Questions: What Salina Residents Asked City Commissioners During the August 10 Citizens Forum
Salina residents directed dozens of questions to city commissioners and staff during a Citizens Forum that lasted more than an hour at the Monday, August 10, City Commission meeting.
Water quality, aging pipes and the city’s proposed testing and rebate process dominated the forum. Residents also raised questions about city spending, the river-renewal project, the Ambassador Hotel demolition contract, the animal shelter, housing inspections and employee protections.
Salina311 reviewed the official meeting recording and documented the questions below. Questions are lightly paraphrased for clarity and grouped by speaker; timestamps refer to the official video. Statements presented by speakers as fact remain attributed claims and are not independently verified in this account.
(Disclaimer: Names may be spelled incorrectly as we only have the audio to go by).
Diana Frobenius
- What exactly is the general fund for?
- Which account is paying the wages of the two women from the animal shelter, and why?
- Which account is paying their legal fees, and why?
- When will the test results from the water tower that was not emptied on time be available?
- Why does the city hire so many outside companies to make recommendations rather than using Salina or Kansas companies?
- Has the city stopped the Cozy Inn legal battle? If not, why?
- What is the plan for replacing the city’s pipes?
- Is anyone pursuing FEMA grants to help address the water problems?
Susan Cooper
- What justified increasing river-renewal funding from approximately $1.3 million annually to $5 million?
- Are there hiking and biking trails in north Salina?
Tony Johnson
- Why include demolition-contract requirements if the city will not enforce them?
- Why was the Ambassador Hotel demolition contractor allegedly charged the secured landfill rate for untarped loads?
- Who was responsible for enforcing the demolition contract and landfill rules?
Lucille Sanderson
- Are city employees prohibited from speaking with commissioners?
- Are homes being constructed on the former airbase inspected while they are being built?
- Where was the inspector when concrete was poured for garages that she said are already cracking?
- How are residents supposed to access a garage-floor storm shelter when a car is parked over it?
- How many gallons escaped from the water leak near Fire Station No. 4?
Shirley Roffes
- Why was Larson Street added to the water-project list while Millwood Drive was removed?
Terry Walsh
- Is there a water-line replacement committee, and does it include a citizen?
- Who decides who qualifies for water rebates—and how, when and where?
- Can citizens be involved in the process?
- Has the city considered forming a committee with citizen representation?
- Was the commission’s response effectively a “no” to citizen participation?
Unidentified speaker
- Why isn’t the water-rebate application mailed with water bills, given that some residents do not use the internet or Facebook?
Bill, surname unclear
- When the city discusses lead lines, does it mean private service lines running from the water main to homes?
Susan Cooper
- Why can’t $700,000 be moved back from river-renewal funding to cover the budget shortfall and avoid higher property taxes or mill levies?
- Can the city defer street sweepers, trails and other spending to prioritize acceptable water?
- Why did the state’s website appear to show $5 million for river renewal in both 2025 and 2026 when city officials said it was transferred only once?
Norman Reynolds
- Who established the parts-per-million standard used at Kanopolis Lake?
Nicole Skidmore
- When will household water testing begin?
- Will residents receive a defined testing schedule for the three required tests?
- If a household qualifies for assistance or filtration, will it receive a timeline for permanent pipe repairs?
Danny Powell
- Why could residents maintain and decorate the Highland Circle island for 15 years but were told they could not do so after asking the city to resume mowing?
Christy Dixon
- Where does the process stand for selecting the new commissioner?
- How much did the new commission-room monitor and timing system cost?
- When will the animal-shelter investigation report be released?
Stephanie Wheeler
- Will household testing include water pressure?
- Why isn’t pressure being tested, given her extremely low flow and possible leak?
Terri Smith
- Why does the city continue treating recurring water problems as homeowners’ responsibility after private plumbing has been replaced?
- Where will the city publish answers promised to residents during Citizens Forum?
- How will the city communicate those answers directly to residents?
- Under the three-test policy, does one passing test disqualify a household?
- Must all three tests fail to qualify?
Michelle Timpson
- Who will the independent third-party water tester be?
- Why has testing taken so long?
- What is delaying implementation of testing and the rebate program?
Shannon Ross
- Where did Michelle Timpson’s sample originate so the city can test that location immediately?
Other requests made during the forum
Several speakers made requests or policy proposals rather than asking direct questions. Those included calls to pause nonessential projects and redirect money toward water infrastructure, create an independent ethics and whistleblower hotline for city employees, include residents in the water-planning process, test water from affected homes immediately and submit those household samples to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
Commissioners and staff answered some questions during the meeting, said they would follow up on others and discussed portions of the developing water-testing and rebate process. This story documents the questions residents put before the city; it does not characterize every response as a final answer.
Source: City of Salina, August 10 City Commission meeting. Citizens Forum begins at approximately 1:45:19.
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