Category: Unified Government Commission

Two UG committee meetings scheduled today

Two Unified Government committee meetings are scheduled today, March 22.

ARPA subcommittee meeting

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) subcommittee meeting will be held at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 22, according to a meeting notice. It will be a virtual meeting.

The meeting will have an update on other local units of government, nonprofit – UG Department application web portal and next steps for the local ARPA.

The meeting will be on Zoom. Also, the public may go to the lobby area of City Hall, 701 N. 7th St., Kansas City, Kansas, to watch the meeting via a link.

The Zoom address for the ARPA subcommittee meeting is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83864252214?pwd=THp5bWw5YTU0Y2tZUE.12TnFsRGpvUT09.

The passcode is 981034.

To connect by phone, call toll-free 877-853-5257 or 888-475-4499.

Arts, culture and economic development meeting

Also scheduled today is the Arts, Culture and Economic Development Special Committee meeting.

The meeting will be at 5 p.m. March 22 in the fifth floor conference room, Suite 515, at City Hall, 701 N. 7th St.

The public is allowed to view the meeting in person from the fifth floor conference room only, according to the meeting notice.

For more information, visit https://www.wycokck.org/Departments/Clerks-Office/Agendas-Minutes.

Is life harder in Wyandotte County?

Window
Opinion column


by Mary Rupert

Have you ever thought that life is harder in Wyandotte County?

That thought crossed my mind after information was presented at the past two Board of Public Utilities’ meetings.

Kansas City, Kansas, customers of the BPU apparently are more likely to get their electricity disconnected than customers of utilities in other counties, according to information presented at the meetings.

While undoubtedly there are some areas where life is tougher here and other areas where it is easier, this is one area that needs to be looked at, and changed if possible. The utility disconnection can lead to higher bills for residents to get reconnected, starting a downward slide that can lead to some residents becoming homeless, and requiring the community to spend larger amounts of money to take care of them.

The BPU’s cold weather cutoff policy was the subject of a discussion at the meetings. BPU staff presented their findings that included information showing that other utilities did not make that many cutoffs during the winter months, but BPU said many more of its customers were eligible to be disconnected.

The BPU staff presented information showing several months over the past four years, and how the BPU policy allowed electric disconnections on more days than the KCC policy. This chart was for January of 2022. Information from BPU meeting presentation.

Part of the problem was that the other utilities generally had a 35-degree level for cutoffs, while BPU’s was 32 degrees. Also, there was a 48-hour weather window, with temperatures dropping below 35 in the next 48 hours for other communities, as opposed to temperatures dropping below 32 degrees for a 24-hour window for BPU customers.

Information from BPU meeting presentation.

The issue was brought up by Jared Emmons, a resident, at a previous board meeting. The community should thank him for drawing attention to a policy that potentially leads to systemic hardships on the poor. While other community members have long complained about the cutoff policy, Emmons brought in information showing how the local policy compared to those of private utilities, which are under the Kansas Corporation Commission.

Information from BPU meeting presentation.

While some of the board members seemed to favor a change in the cutoff policy, Bob Milan Sr. pointed out that it does customers no favors to carry the debt, allowing the debt to grow higher and higher. The BPU staff also presented information showing that after the cutoffs or the cutoff notifications, many customers came forward to pay their bills and get their lights on again.

At its meeting March 2, the board discussed a committee review, getting more information, with different policies spelled out, and staff recommendations, and address the topic again at an April meeting.

One factor that makes the BPU different from private electric utility bills is that there are a number of extra charges the Unified Government places on the bills, including the payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) fee, which is like a franchise fee, along with trash bills, sewer fees and other charges. If electric and water charges were all that was on the bill, many residents wouldn’t have trouble paying them.

While lots of BPU candidates in the past have advocated for decoupling the PILOT fee from the BPU bill, nothing has been done yet. The UG has put the PILOT fee on the bill, and can lower it if it wants, but so far, the UG has approved the PILOT fees at budget time each summer. There has been some support on the UG Commission for lowering the PILOT fee, but apparently the UG would like to keep that revenue or replace it some other way. I’ve noticed an effort by the new UG mayor and administration to go after more federal grant money this year.

