First City Connection - Summer 2014

First City Connection Information from the City of Leavenworth

Summer 2014

MDT laptops give Leavenworth PD the advantage

It’s 9 p.m. and a Leavenworth Police Officer has stopped a suspect on the road he believes is giving him false identification. In less than a minute after entering the information into his Mobile Data Terminal (MDT) laptop, the officer discovers the suspect has indeed given him false ID and has an active arrest warrant.

Without the MDT, the process could have taken an hour or more.

The City of Leavenworth purchased new MDTs for police officers, which were installed this spring. Police Chief Pat Kitchens said the MDTs provide police officers with a substantial amount of information at their fingertips, such as Driver’s License photos, police internal records systems from Leavenworth and the entire Kansas City metro area.

“It has a positive impact throughout the Police Department, making us more efficient,” Kitchens said.

The MDT also allows integration with the rest of the department, including dispatch and records keeping during the response process rather than after an incident. Police officers can also file reports directly from the field without having to go back to headquarters.

Leavenworth Police Department Patrolman Brandon Mance shows how the new Mobile Data Terminals make his job more efficient and provide him with more information than the previous system. The MDTs were installed in police vehicles in March.

MDTs: Improving Police Response Process BEFORE MDT

- Call to 911 results in dispatch staff entering information into computer then manually calling officers on the radio to respond.

- Officer responds to incident and if necessary makes a report he or she must type on a laptop. Communications to headquarters is restricted to radio.

- Officer prints report from laptop and delivers hard copy to the records clerk.

- Records clerk enters information for the third time into a computer.

- Hard copies of the report are delivered to the state.

AFTER MDT

- Call to 911 results in dispatch staff electronically messaging officer.

- Officer responds and is able to use information in MDT to help make decisions. Officer uses MDT to write a report in the field.

- Report sent electronically to records clerk and the state.

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New radio purchase set for summer Police, Fire, Public Works and Parks and Recreation staff are set to receive new radios ­­— the first full system upgrade in nearly 25 years. The nearly $690,000 project is among the City’s capital improvements projects and will bring the City’s emergency and inter-staff communications in line with modern communications. Because of the demand for radio bandwidth, the Federal Communications Commission has narrowed its available bandwidth that municipal communications can use from 25 MHz to 12.5 MHz, set to downgrade again to 6.5 MHz soon. This means that police officers in the southern part of Leavenworth sometimes have trouble radioing into headquarters. The new system will be digitallybased rather than analog and will improve communications abilities of City staff working in the community. The City is currently evaluating qualified, state-approved systems for this purchase and will present bids to the Leavenworth City Commission later this summer.

Inside: 2- Information on the Sales Tax Referendum election

City of LeavenworthFirst_City Government

Leavenworth Kansas

3- New D.A.R.E. officer and Finance Director for the City

6- “KNOW THE CODE” Find out the city’s requirements for maintenance and upkeep of residential property.

Flipside: First City Activity Guide, community calendar on page 10.

CITY PHONE NUMBERS City Manager’s Office City Hall, 100 N. Fifth St. 913-680-2604 City Clerk’s Office City Hall, 100 N. Fifth St. 913-682-9201 Economic Development City Hall, 100 N. Fifth St. 913-680-2604 Fire Department (Administration calls only) 3600 S. 20th Street Trafficway 913-682-3346 For Burn Permits: 913-758-2980 Human Resources City Hall, 100 N. Fifth St. 913-680-2637

Leavenworth City Commission

Meets 7 p.m. Tuesdays at City Hall. Each 2nd and 4th weeks are regular sessions, 1st and 3rd weeks are study sessions. Visit www.lvks.org for copies of the agendas and minutes.

