Public commenters urge caution on CoreCivic plans and report neighborhood sinkhole; commission hears citizen concerns

Two members of the public spoke during the commission's public comment period about separate neighborhood and land-use concerns.

William Rogers, who identified himself as a resident, urged commissioners to apply strict oversight and a special-use permitting process to any private prison or CoreCivic proposal. He cited Department of Justice audits and past incidents in other communities, including a 2009 riot at a Texas facility and an unresolved impact-fee dispute in Sayre, Oklahoma (case CJ18-23), to argue for strong municipal safeguards. "All I've read a lot of audits by the Department of Justice on for profit prisons ... the oversight ... is terrible," Rogers said. He said Leavenworth's engagement has drawn national and international attention and thanked the commission for "holding a billion dollar business accountable."

Jeff Rutledge, who gave his address as 717 Oak Street, thanked city staff after reports that city crews had visited his neighborhood and said he hoped work would continue to address a sinkhole and related storm or drainage blockage. "Thanks for sending people out there," Rutledge said, noting continued monitoring of the situation by the city.

Outcome and notes: Public comment items were received; no formal action or direction was adopted on the topics during the meeting. The mayor and staff acknowledged the comments; staff follow-up was indicated for neighborhood maintenance matters and the broader land-use concerns will be addressed through the city's permit and land-use processes, if and when a proposal is submitted, city officials said.

Context: At least one speaker said international media interest had reached out regarding local handling of CoreCivic-related issues. The transcript records references to audits and legal actions elsewhere; commissioners did not debate or take votes on these topics during the meeting.