Wichita City Council — May 12, 2026: Police Accountability, Housing Investment, and Surveillance Oversight Dominate a Busy Session
The Wichita City Council’s May 12 regular session ran under two hours but carried significant civic weight. Three public speakers opened the meeting with pointed testimony — a District One resident calling for the firing of a police officer involved in a serious injury crash, a privacy advocate pressing for formal oversight of the city’s Flock Safety surveillance camera network, and a longtime neighborhood activist raising questions about equal protection. On the business side, the council unanimously approved a letter of intent for a new mixed-income housing development that will add 32 rental units and six Habitat for Humanity homes to District IV, renewed contracts bringing five major online retailers into the city’s purchasing system, and approved a transit advertising management contract. Three zoning and land-use cases moved through the planning agenda without dissent, though one prompted a pointed council request to streamline a procedural process that sends low-controversy cases through an unnecessary public hearing. The meeting closed with travel authorizations for five council members and the mayor attending a national civic conference in Denver, and Mayor Wu’s solo trip to the Farnborough International Air Show in London for economic development purposes. Assistance from Claude AI.
Every vote in the session was unanimous, 7–0.
Awards, Proclamations, and Recognitions
Before the formal agenda began, the council recognized four proclamations: the Sedgwick County and City of Wichita Annual Law Enforcement Memorial Day, Law Week 2026, 2026 Apraxia Awareness Day, and Wichita Facility Management Day.
Council Member Becky Tuttle used the Law Week proclamation as an opportunity to recognize City Attorney Jennifer Magana, who was named the 2026 recipient of the Wichita Bar Association’s Howard C. Klein Distinguished Service Award. Tuttle noted that Magana is the first person from the public sector ever to receive the award — an honor typically given to private-practice attorneys.
“You do a fantastic job leading your team, providing us with counsel and serving as a role model in your profession,” Tuttle said. “So congratulations.”
The council also recognized Landon Huslig as the session’s Exceptional Young Leader.
I. Public Agenda: Three Citizens, Three Accountability Demands
A Police Officer’s High-Speed Crash — and a Call for Termination
Monica Marks, a resident of 244 South Erie in District One, addressed the council about a serious traffic accident on April 18, 2026, at the intersection of 1st Street and Hillside Avenue. The crash, she said, was caused by a Wichita Police Department officer responding to an officer-assist call. She came to City Hall with one ask: fire the officer.
Marks read directly from WPD’s own written policy: officers responding to emergencies are required to slow below 15 miles per hour before entering an intersection against a red light or stop sign, and must ensure all cross traffic has yielded. She also cited the Kansas definition of reckless driving — willful or wanton disregard for the safety of others — which includes driving significantly above the speed limit or exceeding 80 to 100 miles per hour.
Initial media reports, she said, placed the officer’s speed at over 100 miles per hour. She described the stretch of Hillside between Douglas and Central — four city blocks with four stoplights — and methodically challenged any notion that the officer could have been safely navigating the corridor at that speed.
“Did he slow down at Second Street and get back up to 80 miles an hour one city block later at First Street? I don’t know. I would never drive that fast in this area,” she said. “This is a very urban, congested area. It was ten o’clock on a Saturday night.”
She shared a firsthand account from a resident at 1st and Hillside who described the officer’s vehicle as having suffered 18 inches of intrusion — indicating extreme force of impact. One of four civilians involved was pinned in their vehicle with a broken and disfigured arm. The officer’s car flipped onto the sidewalk. The officer was not wearing a seatbelt.
Marks said the officer-assist call appeared to be for an officer pursuing a warrant suspect at Douglas and Grove — not, in her assessment, the kind of emergency that justified the speed or the risk.
“I am calling for the firing of this officer for violating multiple police policies, for breaking the reckless driving law in this town,” she said. “You are still going to get sued; the taxpayers are still going to pay. But if you come out and fire him in public, I think that will reflect better on our City.”
No council member responded to Marks’ comments from the dais during the public agenda. The council did not take any action on the matter during this session.
Flock Safety Cameras: A Privacy Advocate Demands Formal Oversight
Andrew Cranmer — District Five resident and co-founder of the Sunflower Privacy Alliance — returned to the council podium for the second consecutive month with updated information and a four-point oversight agenda for Wichita’s Flock Safety automatic license plate reader (ALPR) program.
