Attendance:
Present: Mayor Winsor, Vice Mayor Kaufman, Commissioners Wollen, and Arensdorf were present. Commissioner McFarland was absent. City Staff consisted of Interim Manager Deardoff, Clerk Bieghler, Attorney Graffman, Chief Lux, and Director Kari Goldston.
Call to Order: Mayor Winsor called the meeting to order at 7:00p and David Roth led the opening prayer.
Consent Agenda: The commission reviewed and considered the consent agenda. Vice Mayor Kaufman asked for the January 2026 Financial Statement to be removed for discussion. Vice Mayor Kaufman requested to add item 5.B — Recommended Time Change for Commission Meetings and Interim Manager added an Executive Session for Attorney-Client after old business. The following items remained on the consent agenda:
1. Agenda for 2/26/2026
2. Minutes: 2/12/2026
3. Bills Payable: $426,503.57
4. CDBG Contract Amendment
• Motion made by Kaufman, seconded by Arensdorf, to approve the consent agenda. Motion carried 4-0.
January 2026 Financial Statement: Vice Mayor asked some questions regarding the financial statement and asked if it was possible to change its formatting to include budgeted values as well as YTD values to get a better understanding of budget performance. Clerk Bieghler said that he would take a look and try to accommodate the request for the next statement.
• Motion made by Kaufman, seconded by Arensdorf, to approve the January 2026 Financial Statement. Motion carried 4-0.
Public Comment: There were no citizens signed up for public comment.
Recess for the Kingman Land Bank: The commission recessed at 7:10pm and reconvened at 7:18pm.
Kingman Theatre Property Tax Exempt Request: Interim Manager Deardoff presented a proposed letter of support from the Kingman Theatre to submit to the State for tax exemption status to their building that connects to the south side of the theatre, which they use for a performer’s green room. Mr. Deardoff clarified that the City is not approving the status, as that is done at the state level, this request is simply authorizing the mayor to sign a letter of support for the change.
• Motion made by Wollen, seconded by Arensdorf, to authorize the mayor to sign the letter of support for property tax exemption status. Motion carried 4-0.
Commission Meeting Time Change: Commissioner Kaufman proposed to change the meeting time for the commission meetings from 7pm to 6pm. Attorney Graffman shared that the ordinance only addresses the day and not the time, so at first assessment, it would not require a change to the ordinance. However, the change would affect the utility billing hearings, and if the change required the hearings to move, it would require a change to the corresponding ordinance. The consensus was to move forward with formal action at the next meeting pending discussion with Commissioner McFarland to gather his input.
Water & Sewer Rate Study: Beth Warren of KMU is present in-person and reviewed the analysis of the water and sewer rate study. Several options were presented to the commission, each addressing different future funding contingencies. Interim Manager Deardoff and Ms. Warren answered several questions. Following a great deal of discussion and careful consideration of current and future budgets and water infrastructure projects, the consensus of the commission was to move forward with the following rate adjustments and directed Attorney Graffman to prepare the proper ordinances for the next meeting:
• Increase the water rate by 55% for 2026, then 3% for 2027-2030
• Increase the sewer rate by 5% for 2026, then 4% for 2027-2030
Executive Session — Attorney-Client:
• Motion made by Wollen, Seconded by Kaufman, to recess the meeting into executive session for seven minutes with the City Manager, and the City’s legal counsel for consultation with its attorneys regarding a matter which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship pursuant to the attorney-client privilege exception, K.S.A 75-4319(b)(2). Motion carried 4-0.
The meeting recessed at 8:23pm and reconvened at 8:30pm.
City Manager’s Report: Interim Manager Deardoff reported on the following items:
• Had a conversation with Dea Cushinberry regarding roads.
• Three out of the four easements required for the 54 HWY reconstruction project are obtained and he is still working on getting connected to the fourth individual.
• March 1, 2026 (coming Sunday) is the deadline for the City Manager application process. So far, the League has received ten applications.
Commissioner Comments:
Arensdorf
• The county and its contractors toured the Armory on February 16th to assess the building for its potential future long-term rental deal with the City.
• Aaron Parson said it would be best to lightly sandblast the tank before painting it for refurbishment.
Wollen
• Briefly referenced the presidential State of the Union Address
Kaufman
• Some high school students are prepared to volunteer for the tank refurbishment project.
• April 24th is the High School Community Service Day, which would be used to finish the tank project if needed.
• Home Depot has not gotten back with him yet regarding the donation of paint and supplies.
• Provided an update on the armed forces attending the Kingman July 4th Celebration activities.
• Asked if the City is working on creating road priority list as directed at the last meeting and would like to see progress on that list. Manager Deardoff addressed the topic.
• Shared that he has contacted the Kansas Wildlife and Parks Dept regarding the Rocky Dam but has not heard back. The group of commissioners thought that the Army Corps of Engineers may be the more appropriate contact and said that those projects are often a lengthy process.
Winsor
• Gave kudos to the city workers and thanked the city workers for addressing the following items:
o Installing new traffic sensors at the 54 & Spruce traffic light
o Installing new lights on the walking path at Riverside by the Bandstand
o Installing a new night deposit box for utility payments at City Hall
o Placing a public reporting portal on the city website for citizens to report nuisance properties
Adjournment:
• Motion made by Wollen, seconded by Arensdorf, to adjourn the meeting at 8:51pm. Motion carried 5-0.
