The Junction City Commission was found to have broken the Kansas Open Meetings Act, according to the open government enforcement arm of Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach. The commission had made an effort to hide the specifics of a plan to build an industrial facility for the slaughter of beef on the west side of the city. Residential houses would have been in close proximity to this institution. Tim Carpenter of the Kansas Reflector reported on the investigation’s results.
According to a Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach investigation, the Junction City Commission illegally convened a meeting behind closed doors to discuss a proposed economic development project that included a livestock slaughterhouse outside of the city. The Kansas Open Meetings Act is broken by this conduct.
The original plan for Foote Cattle Co. to develop a meatpacking facility has been substantially thwarted by public resistance. Concerns around the possible sale of farmland for the construction of roads and a traffic exit from Interstate 70 gave rise to this once-confidential protest.
Landowner Michelle Munson filed a two-part lawsuit with the attorney general during the proposal’s discussion in July 2023. Allegations against the city commission were included in the complaint.
Munson of the Munson Angus Farms family voiced his displeasure with the commission’s inaction in approving the $5,000 spending nearly three years ago during a public meeting. This sum was used to get a first refusal right on the option to buy 150 acres of property for the project. The city had shown interest in the Munson’s nearby farm, even though Foote Cattle ultimately purchased the land on the west side of Junction City.
Munson further asserted that the commission broke the statute governing open meetings two years prior when it neglected to accurately describe the subject of an executive session. It is important to note that the project involving the meatpacking facility was also discussed during this confidential session.
Munson’s attorney received a letter from Kobach’s first assistant attorney general, Amber Smith. Smith said that it seems from the data that is now available that the commission did not break the Kansas Open Meetings Act (KOMA) when debating the $5,000 alternative.
The attorney general’s office found that the commission had attempted to limit public knowledge of the project in the following meeting, which was against the law.
Smith clarified, “We have determined that the commission did not fulfill the legal prerequisites for a recess into executive session because their motion did not adequately describe the topic to be discussed.”
The results of the investigation will be forwarded to the city attorney, who will be made aware of the conclusions. Furthermore, the commission will be highly motivated to take the required actions to guarantee KOMA compliance.
Munson, who comes from a long family of Geary County farmers, talked about the difficulties and time commitment required in resisting the city’s plan to turn agricultural land into a manufacturing center that included building an animal slaughterhouse.
Munson emphasized the significance of openness and honesty on the issue while expressing his appreciation with the attorney general’s choice to endorse the Kansas statute.
When asked about the attorney general’s response to Munson’s allegations on Tuesday, Junction City’s manager, Allen Dinkel, did not provide a response. According to Dinkel, the commission wanted to encourage the growth of commerce and manufacturing jobs on the territory west of the city in order to increase the tax base of the city.
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