The BPU has always had some customers who couldn’t pay their bills, and there have been several programs operating in the community to provide funding for these customers. However, with the pandemic’s high unemployment and the past moratorium on cutoffs, these monies were in short supply the past few years. A state program used federal funding to keep the lights on for some customers, but the program was designed in such a way that it was too difficult for many customers to access and to fill out their forms. Also, the BPU offers several ways for customers to pay their bills, including payment plans.

As BPU board members pointed out at their recent meeting, there may be another factor at work here. The weather itself has been changing in recent years. There have been more see-saw extreme weather days, with temperatures 70 degrees in the daytime, falling to 25 degrees at night, up and down over weeks in the springtime. The BPU’s policy may have worked better several years ago, when there weren’t as many ups and downs in the forecast.

BPU staff estimated that during the past four winters, if BPU had used the KCC policy guidelines, they would have been able to disconnect only on 61 days instead of on 239 days, a 75 percent reduction of days when disconnections could be made. The staff estimated it would cost the BPU almost $10 million in revenue.

The BPU estimated a revenue impact of $10 million less over four years if it went from 239 days when it could disconnect to 61 days. Information from BPU meeting presentation.

The PILOT fees on the BPU bills, and the resulting cutoffs on electricity of those who can’t pay it, need to change. It operates like a regressive tax on the people who can least afford it. The UG needs to find another way to fund the UG government, other than the BPU bills. The BPU needs to widen its cold weather rule to 48 hours and 35 degrees, following similar policies that the KCC mandates to private utilities.

There is no reason why Wyandotte Countians should find life harder here.

To reach Mary Rupert, editor, email [email protected].

Grant proposals on agenda for UG Commission meeting Thursday

Grant proposals for the Mid-America Regional Council grants are on the Thursday night agenda for the 7 p.m. Unified Government Commission meeting.

The UG will ask the commission to approve grant submittals for federal fiscal year 2025-2026. Also on the agenda are many planning and zoning items.

The MARC grant item was “fast-tracked” by the Public Works Department from the Monday, Feb. 28, meeting of the Public Works and Safety Committee. The projects are not approved by MARC.

Only the top seven projects on the Public Works Department list will be forwarded for 2025-2026, according to department officials. The projects were scored by the department. Those projects include:

• 6th Street improvements, Central Avenue to Minnesota, and Armstrong 5th to 4th, $5 million;
• Leavenworth Road, from I-435 to 128th, complete streets reconstruction, $7.5 million;
• Strawberry Hill complete streets project, $1.5 million total cost, $600,000 local match;
• 55th Street, Douglas Avenue to Inland Drive, complete streets reconstruction, $7 million total cost, $2.8 million local match needed;
• Quindaro, Front Street to I-635, complete streets reconstruction, $23 million total cost, $9.2 million local match needed;
• Shawnee Drive – East Turner sidewalk improvements, $1 million total cost, $400,000 local match needed;
• Safe Routes to School, Leavenworth Road, 119th to 123rd, $850,000 total project cost, $340,000 local match needed.

Also on the agenda is a grant applicant from the Public Works Department to the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration for a grant to fund an environmental literacy and climate resiliency project.

In addition, there are agenda items involving Bennett Lake, next to the former Woodlands; Camping World at 94th and State Avenue; and various bar permits and other applications.

The agenda also includes proposed revisions to the Wyandotte County emergency operations plan.

Agreements with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 53 and the Teamsters Local 955 contract also are on the agenda.

On the regular meeting’s planning and zoning consent agenda:
• 1342 N. 126th St., change of zone from agriculture district to planned commercial district for expansion of Delaware Storage.

• 14140 State Ave., change of zone from planned commercial district to planned general industrial district for a contractor staging area and heavy equipment storage for Remco Demolition.

• 2822 W. 43rd Ave., change of zone from single family district to two-family district to bring an existing duplex into compliance.

• 9300 Leavenworth Road, change of zone from plannedgeneral industrial district to single-family district for the existing Bennett Lake and park land.

• 9400 State Ave., change of zone from agriculture distrit to planned commercial district for Camping World inventory lot expansion.

