New Wichita law aims to crack down on nuisance motels. Here’s how

Hotels and motels within Wichita city limits will have to be licensed through the city starting next year in order to operate.

The ordinance also prohibits them from charging by the hour.

The Wichita City Council passed the ordinance establishing the license Thursday in an effort to crack down on what it deems are nuisance properties, especially along South Broadway.

“It’s not to try and punish people or take away anything, it’s holding people to a higher standard,” council member Mike Hoheisel said, “because a lot of what happens in these places does spill out into the neighborhood.”

Hoheisel, who just won re-election and pushed for the new ordinance, represents the area that includes South Broadway.

Hotel and motel owners would have to pay a $200 fee for the city license.

City attorney Jan Jarman said establishing the license could speed up the process of enforcing issues at the properties. Potential issues include violence, crimes, prostitution and trash, she said at a meeting in September.

Currently, licensing is required only through the Kansas Department of Agriculture, which the city said it has to rely on when issues arise at hotels and motels. The city said the state licenses 106 hotels in Wichita.

The new ordinance “will protect citizens by allowing city departments to quickly respond to condition complaints,” Jarman said.

This is the latest effort by the city to crack down on hotels and motels it deems as nuisance properties.

The city passed a nuisance property ordinance in 2016 to help shut down or fix issues at area properties.

Litigating those cases, however, is costly, Jarman told the council earlier.

“It is a very long and laborious task to go to district court and sue,” Jarman said in September. “We could have just as much control if we had a licensing structure and we would, instead of suing them, we … would take their license if they refuse to comply with the licensing restrictions.”

With a city license, Jarman said, the city could go in and do inspections when it receives complaints from residents.

A city license would be revoked only if the property is repeatedly found in violation of the city ordinance or if an immediate threat to people staying at the property is found.

Residents who live in the South Broadway corridor, which has several hourly motels, were supportive of the new ordinance at the council meeting Thursday night.

“I think in the long run … this will hopefully save some of our other service folks and folks who are trying to address those problems down the road,” Kristopher Swanson, who’s opening a coffee shop in the neighborhood.