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Council approves consent agenda, moves forward on methane study, parks rentals and demolition assessments
Summary
Wichita City Council unanimously approved multiple consent items March 25, including a consultant agreement to develop procurement for methane capture at the wastewater treatment plant, a Parks Department agreement covering Old Town farmers market rentals, and assessments tied to emergency demolitions.
Wichita City Council voted unanimously March 25 to approve several consent items that city staff said will advance a methane capture study at the wastewater treatment plant, clarify park rental fees, and assess costs for emergency demolitions.
Gary Janssen, Public Works and Utilities director, told the council the methane item would fund CDM to develop procurement for a public–private partnership to capture biogas from the wastewater digestion process. “A byproduct of the digestion process with wastewater treatment is creating methane, and right now it's just flared off to the environment,” Janssen said. He described the approach as one in which a private partner would provide capital, own and maintain equipment, and the city would realize revenue from the sale of captured gas.
Parks staff explained the Old Town Farmers and Art Market rental structure during discussion of the parks agreement. Isaac Raskins, Department of Park and Recreation, said the farmers market pays a discounted plaza rental of $95 per day; the department estimated the full-day rental of public plazas at $1,000 with nonprofits receiving a 25% reduction in some cases. A Parks staff member told the council the total contract amount for the market was $3,515 for the dates listed in the agreement (April 5 through Dec. 20, 2025, excluding Nov. 29).
Kayla Nethercott of the Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department explained assessments included on the consent agenda. “These are typically those that are burned so badly that we cannot secure them, and that they're an immediate hazard and a danger to the community,” Nethercott said, describing emergency demolition cases that result in city assessments.
The council approved the consent agenda minus a few pulled items, then voted to adopt the pulled items after brief discussion. Each motion carried on voice vote with a 7-0 tally.
Votes at a glance
- Consent agenda (items 1–27, excluding pulled items): approved, vote 7-0. - Consent agenda item 4A (agreement with CDM to develop procurement for methane capture/public–private partnership): approved, vote 7-0. - Consent agenda item 4C (parks agreement covering Old Town Square / Old Town Farmers & Art Market rental): approved, vote 7-0. - Consent agenda item 7 (assessments for emergency demolitions / abatement of dangerous and unsafe structures): approved, vote 7-0. - Board of Bids and Contracts (multiple vendor awards and contract amendments reported by Finance): approved, vote 7-0. - Petitions for public improvements (revised petition valid under Kansas statute): approved, vote 7-0.
The motions were routine approvals of staff recommendations; none of the pulled consent items resulted in changes to the proposed agreements. The council returned the items to the consent list after staff answered members' questions and then approved them by voice vote.
