway, to be purchased, renovated, and maintained by the Wichita Metro Crime Commission (WMCC) with City and County as operating partners.
The financial structure. The WMCC is committing $5 million to purchase and renovate the building (a former church/ministry facility adjacent to a development corridor being activated by Chase Koch’s group downtown). The WMCC will also maintain a $500,000 capital reserve. The annual operating budget is set at $188,000, split 50/50 between the City and Sedgwick County. The Crime Commission agreed to backstop the City’s $94,000 share for all five years of the agreement — meaning the City’s maximum out-of-pocket is $94,000 over five years, or less if the facility generates other revenue. At the end of five years, the WMCC will transfer the facility to the county along with remaining reserve funds.
Who it serves — and why it matters. The facility is explicitly designed for the entire spectrum of first responders and public safety personnel: police officers, sheriff’s deputies, firefighters, EMS providers, 911 call-takers, crime scene investigators, victim advocates, community service officers, and attorneys in the District Attorney’s office. Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett’s written statement — read into the record by WMCC President Ed Pavey — described prosecutors reviewing hundreds of hours of body camera footage, crime scene photos, and child pornography as part of their work, and noted: “On several occasions I’ve had to move attorneys to new assignments to give them a break from the litany of ugliness that they see every day.”
Council Member Shepard referenced leading a Leadership Wichita cohort that included a 911 dispatch ride-along: “To know that they are not just on the front lines but they are being exposed to that traumatic experience — we know what education says about ACEs scores. And that doesn’t stop as we go throughout life.”
Council Member Johnston, who said he initially hesitated because he didn’t want taxpayers burdened with another building to maintain, was persuaded by the Crime Commission’s financial backstop and the mental health case. Council Member Tuttle, who has worked on both police and fire wellness initiatives independently, called it easy to support.
On the aesthetics question. Vice Mayor Glasscock, a former Greater Wichita Partnership chair and downtown property owner, asked whether the required security fencing would be an eyesore at 3rd and Broadway. WMCC Executive Director Alan Banta — himself a downtown property owner since 1997 and former downtown Wichita board chair — said the design would be aesthetically pleasing and that the church plans to demolish an older preschool annex between the main complex and the purchased building, converting it to green space while preserving the historic chapel, creating a more attractive streetscape overall.
Vote: 7 to 0 (Ballard moved).
Item 6 — General Obligation Note Sale, Series 324: Approved 7–0
Mark Manning of Finance reviewed a routine temporary note sale to finance capital projects until they are bonded. Mayor Wu asked whether this could connect to the centralization initiative underway in the Finance Department; Manning said it likely would not, as the Finance/Public Works interface is already well-delineated. He did use the discussion to emphasize communication across the City’s 16 departments as a key tool for preventing the kind of extended delays flagged in Item 4.
Vote: 7 to 0.
Item 7 — K-96 Greenwich STAR Bond Project Phase III: Approved 7–0
Mark Manning returned to present the authorization for Sales Tax Special Obligation Revenue Bonds for Phase III of the K-96 Greenwich STAR Bond Project — a $191.7 million private development at the K-96/Greenwich interchange on the city’s west side.
What STAR Bonds are. STAR Bonds — Sales Tax and Revenue Bonds — are a Kansas financing mechanism that allows cities to capture sales tax generated within a designated district to repay bonds issued to fund development infrastructure. The theory is that the development generates tax revenue it otherwise would not have, so the incremental sales tax funds itself without drawing on the general fund. Manning noted that a nearby CID in the same corridor paid off in 7 years rather than its projected 22 — a sign of the area’s commercial vitality.
What Phase III entails. The developer (Morgan Kuhn, speaking for the entity called Family Destination in the meeting) described four major components to the full development: infrastructure, WSU Tennis, an entertainment and attraction complex, and a resort hotel, with retail and restaurant uses woven throughout. Phase 1 and Phase 2 are largely complete. Phase 3 infrastructure construction begins in June 2026 — Kuhn suggested equipment would be on site around May 21–22 when the bonds sell. Final construction completion is anticipated around 2031–2033.
