The Wichita City Council came to an agreement Tuesday on campaign finance rules for city elections.
The ordinance changes passed on January 2 would have prohibited candidates in City elections and their political committees from accepting contributions from corporations or LLCs from either in, or out of state.
On January 16, the new council attempted to roll back those changes but ultimately tabled the issue until Tuesday's meeting to give the city time to gather public feedback.
Tuesday's unanimous vote reverted the ordinance back to how it was worded prior to January 2, allowing contributions from corporations and LLCs, but added an amendment stating that they must list their principal owners on their campaign contribution forms.
State law limits anyone to contribute up to $500 to a candidate in City elections per election cycle. Violation of the ordinance would be a misdemeanor with a fine not to exceed $2,500 and one year in jail.
The council also set a public hearing for April 2, to hear a petition to renovate the Orpheum Theater at 301 East 1st Street in downtown Wichita.
The theater owners plan a full-scale renovation of the facility, including a full interior rehabilitation, new seating for both levels, new lighting and audio as well.
The work means the theater will close for a year and will cost an estimated $9.5 million. The Orpheum reported to the council that they have generated a total of $4.3 million in fundraising thus far. They have submitted a Community Improvement District (CID) petition for $1,095,000 to assist in the project.