Cranmer opened by correcting a claim he had made at the previous meeting: he had said the Flock grant covering the original 50 cameras had expired. He acknowledged that was not fully accurate — the City Manager’s office confirmed in writing that the grant was extended through March 2027. He commended the clarification and asked that the record reflect it.
What that same clarification also confirmed, he said, is that ongoing Flock costs beyond the grant-covered cameras are now being funded through an internal budget reallocation — a spending commitment that was never brought to the council for a vote. He noted that Council Member Mike Hoheisel had specifically asked in October 2024 what future funding sources had been identified; the answer at the time was that none had been identified. The internal reallocation, Cranmer argued, now answers that question — but the council still hasn’t formally received it.
He then catalogued a series of oversight gaps:
- WPD told the council in 2023 that it conducts self-audits of the Flock system every 30 days.
- A Wichita Eagle inquiry in August 2024 asked WPD whether every individual search in the system is investigated. The department’s own lieutenant answered: “That’s not even possible.”
- The public filed a FOIA request for the audit logs that do exist. WPD denied it in full, citing undue burden and discretionary withholding.
- In December 2025, Flock Safety — the private vendor — unilaterally removed officer names from those same audit records without notifying the City or the council.
“We are being asked to trust a self-audit that cannot review every search, of records the public cannot see, that a private vendor has already quietly altered,” Cranmer said. “That is not oversight. That is an insertion.”
He pointed out that other jurisdictions have published redacted audit summaries, aggregate query volumes, and access frequency reports without compromising active investigations — and that Wichita has not.
The Sunflower Privacy Alliance’s petition — available at sign.privacyks.org — calls on the council to take four specific actions:
- Direct WPD to provide a complete accounting of how many total cameras are in the network, which are WPD-operated versus privately owned, and what the full annual cost to the city is.
- Review and vote on the budget reallocation used to cover ongoing Flock costs.
- Require that any future expansion beyond currently authorized camera levels be subject to a public process and an affirmative council vote before deployment.
- Direct WPD to provide regular, structured public reporting on Flock usage — aggregate query volumes, access frequency, and audit results — in a format that does not compromise active investigations.
“Oversight is not opposition to effective policing,” Cranmer said. “It is what makes effective policing trustworthy.”
No formal council action was taken on the Flock camera program during this session.
A Neighborhood Advocate Asks: Who Gets Protected?
George Theoharis, a longtime neighborhood advocate and president of three neighborhood associations representing over 6,000 Wichita residents, addressed a range of community concerns. He invoked the Andrew Finch wrongful death settlement as an example of what happens when residents persistently advocate for accountability, and asked why the city couldn’t partner with Habitat for Humanity to house a resident he said has been coming before the council for years after claiming her home was improperly demolished by city contractor MABCD.
He also referenced the Flock camera debate, offering a more pragmatic framing: “If one murderer or child that is being abducted can be solved, isn’t that worth the money and the breach of public concerns?”
The bulk of his remarks described a personal incident in which he said a vehicle with its lights off approached him at high speed, apparently attempting to intimidate or ram his car. He said WPD has not appeared to investigate the incident, even as he noted that a person who allegedly threatened Mayor Wu had been arrested and charged.
“I am a 69-year-old United States-born, honorably discharged, service-connected Air Force veteran whose grandfather is buried in Arlington Cemetery,” he said. “I have been doing this neighborhood work for 27 years. Our Mayor gets an arrest for a threat. Ours was a felony, and yet no seeable action. Can’t I get some protection also? Mayor, are you more important than I?”
II. Consent Agenda: Routine Business with One Public Explanation
The full consent agenda of 15 items passed 7–0. Council Member Maggie Ballard pulled item 3b — the contract for a new inclusive playground at Central Riverside Park — not to oppose it, but to give city staff an opportunity to walk through the community engagement process.
Riverside Park Inclusive Playground — $700,000
Reggie Davidson of the Parks and Recreation Department explained that $700,000 has been allocated for a new inclusive playground at Riverside Park, with a substantial portion dedicated to community engagement before any design is finalized. Residents and neighborhood associations will be consulted, the District Advisory Board will receive a presentation, and the council itself will have to approve the final design before construction begins.
Davidson offered context on how this project compares to recent park investments: O.J. Watson Park was a $292,000 project, Alley Park was $161,000, and Meadows Park was $172,000. The Riverside Park playground is substantially larger in scale, reflecting both the size and visibility of the location and a determination to build something that captures what the community actually wants.
