Month: July 2020

Heat advisory issued for Wyandotte County

Wyandotte County is in a marginal risk area for storms tonight. (National Weather Service graphic)
The heat index could be over 100 today. (National Weather Service graphic)
Between 1 and 3 inches of rain is possible Tuesday night through Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. (National Weather Service graphic)

Wyandotte County is under a heat advisory this afternoon, with storms possible tonight, according to the National Weather Service.

The heat advisory is in effect from noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 14. The heat index this afternoon could rise to about 102 in Wyandotte County, the weather service said.

Residents are advised to drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun and check up on relatives and neighbors, according to the weather service. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances, the weather service said.

Those who work outdoors or spend time outside should take extra precautions, according to the weather service. When possible, reschedule strenuous activities for early morning or evening.

People should wear lightweight and loose-fitting clothes when possible, the weather service said. Those who do outdoor work should schedule frequent rest breaks in shaded or air-conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency and people may call 911.

Severe storms are possible Tuesday evening into the overnight hours, according to the weather service. Large hail and damaging winds are the main hazards during the evening hours.

Hail and wind hazards transition to heavy rain and flooding hazard overnight across areas mainly north of I-70, the weather service said.

Dangerous heat also is possible later in the week, according to the weather service.

Today, there is a 40 percent chance of showers, mainly before 10 a.m., with a high of 94. The heat index may be as high as 102. A south southwest wind of 7 to 11 mph will gust as high as 21 mph.

Tonight, there is a 60 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 4 a.m., with a low of 72, according to the weather service. A south southeast wind of 5 to 8 mph will become east after midnight. Between 1 and 2 inches of rain are possible.

Wednesday, there is a 60 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1 p.m., the weather service said. The high will be near 86 with an east wind of 3 to 7 mph. Between a quarter and half-inch of rain is possible.

Wednesday night, it will be partly cloudy, with a low of 70 and a light northeast wind, according to the weather service.

Thursday, there is a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 p.m., with a high near 90, and a light east wind, the weather service said.

Thursday night, it will be partly cloudy, with a low of 75, according to the weather service.

Friday, it will be partly sunny, with a high near 96, the weather service said.

Friday night, it will be partly cloudy, with a low of 79, according to the weather service.

Saturday, it will be mostly sunny and hot, with a high near 98, the weather service said.

Saturday night, it will be mostly clear, with a low of 79, according to the weather service.

Sunday, it will be sunny and hot, with a high near 98, the weather service said.

Sunday night, it will be mostly clear, with a low of 77, according to the weather service.

Monday, it will be sunny with a high near 96, the weather service said.

Task force on community and police relations to meet today

The Wyandotte County Task Force on Community and Police Relations will meet in a Zoom forum at 4 p.m. Tuesday, July 14.

The public will be able to watch the virtual meeting on UGTV, which will be carried on cable television on Spectrum channel 2 and Google Fiber channel 141, and also on Facebook. It also is on Zoom on the internet, and access is available by phone.

The mayor’s task force on community and police relations was announced by Mayor David ALvey in early June. The task force members were appointed by Mayor Alvey on June 8. Mayor Alvey and Commissioner Harold Johnson are co-chairs of the task force.

“To create a community and culture that values the life and dignity of every person, it requires people of good will to come together in open and respectful dialogue,” Mayor Alvey said when he appointed the task force.

According to information from the Unified Government, the July 14 meeting will include a briefing by the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department on existing community policing efforts, future use of body cameras. Also, District Attorney Mark Dupree is scheduled to make a presentation to the group.

Next will be the July 27 mayor’s task force forum, to include community member and resident comments, issues and recommendations, according to UG information.

District Attorney Mark Dupree, who has led an effort to investigate past instances of wrongful convictions in the district attorney’s office, was not appointed to the mayor’s task force, while others who lead criminal justice agencies in Wyandotte County were appointed to it. Dupree was later appointed to the Governor’s Commission on Racial Equity and Justice.

The governor’s commission has already met once.

“This is not the first time a group like this has been convened to discuss the structural inequalities that exist in our country,” Gov Laura Kelly said at the first meeting of the governor’s task force last Thursday. “But I believe this national moment has provided the Commission on Racial Equity and Justice, and the state of Kansas an opportunity to have an honest and informed conversation about the work that must be done.”

The group made introductions and set goals in the first meeting.

“We had a robust discussion in our first meeting, outlining areas for inquiry and listening sessions,” Dr. Shannon Portillo, co-chair of the governor’s task force, said. “I am looking forward to engaging with our community listening sessions, and ultimately developing a report for Governor Kelly’s administration to take action on.”

The next meeting for the governor’s commission will be at 3 p.m. July 23, and the virtual meetings are being streamed on the governor’s YouTube page at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChH3fB2PkiJjZlo55c9UH2Q?view_as=subscriber. The July 9 meeting is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylmJgK8kuiU.

