The Unified Government commissioners will meet Thursday evening in two sessions.
Special Session Agenda
The first session, at 5:00 p.m., is a special session called to hear a report prepared by Chrisman Consulting on behalf of the Wyandotte Economic Development Council.
The report makes a detailed assessment of the incentives local governments can offer to encourage economic development. It also evaluates the return on the incentives in the form of taxes generated and business activity increased.
The report compares the UG’s use of incentives to peer cities around the country and concludes with a positive assessment of the results of the UG’s incentive programs, such as STAR bonds and tax abatements.
The special session will also hear and discuss options for the Parkwood Swimming Pool, near 10th Street on Quindaro Blvd.
The pool, built in the early 1970s, needs accessibility improvements and suffers from leaks and corrosion.
Three basic options for Parkwood’s future are being considered. The first option is to perform basic maintenance and repairs and bring the pool into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, costing approximately $1 million.
The second option is to build a neighborhood-level replacement, with a lap pool and zero-entry wading area, for a cost of $4 to $7 million.
The third option is a larger waterpark facility, with regional appeal. That option would include multiple pools, plus other amenities, such as slides or lazy river areas, for a cost of $8 to $15 million.
The UG’s Parks and Recreation Department has asked for $174 thousand from the federal Land Water Conservation Fund to defray around half of the costs of the pool’s immediate maintenance needs.
Regular Session Agenda
In the regular commissioners’ meeting at 7:00 p.m., the board will consider a two-year extension for county administrator David Johnston. A pay raise for city officials was previously on the meeting agenda, but was removed after it was publicized by former mayor Carol Marinovich.
There will also be a hearing for the establishment of a community improvement district that will allow an additional sales tax to be applied to sales in the American Royal complex. The commission is expected to approve creating the district and levying a one-percent sales tax, in conjunction with the STAR bonds issue recently approved for the project.
The commission will also approve memorandums of understanding with its firefighters and laborers unions, along with the Teamsters’ Union, which represents employees within the county sheriff’s office.