Vote: 7–0 (after presentation)
Other consent items included cereal malt beverage license applications, preliminary estimates, supplemental agreements for The Hub multimodal transit facility and the Mt. Vernon/Hydraulic intersection waterline replacement, a developer’s agreement for Mies 2nd Addition in District V, the 2026 South Central Kansas Library System grants-in-aid contract, the Wichita River Festival alcohol consumption authorization, a temporary construction easement at a city-owned property on North 135th Street West, the dissolution of the Wichita Land Bank (Ordinance No. 53-030), and dozens of second-reading assessment ordinances for pavement, water distribution, and sanitary sewer projects across numerous new residential additions throughout the city.
III. Board of Bids and Contracts
Finance Director Josh Lauber reviewed the Board of Bids and Contracts report dated May 11, 2026. The council voted to receive and file the report and approve the associated contracts.
Vote: 7–0
IV. Petitions for Public Improvements
Public Works and Utilities Director Paul Gunzelman presented petitions for public infrastructure improvements serving four new residential developments: Cedar View Village 2nd Addition, Cherese Point Addition, Oak Tree Addition, and Pierpoint Acres 2nd Addition. The petitions cover stormwater drainage, sanitary sewer, water main, and paving improvements.
Council Member Hoheisel asked about two notably large cost increases reflected in slides for the presentation. Gunzelman explained that one came from Cedar View Village 2nd Edition, where actual bids came in above the initial estimates, requiring a petition amendment to cover the overrun. The other was from Oak Tree Addition, where additional lot splits required extending sanitary sewer service to additional dwelling units.
Mayor Wu connected the new development activity to a Wall Street Journal article published the previous Sunday — headlined “Wichita is a rare mecca of affordability for America’s new middle class” — and noted that the new developments were concentrated in Districts 2, 4, and 6.
Vote: 7–0
VI. New Council Business
1. Mixed-Income Housing Revenue Bonds: Midwest Housing Initiatives (District IV)
The council held a public hearing and voted to approve a letter of intent authorizing the potential issuance of multi-family housing revenue bonds on behalf of Midwest Housing Initiatives, Inc. — a nonprofit serving Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma — in partnership with Excel Development, a Nebraska-based affordable housing developer.
The project, located near Kellogg Avenue and behind Target in District IV, would create a “blended community” with 32 rental units serving households at income levels ranging from 30% to 150% of Area Median Income (AMI). Adjacent to the rental development, Habitat for Humanity would construct six for-sale homes on the same site.
Developer Sam Tavis of Excel Development explained the project to the council.
“Our mission is really just serving affordability throughout the Midwest,” Tavis said. “This community is intended to be a blended community servicing tenants anywhere from thirty percent of area median income, all the way up to one hundred and fifty percent, through a partnership with Habitat for Humanity.”
What the letter of intent actually does: Issuing a letter of intent doesn’t commit the city to spend any money. What it does is allow the developer to apply for 9% Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) through the state — a highly competitive federal program that subsidizes the construction of affordable housing. Without the city’s letter of intent, the developer cannot apply. The council is essentially endorsing the project’s eligibility to compete for that funding.
Vice Mayor Dalton Glasscock noted the project’s economic upside: the assessed value of the site would increase from approximately $780,000 to $3.6 million, generating an estimated $32,000 in additional annual property tax revenue. He also acknowledged that the city would forego approximately $30,000 in sales tax exemptions tied to the project — effectively making it close to revenue-neutral on paper, but with ongoing tax revenue thereafter.
Glasscock also flagged that the 9% LIHTC process is intensely competitive and argued it represents a reform opportunity at the state level.
Council Member Joseph Shepard emphasized that the project includes affordable housing for seniors specifically — a population he said is too often overlooked in housing discussions.
“A win in any district is a win for all of us,” Shepard said.
No members of the public spoke on the item.
Vote: 7–0 (Vice Mayor Glasscock moved)
2. Online Catalog Solutions for City Departments
The council approved multi-vendor contracts with five major retailers — Amazon, Grainger, MSC Industrial, Staples, and Lowe’s — to create an online purchasing catalog for city departments. Finance Department staff Elizabeth Goltry presented the item.
How this works: Rather than requiring individual departments to independently seek quotes for common supplies, this system creates an approved vendor portal through which city employees can order goods directly. Four of the five vendors provide rebates on purchases, which under current city policy flow to the general fund. The fifth mechanism for savings comes from negotiated discounts, which — because budgets are not being proactively reduced — would allow departments to buy more with the same dollars or carry unused budget forward.
