Pittsburg City Commission meeting recap – June 23, 2020

PITTSBURG, KS – The following actions were taken during the Pittsburg City Commission meeting held on June 23, 2020:

PUBLIC INPUT:

• No one spoke under public input.

Commissioners approved the following items on the consent agenda:

• The June 9, 2020, City Commission Meeting minutes.
• Ordinance No. G-1313, decreasing the maximum speed limit on East Atkinson Road from Michigan Street to the east city limits from 35 to 30 miles per hour, as requested by the City of Frontenac.
• An Engineering Services Agreement with Olsson Inc., of Pittsburg, in an amount not to exceed $70,500 to perform inspections and testing for the 14th Street Bridge Replacement Project.
• Approval of the Appropriation Ordinance for the period ending June 23, 2020, subject to the release of HUD expenditures when funds are received.

Special presentation:

• Five Year Financial Forecast – Finance Director Jamie Clarkson and Deputy Finance Director Larissa Bowman provided information regarding the city’s five-year financial forecast. The 2021 submitted city budget will be presented July 14, and on July 28 the commission will be asked to approve it. A public hearing will be held August 11 to allow public input into the final budget document.

Commissioners approved the following items on the agenda:

• RESOLUTION NO. 1236 – Commissioners adopted Resolution No. 1236 and the funding agreement with Turnkey Development, establishing a public hearing on July 28 regarding creating a Rural Housing Incentive District (RHID) within the city for the first phase of the proposed Creekside Development neighborhood.
• MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING – CRAWFORD COUNTY, KANSAS – Commissioners approved an MOU between Crawford County and the City of Pittsburg to provide for the installation, operation, maintenance and a mechanism for activating the storm siren to be placed in Chicopee, Kansas.
• PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT – EARLES ENGINEERING AND INSPECTION, INC. – Commissioners approved the Professional Services Agreement with Earles Engineering and Inspection, Inc., for the preliminary and final design of a new wastewater treatment plant. The city is hoping to collaborate with the City of Frontenac to create a regional wastewater treatment plant and is awaiting the decision of Frontenac officials.
• GRANT AGREEMENT – KANSAS DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE – Commissioners approved a Grant Agreement with the Kansas Department of Commerce in which the KDOC will provide the city a grant in the total sum of $170,300 through the Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus Response Supplement (CDBG-CV) with funds from the CARES Act. The city is currently working to create a screening and selection process for applications. The city expects to begin accepting applications in mid-July. Pittsburg businesses and meal programs affected by the COVID-19 pandemic are eligible for funding.

Non-Agenda:

• City Manager Daron Hall shared that the city had purchased new custom masks from US Awards for city staff.
• Hall expressed his condolences for the loss of Mayor McNay’s husband, Commissioner Brooks’ father, and the passing of local icon and former Pittsburg Mayor Homer Cole.
• Commissioner Fields asked that the city consider a cut fee requiring utility companies to pay for the damage of city streets following their repair work.
• Public Utilities Director Matt Bacon notified commissioners that the 2020 Surface Preservation Project was scheduled to begin Wednesday, June 24, starting on North Joplin Street.
• Commissioner Munsell thanked Crawford County officials for their work to test, contain and monitor the uptick in COVID-19 cases. Munsell also asked how KDHE’s travel-related quarantine guidelines would impact workers in Crawford County who commute from out of state.

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.

City commission meetings are broadcast live on the City’s local government access channels (Cox channel 6 and Craw-Kan channel 406) and on YouTube. To subscribe to the City’s YouTube channel, go to www.pittks.org/youtube. To learn more about the Pittsburg city government, city commissioners, or to view meeting agendas and minutes, visit pittks.org/city-government/city-commission.

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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.