Salina resident says he will start petition to put River Renewal funding on ballot after Rempp motion dies
SALINA, Kan. — A Salina resident told the Salina City Commission on Monday, Oct. 26, that he will start a petition aimed at putting the Smoky Hill River Renewal project back on the ballot, after a motion to move $5 million from the project to water infrastructure died for lack of a second.
Tom Wilbur made the announcement at the end of the citizens forum, moments before the meeting adjourned.
"If they don't second it, I'm going to start a petition, and we're going to get this back on the ballot," Wilbur said.
The motion
During his time at the podium, Wilbur called for the project to be stopped and for the $5 million transferred to it from the city's general fund to be returned. He urged Commissioner Doug Rempp, who had called earlier in the meeting for the money to be moved to water infrastructure, to make a motion.
Rempp said he expected the motion would not get a second, but he made it.
"I move that we take that $5 million that was moved from one bucket and put in the river renewal bucket, and place it back for water infrastructure," Rempp said.
Wilbur urged the other commissioners to second the motion so their positions would be on the record, saying a second "doesn't require that you have to go along with it."
The motion was not seconded. The commission then voted to adjourn.
"Well, I guess we know where we stand," Wilbur said. "I will start the petition."
Agenda question
Before the motion died, a commissioner asked the city's legal counsel whether an item not on the published agenda could be added. Counsel said the commission can change its agenda by majority vote, but noted there are obvious drawbacks to doing so.
Wilbur said he had emailed commissioners asking that the issue be placed on the agenda and that it was not. He also said commissioners have not responded to his emails, and he accused the commission of not listening to residents. The presiding officer told Wilbur his time had expired.
Background
According to a City of Salina question-and-answer page published after the Aug. 10, 2026, commission meeting, the commission transferred $5 million from the general fund to the River Renewal Project during the 2024 budget process. The city says most of the project's funding comes from the special sales tax voters approved in 2016, along with federal funds and private donations.
Wilbur did not say what the petition would ask voters to decide or when he plans to begin collecting signatures.