Kuhn declined to announce the WSU Tennis start date specifically: “I do not want to steal WSU’s thunder with their announcement.” Mayor Wu said she looked forward to seeing construction begin as soon as possible.
Council Member Tuttle highlighted the broader significance: “Instead of us going to peer cities, now peer cities are going to be coming to us.”
Vote: 7 to 0 (Tuttle moved on a Declaration of Emergency basis, which allows the bond ordinance to take immediate effect).
Item 8 — Wichita Public Library Integrated Library System: Approved 7–0
Jamie Nix, Director of Libraries, presented a contract for a new Integrated Library System — the software backbone that manages collections, circulation, patron accounts, and catalog searching across all Wichita Public Library branches. Council Member Hoheisel raised the possibility of including a nonprofit directory on the library website as an unrelated but related community resource; Nix clarified that would be outside the ILS scope and would need to go through communications staff.
Mayor Wu congratulated the Wichita Public Library on its anniversary year and noted the Civic Engagement Passport recently launched, available both physically and as a printable download.
Vote: 7 to 0.
Item 9 — Safe Haven Baby Box at Fire Station 9: Approved 7–0
This item brought some of the meeting’s most moving public testimony, including from the nurse who originally brought the concept to the City.
What a Safe Haven Baby Box is. Kansas, like all states, has a Safe Haven law allowing parents in crisis to legally surrender a newborn at designated locations — including all Wichita fire stations — without legal consequence, provided the infant is unharmed. A Safe Haven Baby Box adds a layer of anonymity: it is a climate-controlled, tamper-resistant unit installed in an exterior wall of a fire station. A parent can place an infant inside without making any contact with staff, triggering a three-phase alarm system connected to Sedgwick County 911 that dispatches fire, EMS, and police. The key distinction from simply dropping a baby at a fire station is that it is fully anonymous — some parents, the testimony made clear, will surrender a child only if no human contact is required.
The origin of this specific effort. Samantha Oakes, a patient care technician at Via Christi St. Joseph, described meeting a 28-weeks-pregnant young woman in the emergency department who told her she wished there was a place she could leave a baby anonymously, safely, and invisibly. That conversation led Oakes to research Safe Haven Baby Boxes and bring the concept to the City and Fire Department. “My hope is that no one ever feels alone as that young woman did that day,” she told the council.
The financial structure. The Via Christi Foundation is funding installation and the first year of maintenance at no cost to the City. Ridgepoint Church has committed an additional $5,000, with Pastor Brett Warkentin expressing confidence that other congregations will contribute as well. Ascension/St. Joseph and Wesley Health are both positioned as clinical partners — meaning if a baby is surrendered, multiple hospital systems are prepared to provide immediate care.
Location and how the system works. The box will be installed at Fire Station 9, located off Kellogg, which Captain Jose Ocadiz noted is easily accessible and centrally positioned. If Station 9’s unit is occupied on a call, Stations 15, 5, and 11 are also dispatched. The alarm connects directly to the Sedgwick County 911 system. Before going live, the system will undergo a seven-day testing protocol connected to the fire alarm panel with backup battery backup. Annual inspections are required thereafter.
What happens after a surrender. Captain Aaron Moses of the Wichita Police Department explained the process: officers respond to the box or the hospital, place the infant in police protective custody (which triggers DCF involvement), and the Wichita Children’s Home coordinates emergency foster placement, typically within hours. The family’s anonymity is preserved — though surrendering a harmed infant does not shield the surrendering parent from investigation and potential prosecution.
Cindy Miles, who has worked with the Wichita Coalition for Child Abuse Prevention for 14 years and helped launch the local Safe Haven awareness initiative — describing personal motivation related to losing a grandchild — told the council: “If we save one baby, everything that we’ve done has been worth it.”
