Pittsburg City Commission Meeting Recap – July 12

PITTSBURG, KS – The following actions were taken at the Pittsburg City Commission meeting held on Tuesday, July 12, 2022:

Public Input:

• Reverend Mark Chambers shared a prayer of invocation.

The following items were approved under the consent agenda:

• The June 28, 2022, City Commission Meeting minutes.
• The Appropriation Ordinance for the period ending July 12, 2022, subject to the release of HUD expenditures when funds are received. Mayor Brooks recused herself from voting due to conflict.

The following items were considered under the main agenda:

• AMENDMENT NO. 1 – AGREEMENT FOR CONSULTING SERVICES – OLSSON, INC. – Commissioners voted to approve Amendment No. 1 to the Agreement for Consulting Services between the City of Pittsburg and Olsson, Inc., to provide thirty additional working days of inspection, testing and administration in regard to the Atkinson Municipal Airport Apron Reconstruction and Expansion Project. The amendment extended the original contract from 40 to 70 working days.
• FAA GRANT ACCEPTANCE – Commissioners accepted a grant in the amount of $2,090,000.00 from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the completion of the Aircraft Parking Apron Reconstruction Project at the Atkinson Municipal Airport. Housing & Community Development Director Quentin Holmes said the apron project will help the airport accommodate the increased traffic it has experienced and facilitate larger aircraft at the facility. The FAA grant is a matching fund covering approximately ninety percent of the total cost. The city’s share will be roughly $232,000. The project is expected to begin in spring of 2023 and take approximately 4-5 months to complete.

Non-agenda reports & requests:

• BI-MONTHLY BUDGET REVIEW – During the bi-monthly budget review presentation, Finance Director Larissa Bowman shared that the city has received three tax distributions from Crawford County, which represents about 85 percent of what was budgeted, and the city will receive two more distributions before the end of the year. Bowman stated that the local economy is doing well, the city’s funds are looking healthy at this time, and sales tax revenues are up 14.92 percent compared to the same period in 2021. When asked about rising costs, Bowman said the city is seeing substantial increases in fuel costs and other operational expenses.
• QUINCY PROJECT PUBLIC MEETING – Commissioner McNay expressed appreciation for the public meeting held on July 7 on the East Quincy Project, and thanked Public Works & Utilities Director Matt Bacon and his team for their communication with residents. Bacon said attendance was good, and shared that digital message boards have been installed and detour signs are going up this week to notify motorists of the construction. Bacon also updated commissioners that his team met with the school district, police department and fire department regarding traffic management. The entire project is contracted for 300 working days.
• ILLEGAL PARKING ISSUES – In response to a phone call from a concerned resident, Commissioner Munsell asked if any citations have been issued for illegal parking. Chief of Police Brent Narges said that the codes enforcement team and police department handle various parking offenses in the city. Narges said the PD is creating a new warning parking ticket to help educate new residents who may not be aware of the city’s ordinances.
• THANK YOU TO CITY STAFF – Commissioner Munsell thanked city employees in several departments for responding to water main breaks, emergencies and other issues while working in the extreme heat.

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.