The details on connecting to the mayor’s task force today from 4 to 6 p.m.:

Join from a PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone or Android device:
Click this URL to join: https://zoom.us/j/99736527204?pwd=enFSYmRManpIUVc2MG9TVSswTGVvUT09
Password: 396749

Or join by phone:
Dial (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
US: +1 346 248 7799 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 669 900 9128 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 646 558 8656 or 877 853 5257 (Toll Free) or 888 475 4499 (Toll Free)
Webinar ID: 997 3652 7204
International numbers available: https://zoom.us/u/adq2aFCnTn

For more information on the mayor’s task force, visit www.Community-TaskForce.org.

An earlier story on the mayor’s task force is at https://wyandotteonline.com/task-force-on-community-and-police-relations-formed-in-kck/.

Fairfax fire station loses in UG straw poll; DA’s CIU gets preliminary nod

The Fairfax fire station lost a straw poll at Monday night’s Unified Government Commission budget hearing and workshop, while the district attorney’s community integrity unit won a straw poll.

The votes weren’t binding, according to UG officials, but will provide direction to the UG administrator to change the budget and present it at Thursday’s budget adoption meeting. That meeting is scheduled at 5 p.m. July 16.

The UG Commission was considering last-minute changes to its $382 million budget. The budget as originally proposed did not have a mill levy increase. While the mill levy rate is proposed to be flat, the assessed valuation in Wyandotte County went up 5.1 percent for the 2020 budget, and is proposed to increase 5.8 percent for the 2021 budget, according to the UG budget document. That means some residents could see an increase if their mill levies stay the same as last year. The budget includes some cuts and furloughs.

In a virtual meeting lasting nearly 3.5 hours, the UG Commission on Monday voted 6-4 in a straw poll against a proposal that would keep the Fairfax fire station in Kansas City, Kansas, open while opening the new Piper fire station, also in Kansas City, Kansas. The UG administration had proposed closing the Fairfax industrial district fire station and sending the crew out to Piper for the new station there.

Voting for the motion to continue to fund the Fairfax station and open the Piper station were Commissioners Mike Kane, Melissa Bynum, Tom Burroughs and Christian Ramirez.

Voting against the motion were Commissioners Gayle Townsend, Brian McKiernan, Harold Johnson, Angela Markley, Jim Walters and Jane Philbrook.

Commissioner Townsend had proposed an alternative – to staff the Fairfax station part-time and the Piper station part-time with the same crew.

Commissioner Johnson presented another alternative, to either delay funding for the Piper station or temporarily close the Fairfax station for the remainder of this fiscal year, with a commitment from the commission to work to find funding for both in the following fiscal years.

In previous meetings, it was stated that the UG would need $900,000 to staff the Piper fire station for the rest of the year, and would need about $1.8 million to staff it the next year.

Melissa Clark, a business owner in the Fairfax district and the executive director of the Fairfax Industrial Association, appeared during the public hearing and said that a fire station was needed in the Fairfax Industrial District, for the same reasons fire stations are needed at airports. It isn’t necessarily because they have a lot of use, but it is because of the volatile substances there.

She said it is a heavy industrial district, with volatile fuels underground, petroleum tanks and highly volatile oxygen lines.

Clark said the Fairfax district has over 135 businesses, more than 10,000 employees and $5 billion in property. It pays $18 million to $20 million annually in property and utility taxes, she said.

The straw poll vote was 10-0 in favor of District Attorney Mark Dupree’s CIU project. The commissioners discussed adding part of the funding that Dupree had requested, not the full amount.

The DA had requested $92,000 in 2020 and $260,000 in 2021 for a community integrity unit that would investigate complaints about police and law enforcement officers in Wyandotte County.

During a public hearing before the straw poll, the commissioners heard from several members of the public who supported the DA’s CIU, a hotline for reporting complaints about the police and the “Safe and Welcoming” ordinance.

One resident, Ann Suellentrop, told the commissioners she was there to demand funding for the community integrity unit and the passage of the Safe and Welcoming ordinance.

Suellentrop and other speakers referenced past cases where police allegedly abused their power. She said the CIU was necessary to increase public trust.

Kimberly Hunter, another resident, alleged that the police had covered up past abuses. She said transparency and independent investigations were needed.

Marcus Winn, a Kansas City, Kansas, resident and community organizer for MoreSquared, said budgets are also moral documents that reflect the values of the community.

He said checks and balances are a good thing. He also said some residents who have started complaints have abandoned them because of fear of retaliation.

Winn said they launched an online petition this weekend calling for the CIU, the Safe and Welcoming ordinance and the hotline, and they have gathered hundreds of signatures.

Marcia Rupp, a Kansas City, Kansas, resident, asked the commission not to defund the police, and that they need all the police officers they can get.

“Mom always told me, when you’re not sure what to do, not to make any moves at all,” Rupp said.

The meeting is online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sISnu6HKphA.

The UG budget is online at https://www.wycokck.org/WycoKCK/media/Finance/Documents/Budget/2020-Amended-2021-Proposed-Budget-Unified-Government-WYCO-KCK-FINAL.pdf.

To see an earlier story, visit https://wyandotteonline.com/ug-budget-hearing-to-be-tonight/.

Another earlier story is at https://wyandotteonline.com/ug-administrator-proposes-flat-mill-levy-rate-for-2021/.