The discussion surfaced two substantive policy threads:
Incentivizing efficiency: Vice Mayor Glasscock and Council Member Shepard both raised the question of whether departments that generate savings through this system should be able to keep those savings within their own budgets, rather than having the money absorbed into the general fund. Goltry clarified that the city does not plan to reduce departmental supply budgets based on expected savings — meaning departments that save money will effectively have more purchasing power, not less.
Buying local: Glasscock also pressed on whether the city has any mechanism for steering smaller purchases toward local Wichita businesses — citing the example of ordering from a local pizza shop instead of a national chain for department events. Goltry acknowledged no formal directory currently exists for that purpose, though she noted that purchases under $5,000 encourage multiple quotes and don’t prohibit local vendors. Shepard added that the city has been working with the Wichita Independent Business Association (WIBA) and the Create Campaign’s Spark Academy for four months to help entrepreneurs register as approved city vendors.
Council Member JV Johnston raised a practical safeguard question: can employees ship purchases to personal addresses? Finance Director Josh Lauber answered directly: “City purchasing policy prohibits employees from receiving items in their home. Period.”
Vote: 7–0
3. Transit Advertising Management Services
The council approved a new contract with Houck Transit Advertising to manage advertising on Wichita Transit’s bus fleet.
Transportation Department staffer Penny Feist walked the council through the advertising options and pricing structure. The full-wrap option — coating the entire exterior of a bus with a single advertiser’s imagery — costs $8,000 for production, plus $1,000 for a full year of display time, for a total annual cost of $9,000. But Feist noted that smaller, more affordable formats are available:
A “super tail” — an ad on the rear upper portion of the bus, the section visible to drivers stopped behind it in traffic — costs $300 for production and $250 for a full year of display, for a total of $550.
Mayor Wu seized on the affordability angle.
“For five hundred and fifty dollars, you can get the advertisement on the back of any bus,” Wu said, noting that small restaurants, businesses announcing they’re hiring, and other community organizations could benefit from the low price point.
Feist confirmed that the advertising agency handles design in-house for clients who need help, and that the city retains final approval over all advertising content. Political advertising and overtly religious messaging are both declined, though the agency has worked with applicants to adjust messaging to meet the city’s standards.
In a notable aside, Mayor Wu asked whether Wichita’s America 250 commemoration — part of the national U.S. Semiquincentennial celebration — could be promoted through a free bus wrap. Feist said Wichita Transit would be glad to do it: “It’s a once in a lifetime commemoration.”
Council Member Johnston noted, somewhat ruefully, that the clinic where he works had previously purchased a full bus wrap. “It’s pretty cool. It is expensive.”
Asked why advertising revenue has declined in recent years (’23, ’24, ’25), Feist attributed it to cyclicality — particularly the availability of healthcare advertising dollars, which she said has the biggest influence on the program’s revenues. The new contract adds a “media hub” analytics dashboard that lets advertisers track how many miles a bus traveled and in which geographic areas, with the goal of helping advertisers see return on investment and increasing engagement.
Vote: 7–0
VII. Planning Agenda: Three Land-Use Cases, One Process Reform Proposal
1. Loading Area Screening Dispute — Near 135th Street West (District IV) | CUP2026-00006
The council heard an appeal of a Metropolitan Area Planning Commission (MAPC) decision involving a conditional use permit amendment near the south side of West Maple Street and within 650 feet west of South 135th Street West. A business on the site sought to waive screening requirements for its loading area — requirements that were built into the original Conditional Use Permit (CUP) that governed the property’s development.
The complication: the loading area abuts residentially developed property to the west. The applicant argued that requiring them to screen the loading area — where delivery trucks pull in and out — created a hardship, in part because semi-trucks extend both taller and longer than the screening structure itself, meaning the fence doesn’t effectively hide the activity anyway. Neighbors and planning advocates countered that the applicant knew about the screening requirement before they built and should be held to it.
Vice Mayor Glasscock crafted a compromise motion designed to give the applicant two paths forward:
- Option 1: Comply with the existing CUP screening provisions as written.
- Option 2: In lieu of the current temporary screening at the loading area, construct a minimum six-foot wooden fence along the western side of the adjacent undeveloped parcel (Parcel 4) — the property most directly adjacent to homes — combined with an enhanced landscaping buffer requiring one tree every 30 feet (1.5 times the standard Wichita Landscape Code requirement of one tree every 40 feet). Once Parcel 4 is developed, that permanent green buffer would address the underlying concern about visual impact on nearby residents.
