Pittsburg City Commission meeting recap – March 9, 2021

PITTSBURG, KS – The following actions were taken during the Pittsburg City Commission meeting held on March 9, 2021:

• Public Input
  • Pete Mayo shared a prayer of invocation.

Commissioners approved the following items under the consent agenda:

• The February 23, 2021, City Commission Meeting minutes.
• The application submitted by Matthew DeMoss for a 2021 Cereal Malt Beverage License for The Meat Shed, located at 2401 South Rouse.
• The appointment of Bryce Anderson to a first three-year term as a member of the Land Bank Board of Trustees.
• Ordinance No. G-1321, amending subsection (f) of Section 78- 33 of the Pittsburg City Code setting the maximum speed limit on Rouse Avenue between Centennial Drive and the south City Limits to 35 miles per hour.
• The recommendation of the Economic Development Advisory Committee (EDAC) to grant the request submitted by Hometown Development Corporation to update their City loan paperwork, regarding the renovation of the property located at 1004 North Broadway, to reflect Labette Bank as the holder of the first mortgage.
• The Appropriation Ordinance for the period ending March 9, 2021, subject to the release of HUD expenditures when funds are received.

Commissioners considered the following items on the agenda:

• LORENZ HAUS DEVELOPMENT, LLC REQUEST – Commissioners voted to approve the recommendation of the Economic Development Advisory Committee (EDAC) to provide $20,000 in non-repayable funds to Lorenz Haus Development, LLC, to be used toward the renovation of the property located at 107 East 7th Street. The property, formerly owned by the Morning Sun, is being revitalized into an office space and will feature architectural elements true to the 1920s style in which it was built.

• GREENWAY ELECTRIC PROPOSALS – WATER TREATMENT PLANT SCADA AND PLC CONTROL SYSTEM UPGRADES – Staff requested Governing Body approval of two proposals submitted by Greenway Electric for upgrades/replacement of the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) System and Programmable Logic Controls (PLC’s) at the Water Treatment Plant. The first proposal is to purchase the necessary materials to replace Legacy Control Processors with updated components and the second proposal is for Time and Material Rate and Expense Schedule for proprietary process automation/controls for the City of Pittsburg facilities at a cost of approximately $50,000.00. Commissioners voted to approve staff’s request to waive the City’s bid policy to purchase materials for the upgrade of the SCADA System and PLC’s from Greenway Electric rather than multiple vendors and approved Greenway Electric’s proposal.

• REQUEST TO CHANGE ZONING – Commissioners approved the recommendation of the Planning Commission/Board of Zoning Appeals, to approve the request submitted by 3P Development to change the existing zoning of the property located approximately between the 1600 and 1700 Blocks on the South side of East 4th Street, from R-1A, Single Family Residential, to PUD, Planned Unit Development.

• PURCHASE OF POLICE DEPARTMENT VEHICLES – Commissioners approved staff request to waive the City bid policy for capital purchases in order to purchase two 2021 Dodge Durango Police Package SUVs, and four 2021 Dodge Charger Police Package sedans for a total purchase price of $174,415.83 utilizing the State of Kansas vehicle purchasing contract as a governmental sub-unit.

NON-AGENDA REPORTS & REQUESTS:

• BI-MONTHLY BUDGET REVIEW – Director of Finance Larissa Bowman provided commissioners with the February 28, 2021, bi-monthly budget review. Bowman said funds are looking healthy – December sales tax revenues are up 9.9 percent compared to last year at the same time. Casino revenues are roughly three percent down compared to previous projections, but Bowman said she expects gaming revenues to tick back up in a couple of months.
• Commissioner McNay updated the commission on vaccine distribution. McNay shared that the Crawford County Health Department is offering COVID vaccinations in the downtown area this week and the Community Health Center of SEK is reaching out to businesses with 20 or more participants to schedule vaccinations for employees.
• Commissioner McNay explained the recent changes to health orders in the county. The community is seeing a sustained downward trendline in admissions to the hospital and overall impact on the health system. As such, the Crawford County Commission voted to relax restrictions on bars and restaurants and allow them to return to full capacity. The mask mandate still remains in place. McNay says Crawford County is in good shape in terms of vaccine availability.

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.