Council Member Tuttle asked repeatedly that the national crisis hotline be shared publicly: 1-866-99-BABY-1 is available 24/7 for parents and caregivers in crisis. Council Member Shepard noted that District 1 has the highest infant mortality rate in Wichita: “If we care about our children, the votes need to be consistent with how we are voting.”
Vote: 7 to 0 (Glasscock moved).
Item 10 — Police Vehicle Storage Buildings, Districts III and V: Approved 7–0
Captain Jason Cooley presented plans for constructing vehicle storage buildings at Wichita Police Department’s Patrol East and Patrol West substations. These buildings will store armored rescue vehicles — one per bureau — allowing faster deployment across the City’s four patrol zones rather than centralizing all tactical vehicles at a single location.
Why the four-station model. Cooley described a real-time example: during an active SWAT call on the west side, a centrally stored vehicle would have had to travel across town. With distributed storage, the closest substation’s vehicle can respond first while others follow as support. The City already owns the land at each substation, eliminating acquisition costs.
Funding. The $500,000 for the initial two storage buildings is available through repurposing of existing CIP funds — no new appropriation is required. Larger vehicles such as the Rook are stored at the Harry Street facility.
Council Member Shepard asked about building for future growth and ensuring concrete thickness standards account for the weight of armored vehicles; Cooley confirmed those specifications are incorporated. Captain Moses noted that he and Chief Sullivan recently toured Kansas City, Missouri’s patrol facilities and saw identical storage buildings in use.
Vote: 7 to 0 (Johnston moved).
Item 11 — Wichita River Festival 2026: Approved 7–0
Isaac Unruh Haskins of Parks and Recreation presented the annual licensing report and street closure plan for the Wichita River Festival, scheduled May 29 through June 6, 2026. The City’s in-kind contribution is approximately $350,000: roughly $250,000 in public safety (overtime and personnel), and the remaining $100,000 largely consisting of waived downtown parking fees and use of Century II and park property.
Vice Mayor Glasscock raised a recurring policy concern: if the City waives parking fees for River Festival, what is the consistent policy for other community events? He referenced St. Patrick’s Day, Automobilia, Naftzger Park events on St. Francis — asking for a holistic policy rather than ad-hoc decisions. Staff indicated the downtown parking manager is reviewing this and may bring a more uniform policy forward in future years.
Council Member Shepard added that events within Community Improvement Districts should generally not face parking fees as a matter of principle, and that River Festival’s expected CID status on part of its footprint provides a potential policy rationale.
Vote: 7 to 0.
Item 12 — 2026–2027 HUD Annual Action Plan (Third Program Year): Approved in Split Sequence
This was the longest, most fractious item of the day. The meeting’s closing hours were consumed by a sustained debate over who should receive $475,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) public services funding — and, ultimately, over whether the council should override its own Grant Review Committee at all.
Background on CDBG. The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development provides Wichita with CDBG funds annually as part of a multi-year Consolidated Plan. Among the eligible uses is a public services set-aside — money allocated to nonprofit organizations providing direct services to low- and moderate-income residents. The City convened a Grant Review Committee (GRC) to assess competitive applications from ten organizations and make recommendations. The GRC recommended a minimum allocation of $50,000 per selected organization.
The Grant Review Committee’s recommendations for the $475,000 were:
- Catholic Charities Harbor House: $50,000
- StepStone: $50,000
- Wichita Family Crisis Center: $50,000
- Wichita Children’s Home: $58,746
- Kansas Big Brothers Big Sisters: $50,000
- Prime Fit Youth Foundation: $60,629
- Plainview Colvin Kids Club: $50,000
- United Methodist Open Door (day shelter): $55,625
- Masters and Mentors: $55,625
- YMCA middle school after-school program: $0 (applied but not funded)
- Wichita Family Crisis Center (above) is the same organization — the committee funded them but below what others received
Why the YMCA was cut. Cindy Miles, the GRC representative who spoke at length, explained the committee’s reasoning: the YMCA is one of the six largest nonprofits by revenue in Wichita, with a foundation holding $73 million in assets and $3.4 million in income in 2024. The committee felt that smaller, specialized organizations with fewer alternative funding sources deserved priority. Miles noted the Y’s middle school program serves roughly 1,400 kids per year with CDBG funding, and that it operates on a more “shotgun” model — broad reach — while organizations like Masters and Mentors target youth already involved in the juvenile justice system with a research-backed, individualized approach.
