Wellington Council Roundup: Juneteenth celebration approved at Madison Park on June 19
by Devin McCue, Sumner Newscow — The Wellington City Council met on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing bond refinancing plan and pass several resolutions pertaining to standard city practices.
The only community update at last night’s meeting came from Erma Ratliff about the upcoming Juneteenth event happening next month. The community party will take place on June 19, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Madison Park at 1000 E. Lincoln and hold several events to celebrate the holiday.
There will be a 3 on 3 basketball tournament, a live DJ, a bouncy house for the kids, Wellington’s ongoing obsession with cornhole, and food trucks for all in attendance. This marks Wellington’s first official Juneteenth party and something that’s long overdue so please go out and have fun!
The council unanimously passed the only ordinance of the evening to refund the bonds the city used to refinance a portion of the city’s debt.
The meeting concluded with the unanimous passing of six resolutions ranging from authorizing a block grant to establishing public hearings from the condemned properties previously reported on from the April 20 meeting.
The resolutions break down as follows:
•A resolution to allow for the bond refinancing discussed in the first and only ordinance of the meeting;
•A resolution certifying legal authority to apply for a Kansas Small Cities Community Development block grant from the Kansas Department of Commerce. The maximum amount Wellington is applying for is $150,000 and city officials expect to successfully receive the full amount of those funds
•A resolution allowing the Mayor to send a Memorandum of Understanding to the Wellington Parks Special Development Group for Park Improvement
•A resolution to enter an agreement with KDOT to start a resurfacing project between the east side of the A street roundabout all the way to Hargis Creek. The project was described as a standard agreement with KDOT that would provide 90% of the funds to create a 2-inch overlay on the road
•A resolution to announce the public hearing for interested parties to state their case against the demolition of a condemned property at 1501 N B St. This was already decided at the April 20 meeting, but the city failed to provide two opportunities to read about the public hearing in the Wellington Daily News so it didn’t reach the threshold of proper notice and must be redone
•A similar condemnation property hearing, this time at 1317 E Lincoln Ave.
With the successful passing of each resolution, the Council entered Executive Session and adjourned a productive and uneventful meeting.