Planning staff confirmed that Parcel 4 development, when it occurs, would almost certainly place loading activity on the east side of that future building — away from the residential properties — further reducing long-term impact.
Vote: 7–0 (overriding MAPC, adopting amended CUP text)
2. Two Duplexes Near 23rd Street North — Zone Change (District VI) | ZON2026-00009
The council approved a zone change for property on the east side of North Jeanette Avenue, within 150 feet north of West 23rd Street North. The request was to rezone the site from SF-5 (single-family residential) to MF-18 (multi-family residential) to permit the construction of two duplexes.
Council Member Ballard moved to approve with a protective overlay specifying that the site is limited to two single-family dwellings, all structures must be no taller than 35 feet, and all structures must have a hipped or gabled roof — design standards intended to ensure the duplexes are compatible with the surrounding neighborhood character.
Vote: 7–0 (overriding MAPC; adopting alternate findings with protective overlay)
3. Rivington PUD #157 — Near 37th Street North and 127th Street East (District II) | PUD2026-00003
The council approved a zone change from SF-5 (single-family residential) to a new Planned Unit Development, designated Rivington PUD #157, on property near the north side of East 37th Street North within a half-mile west of North 127th Street East.
Council Member Tuttle, in whose district the project lies, emphasized for the record that she had no ex parte communication with the owner, applicant, agent, or community members about the case. She also noted that the case drew unanimous support from both the District Advisory Board and the MAPC, with no public comment submitted against it.
That uncontroversial status, however, prompted Tuttle to raise a broader procedural concern. The case was triggered for full council consideration because a protest petition reached 15% of adjacent property owners. Under city code, a case must be elevated from the consent agenda if a protest petition reaches 20%. The 15% threshold, in Tuttle’s view, is too low — it caused staff time, presentation time, and council agenda space to be consumed on a case with no opposition.
“This should not have come before us as an agenda item. It should have just remained on consent in my opinion,” Tuttle said. She formally requested that the City Manager review the process and consider raising the protest threshold to 20% as an administrative adjustment.
City Manager Dennis Marstall was present and acknowledged the request. The process change, if it moves forward, would not require a council vote — it would be an administrative adjustment.
Vote: 7–0
X. Council Member Agenda: Travel Authorizations
The council approved travel expenses for five council members and Mayor Wu to attend the National Civic League’s All-America City Conference in Denver, Colorado, June 25–28, 2026. The All-America City Award is a prestigious national recognition for communities demonstrating civic engagement and collaborative problem-solving. Wichita is evidently in the running for the designation.
| Member | Travel Dates |
|---|---|
| Vice Mayor Glasscock | June 25–28 |
| Council Member Ballard | June 25–28 |
| Mayor Wu | June 25–29 |
| Council Member Shepard | June 27–29 |
| Council Member Hoheisel | June 26–29 |
The council also approved Mayor Wu’s travel to the Farnborough International Air Show in London, England, July 16–24, 2026, for economic development purposes. Farnborough is one of the world’s largest aerospace trade shows, and Wichita’s status as the “Air Capital of the World” makes direct engagement at the event a logical fit for business attraction and aerospace sector relationships.
All travel votes: 7–0
XI. Appointments and Closing Comments
Appointments (7–0):
- Joseph Shepard appointed to the Wichita Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (WAMPO), replacing Council Member Hoheisel in that role.
- Arthur Allen appointed to the Cultural Funding Committee.
Closing remarks:
Council Member Shepard congratulated Finance Department staffer Josh Lauber on his upcoming graduation, noting warmly that the council would be “putting him right back to work” afterward.
Council Member Johnston recapped the District 5 Community Breakfast he hosted, which drew 65 attendees. He thanked the City Manager for attending and offered a candid note on inflation: the same breakfast cost $200 last year; this year, it cost $325.
Mayor Wu reminded residents that two more town hall meetings remain in the council’s district engagement series:
- Wednesday, May 27 — City Hall Council Chambers, 5:30–6:30 p.m.
- Saturday, May 30 — Evergreen Community Center and Library (Council Member Ballard’s District 6 breakfast), 9–10 a.m.