Why this provoked the council. Mayor Wu disclosed that she is a YMCA board member (with no financial interest), and was deeply troubled by the loss of a 30-year partnership. Former Council Member Lavonta Williams appeared during public comment to describe the YMCA middle school program’s history, which has served up to 3,000–4,000 students annually in partnership with USD 259 and the City, and contributed to Wichita winning the All-American City designation. Wu argued, “I believe in outcomes not just output. A proven model should also be rewarded.”
The Wichita Family Crisis Center’s case was made forcefully by Executive Director Amanda Myers and Board Chair Mark Quayle (of Cargill). Myers cited 109 percent growth in survivors served and double the number of children served last year, 20,000 meals provided in the shelter, and no City or County funding of any kind. “Without our services there would be nowhere for those victims to go,” she said. Council Member Shepard cited WPD data: domestic violence crimes are up 3 percent compared to the five-year average and 8 percent compared to 2024.
The United Methodist Open Door conflict centered on Mayor Wu’s call for UMOD to relocate its day shelter services to the Second Light facility at 9th and Main Street, the City-supported one-stop homeless services hub. Deann Smith, UMOD’s Executive Director, explained at length why her board decided against relocating — primarily financial uncertainty, the absence of natural light and ventilation in the available Second Light space, and the complexity of serving a population with severe mental illness and behavioral challenges in a shared facility. Multiple council members attempted to attach a Second Light partnership stipulation to any UMOD funding; Smith was direct: “You are changing everything on the fly here.”
The voting sequence. The council went through five motions:
Motion 1 (Tuttle): Approve the full HUD Annual Action Plan but carve out the $475,000 public services allocation for separate vote. Passed 4 to 3 (Nay: Shepard, Hoheisel, Ballard). This protected the $4 million-plus in other HUD funding from being held hostage to the services debate (the plan had to be submitted to HUD by May 15).
Motion 2 (Shepard substitute): Approve plan plus a reallocated $475,000 — cutting Prime Fit to $53,629, Masters and Mentors to $50,625, Children’s Home to $50,000, and raising Family Crisis Center to $71,000. Failed 3 to 4 (Nay: Wu, Glasscock, Tuttle, Johnston).
Motion 3 (Glasscock): Approve plan with GRC figures largely intact — Family Crisis Center at $90,000, Masters and Mentors at $10,000, Open Door at $55,625 with Second Light partnership stipulation. Failed 3 to 4 (Nay: Tuttle, Shepard, Hoheisel, Ballard).
Motion 4 (Wu): All organizations at $50,000, YMCA receives $25,000, and Open Door must spend its funds at Second Light. Failed 2 to 5 (Nay: Tuttle, Shepard, Hoheisel, Johnston, Ballard).
Motion 5 (Johnston): Everyone on the GRC list receives $50,000, the remaining $25,000 goes to the Wichita Family Crisis Center (bringing them to $75,000), no Second Light stipulation. Passed 4 to 3 (Nay: Wu, Glasscock, Tuttle).