Voters approve one percent sales tax

Sales Tax Referendum

Mark Preisinger Mayor 913-775-2822 mpreisinger@firstcity.org

Inspections City Hall, 100 N. Fifth St. 913-684-0378 Leavenworth Public Library 417 Spruce St. 913-682-5666 Municipal Court Justice Center, 601 S. Third St. 913-758-2900

Lisa Weakley Mayor Pro-Tem 913-682-6297 lweakley@firstcity.org

Parks and Recreation Riverfront Community Center 123 S. Esplanade St. 913-651-2203 Planning/ Community Development City Hall, 100 N. Fifth St. 913-680-2626 Police (Admin calls only) Justice Center, 601 S. Third St. 913-651-2260

Larry Dedeke Commissioner 913-651-3322 ldedeke@aol.com

Public Housing Planters II, 200 Shawnee St. 913-682-2200 Public Information Office City Hall, 100 N. Fifth St. 913-680-2610 Public Works/Engineering City Hall, 100 N. Fifth St. 913-684-0375

Laura Janas Gasbarre Commissioner 913-758-1834 lgasbarre@firstcity.org

Service Center (Street and Refuse) 790 Thornton St. 913-682-0650 Sewer Emergencies (24 Hours) 913-682-1090 Water Pollution Control 1800 S Second St. 913-682-1090

Davis Moulden Commissioner 913-651-4979 dtm@lvnworth.com

Commissioners plan property tax cut using funds from new 1% sales tax The City of Leavenworth thanks the voters who returned ballots in the recent Sales Tax Referendum held Jan. 29-Feb. 4, 2014. Whether you voted in favor of this issue or against it, your vote shows us that you care about the future of our community.

With 3,172 votes in favor of the additional one percent Sales Tax Referendum and 1,932 votes against, the City Commission has passed an ordinance to raise the Sales Tax to 9.15% by July 1, 2014. During its budget planning sessions in the summer of 2014, the Commission will be able to utilize the sales tax to cut nearly 40 percent from the City’s portion of the property taxes for residents and businesses.

The Commission’s goal in reducing property taxes is to meet the needs of the community. Our constituents have told us loud and clear that they want lower property taxes.

Businesses will experience an additional benefit, because their property taxes are assessed at a higher rate.

The City encourages the continued involvement of residents and businesses in our financial concerns. As a reminder, our meetings are open to the public and televised on Channel 2 and the City’s YouTube page, www.youtube.com/leavenworthkansas. Look for our website, Channel 2 and other information sources in July and August for our budget planning schedule so you can plan to be with us in person as the City Commission keeps its promise to lower property taxes.

Making decisions is tough even for adults, says Johnny Sweet, but a decision making model and learning to say “no” to drugs and alcohol along with their peers can make it easier for young Leavenworth students.

Sweet, an 18-year veteran of the police force, returned to Leavenworth after a few years of working with the FBI to restart the Leavenworth D.A.R.E. program after longtime D.A.R.E. officer Mark Lingenfelser’s retirement two years ago.

D.A.R.E. stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education, an international program in existence since 1983 with a goal to give children the skills they need to avoid involvement in drugs, gangs and violence. There are 10 lessons with various activities such as keeping journals and writing down the network of family, friends and other adults they can go to for help to avoid drugs, alcohol and violence. Sweet worked with 5th and 7th graders this semester and will work with a new group of students in the next school year. Additionally, this summer Sweet and the Leavenworth Police will host a D.A.R.E. day camp June 23-27 at Warren Middle School for 4th through 6th grade students. The Camp is free but only open to the first 50 children who apply. Contact Officer Sweet at jsweet@firstcity.org.

First City Connection Newsletter

DARE officer teaches prevention, life skills to youth

ABOVE: Johnny Sweet, Leavenworth Police Department, quizzes students at West Intermediate School about the dangers and consequences of drug and alcohol abuse through the DARE program.

LEFT: Students in the program receive workbooks to keep track of what they’ve learned and write down strategies to avoid negative peer pressure.

Ron Hale steps into role as new City of Leavenworth Finance Director

Summer 2014

employee payroll, accounts payable and accounts receivable. The City’s finances undergo auditing by an outside firm on a regular basis.

This summer will be Hale’s first experience working with the City Manager and department heads to plan the City of Leavenworth’s budget for the 2015 annual year and the Capital Improvements Project budget.