Complete Voting Record — May 12, 2026
| Item | Description | Vote | Dissent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minutes | Approve May 5, 2026 regular meeting minutes | 7–0 | None |
| Consent Items 1–15 (except 3b) | All consent agenda items | 7–0 | None |
| Consent Item 3b | Riverside Park Inclusive Playground contract ($700K) | 7–0 | None |
| Board of Bids and Contracts | May 11, 2026 report | 7–0 | None |
| Petitions for Public Improvements | Cedar View Village 2nd, Cherese Point, Oak Tree, Pierpoint Acres 2nd | 7–0 | None |
| VI-1 | Midwest Housing Initiatives multi-family housing revenue bonds (District IV) | 7–0 | None |
| VI-2 | Online Catalog Solutions — Amazon, Grainger, MSC Industrial, Staples, Lowe’s | 7–0 | None |
| VI-3 | Transit Advertising Management — Houck Transit Advertising | 7–0 | None |
| VII-1 | CUP2026-00006 — Loading area screening amendment | 7–0 | None |
| VII-2 | ZON2026-00009 — SF-5 to MF-18 for two duplexes, 23rd St N | 7–0 | None |
| VII-3 | PUD2026-00003 — Rivington PUD #157, 37th St N | 7–0 | None |
| X-1 | Travel: Glasscock & Ballard to All-America City Conference | 7–0 | None |
| X-2 | Travel: Wu to All-America City Conference | 7–0 | None |
| X-3 | Travel: Shepard to All-America City Conference | 7–0 | None |
| X-4 | Travel: Hoheisel to All-America City Conference | 7–0 | None |
| X-5 | Travel: Wu to Farnborough International Air Show, London | 7–0 | None |
| XI | Appointments: Shepard to WAMPO; Arthur Allen to Cultural Funding Committee | 7–0 | None |
| Adjournment | 7–0 | None |
Key Policy Threads to Watch
WPD Officer Crash Investigation. Monica Marks’ testimony puts the April 18 crash at 1st and Hillside squarely on the public record. The council did not respond from the dais, and no action was announced. Residents watching for accountability will want to track whether WPD’s internal affairs process, any potential Sedgwick County or state investigation, or civil litigation related to the crash moves forward. The department’s handling of this case will be a test of whether its stated policies on intersection safety are enforced.
Flock Camera Oversight. Andrew Cranmer’s testimony introduced a documented paper trail: a budget reallocation the council never formally voted on, a FOIA denial for audit records, and a private vendor’s unilateral alteration of those same records. These are specific, actionable claims. The council has now heard them twice in consecutive months. The question is whether any member will formally direct staff to respond to the four-point oversight agenda Cranmer presented, or whether the issue will be allowed to remain unaddressed.
Zoning Process Reform. Council Member Tuttle’s request that the City Manager revisit the 15% protest-petition threshold — replacing it with the statutory 20% level — is a small but meaningful administrative efficiency proposal. If adopted, it would reduce the number of low-controversy planning cases that consume full council agenda time. Watch for City Manager Marstall’s response.
Affordable Housing Pipeline. With the Midwest Housing Initiatives letter of intent approved, this project now enters the state’s 9% LIHTC competitive process. If awarded, it would bring 32 mixed-income rental units and 6 Habitat for Humanity homes to the Kellogg corridor in District IV. The council’s enthusiasm was bipartisan. The 9% credits are awarded annually and competition is intense — so approval is not guaranteed.
Wichita Land Bank Dissolution. The Land Bank dissolution ordinance (No. 53-030) was quietly included in this session’s consent agenda. The Land Bank has been a tool for addressing vacant and blighted properties by acquiring them and facilitating redevelopment. Its dissolution represents a significant structural change in how the city will manage problem properties going forward. Voice for Liberty will be examining what replaces it.
How to Get Involved
The remaining district town halls are open to the public and free to attend:
- Wednesday, May 27, 2026 — City Hall Council Chambers, 5:30–6:30 p.m.
- Saturday, May 30, 2026 — Evergreen Community Center and Library, 9–10 a.m. (hosted by Council Member Ballard, District 6)
To contact the Wichita City Council or submit comments for a future public agenda, visit wichita.gov or call City Hall at (316) 268-4331.
For the Sunflower Privacy Alliance’s Flock Safety oversight petition, visit sign.privacyks.org.
Voice for Liberty covers Wichita municipal government meetings as a public service. Meeting minutes reviewed are the official record of the Wichita City Council, Wichita, Kansas, May 12, 2026. City Clerk: Shinita Rice.