Commission continues discussion on priorities
CITY COMMISSION
A resolution waiving GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) requirements, and a resolution setting the public hearing date for a structure at 223 West 11th Street, were two of the action items at the regularly scheduled meeting of the city commission on Wednesday.
City commissioners, city manager Amy Lange, and department heads continued their priorities discussion from the January 4 meeting. At that earlier meeting, commissioners set their priorities for the upcoming year and directed Lange to draft the categories and subcategories for review and further discussion. The categories include:
Housing: support development of new housing projects aligned with the 2022 Concordia Housing Study and Market Analysis; hold landlords accountable to provide safe housing to tenants.
Maintain Infrastructure: ensure financial health of the city to maintain current infrastructure and staffing; focus resources on recruitment and staff development; focus resources on arterial and collector street corridors.
Support the Health and Vitality of Our Community: address blight, address nuisances fairly and effectively; continue efforts to encourage demolition or repair of unsafe and dangerous structures, and encourage property owners to maintain their properties in a way that showcases Concordia pride to neighbors and visitors.
Also on the priorities list was support for policies and projects that promote a high quality of life for residents, including resources to support physical, social, emotional and mental health needs of residents.
The commissioners also want to evaluate programming to meet current needs, including available
funding and staffing resources, and support “growth multiplier” policies and projects such as child care.
During the action item portion of the meeting, the commissioners voted to approve Resolution 2023-2148, which waives GAAP requirements.
Since 1983, the city of Concordia has used the regulatory basis of accounting and waived GAAP requirements. The regulatory basis of accounting results in a financial statement presentation which shows cash receipts, cash disbursements, cash and unencumbered cash balances, and expenditures compared to budget. Balance sheets that would have shown non-cash assets such as receivables, inventories and prepaid expense, liabilities such as deferred revenue and matured principal and interest payable, and reservations of the fund balance are not presented. Financial statements and reports required by GAAP are not relevant to the requirements of the cash basis and budget laws of Kansas. Choosing to use the regulatory basis of accounting requires a resolution in compliance with K.S.A. 75-1120a(c).
In further action, the commission voted unanimously to approve Resolution 2023-2149, which set the date of March 1 at 5:30 p.m. for a public hearing on a structure at 223 West 11th Street. The resolution is required to start the condemnation process of the structure that was damaged by fire on November 11, 2022, and for which the city received insurance proceeds of $12,009.00. Within 45 days of receiving these proceeds the city is required to set a public hearing date by resolution.
The commissioner also voted to approve Tammy Britt and Darren Hill to another term on the
Board of Zoning Appeals.
New Police Chief Brent Gering spoke briefly to the commissioners. “We are starting to see fentanyl in the Concordia area,” Gering said, reiterating a warning that his department issued the day before to the public concerning the dangerous drug. “We have reached out to the high school and the college and gave them a brief summary on what to do if they see it and how to handle it. We're trying to stay ahead of it.”
The commission meeting was officially adjourned at 6:11 p.m.