The budget recommendation will be presented to the Leavenworth City Commission in July. The staff recommendation will be followed by a week of workdays in which the City Commission carefully examines the budget, then a public hearing is held before the budget is adopted.

Hale says he’s happy to help community members learn about the City’s finances, whether it’s questions about how the City’s finances are allocated or where the funding comes from. More information will be available on www. lvks.org as the budget cycle progresses.

Ron Hale began his new position as Finance Director in December 2013.

Ron Hale is the City of Leavenworth’s new finance director. He began in December 2013, taking over the position from longtime finance director Dan Williamson. Hale spent 8 years in the Army before working various finance positions in Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee and North Carolina. He was finance director for four years for Whitfield County government in Georgia, then finance officer for two years for the Whitfield County schools. Hale and his wife Dianne have two sons in the U.S. Air Force.

Hale moved to Leavenworth because he liked the mid-sized community. He wanted the better quality of life offered by a smaller community but still able to access a metropolitan area.

“I was looking for the quality of life and the size of government where I can be very involved with the operations of the City,” he said.

The City’s finance department not only handles oversight of the budget, but

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Several streets, sidewalk projects planned for summer The City of Leavenworth has several projects planned to improve streets and sidewalks in 2014, some of which are underway.

LIMIT STREET Near Second Avenue Portions of the “Y” shaped intersection near Second Avenue and Limit Street closed beginning March 17. Additional portions will close this summer and last for a period of several months during a construction project.

The project includes tearing down a rail bridge, building a new roadway bridge, restructuring the roadway and a new asphalt and concrete roadway surface. The sidewalks in this area will also be closed. Detour signs have been posted to direct both pedestrian and vehicle traffic around the construction.

The first phase of construction will close the west section of the intersection, Limit Street to Second Avenue.

It is scheduled to begin the week of March 17. The next

phase would require closure of Second Avenue south of Vilas Street and continuing past the existing road bridge. All construction dates are weather dependent.

Access to Vilas Street will be available from the north.

Traffic going to the Guidance Center or the Leavenworth Workforce Partnership Center can access these facilities from the east by traveling Fourth Street/Kansas Highway 7 and turning onto Limit Street. Traffic can access Buffalo Bill Memorial Cody Park from the west by traveling on Shrine Park Road/Maple Avenue and turning onto Limit Street.

The $2.7 million project is partially funded through the Kansas Department of Transportation, the Mid America Regional Council and the City of Leavenworth’s portion of the Leavenworth Countywide Sales Tax.

OTTAWA STREET

from 13th Street Terrace to 17th Street Construction along this street is scheduled for the spring and summer of 2014. The project includes road improvements to Ottawa Street, including street widening, adding storm drainage inlets/piping, gutters and curbs, and adding sidewalks near David Brewer Elementary School.

Closed to all but local traffic from mid-May to late fall.

Traffic traveling west on Ottawa Street can detour on Osage Street or Shawnee Street to reach David Brewer Elementary School. North 17th Street and North 18th Street will both be open to traffic.

2014 Work Program that will result in partial or complete roadway closures 1. 2014 Pavement Management Temporary closures for milling and paving scheduled for early summer: • Osage Street – 13th to 17th Street • 20th Street – Ottawa to Shawnee Street • Sherman Avenue west of Terrace Road • Oak Street – 5th to 7th Street • Cherokee Street – 4th to 5th Street 2. 2014 Sidewalk Program Temporary lane closures for the following streets scheduled to begin the end of May • 10th Avenue -Spruce to Ohio Street on the western side at various locations • Spruce Street – 19th to 6th Street on the northern side at various locations.

• 6th Street at Cherokee Street – S/W corner • Shawnee Street at 4th Street – N/W corner 3. Connecting-Link (KLINK) and Handicapped Accessible Sidewalk Ramps and Repaving Ramps will proceed ahead

of the repaving and work should begin the end of May • 4th Street – Pine to Linn Street • 4th Street - Pottawatomie to Cheyenne Street • 4th Street - Limit to Santa Fe Street 4. Drainage repair projects Project will begin early summer. The work will be completed sequentially and will be cause for complete roadway closures.