Special use permits applications include:

• 6550 Kaw Drive, renewal of special use permit for live entertainment with a drinking establishmenet;

• 5124 Sloan Ave., renewal of a special use permit for horses;

• 452 S. 26th St., special use permit for expanded mechanic’s shop to maintain tow vehicles and car sales, Sunflower Tow Service.

• 3801 R State Ave., 4100 Ann Ave., 4315 Ann Ave. and 949 N. 41st St., special use permit for grading, MJP Properties and Highland Park Cemetery.

• 8130 Kaw Drive, renewal of special use permit for temporary use of land for an office trailer.

• 7250 State Ave., renewal of a special use permit for a child care facility on the KCKCC campus.

• 3327 N. 7th St. Trafficway, renewal of a special use permit for a shooting range, CZ-USA.

• 527 Tenny Ave., special use permit for a short-term rental.

• 9020 State Ave., special use permit for indoor facility and outdoor fields for multi-sport training and tournament games, including food, beverage and liquor sales and related parking.

• 9020 State Ave., special use permit for future parking and baseball fields for Homefield Training Center.

Plan review:

• 9400 State Ave., preliminary and final plan review for Camping World inventory lot expansion.

• 9020 State Ave., preliminary plan review for Homefield Training Center;

• 14140 State Ave., Master Plan amendment from planned commercial to industrial.

• 9300 Leavenworth Road, Master Plan amendmenet from business park to open space.

• 9020 State Ave., Master Plan amendment from planned mixed residential to planned commercial.

Ordinances:

• Amending an ordinance on the 47th Street Overlay District to remove the requirement for a separate, interjurisdictional review panel of the UG, city of Westwood and city of Roeland Park, and other updates allowing each municipality to independently review their portion of the shared overlay district.

• 7331 Holliday Drive, an ordinance rezoning property from planned nonretail business and single-family districts to planned limited business district.

• 230 S. 65th St., ordinance rezoning property from single-family to planned commercial district.

• 4461 Eaton St., ordinance rezoning property from single-family district to planned townhouse district.

• 3159 Orville Ave., ordinance rezoning property from single-family district to traditional neighborhood design district.

• 1150 N. 38th St., ordinance rezoning property from single-family district to planned nonretail business district.

• 3817 Lust Drive, ordinance rezoning property from single-family district to agriculture district.

• 4621 Swartz Road, ordinance authorizing special use permit for no more than 20 chickens.

• 3801 Lloyd, ordinance authorizing special use permit for a short-term rental.

• 6261 Leavenworth Road, special use permit for continuation of a residential facility for boys.

• 401 N. 6th St., special use permit for a drinking establishment with live entertainment.

• 812 S. 12th St., special use permit for live entertainment at an existing drinking establishment and restaurant.

• 4403 Rainbow Blvd., special use permit for Friendship Inn for family memers and uests of patients at the University of Kansas Health Systems.

• 3151 W. 45th Ave., special use permit for a short-term rental.

• 2416 and 2416A S. 51st St, 5115 and 5126 Gibbs Road, ordinance rezoning property from single family, limited business and planned limited business districts to planned garden apartment district.

• 419 Armstrong Ave., ordinance authorizing home occupation special use permit for a personal training business.

Also on the agenda is a plat of Vogts Heights at Polfer Road and 107th Street, being developed by Derek McCallum.

Nominations to boards and commissions on the agenda include:
• Judy Anderson nominated to the Wyandotte County Library Board by Commissioner Chuck Stites;
• Dani Gurley nominated to the UG Park Board by Commissioner Stites;
• William Hutton nominated to the Self-Support Municipal Improvement District Advisory Board by Commissioner Stites;
• Joe Peterson nominated to the Advisory Committee on Human Relations and Disability Issues by Commissioner Stites.

5 p.m. meeting:

A special session of the UG Commission also will be held at 5 p.m. Thursday, March 3, to discuss the KC Levees project.

The meeting will be conducted virtually, according to the meeting notice.

The public may view the meeting on YouTube, on UGTV cable channels, and through Zoom. The public also may view the meeting in the City Hall lobby.

For more information on how to connect to the meetings, visit https://www.wycokck.org/Departments/Clerks-Office/Engage-in-Public-Commission-Meeting.