UG charter ordinance subcommittee review underway

The Unified Government’s Charter Ordinance Subcommittee on Tuesday went over the ordinance line by line to determine what areas committee members wanted to work on.

Topics that came up during the review included who had the actual authority over employees and the administrator – the mayor, administrator or the commission, or all? Whether the administrator or interim administrator should be required to live in Wyandotte County?

Also, how many commissioners are needed to make the decision to appoint or dismiss the administrator, what is the meaning of majority in this phrasing?

These issues may be addressed at future meetings, according to subcommittee leaders.

The subcommittee is made up only of UG Commissioners at this time. They include UG Commissioners Tom Burroughs, Chuck Stites, Mike Kane, Gayle Townsend and Angela Markley.

Commissioner Mike Kane expressed his opinion that the interim county administrator ought to be required to live in Wyandotte County, Kansas City, Kansas, Bonner Springs or Edwardsville, in the same residency rules applying to other employees.

The UG is paying the interim administrator a serious amount of money and after they get through this temporary situation they’re in now, they shouldn’t put themselves in this situation again, he said.

He also said needing a super-majority has tied the commission’s hands for a long time, and he favored a simple majority vote of the commission.

Kane said the community and commission should have more involvement in picking the administrator. The commission should be more involved than in the past, he said. There was agreement from the subcommittee members that since the mayor has to have the votes for the new administrator, the commission should have some input to make educated decisions leading to enough votes to pass.

Commissioner Stites asked about the commission being provided with more information about the administrator’s proposed contract before it goes through, so that they would know if the contract terms are within line for the size of the city.

Many other issues from the review were discussed Tuesday. They also discussed old language left in the charter ordinance from the mid-1990s that may no longer apply today.

There were no decisions made at the Tuesday meeting. In the future, according to Burroughs, the subcommittee will take up some concerns of the community about the charter ordinance.

In the audience on Tuesday were Mary Gonzales, BPU board president; and former Mayor Carol Marinovich, according to subcommittee leaders.

Today’s public meetings

Special school board meeting today

A special board meeting of the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools will be held at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 16, at the offices of McAnany, Van Cleave and Phillips law firm, 10 E. Cambridge Circle Drive, Suite 300, Kansas City, Kansas. It is open to the public.

The agenda includes the human resources report and recommendations; an executive closed session to discuss matters of nonelected personnel; and possible board discussion on legislative priorities, facilities committee and camera community forum. A review of the solicitation policy BBC is on the agenda. Also on the agenda is professional development for the board by Dr. Marcia Weseman.

UG Arts subcommittee to meet today

The Unified Government’s Public Arts and Placemaking Subcommittee is scheduled to meet at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 16, virtually and at the fifth floor conference room at City Hall, 701 N. 7th St., Kansas City, Kansas. Topics on the agenda include meeting expectations, determining their subcommittee’s work, evaluation, a toolbox inventory of what they need and next steps.

The public may watch in the conference room or virtually online at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89543655808?pwd=K05kV0IwdVgwTEdQNEtrbUI0ajc2dz09. The meeting ID is 895 4365 5808 and the passcode is 525881.

BPU to meet tonight

The Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Public Utilities is scheduled to meet at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 16.

The work session at 5 p.m. will be followed by a regular meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Topics on the agenda for the 5 p.m. meeting include a board update, general manager update, the 2023 budget plan for capital improvements and a discussion of redistricting for the BPU in Wyandotte County.

Also, the regular session at 6 p.m. Wednesday will have several topics on the agenda:

Public comment time will be followed by general manager and staff reports. A risk management policy resolution, water operations benchmarking and miscellaneous comments are on the agenda, along with board comments.

The public may call in to listen to the BPU meetings on their telephones, or the public may access the internet and click on a Zoom meeting button.

To join the Zoom meeting on the internet, visit https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84523139724.

Those listening by telephone may call toll-free 1-888-475-4499. The meeting ID number is 845 2313 9724.

The board meeting information packet is available to the public at this link:
https://www.bpu.com/Portals/0/pdf/board-information-packet-11-16-22.pdf.


To see a story about this meeting, visit https://wyandotteonline.com/bpu-scheduled-to-meet-wednesday-3/

Temperatures well below normal

Snow glistenng on trees on Tuesday morning in Wyandotte County. (Photo by Steve Rupert)
The maximum temperature forecast is in the mid-30s Wednesday in the Kansas City area, according to the National Weather Service. (National Weather Service graphic)

Temperatures are well below normal through the weekend, according to the National Weather Service forecast.

Today’s high will be 35, with a west northwest wind gusting as high as 23 mph, the weather service said.

Overnight lows will be in the teens across eastern Kansas and most of Missouri this week, according to the weather service.

Snow flurries are possible at times through the end of this week, with no accumulations expected. Seasonable temperatures will return next week, the weather service said.

Flurries are possible on Thursday afternoon, probably after 5 p.m., with some sprinkles earlier in the afternoon, according to the weather service.

Today, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 35, the weather service said. A west northwest wind of 9 to 14 mph will gust as high as 23 mph.

Tonight, there will be increasing clouds, with a low of 22 with a west southwest wind of 3 to 6 mph, according to the weather service.

Thursday, there is a chance of sprinkles after noon, mixing with flurries after 5 p.m., the weather service said. The high will be near 41, with a west southwest wind of 6 to 13 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. Winds may gust as high as 22 mph.

Thursday night, there is a chance of sprinkles and flurries before 7 p.m., then a chance of flurries between 7 p.m. and midnight, according to the weather service. The low will be around 17. A northwest wind of 9 mph will gust as high as 18 mph.

Friday, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 28 and a northwest wind of 7 to 11 mph, gusting as high as 20 mph, the weather service said.

Friday night, it will be mostly clear, with a low of 17, according to the weather service.

Saturday, it will be sunny, with a high near 36, the weather service said.

Saturday night, it will be clear, with a low of 17, according to the weather service.

Sunday, it will be sunny, with a high near 42, the weather service said.

Sunday night, it will be clear, with a low of 30, according to the weather service.

Monday, it will be sunny, with a high near 51, the weather service said.

Monday night, it will be mostly clear, with a low of 32, according to the weather service.

Tuesday, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 51, the weather service said.