• 5th Street – 3 Mile Creek to Oak Street • 5th Avenue at Prospect Street • 18th Street north of Spruce Street 5. Other potential roadway closures • 2nd Street south of Choctaw Street for sanitary sewer work related to Stove Factory Lofts.

• Kansas Department of Transportation will be working on Kansas Highway 7/Metropolitan Avenue the next two summers. Work this year will take place north of the City limits toward Easton.

Office of the City Clerk : Licensing & Misc. Services

• The City of Leavenworth requires businesses that are operating an Alarm System to have a permit. The cost of the permit is $15 per year. The license is valid from July 1 through June 30 each year. Letters to remind permit holders to renew are mailed in May. Permits must be renewed by July 1, 2014 to avoid a late fee of $35. For more information, contact Pauline Rodgers in the Leavenworth City Clerk’s Office, 913-684-0343 or prodgers@firstcity.org. Those without a permit risk getting fined for false 911 calls.

• Trash bags may be purchased at the City Clerk’s Office at $6 per roll • Garage sale permits are required at a cost of $5.

• All restaurants are required to have a Health Permit at a cost of $100 per year.

Leavenworth Public Library 417 Spruce Street leavenworthpubliclibrary.org

• All Employees working at any Food Establishment must pay a $10 Food Handler Fee. • Massage Establishments - New Business $350 and Renewals $175.

• Cereal Malt Beverage license renewals effective January 1, 2015 need to be submitted by Dec. 3, 2014 for processing and approval.

• Distributing flyers door-to-door requires a permit.

• Door-to-door solicitors are required to purchase a license with the City.

• If you encounter individuals soliciting at your home, ask to see a copy of the city license.

• Tree trimmers are required to obtain a yearly license. Before hiring someone to trim or cut trees, ask to see the tree trimmer’s license.

our way through a magical hour of fun.

For adults, we are forming a “Writer’s Guild” which meets on Saturdays. If you have a story to tell join us. Call of drop by for dates and times.

Young adults can look forward to gaming and fun. Join our Young Adult Advisory Council and help us determine the future of your Library.

We are gearing up for a fun summer full of programs and activities. Our theme will be “Fizz, Boom, Read!” and our activities will include a weekly science experi-

ment, Summer Bingo (back by popular demand!), Story Hour, Creation Station, Bedtime Stories, as well as a variety of daily activities in the library. It all starts with our “Kick off Carnival” and ends with our “End of Summer Science Fair.”

Your Library is here for you. Be sure to drop in and check out what we have going on for you.

Visit our website: www.leavenworthpubliclibrary.org for current programming. Like us on Facebook and visit our Pinterest boards too. We think you will be pleasantly surprised.

Summer 2014

The Leavenworth Public Library is the place to be this spring and summer for books, of course, but also for programs.

From open MIC nights each month, to our “Get Fit Leavenworth!” theme, we provide information and more just for you. Our popular Wiggle Workshop, part of our “Get Fit” theme, happens twice a month and is for parents, caregivers, and children. Join us as we wiggle and dance

Fireworks, except for smoke balls, sparklers, snakes, champagne bottle poppers and toy paper caps, are illegal in the City of Leavenworth. Any other common fireworks, also called Class C fireworks, are also considered illegal in the City.

The City prohibits the selling, possession or ignition of fireworks within the City limits. The only exception to this ordinance is for public firework displays that are approved, ahead of time, by the City Clerk and the Fire Chief. Ordinances are online at www.lvks.org.

In late 2013, the City of Leavenworth purchased the former Ramada Inn/Knights Inn hotel at Third and Delaware streets. The building was demolished in January-February 2014. In March, the Leavenworth City Commission listened to two proposals for extended stay hotels. In April, the Commission chose to enter into negotiations for a development agreement with Equis Hospitality Management. City staff and Equis will work toward a goal of having an extended-stay facility suitable for long-term stays for defense contractors, military or civilian guests.

