Tuesday, June 17, 2025
Bids for the sanitary sewer main extension project, an ordinance that redefined public vending, a development agreement for new housing in Concordia, and four executive sessions were just some of the items on the agenda at a busy city commission meeting on Wednesday evening, May 28.
The meeting began with commissioners convening for two separate executive sessions to discuss confidential business matters. In the first session, commissioners met with Tim Beims, the executive director of CloudCorp, City Manager Amy Lange, City Attorney Justin Ferrell, and Doug Hutchinson of TransEquity Development for 13 minutes.
After the session, commissioners approved a development agreement with TransEquity Development, Inc. The company, based out of Scottsdale, Arizona, intends to build a significant number of homes and duplexes in Concordia.
Lange stated that the project will require some new infrastructure, streets, and utilities. The Rural Housing Incentive District will be one of the tools used to accomplish this project. Lange stated that, with this project, the city would not have any cash outlay or obligation upfront.
In the second executive session, commissioners met with Lange and Ferrell for 15 minutes. No action was taken.
Commissioners then authorized Mayor Amy Jackson to sign a proclamation naming May 2025 as Motorcycle Awareness Month in Concordia.
Motorcycle riding has become a popular form of transportation and recreation for a vast number of people in the state of Kansas. There is a growing need to promote safety for motorcyclists and cooperation among drivers of all motor vehicles on the road. It is especially important that drivers be aware of motorcycles and give them space and respect on the streets and highways.
During the month of May, all street and highway users should unite in the safety of motorcyclists, striving to share the roadways in the state of Kansas.
Trell Grinter, the director of transportation for OCCK, presented her annual budget request to commissioners. Grinter requested $7,500 from the city for the fiscal year 2026, an increase of $2,500 over the previous year. Grinter stated that the increase was to offset rising fuel and maintenance expenses, and to continue providing safe, affordable rides for Concordia residents.
Grinter also stated that OCCK served 565 riders in the area in 2024. Twenty-five percent of OCCK riders needed the vans' lifts or handicap-accessible ramps. Eighty-five percent of the riders were under the age of 60. Thirty-seven percent of all rides given were needed for retail purchases, like grocery shopping; thirty-one percent were for medical needs such as doctor appointments at the North Central Kansas Medical Center, or to fill prescriptions at pharmacies; twenty-eight percent of riders were going to and from work; and two-percent of riders were attending school.
Commissioners then held a discussion session concerning the proposed Community Activities Center. Brenda Gilliland, the executive director of the Community Foundation for Cloud County, and Chris Atkins, the city's Parks and Recreation director, also participated in the discussion.
In the action item portion of the meeting, commissioners accepted the low bid of $39,870 from Midlands Contractors, Inc. of Kearney, Nebraska, for the construction of a sanitary sewer main extension on Kansas Street.
In its bid proposal, Midlands stated that the project would begin on May 26, 2025, and be completed by June 16, 2025.
Upon the recommendation of city staff, commissioners approved signing an extension with Midwest Public Risk (MPR) for the city's property and liability coverage for 2025-26. The city has used MPR since 2013.
Commissioners then approved Resolution 2025-2202 which adopts the city's Hazard Mitigation Plan.
Every five years, the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Plan in this region must be approved by the Kansas Department of Emergency Management. A final step in this approval process is for the governing bodies of organizations included in the plan to adopt the Hazard Mitigation Plan.
Adoption of this plan provides the city access to hazard mitigation grant funds at the time it becomes available. For example, an outdoor tornado siren is needed in the North Development, which is located in the city limits. Hazard mitigation grant funding could be used to purchase this siren.
In further action, commissioners approved Resolution 2025-2203 that set the date of Wednesday, July 2, 2025, for a public hearing on the condemnation of the structure at 425 West Ninth Street.
Commissioners then authorized City Manager Amy Lange to sign a contract with David Sprague to have another trailer house at 1915 Broadway Street entered into the city's demo program.
Under the Demolition Reimbursement Program, the city does not solicit sealed bids. The owner is required to bring in two bids from two different contractors. The city pays a reimbursement based on the lowest of the two bids. Dalton Dirt Works was the low bid at $7000. The city pays fifty percent of that cost - $3500 - from the demo program's Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) fund.
Sprague is developing the property into a travel trailer park.
In their next action item of the evening, commissioners reappointed James Reynolds and Luke Hood to three-year terms on the Board of Building Trades. Their terms will expire in May of 2028.
Completing a process that was discussed over several previous commission meetings, commissioners unanimously approved Ordinance 2025-3235 which updates the city's vending code.
Among the changes are increasing the penalty for a license violation to $500 for a first offense, and $1000 for a second offense.
The revised ordinance also added "private property" to its language in 11-501(a): '"Vendor” means any person engaged in the selling, or offering for sale, of food, beverages or merchandise on the public streets, alleys, or sidewalks in a commercially zoned area, or on private property, from a stand or motor vehicle or from his/her person.'
Commissioners then unanimously approved paying Hood Heating Air Plumbing & Electric for humidity sensors at a cost of $13,300, and for two new drives for the air handlers at a cost of $4,250, for the Brown Grand Theatre. The city's CIP fund will pay for the work.
Repairs and replacement of several segments of boiler piping at the Brown Grand Theatre have occurred during the past two years. The steam boiler and immediate connection pipes were replaced during a renovation, but the remainder of boiler piping is believed to be original to the building, c. 1907.
Additional testing was done on the boiler pipes and no leaks were found. The installation of humidity sensors / alarm system in the crawlspace of the boiler piping would alert staff that a leak exists at an approximate location, leading to more timely repair.
The two new drives for the air handlers allow for a smoother and quieter startup. These new drives would also allow speed adjustments based on heating or air conditioning loads.
The project does not modify any ductwork, so it does not address airflow to the stage itself. Not does it guarantee the boiler pipes will not leak in the future.
In its final action of the evening, commissioners authorized Mayor Jackson to sign an exchange of federal funds in the amount of $72,156.02 and to apply for the reimbursement of $64,940.42.
The Federal Fund Exchange program would allow the city to receive 90 percent of the funds to be exchanged. Exchanging these funds would allow the city to be more flexible in the way it uses the funds. The city could use the exchanged funds toward a variety of projects that the federal-aid program would not allow, including roadway construction, pavement preservation including overlay, mill/overlay, and chip and seal. It could also use the funds for safety improvements, including signage, traffic signals, the installation or upgrade of guardrails, the construction or reconstruction of sidewalks, ADA ramps, or pedestrian signals; the replacement of deteriorated curb and gutter; and storm sewer repairs.
Commissioners then met in a third executive session with Lange, Ferrell, and Chase Larson for 15 minutes to discus confidential business data. No action was taken.
Commissioners then met in a fourth executive session with Lange to discuss non-elected personnel. No action was taken.
With no further items on the agenda, the meeting adjourned at 8:25 p.m.
