Wichita Police Department officers are set to be among the best paid law enforcement officers in Kansas. The Wichita City Council approved nearly $10 million in unplanned pay hikes and bonuses over the next two years while increasing investment in a rewards program that police consulting firm Jensen Hughes said should be ended. In exchange, the Fraternal Order of Police has agreed to implement one Jensen Hughes recommendation, no longer requiring the city to let officers review an entire internal-investigation file before answering questions about their conduct. That change will remain in effect until the end of next year, when a new FOP contract is expected to be ratified by the City Council. The council last month delayed a vote on a $5,000 retention bonus for all commissioned officers, with a majority of the council siding with Mayor Brandon Whipple. The mayor said he would not vote for the bonuses unless they were presented alongside policy changes recommended by Jensen Hughes that aim to improve police culture. The new amendment to the FOP contract includes the $5,000 bonuses, which will cost the city at least $3.4 million. The bonuses are slated to go to eligible employees by Friday, Dec. 8, on top of a $1,000 retention bonus already scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2023. Employees do not have to stay with the department beyond this week to receive the bonuses. Under the FOP contract approved in 2021, police officers were scheduled to receive a 1.5% raise in 2024. The new proposal will give them 13.27% raises effective Dec. 23.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

Two failures at a Wichita sewage site caused 1.7 million gallons of sewage to overflow into a nearby creek, spiking the levels of E. coli in the water, Wichita Public Works and Utilities Director Gary Janzen said Tuesday. “There’s no public health risk expected but residents are being urged to stay out of the creek and pond areas and keep their pets away from the water,” he said. “There’s no public health risk to the city’s drinking water or anyone walking or living by the creek, nor is there any anticipated impact to aquatic life or local wildlife.” A resident reported the overflow of sewage Sunday morning. It happened in northeast Wichita. On Saturday, a pump failure at a sewer lift station west of North 127th Street East, near Founder Circle, caused a manhole to overflow and pour into Four Mile Creek, near the Redbud Path. The pump has been fixed and is working properly, he said. “To add to that … our alert system that would normally alert staff that there was a problem was also not working at the same time, resulting in this overflow, unfortunately,” Janzen said during a news conference.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

A park in Wichita’s North End named after a Hispanic veteran from the neighborhood is on track to be developed after sitting empty for 14 years. The park, at 25th Street and Wellington, will have fitness equipment, artificial turf and a flagpole to honor veterans. “I just know that the whole thing would mean a lot to my dad. Being a North Ender, a Hispanic and a veteran,” Patrick Garcia II said in a phone call. “That checks all the micro groups that one can be a part of and this thing would just put a really put a giant smile on his face because he liked spending time outside.” Patrick D. Garcia grew up in the area of 23rd Street and Park Place after moving from Garden City with his family. He served in the U.S. Army from 1968-70, then returned home to attend Wichita State University. His work in the public sector included being an assistant to former U.S. Rep. Daniel Glickman and a U.S. Department of Justice Immigration officer. He died in April 2000 at the age of 50 from complications of a brain tumor.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

About 100 electric scooters, roughly 50 skateboards, child car seats, shopping carts, bicycles, light fixtures, speakers and other items were pulled from the Arkansas River near downtown Wichita last week. The city lowered the river roughly 2 feet to make “some minor modifications to the fish ladder/boat pass in order to reduce long term sediment build-up,” the city said in a news release. Veo took advantage of the lowered river to get out its rental scooters and other items. Veo operations manager Steven Miller said they also had volunteers from Boats & Bikes and Kansas Alliance for Wetlands and Streams help with the cleanup on Tuesday and Wednesday. They spent about 250 person hours. Miller said some of the scooters were several years old. There were also about 100 skateboard and a 12-foot chain link fence that they weren’t able to get to with a grapple hook. Walking out into the muddy slush would be nearly impossible, he said. “It’s not a scooter problem. It’s just a problem with bad actors doing bad things, and it’s unfortunate,” he said, adding he wishes he had an area of river like Wichita does where he lives in Oklahoma. “It’s such a pretty area to go out and enjoy time with your family and friends. I don’t know what drives people to do those kinds of things but it is just sad to see that people want to destroy the nice parts of the city and/or vandalize property. It’s just sad.” He said the scooters had been accumulating for as long as five years.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle