Month: May 2022

Homefield, Rock Island projects on City Planning Commission agenda tonight

Several projects, including the Homefield training facility and athletic fields, are on the agenda tonight for the City Planning Commission.

The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. Monday, May 9, and is available for public viewing on Zoom at
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86136904011?pwd=NWwvTW9ZSlM5a1NvK3hiMFcxd0hHQT09.

The final plat for athletic fields at Homefield Perfect Game, 1501 N., 90th St., is on the agenda.

Other Homefield projects on the agenda include the final plat for the Homefield Training Center facility at 9020 State Ave.; and athletic fields and parking for Homefield Baseball.

Also on the agenda is a zoning change from limited business and single-family distrits to planned high-rise apartment district for a multi-family residential apartment complex and parking garage at 4601 Rainbow Blvd.

The Rock Island Bridge Entertainment Venue also is on the agenda, with a change of zone from no zoning to planned general business district at 0 Kansas Avenue, or 557 River Park Drive.

Also on the agenda for the Rock Island project is a special use permit for an entertainment venue at the same location, a Master Plan amendment and a preliminary and final plan review for the entertainment venue.

Other items on the agenda include:

• 10 S. James St., renewal of a special use permit for live entertainment at a community motorcycle garage, Brett Epp with Hickory Union Moto.

• 941 N. 74th Drive, renewal of a special use permit for entertainment in conjunction with a restaurant, Clifford Dale Jr. with Mason Jar Inc.

• 5917 N. 123rd St., final plat for one single-family lot, Dais Gardens, second plat.

• 2724 N. 13th St., change of zone from limited business district to planned general business district to operate a sports bar and grill with event space, also a special use permit, Vernon Hopkins.

• 4639 Parallel Parkway, change of zone from limited business district to planned commercial district for auto repair services, also a special use permit, Maricela Zamora.

• 4141 Joyce Drive, change of zone from single-family district to agriculture district for agricultural purposes, for the temporary use of land for “You Pick Berries,” classes, apprentices and a farm stand, also a special use permit, Regina Compernolle.

• 451 S. 14th St., special use permit to operate an inspection-light maintenance facility for United Truck repair, Prabhjot Singh Padda with United Truck Repair.

• 2002 S. 51st St., special use permit for health clinic serving uninsured and under-insured, Dean Michael with Sharon Lee Family Health Care Inc.

• 2618 S. 48th Terrace, home occupation special use permit to sell novelty toy and gift items, Melissa Herr with Herr Hut LLC.

• 5520 Inland Drive, special use permit to operate used auto sales business, Emmanuel Igbinosun.

• 3900 Rainbow Blvd., special use permit for live entertainment in conjunction with a restaurant and drinking establishment, Matt Brentano with Tanners Bar and Grill.

• 13024 Leavenworth Road, special use permit to keep 40 chickens, Moe Thu.

• 422 Sandusky Ave., special use permit to operate a short-term rental, Lisa K. Patterson.

• 322 N. 6th St., special use permit for live entertainment in conjunction with a drinking establishment, Blake Lostal.

• 205 N. Orchard St., vacation of right-of-way.

• 2140 S. 88th St., preliminary plan review for construction of a new entrance, truck scale and stormwater facilities, William Harkins.

• Resolution to support the MARC KC Regional Climate Action Plan.

The public may view the meeting on Zoom, or may listen to it on the phone at
888 475 4499 (toll free) or 877 853 5257 (toll free).

The webinar ID is 861 3690 4011.

The City Planning Commission agenda is at http://public.wycokck.org/sites/planning-agendas-minutes-staffreports/Agendas/May%202022%20CPC%20Agenda.pdf.

The Board of Zoning Appeals meeting will precede the CPC meeting at 6 p.m. Monday.

Pandemic shrunk Kansas public school enrollment and that could mean cuts in education budgets

by Suzanne Perez, KMUW and Kansas News Service

Two years into the COVID pandemic, students aren’t returning to public school in droves. So Kansas districts are starting budget talks with pared-down enrollment numbers and tightened belts.

