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Belton City Council approves multiple ordinances and waives public-records fee
Summary
The Belton City Council voted to waive a public-records fee after a resident alleged procedural and environmental concerns tied to the North Cass corridor, and approved several ordinances and resolutions including land acceptance, budget amendments and interlocal agreements for dispatch and mutual aid.
The Belton City Council on June 2026 voted to waive a $250 charge for a public-records request and approved a series of ordinances and resolutions ranging from land transfers to emergency-services agreements.
The council unanimously carried a motion to find the records request submitted by Steven Baka in the public interest and waive associated fees after Baka told the council his request targeted communications and documents related to alleged changes in a North Cass corridor development obligation and asserted gaps in environmental and permitting paperwork. Council discussion focused on precedent for waiving fees and consistency; staff said no active litigation or EPA requests were known.
On the consent and ordinance calendar, the council approved final reading of Bill 2026-27, accepting land transferred by special warranty deed from Kansas City to Belton; first reading of Bill 2026-28, a FY2026 budget amendment addressing TIF and debt-service adjustments; first reading of Bill 2026-29, a dispatching-services agreement with Western Cass Fire Protection District; first reading of Bill 2026-30, a mutual-aid agreement with the same district; and first reading of Bill 2026-31, which removes a $100 investigation fee from the city's liquor-license application schedule while retaining the underlying investigation requirement. The council also approved Resolution 2026-059 (a Vector Solutions/Target Solutions contract aligning training and scheduling) and Resolution 2026-060 (a medical-director services agreement with Dr. Eric J. Stamper).
The motions followed staff presentations that described revenue variances requiring budget adjustments, operational reasons for Belton to provide dispatch services to Western Cass (staff said Belton already responded to roughly 75–80% of that district's ambulance calls), and staffing and training improvements in Western Cass since 2022 that made mutual aid practicable.
What happens next: items approved on first reading will return for subsequent readings as required by ordinance procedure. The city manager and relevant departments will implement the agreements and budget adjustments approved or bring back required follow-up items for council action.
Sources: council roll calls and staff presentations recorded at the Belton City Council meeting.
