Valley Center council approves rezoning, special assessments, Seneca Street contract and other measures

Valley Center’s City Council approved a package of land‑use, public‑works and operational measures during its Aug. 19 meeting, including a rezoning second reading, levying special assessments, award of the Seneca Street construction contract and several staff agreements and purchases.

The actions are tied to ongoing development and infrastructure work in town — including work in Harvest Place, Sunflower Valley and the TIF district — and formalize project funding, construction oversight and operational policy for winter maintenance.

Council actions taken at the meeting included: approval of a second reading to rezone a lot between 409 North Means Drive and 431 West Street from R‑1B to R‑2; adoption of an ordinance to levy special assessments for multiple benefit districts (Sunflower Valley and Career Links were named in the discussion); award of the low bid for the Seneca Street reconstruction; approval of an agreement with PEC for construction administration and material testing on that project; adoption of a snow and ice control policy; purchase of a refurbished LED message sign for City Hall; and authorization to relocate and burn a large brush pile created by recent windstorms.

Rezoning: Council approved second reading of ordinance 14‑29‑25 to rezone the identified lot from R‑1B to R‑2. Planning and zoning had recommended approval and staff presented the ordinance on second reading. The motion passed; the clerk recorded that the motion "carried with 3 nays." The transcript does not specify which council members voted for or against the ordinance.

Special assessments: The council opened and closed a public hearing and adopted ordinance 14‑30‑25 to levy special assessments to pay for internal improvements in multiple benefit districts. Clayton Kelly of Piper Sandler explained this was a step that finalizes assessment amounts and enables owners to prepay through Sept. 23 to avoid interest; if not prepaid they will be included in a 20‑year financing and appear on property tax statements as a special assessment. Staff and the presenter said the assessment amounts vary by lot because different lots are assessed for different improvements (sanitary sewer, drainage, paving, water, sidewalks). One resident, identified only by a seat/address as living at 120 South Gatewood, said they received four notices and cited an amount of about $36,000 for their lot. Staff said those prepayment and disclosure details should have been included in buyers’ closing documents.

Seneca Street contract and financing: The council awarded the Seneca Street reconstruction (from 4th to 5th Street) to Wildcat Construction, the low bidder, for $4,819,386.73. Staff noted the contract covers roadway construction (the trail/sidewalk on the west side is a separate project funded by KDOT and other sources) and that the city received a $1 million KDOT cost‑share grant that applies to construction. Staff also said the work is to be funded with tax increment finance (TIF) revenues that the city already has reserved for the district. A milestone deadline was discussed for the north half of the project (including the bridge) to be complete before the school opens (referred to as "July 1 next year" in the meeting); staff also referenced a substantial‑completion target later in the year. The motion to accept the low bid carried.

PEC agreement for inspection and administration: The council approved an agreement with PEC to provide construction inspection, material testing ($63,250) and construction administration services (fee listed as $94,500 in staff remarks) on the Seneca Street project and authorized signatures. Staff said the county could not supply all inspection/testing capacity, and PEC would supplement those services; the motion passed.

Snow and ice control policy: The council adopted a new snow and ice control policy and authorized the mayor, city administrator and public works director to sign. Staff described a multi‑tiered response plan that prioritizes primary roads (red) first, then secondary roads (blue) and residential streets (black). The policy sets operational guidelines (for example, working primary roads during the storm and clearing secondary roads within a target of 48 hours after primary roads are cleared), use of brine/sand and equipment, and staffing considerations (12‑hour shifts during storms). Council members discussed the authority to declare a snow emergency (the draft assigns that power to the city administrator per the current ordinance) and suggested it could be useful to allow the mayor to declare an emergency as well; no ordinance change was made at the meeting. Questions were raised about marking curb bump‑outs and use of GPS fleet tracking; staff said markings would be placed and that GPS tracking is not currently used for plow routing.

City Hall electronic sign: The council approved purchase and installation of a refurbished LED message module from Wichita Sign Company for $25,837.25. Staff said the project will be funded in part from unexpected easement proceeds from a Magellan pipeline easement and from solid‑waste administrative fee funds; the sign vendor included a five‑year warranty (presenter stated “bumper‑to‑bumper; unlimited service and replacement parts”). Staff estimated installation in four to six weeks and said initial content/software licensing for one year was included in the materials presented; ongoing content services are optional and would be budgeted separately.

Brush pile/tree burn: The council approved a proposal (staff listed a cost of $21,000) to relocate and burn a large brush pile created by recent windstorms, using a specialized burner system described by staff as minimizing smoke and embers. Staff said the company would bring material from the wastewater treatment site and that the city consulted with the fire department; firefighters advised the contractor should perform and monitor the burn because of its duration and size. The motion carried.

Consent and staff reports: The consent agenda passed. Staff updates noted upcoming openings of Trail’s End Phase 1 and ongoing work at Harvest Place, reminders about the farmer’s market, human‑resources activity and that Katie Crook will begin as court clerk next Monday. Councilmember reports included a briefing on the U.S. Department of Justice’s final ADA rule and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines; staff said a temporary ADA‑compliant website would go live in about two weeks.

Votes at a glance - Ordinance 14‑29‑25, rezoning (R‑1B to R‑2) — Motion approved on second reading; record shows "motion carried with 3 nays" (names not specified in the transcript). - Ordinance 14‑30‑25, levy special assessments (Sunflower Valley, Career Links, others) — Adopted; prepayment deadline Sept. 23; unpaid amounts to be financed over 20 years and added to property tax statements. - Seneca Street construction (4th to 5th) — Low bid accepted: Wildcat Construction, $4,819,386.73; KDOT cost‑share of $1 million applies to construction; TIF revenues to fund remainder. - Agreement with PEC — Approved for construction inspection/material testing ($63,250) and construction administration services (staff noted $94,500); authorized signatures. - Snow and ice control policy — Adopted; prioritizes primary then secondary then residential streets; secondary roads targeted to be cleared within 48 hours of primary completion. - City Hall LED message sign — Approved: Wichita Sign Company, refurbished LED module, $25,837.25; five‑year warranty; installation 4–6 weeks. - Brush/wood pile burn — Approved: contractor relocation and air‑burner method; cost $21,000; contractor to perform burn and staff to coordinate with fire department.

Council and staff provided clarifications during debate (for example, breakdowns of which improvements generate different assessments and that assessments should have been disclosed in buyers’ closing documents). Public comment at the special assessment hearing included a resident citing a roughly $36,000 assessment for a lot and asking for explanation.

The transcript does not list roll‑call vote details (which council member voted yes/no) for most motions; where the clerk recorded counts in the record (for the rezoning second reading) the meeting dialog reported "motion carried with 3 nays" but did not attach names to those votes in the excerpt provided.

Looking ahead, staff will proceed with the Seneca contract and PEC oversight, implement the snow and ice plan, schedule the sign installation, and arrange the contracted tree burn; the special assessment prepayment window closes Sept. 23 per staff remarks.