Wichita, Kansas — Kansas public schools feel the pinch of enrollment losses that came with the COVID-19 pandemic — and it could mean fewer teachers, bigger classes and widespread budget cuts.

The number of students enrolled in Kansas public schools dropped by more than 15,000 since the start of the pandemic, according to state data. Some of those students may have moved out of state, but many likely turned to homeschooling or online education.

Federal COVID relief money helped districts cover shortfalls at the start. But longer-term student losses will mean less state funding.

“We will have to start to reduce the budget footprint, because the student footprint is down,” said Susan Willis, chief financial officer for the state’s largest district, in Wichita. “And it appears to be more permanently down, and not just a one-year COVID anomaly.”

Wichita’s enrollment has dropped by more than 7% over the past six years. Some of that came from declining birth rates and shifting housing patterns. But COVID worsened the problem, especially in preschool and kindergarten.
Kansas gives schools some leeway to account for abnormal years and to protect them from sudden swings in enrollment. Districts can use the higher enrollment figure from the preceding two school years to set their budgets.

But two years into the pandemic, students aren’t returning to public school in droves. So districts are starting budget talks with pared-down enrollment numbers and tightened belts.

“Declining … enrollment prevents us from waiting any longer,” said John Hutchison, deputy superintendent of Olathe public schools, during a public meeting to answer questions about budget cuts. “More money from growth isn’t really going to be coming.”

The Olathe district is looking to cut more than $28 million next school year. Officials plan to close the district’s virtual school, cut kindergarten aides and eliminate library clerks at middle schools and high schools.

In Lawrence, early budget plans included a proposal to close several schools, but that was scrapped after a public outcry. The district does plan to eliminate dozens of elementary teaching positions by combining grades in some classrooms.

Meanwhile, costs are going up for food, fuel and other supplies.

Kansas lawmakers approved a bill last week that would allow students to transfer to any public school district with the room to take them. If approved by Gov. Laura Kelly, the open enrollment measure would go into effect for the 2024-25 school year. State per-pupil funding would follow a child to whichever district they attend.

Lawmakers rejected a proposal for an additional $30 million in funding for special education. Supporters of that measure said districts have to cover excess special-education costs by shifting money from other areas of the budget.

Suzanne Perez reports on education for KMUW in Wichita and the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter @SuzPerezICT.
The Kansas News Service is a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio focused on health, the social determinants of health and their connection to public policy.
Kansas News Service stories and photos may be republished by news media at no cost with proper attribution and a link to ksnewsservice.org.
See more at https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-05-05/the-pandemic-shrunk-kansas-public-school-enrollment-and-that-means-cuts-in-education-budgets.

PILOT fee discussion on tonight’s UG committee agenda

A discussion about creating a new PILOT fee classifications is on tonight’s agenda for the Unified Government Economic Development and Finance Committee.

The meeting starts at 5 p.m. May 9. The public may watch the meeting at the Commission Chambers at City Hall. 701 N.7th St., or on Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88967479123?pwd=LzJuOVpCSHp2ZC9uRml6YlRldGVRQT09.

According to the agenda, an amendment to the UG charter ordinance is proposed to create a residential PILOT fee classification. Under such an amendment, UG commissioners could choose, for example, a lower PILOT fee rate for residents and a higher rate for businesses and industries.

The UG legal department has determined that the UG could not separate classes under the present laws, but it could if the charter ordinance were amended. A charter ordinance amendment would require a two-thirds UG Commission approval, and a 61-day waiting period in which a protest petition could be filed, according to the agenda.

Currently, the PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) fee is placed by the UG on all Board of Public Utilities’ customers’ bills. The PILOT fee is currently 11.9 percent.

According to agenda information, the proposed amendment would create two classifications for the PILOT fee, residential and commercial-industrial.

The PILOT fee makes up 20 percent of the total revenues of the city general fund for Kansas City, Kansas, according to agenda information. In 2020, the PILOT fee raised $32.7 million, a decrease of 42 percent from 2019, and in 2021 the PILOT raised $31.7 million, a decrease of 3.1 percent from 2020.

