By a 4-3 vote, the Wichita City Council approved changes to their drought response plan.
While the ordinance still consists of four stages of water restrictions, the updated plan now gives the city some flexibility: the lake level at Cheney Reservoir will not be the sole reason to move to the next stage.
Wichita entered Stage 1 in January 2023. The current, 12-month average of the water level at Cheney is 71.3 percent and under the old plan a move to Stage 2 would have occurred automatically when the level reached 69 percent.
Gary Janzen with the city says conserving water should be on the mind of every Wichitan.
Council members Ballard, Glasscock and Hoheisel voted no on the new plan.
The council also passed a resolution naming the city website as its official newspaper. This means official public notices will be made available at wichita.gov . The council also approved naming a secondary print source to supplement the city's website.
Some Wichita branch libraries will get a facelift.
The council approved a contract to expand and renovate the Alford, Angelou and Rockwell Libraries. The total amount of funds available for the project is nearly $3.98 million and will be complemented with funds from the Wichita Public Library Foundation. This item will come back to the City Council at a later date for final design, construction and total cost.