Final CDBG public services allocation:
| Organization | GRC Recommendation | Final Allocation |
|---|---|---|
| Catholic Charities Harbor House | $50,000 | $50,000 |
| StepStone | $50,000 | $50,000 |
| Wichita Family Crisis Center | $50,000 | $75,000 |
| Wichita Children’s Home | $58,746 | $50,000 |
| Kansas Big Brothers Big Sisters | $50,000 | $50,000 |
| Prime Fit Youth Foundation | $60,629 | $50,000 |
| Plainview Colvin Kids Club | $50,000 | $50,000 |
| United Methodist Open Door | $55,625 | $50,000 |
| Masters and Mentors | $55,625 | $50,000 |
| YMCA (middle school after-school) | $0 | $0 |
| TOTAL | $475,000 | $475,000 |
Council Member Tuttle was explicit about her objections to the process throughout: “We are changing the game in the middle. We’re changing the rules in the middle of the game.” She noted that organizations might have submitted different applications — perhaps requesting less than $50,000 — if they had known the minimum threshold could be relaxed. She ultimately voted no on the final motion for this reason, even though she supported the Family Crisis Center’s work.
Council Member Johnston offered a rebuttal: “The public did not elect the people we chose for the committee. They elected us.” He argued the final allocation essentially honors the committee’s framework — every organization funded at least at the $50,000 floor — while directing additional resources toward the organization with the most pressing demonstrated need.
Sally Stang of Housing and Community Services confirmed the plan met HUD’s submission deadline, which otherwise would have put approximately $4 million in additional CDBG programming at risk.
X. Council Member Agenda — Back-in Parking Ordinance Repeal: Directed to June 2 Meeting
Mayor Wu brought forward a request that had been discussed in a workshop the previous Tuesday: directing staff to draft an ordinance repealing the 2008 ordinance that makes backing into a parking stall illegal in Wichita.
Why the 2008 ordinance exists. The City Manager and Stephanie Knebel of Public Works explained four reasons the ordinance was adopted and has been maintained: (1) License plate readers, which power the City’s parking payment and enforcement system, require the rear plate to face outward toward the street; back-in parking faces the rear — and the plate — toward the wall or curb. (2) Flock cameras, used for public safety purposes, similarly depend on reading license plates facing traffic. (3) Safety: staff cited incidents in Old Town where backing maneuvers in busy areas led to property damage. (4) Operational: the City’s Park It parking ambassadors and WPD both enforce the ordinance.
The enforcement data. Knebel reported 120 back-in citations in 2025 out of 93,390 parking sessions started — and 218 citations in 2026 year-to-date (through March) out of 76,298 sessions, a rate roughly 2.5 times higher per session than the prior year. The City recently shifted to a first-violation warning policy (no fine on the first offense), but prior citations are subject to the normal administrative review process.
The mayor’s case for repeal. Wu pointed to 2026 vehicle technology — backup cameras and proximity warnings — as safeguards that didn’t exist when the ordinance was written. She argued that back-in parking is empirically safer because it gives the driver a clear line of sight on exit rather than backing into traffic. She also raised doubts about the accident causation evidence, asking how staff knows the Old Town damage photos show back-in incidents rather than impaired or reckless driving.
Council Member Hoheisel suggested the council look at Tulsa’s model, where back-in parking is available in designated spots alongside functioning license plate reader infrastructure.
The City Attorney confirmed the council can vote today to direct staff to draft the ordinance and bring it back, but cannot vote on the ordinance itself without it having been on the agenda since Thursday at 5 p.m. Wu accepted a friendly amendment from Johnston to bring the item to the June 2 evening meeting (rather than the June 16 regular session), making the discussion more accessible to working residents.
Council Members Tuttle and Ballard voted no, both citing concern about the amount of staff time the effort would require given what Ballard called “more pressing issues” — and Tuttle flagging the potential implication for Flock camera effectiveness.
Vote: 5 to 2 (Nay: Tuttle, Ballard).
XI. Council Member Appointments and Comments
Appointments (7 to 0):
- Council Member Shepard appointed Ellen Querner to the Wichita Animal Advisory Board, Lori Lawrence to the Sustainability Integration Board, and Tiana Kelly to the Affordable Housing Review Board.
- Council Member Johnston appointed Lamont Anderson to the Arts Council.
