What's the Council up to next Tuesday? Dirt roads n' beer

It looks like the big issue at the Council meeting will be Sunday sales -- that's right, your representatives may let liquor stores sell you a bottle of wine, a fifth of whiskey or a six-pack of brew on Sundays. Sharon Fearey has made it clear she supports it, but she won't be there Tuesday. And the rest of the Council has been as clear as a pint of Guinness stout on this issue. They say they have no hardline opinions and want to hear what everyone has to say -- although the absence of strong opinion says members are probably leaning toward voting in favor of it. Otherwise it probably would have been yanked off the agenda Friday. Which ever way it goes, a group of 6,701 registered Wichita voters could force the issue to a ballot with a valid petition. (For more, see The Eagle's story and voter poll.)

After the Sunday suds are voted up or down, the council will reopen its discussion on paving dirt roads. That's an issue that Council member Jim Skelton says the city needs to look at. He and the city's street engineers say many of the dirt roads remaining in the city may stay dirt forever if the city doesn't reduce what it costs homeowners to pave streets. There's no vote -- it's just something Skelton wants addressed publicly. It should be an interesting first full meeting under Mayor Carl Brewer and newly-elected District 5 Council member Jeff Longwell. And there's more than just booze and dirt roads...

• The Council will hear from John Kemp about his opposition to the Boeing landfill near MacArthur and K-15, which the company wants to either give to the city or close.


• Members will vote whether to sign off on a grant agreement that could give the Kansas Food Bank $297,000.


• They'll vote whether to adopt a new neighborhood revitalization plan that could allow some tax rebates for some income-qualified people to use to fix up their homes. (Read more about it in this PDF.)


• And they'll review an annual report that shows compliance with their tax breaks, like industrial revenue bonds.


• See the entire agenda and related reports here.