Wichita Mayor Lily Wu gave her first State of the City speech on Sunday.
During her address she discussed several items, including transparency, accomplishments, challenges, local government, priorities, crime, streets, infrastructure, economic development, the homeless population, shared services, and use of the former downtown library on S. Main Street, the location where Mayor Wu gave her remarks.
“While homelessness wasn’t included in last year’s community survey, this council came together to do something about it,” said Mayor Wu. “When the school district decided to close Park Elementary at Ninth and Main, we saw an opportunity to repurpose a public asset for good. We’ve allocated $13.6 million for a new multiagency center, or MAC, that will serve as a 24/7-365 temporary shelter.”
Mayor Wu spoke about unique challenges facing the city.
“We’ve had our share of a spike in crime at the beginning of 2024, a cyber attack at City Hall, but no ransom was paid,” said Mayor Wu. “A severe drought in our main water source, and Cheney remains well below average. Labor strikes at Textron, Spirit, and Boeing. The city continues to defend several lawsuits.”
The event also served as an opportunity for city council-members to talk about their accomplishments, delivered through video messages.