Comments:
- Vice Mayor Glasscock reported riding Wichita Transit to City Hall for the meeting, taking Routes 17 and 12. He praised the drivers and noted the bus ran ahead of schedule, but observed that the stop at 17th and Tyler had no concrete pad and no weather protection: “You were very exposed to the elements.” He called for CIP consideration of covered bus stop infrastructure across the system. (He also noted that he didn’t have a card that worked in the fare system and owes staff member Andrew Crane five dollars.)
- Council Member Ballard thanked attendees at the NOMAR open streets event.
- Council Member Johnston invited District 5 residents to a City Manager budget breakfast at Westlake Library on Saturday at 9 a.m.
- Council Member Shepard recognized Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, noting that Wichita currently has an Asian American mayor.
- Mayor Wu mentioned a free Explore Asia event at MARC Arts on Saturday at 10 a.m.
- Council Member Johnston wished everyone a Happy Cinco de Mayo.
Closed Session and Adjournment
The council recessed into executive session for 20 minutes (4:05–4:25 p.m.) to receive information on a civil lawsuit under attorney-client privilege pursuant to K.S.A. 75-4319(B)(2).
Adjournment: 4:25 p.m. Vote: 6 to 0.
Complete Voting Record
| Item | Description | Vote | Dissent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minutes | Approve April 28, 2026 minutes | 7–0 | — |
| Consent II (1–20 exc. 5a) | Routine consent items | 7–0 | — |
| Consent II-5a | Douglas Ave bike lane pilot, $1.4M | 6–1 | Wu (Nay) |
| III-1 | Board of Bids and Contracts | 7–0 | — |
| IV-1 | Petitions for Public Improvements | 6–0 | Glasscock (away) |
| VI-1 | Knox Court East revenue bonds | 7–0 | — |
| VI-2 | Knox Court South revenue bonds | 7–0 | — |
| VI-3 | Vecino/Breakthrough revenue bonds | 7–0 | — |
| VI-4 | September 2026 bond sale assessments | 7–0 | — |
| VI-5 | Pinnacle Wellness Facility agreement | 7–0 | — |
| VI-6 | GO Note Sale, Series 324 | 7–0 | — |
| VI-7 | K-96 STAR Bond Phase III | 7–0 | — |
| VI-8 | Wichita Public Library ILS contract | 7–0 | — |
| VI-9 | Safe Haven Baby Box agreement | 7–0 | — |
| VI-10 | Police Vehicle Storage Buildings | 7–0 | — |
| VI-11 | River Festival 2026 approval | 7–0 | — |
| VI-12 | HUD Plan (excl. $475K services) | 4–3 | Shepard, Hoheisel, Ballard (Nay) |
| VI-12 | CDBG $475K allocation — Shepard sub. | FAILED 3–4 | Wu, Glasscock, Tuttle, Johnston (Nay) |
| VI-12 | CDBG $475K allocation — Glasscock | FAILED 3–4 | Tuttle, Shepard, Hoheisel, Ballard (Nay) |
| VI-12 | CDBG $475K allocation — Wu motion | FAILED 2–5 | Tuttle, Shepard, Hoheisel, Johnston, Ballard (Nay) |
| VI-12 | CDBG $475K allocation — Tuttle sub. | DIED | — |
| VI-12 | CDBG $475K allocation — Johnston final | 4–3 | Wu, Glasscock, Tuttle (Nay) |
| X | Back-in parking ordinance repeal referral | 5–2 | Tuttle, Ballard (Nay) |
| XI | Council appointments | 7–0 | — |
| Exec. Session | Civil lawsuit attorney-client privilege | 7–0 | — |
| Adjournment | 6–0 | Johnston (away) |
Key Policy Threads to Watch
Douglas Avenue pilot timeline. The six-month pilot begins in July 2026 and will produce traffic, pedestrian, and bicycle count data by early 2027. The council will need to decide whether to proceed with the full $3.3 million remaining in the CIP for permanent lane reconfiguration. Back-in parking — the alternative raised by Tex Dozier and Council Member Hoheisel — remains a live option that was not incorporated into this pilot but could inform the longer-term design decision. The conversation about back-in parking at the June 2 evening meeting will run parallel to the pilot period.
