July Council Recap
July 6th, City Council met and approved three special event permits:
August 14th, Big Hair on the Square
September 11th, Chamber Golf Tournament
August 20th & 21st, Smoke on the Bricks
They heard a Main Street Program update from Lori Trojan, the new Chamber Director.
On the second reading of a proposed ordinance setting policy for the sale and lease of city property, the ordinance passed unanimously. Next up was consideration of a budget resolution regarding property taxes. Council needed to decide whether they intended to remain “revenue-neutral” in 2021, meaning the collection of no more than the exact dollar amount collected in property tax in 2020, or choose to exceed the dollar amount collected in 2020. After hearing from representatives from the Baldwin City Library, whose budget comes mainly from property tax, the Council resolved to exceed revenue neutral in the 2021 budget. There will be two more budget hearings later in the fall where more specific decisions will be made.
The Council heard the first reading of an ordinance prohibiting the construction of water wells within city limits, and listened to public comment on the ordinance. After some deliberation, the ordinance was sent back to the utility committee for further discussion. They also heard from a city resident requesting a permit to construct a water well, but took no action for the time being.
Moving on with the agenda, Council voted to accept a proposal from the KU Public Management Center to facilitate strategic planning sessions with the Council and Community. They also approved a resolution for the Kansas Housing Assistance Program, and appointed members to the new Rural Housing Incentive District Advisory Committee. The Committee members appointed are: Dave Hill, Dustin Baker, Kelley Bethell-Smith, Phil Harvey, Scott Lauridsen, Cory Venable, Paul Dorathy, and Glenn Rodden.
July 20, 2021, Council met at the Library once again. The ordinance prohibiting the construction of water wells within city limits came back to council from the Public Works & Utilities Committee with no changes and a recommendation to approve as is. The Council voted 4-0 to approve the ordinance.
The topic of property taxes returned, with a decision needed on what mill levy to publish. Ben Hart, the city’s financial advisor, recommended posting the same mill levy for 2021 as 2020, 44.828. Council voted 4-0 to maintain a flat mill levy, meaning the percentage of property tax collected will remain the same but the dollar amount may change with property valuation.
As always, you may watch City Council meetings live, a week later, or a month later on YouTube at any time. You may also access agendas, minutes, and related files here.
City News
Phase 2 of the Chip and Seal project is set to begin August 23rd. Neighborhoods covered this year will include 1st Street over to 6th Street, not including 6th Street since that is a County Road. The area will also extend from the highway to High Street, Santa Fe Drive, Dearborn Circle, and Hillside Drive.
Public Works staff will be focusing on fixing potholes and cracks for the roads scheduled for Phase III. They will also be spot patching and fixing potholes throughout the entire city as they do every year.
Do you have a pothole in your neighborhood you'd like to report? Get it on the list with this form.
Library Corner
Masks are currently recommended for patrons 2 and up, and free masks are available in our entryway thanks to United Way and the Lumberyard Arts Center. We also have free hand sanitizers, just in time for back to school!
Looking for a reason to get outside and walk? Working with local partners and funded by a grant from the Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council, the library has helped establish a Lucy Sullivan self-guided tour. Connect to the tour via the QR code in the southwest corner of Sullivan Square or at this link.
Events
Downtown Event Closures
Saturday, August 14th, High Street will be closed from 7th-8th from 5pm until 11pm for the Big Hair on the Square Tribute Band event. You don’t want to miss this one - it’ll be a blast!
Friday and Saturday, August 20th & 21st, most of downtown will be closed from 9am on Friday until 5pm on Saturday for Smoke on the Bricks. Get your BBQ Bucks ahead of time from the Recreation Commission, and get ready to sample amazing BBQ!