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City manager updates: federal grant pause, immigration enforcement posture, neighborhood revitalization planning
Summary
City Manager Ben Brubaker briefed the commission on federal grant pauses affecting two CDBG projects, the city’s approach to immigration enforcement and ICE detainers, South Buckeye construction timing, and neighboring counties’ potential changes to neighborhood revitalization plans.
City Manager Ben Brubaker updated the Coffeyville City Commission Jan. 28 on several ongoing matters, including a temporary pause on federal grant reimbursements, the city’s posture on immigration-related enforcement, progress on South Buckeye roadway work, and a county-level push to amend neighborhood revitalization plans.
Brubaker said a federal memorandum temporarily paused some federal grant reimbursements. The city has two Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) projects administered through the state that are paused and seven other awarded grants at varying stages; five additional grant applications are pending and one that had been scheduled for tonight’s agenda was removed. Brubaker said staff are pausing work where necessary to avoid unreimbursed expenditures and are monitoring guidance from state and federal agencies.
On immigration enforcement, Brubaker said the Department of Justice sent a reminder about local obligations when federal agencies execute immigration enforcement. He said the Coffeyville Police Department will continue standard procedures and will not conduct sweeps of schools or mass roundups; local enforcement will focus on criminal suspects consistent with existing policy. Brubaker also cited guidance from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on detainers and from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation on avoiding biased policing.
Brubaker reported that South Buckeye construction remains incomplete due to weather; crews opened an intersection for travel but paving must wait for a sustained dry stretch. He also laid out a county-level trend: neighboring cities were considering broader neighborhood revitalization plans with different incentive structures (for example, larger coverage and multi-year percentage incentives). Brubaker asked commissioners whether Coffeyville should consider changes to remain competitive; commissioners preferred waiting to see county action and an existing attorney general opinion that limits blanket citywide designation.
Commissioners asked clarifying questions about enforcement of repeat DUI offenders, the potential for federal changes to grant rules involving DEI or other priorities, and where to find the regional hazard-mitigation and community rating system (CRS) documents. Brubaker said staff will follow up with more specifics and will return to the commission as federal guidance evolves.