Second Light and the homelessness services ecosystem. The failure of multiple CDBG motions that included a Second Light partnership stipulation for United Methodist Open Door leaves the question unresolved: Can the City’s homelessness services coalesce around a single campus at 9th and Main Street? Deann Smith of UMOD was clear about her board’s financial and operational concerns. Both Council Member Johnston and Council Member Shepard expressed desire for that partnership to happen — but the council stopped short of mandating it. The CDBG allocation is a three-year agreement, so this dynamic plays out over an extended period.
Special assessment process reform. The City Manager now has a majority direction to bring a workshop on the timeline and interest-rate exposure embedded in Wichita’s special assessment process. The Auburn Lakes and Wheatland Place cases — where residents absorbed cost increases caused by City processing delays of four to six years — are the proximate trigger, but Vice Mayor Glasscock and Council Member Shepard both pointed toward a broader pattern. Watch for a workshop date to be scheduled.
CDBG process design. Council Member Tuttle’s repeated criticism that the council “changed the game in the middle” by overriding GRC recommendations and relaxing the $50,000 minimum threshold raises a procedural question that will recur in three years when the next three-year allocation cycle begins: Should the council accept GRC recommendations as binding, treat them as advisory, or redesign the process entirely (smaller minimums, direct council involvement earlier, different criteria weighting)? Tuttle explicitly called for those lessons to be captured.
YMCA middle school program funding. The program served roughly 1,400 students as of March 2026 under its $50,000 CDBG grant. With that funding removed, the YMCA will need to fill the gap through its foundation, fundraising, or a renegotiated arrangement with USD 259 and the City outside the CDBG structure. Former Council Member Williams, Mayor Wu, and the YMCA’s own representative all indicated that the partnership with the City and the school district is the program’s backbone — whether that partnership survives the funding cut in its current form is an open question.
K-96 STAR Bond construction. Infrastructure breaks ground in June 2026. The developer said equipment would be visible around the bond sale date of May 21–22. The WSU Tennis facility announcement is pending from WSU directly. The resort hotel and entertainment complex are on a longer horizon (2028–2033). Residents and observers interested in the City’s northwest commercial growth can watch this corridor actively this summer.
Safe Haven Baby Box go-live. The box has been approved but must complete a seven-day alarm system test protocol before going live. Public service announcements and media outreach will precede the launch. In the meantime, all Wichita fire stations remain designated Safe Haven locations where anyone can legally and anonymously surrender an unharmed newborn at any time.
Civic Engagement Resources
Wichita City Council holds regular sessions every Tuesday at 9 a.m. in City Hall, 455 N. Main Street, Wichita, KS 67202. Meetings are open to the public.
Public comment on agenda items is taken after staff presentations. Residents may also address the council on any topic during the Public Agenda at the opening of each meeting.
District Advisory Boards (DABs) meet regularly in each of Wichita’s six council districts. The Douglas Avenue bike lane pilot, back-in parking ordinance, and CDBG grant applications are the kinds of issues that generate active DAB engagement.
HUD CDBG public services grant applications for the next three-year cycle will open in several years. Organizations interested in applying should contact the City’s Housing and Community Services Department: Andrew Tyree and Sally Stang are the lead staff.
Special assessment inquiries: Property owners with questions about pending assessments, timelines, or the administrative review process can contact Public Works and Utilities (Paul Gunzelman) or the Finance Department (Mark Manning) at City Hall.
Safe Haven crisis resources: Any fire station in Wichita is a 24/7 Safe Haven location. National Parent/Caregiver Crisis Hotline: 1-866-99-BABY-1. If a child is in immediate danger, call 911.
Wichita River Festival: May 29 – June 6, 2026. Permits are approved. Full schedule and event information: wichitafestivals.com
Coverage of Wichita City Council meetings is a core mission of Voice for Liberty. This post is based entirely on the official City Council Proceedings minutes of the May 5, 2026 regular session.