Fireworks Ordinance

First City Connection Newsletter

Project update: Extended Stay Hotel

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Know the code From the Leavenworth Planning and Zoning Department Call 913-680-2626 to report a violation or visit www.lvks.org.

Yard Maintenance • Grass and weeds must be kept shorter than 12 inches. All ground covers and vines shall be maintained to discourage undesirable creatures. Any noxious weeds are to be removed.

Owners/occupants of properties abutting sidewalks, streets or public property shall maintain all vegetation so it does not interfere with travel or sight. Special care should be taken at intersections. Approximately 30 percent of overall code violations stem from weeds and tall grass violations. Only one notification per year is sent on a grass and weed violation. If the City mows your property, the charge will include the contractors’ fee and a city assessment fee: - $100 for 1st mow - $250 for 2nd mow - $500 for additional mows Drainage Swale A drainage swale is a low-lying landscape feature that allows drainage and water runoff. Drainage swales are to be maintained by the property owner.

in the back yard on a paved or aggregate block surface indefinitely.

• No commercial vehicles or trailers (12,000 Gross Vehicle Weight), including but not limited to panel trucks, large equipment trailers, semi-trailers, etc., can be parked overnight in a residential area.

• Small utility trailers may be parked on the property (less than 12,000 Gross Vehicle Weight), including small trailers for hauling, leaves, wood or other yard debris.

Open Storage Property may not be parked, stored, or left inoperable in view of the public or neighboring properties. This includes abandoned, discarded or unused objects or equipment such as automobiles, furniture, appliances, cans or containers, construction materials, junk, trash, or other debris.

Storm Damage of Trees Property owners have three months after a storm to remove all tree damage from a property.

Building Maintenance The maintenance of a structure is the responsibility of the property owner. Exterior surfaces, including out buildings, fences and attached structures must be maintained free of breaks, holes, rotten wood, chipped and peeling paint, broken windows or doors, rust or any other condition that violates health, fire, building or zoning codes or other regulations.

Garbage and Trash Refuse, rubbish, garbage and household trash cannot be left in the yard and must be disposed of properly. This includes auto parts, appliances, furniture, building materials, tires, cardboard, plastics or any other collected materials. Tree trimming and fallen limbs must be disposed of within a week.

Fences All fences require a permit before being built. Electric and barbed wire fences are prohibited. Only 4-foot, see-through fences are permitted in front of the house. Six-foot, solid fences may be permitted on the sides and rear of a house. No fences are allowed on public property.

Junk on Private Property City ordinance states: It shall be unlawful to park, store, leave or permit the parking, storing or leaving of any vehicle, machinery, appliances, implements or equipment, including abandoned, discarded or unused objects or equipment such as automobiles, furniture, stoves, refrigerators, freezers, cans or containers, lumber, junk, trash or other debris, which is in a wrecked, junked, partially dismantled, inoperative, unsafe or abandoned condition on private property in the City, so located upon the premises as to be visible from any public place or any surrounding private property, unless it is in connection with a business enterprise properly operated in the appropriate business zone pursuant to the zoning laws and other ordinances of the City.

Signs All commercial signs require a permit before being installed.

Each residence may have a single identification sign not to exceed two-square feet on each side. Real estate sale signs shall be kept behind the sidewalk. No sale signs are permitted off site.

Vehicles • All vehicles must be operable and legally licensed or stored in an enclosed structure. All cars not enclosed must be parked in an approved driveway or parking area. Vehicles may not be parked on any lawn/ yard area. All vehicle parking spaces shall be paved. Gravel is only allowed off an alley and as a parking pad and must have a border around all four sides to contain the gravel.

• RV’s, boats, and campers may be parked for no more than 72 hours per month in the front or side yards, but may be parked

Well-maintained yards are the pride of our community -- please take care of yours! Leavenworth trash crews pick up many items during regular pickup, check out our website at www.lvks.org for more information.