In 2014, the PILOT fee went up from 10.percent to 11.9 percent. The UG Commission votes to set the percentage of the PILOT fee during its budget approvals each year. When the BPU adopted an electric rate increase of 4 percent in March 2017 and 2018, the PILOT fee also increased as a result, according to the agenda.

Other items on the May 9 Economic Development and Finance Committee agenda include:

• Use of $400,000 in the UG Health Department’s reserve funds to respond to a tuberculosis outbreak in Wyandotte County.

• Amending ordinances for a Senior Utility Tax Rebate program.

• Approving an ordinance and resolution to allocate ARPA funds for capital, facilities and park improvements.

• A presentation of budget revisions for UG operating and capital budget policy related to the UG’s cyber security incident response.

After the end of the EDF meeting, the UG Neighborhood and Community Development Committee meeting will begin.

On the agenda for the NCD meeting:

• Adoption of proposed building and fire code ordinance updates.

• A resolution of support for all Neighborhood Business Revitalization organizations in Wyandotte County, including Edwardsville and Bonner Springs, with additional policies.

• Approval of a Mid-America Regional Council Planning Sustainable Places grant request for a complete green Rainbow Boulevard corridor between I-35 and Shawnee Mission Parkway, in partnership with Westwood, Westwood Hills and Fairway.

• Approval of a State Historic Preservation Office grant request through the Historic Preservation Fund for a City-Wide Historic Preservation Plan.

Also on the NCD agenda are several Land Bank option applications:
New construction, single-family homes:
3815 Strong Ave., 3813 H Strong Ave., 1302 S. 38th St., Chris Solutions LLC, two homes.
1536 S. 49th St., Chris Solutions LLC one home.
741 Shawnee Road, Chris Solutions LLC, one home.
4015 Coleman Court, Monique Smith, one home.
1047 Riverview Ave., Richard Dumas, one home.
1914 N. 6th St., 1920 N. 6th St., 1922 N. 6th St., 1926 N. 6th St., 1914 N. 6th St., Communities Cares LLC, four homes built on five lots.
1927 N. 6th St., 1929 N. 6th St., 1931 N. 6th St. , one home built on three lots.

New construction, multi-family
1305 Ann Ave., 1307 Ann Ave., 1309 H Ann Ave., 1311 Ann Ave., 1315 Ann Ave., 1319 Ann Ave., 1325 Ann Ave., Travis Wilson, 9- and 10-unit townhomes.
835 Parallel, 831 Parallel, 827 Parallel, 825 Parallel, 834 Troup, 830 Troup, Wall-Ties and Forms Inc., 15 units, townhomes.
843 Parallel, 851 Parallel, garden and orchard.
2110 N. 51st, Raj Bhatia, 24 units.

New construction, commercial:
1604 Minnesota Ave., Chris Solutions LLC, co-working office space.
3510 Strong Ave., Chris Solutions LLC, co-working office space.
706 Quindaro Blvd., Mohammad A. Chaudhry, parking lot.
6116 State Ave., Chantelle L. Sims, affordable small eat and boutique center.
5211 Parallel Parkway, The Dominique Experience Foundation, community center.

New construction, garage
4200 Leavenworth Road, Juan Antonio Vividor Rosa, currently owns 4100 Leavenworth Road.
2624 N. 21st St., garage, Edwina Gaskin, 2636 R N. 21st St., unbuildable lot.
701 Parallel, Aaron G. Chaney, currently owns 2010 N. 7th St.
950 Reynolds Ave., Jesus Valle, currently owns 945 Reynolds Ave.
1859 N. 28th St., Marisol Villa.

Land Bank property transfers:
Yard extension
2105 R. McDowell Lane, Robert Needham, currently owns 2105 McDowell Lane.
Property transfers
2517 N. 17th St., 2515 N.17th St., 2513 N. 17th St., OCP Neighborhood Association, park.
727 Central Ave., CABA, pocket park.
731 H. Tenny Ave., Rachel Bichara, vacation of right of way.

For more information about the meetings and how to view them, visit https://www.wycokck.org/Engage-With-Us/Calendar-of-Events/Standing-Committee-Meeting-EDF-and-NCD.