A Unified Government committee is scheduled to consider an amendment to the human resource rules allowing employees to carry a concealed firearm while employed outside of UG buildings, including within a vehicle.
The item is on tonight’s UG Administration and Human Services Committee agenda, scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. The meeting is on the fifth floor of City Hall, 701 N. 7th St., Kansas City, Kan.
A state law goes into effect July 1, 2016, that mandated that public employees could carry concealed firearms while they are outside of their offices, including in a UG vehicle or driving their personal vehicle on the job. This was prohibited by past UG policies.
According to agenda information, the proposed ordinance change states that all guns are still prohibited from inside all UG buildings. Open carry of a handgun is prohibited in UG buildings or during the course of conducting UG business, according to the ordinance.
Also on tonight’s AHS UG agenda is a request from Leadership 2020 for an extension to spend its 2015 UG-Hollywood Casino Grant allocation of $24,990 at a later date.
The grant allocation was to build an outdoor trail and outdoor classroom for Piper High School students. According to a letter received from Leadership 2020, the cost of the entire project is more than $400,000, and additional grants are being written for state recreational program funds. The project has received a grant of $15,000 from the GM Tri-Labor Council of Eastern Kansas Golf Tournament and Auction, as well as a contribution of $5,000 from the GM Tri-Labor Council of Eastern Kansas. Some in-kind donations also were received.
Also on tonight’s agenda is a resolution to approve a collaborative agreement between the UG, Kansas City, Mo., Independence, Mo., Blue Springs, Mo., and Leavenworth, Kan., to work together with the Mid-America Regional Council to develop and submit an assessment of fair housing to the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Another agenda item is a grant application for a Kaw River bike-pedestrian bridge.
According to the agenda, an abandoned railroad bridge near Kemper Arena has been leased to a private group that is exploring a bike and pedestrian trail over the Kansas River by the city of Kansas City, Mo., which owns the bridge. The bridge is located in the city of Kansas City, Kan. There may be a discussion about connecting the Heritage Trail and Kaw Valley Levee trails, an engineering analysis and other uses of the bridge.
If items are approved at tonight’s meeting, they would move on to the full UG Commission meeting for approval at a later date.
The agenda for the committee meeting, which includes the wording of the proposed human resources rules, is online at www.wycokck.org.