The Wichita City Council discussed their 2021 federal legislative agenda, a food master plan and other topics at a workshop Tuesday.
One of the headlines from the legislative report was the possibility of Amtrak service expanding into Wichita. Future plans may be released in the next month.
The council also discussed a food system master plan. County residents spent $1.6 billion on food in 2018. Officials say that if even 5 percent of that was spent on locally-grown food, an estimated $80 million would circulate through the county each year.
The city's goals are to foster food system coordination and education, improve access to healthy food and increase local food production. 44 square miles of Wichita are designated as a food desert, which are areas that have limited or no access to healthy food.
Finally, the group heard a report about the removal of dangerous and unsafe structures. The city says It generally takes about a year for condemned structures to be removed, but that 50% of the cases are resolved with an outcome other than demolition.
The city plans to make changes that will result in a more efficient reduction of dangerous and dilapidated structures throughout the city. KaLyn Nethercot, Neighborhood Inspection Administrator for the Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department, says that doesn't mean more structures will be torn down. Property owners will have several due process opportunities and they will be held more accountable, by providing detailed plans from engineers on how and if the property can be repaired and additionally, how they will pay for it.
