Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Federal Advocacy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Wichita council reports Washington advocacy for tax‑exempt municipal bonds, requests federal‑grants inventory
Summary
A council member said all seven Wichita City Council members attended National League of Cities meetings in Washington, D.C., where they urged protection of tax‑exempt municipal bonds and discussed federal grants; the council asked City Manager Leighton to circulate a list of federal grants the city receives.
Council member (unnamed) told the Wichita City Council that all seven members recently traveled to Washington, D.C., with the National League of Cities to press federal officials on the city’s priorities, including protection of tax‑exempt municipal bonds, and asked City Manager Leighton to distribute a spreadsheet listing all federal grants the city receives.
The council member said the delegation met with congressional leaders, naming Senator Jerry Moran and Senator Roger Marshall, and that tax‑exempt municipal bonds were “one of the top priorities that we advocated for.” The council member added the bonds “help us with a lot of the capital projects, specifically police stations, fire stations, libraries, rec centers.”
The request for a federal‑grants inventory came after council discussion of how federal dollars flow into city services. “I asked City Manager Leighton to send me, but I'd like him to send it out to all the council members, all the grants that the city receives from the federal government and how those would affect the different departments,” the council member said, adding that a spreadsheet the delegation reviewed showed where federal funds are distributed by category and department.
Council members discussed transportation funding and housing while at the National League of Cities. The council member said public transit in Wichita is “a large portion” funded by federal dollars and that the grant inventory was "eye opening" in showing department-level funding sources. The council member also said they asked colleagues nationwide for policy ideas on housing affordability and quality-of-life programs.
The council member said they serve as co‑chair of the National League of Cities’ Advanced Air Mobility and Drone Integration Forum and raised job and industry opportunities related to drones and air mobility on the trip. The delegation also heard remarks from Vice President J. D. Vance, whom the council member described as addressing housing as a bipartisan issue.
The council member said the delegation presented a small commemorative item to the mayor of Washington, D.C., in gratitude to first responders following a recent American Airlines incident mentioned during the meeting.
Other brief city announcements included a District 2 breakfast scheduled for 9 a.m. at the Regent featuring Gary Jansen to discuss drought and water reuse, and an appearance at the Delano St. Patrick’s Day Parade at noon. The council member also announced a State of the City address scheduled for Sunday, March 16, at 5 p.m. at the former Central Library; doors will open at 4:30 p.m., and the address will be livestreamed on the city’s social media and YouTube pages.
No formal votes or ordinances were reported during this portion of the meeting; the remarks were presented as informational updates and requests for follow-up from city staff.
