Assistant City Manager Zack Daniel recognized the graduates of the recent citizens academy.
New Parks & Rec programming, park renovations and two new parks will now move forward after the City Commission approved a master plan this month.
The city received a presentation about the final draft of the Parks and Rec master plan before approving it at the meeting. The plan cost the city around $158,000, which was funded through the ¾-cent capital improvement sales tax for Parks and Rec.
Some programming ideas include Christmas decorating, holiday lights, movie nights, concerts, sports tournaments, book clubs, and arts and crafts.
Mayor Tim Reazin said the plan was important to help prepare as unknown growth potential continues around the area.
Commissioner Alex Curnes was on the committee that helped with the plan and said the community survey sent to residents was the most impactful part for him. It showed the way residents see parks as a major part of the city’s identity.
The Eudora Times will be doing further research into the new plan with more stories coming in the future.
In other business, the City Commission also extended the public hearing for the reinvestment housing incentive district planned for Shadow Ridge North. The hearing will now be extended to July 14.
The hearing was originally scheduled for Feb. 24, but with conversations ongoing with neighboring land owners, the developer, Dustin Baker, requested the hearing be extended. The conversations with other landowners could affect the district’s proposed map.
Reazin asked Baker if he would be able to give a guess on when ground could be broken on the housing planned for the subdivision.
Baker said if everything goes as planned, and because construction documents have been mostly finished, it is possible they could possibly break ground before the end of the year.
During the meeting, Assistant City Manager Zack Daniel recognized the graduates of the recent citizens academy:
Roger Wilcox
Laura Rosenberger
Steve Pascal
LuAnn Pascal
Edward Jankowski
Meagan Cox
Aly Harris
Mardi Hammond
Becky Merten
Chery McCray
In other business, the city approved the sale and consumption of alcohol at this year’s CPA Picnic. The special event permit will allow for the sale and consumption between the 800 and 900 blocks of Main Street from 5 to 11 p.m. June 12 and 13 and from 5 to 11:59 p.m. June 14.
The city also approved a proclamation declaring May as mental health awareness month.
Michael Gentry, a budget analyst for the city, shared a quarterly budget update.
Gentry said general fund sales and use tax when combining city and county sales tax is performing slightly better than projected. The city sales tax in itself is slightly underperforming, though, which is something the city picked up on in the last quarter of 2024.
The Parks and Rec revenue has had a good showing this year so far, he said. A good portion of that may be due to the baseball and softball additions coming to the city.
Gas franchise taxes are slightly down, but staff is not overly concerned about this, he said. Utility funds are also a little bit less than projected, but have not started to raise concern.
Gentry said court fund revenue has also continued to stay pretty high, something that started in 2024.
General fund revenue is right where it was estimated to be, as well as expenditures for the first quarter, he said.
In other business, Reazin said he wants the city to continue to go above and beyond to try to have discussions with county and state officials about growth potential. He said when he heard about the Merck developments coming to De Soto, it’s hard for him to imagine that the state and federal government would put a growth next door and not pay for some of the effects on neighboring communities, whether it be roads, water treatment needs or firefighters for the new growth.
There has to be something more that the city does to get involved with the conversation, and it should be a priority soon, he said.
Gentry also said 14 qualifying applications for the senior and disabled veteran city property tax reimbursement program had been received. He said the city was excited with that turnout already.
Applications will still be available in-person at City Hall and online at this link. Applications are being reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis until funds are depleted or until Dec. 31.