Pittsburg City Commission Meeting Recap – Aug. 23

PITTSBURG, KS – The following actions were taken at the Pittsburg City Commission meeting held on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2022:

 Public Input:

• Mark Chambers shared a prayer of invocation.
• Vince VanBecelaere, Tracy Bevilacqua, Justin Edge, Tim Burns, Sean Torrance, Todd Allison, Brian Jackson, and Kim Allison addressed concerns regarding recent arrests made in the Amber Drive neighborhood.
• Stephanie Watts shared safety concerns about recent incidents involving individuals in the community struggling with mental illness.

The following items were approved under the consent agenda:

• The August 9, 2022, City Commission Meeting minutes.
• Ordinance No. G-1339, amending Section 78-31 of the Code of the City of Pittsburg, Kansas, and providing for the protection of public health, property, and safety, and the regulation of traffic by adopting by reference the 2022 Edition of the “Standard Traffic Ordinance for Kansas Cities” as published by The League of Kansas Municipalities, save and except such parts or portions as supplemented, deleted or changed and repealing Ordinance No. G-1329.
• Ordinance No. G-1340, amending Section 54-41 of the Code of the City of Pittsburg, Kansas, regulating certain public offenses within the corporate limits of the City of Pittsburg, Kansas, by adopting by reference the 2022 Edition of the “Uniform Public Offense Code for Kansas Cities” as published by The League of Kansas Municipalities, save and except such parts or portions as supplemented, deleted or changed; and repealing Ordinance No. G-1330.
• The Appropriation Ordinance for the period ending August 23, 2022, subject to the release of HUD expenditures when funds are received.

 The following items were considered under the main agenda:

• WHITE ELEPHANT EMPORIUM PROJECT – Commissioners voted to approve the recommendation of the Economic Development Advisory Committee (EDAC) to support the White Elephant Emporium project by allocating an amount equal to roughly 10% of the total project value to renovate the dilapidated property located at 804 North Broadway, with the City’s portion not to exceed $11,000 in nonrepayable funds.
• ORDINANCE NO. S-1088 – Commissioners approved Ordinance No. S-1088, granting to MCImetro Access Transmission Services, LLC d/b/a Verizon Access Transmission Services (MCImetro), a telecommunications franchise.

Non-agenda reports & requests:

• Commissioners continued to discuss the issues brought up under public input regarding the arrests at Amber Drive. Police Chief Brent Narges assisted the conversation and answered questions from residents and commissioners regarding the judicial process. According to Narges, additional patrol in the neighborhood has been requested and the police department continues to work on this ongoing investigation. City Manager Daron Hall thanked residents for coming forward and assured them the city would do everything in its power to help.

City Commission Meetings:

The Pittsburg City Commission meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 5:30 pm, inside the Beard-Shanks Law Enforcement Center courtroom. Members of the public are encouraged to attend. To learn more about the Pittsburg city government, city commissioners, or to view meeting agendas and minutes visit pittks.org/city-government/city-commission.

City commission meetings are broadcast live every second and fourth Tuesday on the City’s local government access channel (Cox channel 6) and on YouTube. To subscribe to the City’s YouTube channel, go to www.pittks.org/youtube.

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The mission of the City of Pittsburg is to provide exceptional services, facilities and activities with integrity, professionalism, excellent customer service and a commitment to economic vitality.