City commission votes to proceed with housing efforts

CITY COMMISSION

A recognition for retiring Frank Carlson Library director Denise de Rochefort-Reynolds, approval of repairs to the Broadway Plaza video screen, and an impassioned comment from commissioner Chuck Lambertz was part of the agenda at the regularly scheduled meeting of the city commission on Wednesday evening, August 17.

During an emotional speech, de Rochefort-Reynolds thanked the city commissioners, her staff, the library patrons and library board, and the community for their support of the library during her nearly 40-year tenure. “I'm here to thank you for your constant support of the Frank Carlson Library during the entire time I have been the library director. It has been a source of inspiration and pleasure for me.”

After ending her speech, de Rochefort-Reynolds received an ovation from the commissioners.

During the action item portion of the meeting, the commission voted to authorize city staff to proceed with conversations with property owners regarding property acquisition requests and to proceed with preparations necessary to secure funding for infrastructure development, including the Moderate Income Housing (MIH) grant application.

Over the past year, city staff and CloudCorp have participated in conference calls and webinars, have visited with local realtors, contractors, and employers, and have researched what other communities have done to address housing needs. The 2021 Statewide Housing Needs Assessment performed by RDG was published, and data for the north central Kansas region supports similar findings to the 2022 Concordia Housing Study and Market Analysis performed by Five Rule Rural Planning.

The state of Kansas recently announced an infusion of $62 million to address housing needs in Kansas over the next several years, including a higher level of funding in the MIH program.

Additional consideration is given to applications who choose to combine the use of a Rural Housing Incentive District (RHID) with the MIH grant, for which additional steps are required. The MIH grant application is due September 30, 2022.

In other action, the commission voted to approve repairing 26 modules of the Broadway Plaza video screen that were damaged during the hail storm on April 29. Apple One Media will repair the screen for a cost of $10,692. The city expects to recoup most of the cost through insurance, minus a $2,500 deductible.

During the Mayor/Commissioners Comments segment of the meeting, commissioner Chuck Lambertz said, “I want to take a moment to thank my fellow commissioners I currently serve with, as well as those with whom I have served in the past, for managing ourselves in a respectful and professional manner. I think it reflects well on our city that this governing body serves with the professionalism this position warrants. I would further invite and go so far as to challenge the other governing bodies in our community (and everywhere honestly) to hold themselves accountable as well their fellow members who were chosen to lead this community to serve in their capacity with the high standards of respect and professionalism our citizens deserve.”