homelessness, the amount of money being spent on the issue, which she felt was not
enough, the point in time count, which she felt underrepresented the number of
unsheltered people, and the need for shelters.
Eugene Elkin, 3406 Range Line Street, spoke about police use of TASERS and the need
for training.
Susan Renee Carter, a Second Ward resident, indicated she was representing Race
Matters, Friends, and spoke regarding the need to review and refine the use of force
policy utilized by the Police Department along with the need for appropriate de-escalation
training.
Andrew Hutchinson, 510 Spencer Avenue, indicated he was speaking as the Local 955
Union Representative, provided a handout, and spoke about the need for radical change in
the way employees are treated in order to improve the recruitment and retention of
employees and the fact Local 955 would petition the State Board of Mediation to allow
them to represent two scale house operator employees since City staff did not allow for
this to happen voluntarily.
The Council and staff discussed various topics to include the process that took place
involving the Parks and Recreation staff and the CoMo Roller Derby representatives in
terms of them talking to one another to try to address issues, the fact the Citizens Police
Review Board members have the support of the Council in terms of moving forward with
policy reviews and for them to reach out to the Council if they have needs the Council can
accommodate, an example of a positive interaction the police had with the homeless
along with the de-escalation techniques utilized in that situation, and the ARPA process
in terms of providing for some transparency.
Council Member Knoth made
a motion to release the name of the applicant
organization, the amount of the request, the status of the request, and the
category of the request for all 90-plus applicants. The motion was seconded by
Council Member Waner after some clarification questions and comments. After
further discussion, the motion was approved by roll call vote with Council
Member Foster, Council Member Waterman, Mayor Buffaloe, Council Member
Knoth, Council Member Waner, and Council Member Lovelady voting yes, and
Council Member Peters voting no.
The Council and staff continued to discuss various topics to include a report regarding the
tools the City currently had to address nuisance businesses, the potential exploration of
a nuisance ordinance for businesses with a focus on reoccurring violent crimes at specific
locations similar to the Kansas City ordinance, the fact Council Member Waner was
dealing with a medical issue, the need for crime intervention and prevention programs, the
need for a Juneteenth Committee for better coordination in 2024 celebrations, and the
appointment of an Acting Mayor Pro Tem for the June 5, 2023 Council Meeting.
Mayor Buffaloe made a motion for Nick Foster to serve as the Acting Mayor Pro
Tem in the event the Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem were both unavailable to lead
the June 5, 2023 Council Meeting. The motion was seconded by Council Member
Waner and approved unanimously by voice vote.
The Council and staff continued to discuss various topics to include Council Member
Knoth being the council member representative at the Vacant Property Leadership
Institute being held November 7-10 in Austin, Texas, funding for the Citizens Police
Review Board members to attend the NACOLE Conference for FY 2024, the fact it had
been a rough week for the community, and confirmation that the officers involved in the
incident last week would no longer be employed by the City as of Friday, May 19.
XII. ADJOURNMENT