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Resident urges Linn County to convene zoning appeals after delayed records; public comment focuses on Sunshine Meadows permits
Summary
A longtime resident told commissioners that county staff delayed Kansas Open Records Act responses for months and urged the board to convene a zoning appeals board to review building permits for the Sunshine Meadows subdivision; the board heard the concerns and requested staff follow up.
During the public-comment portion of the July 14 meeting, Jan Longenecker urged the commissioners to convene the county zoning appeals board and criticized delays in responding to Kansas Open Records Act requests related to building permits for the Sunshine Meadows subdivision.
Longenecker said she filed an open-records request in April and that building permits applied for soon after were not produced for 89 days. "If there's ever a violation of the Open Records Act, isn't this it? 89 days," she told the commission, citing KSA 45-218 and arguing the county is required to act on records requests "as soon as possible but not later than the end of the third business day."
She also said the zoning administrator approved multiple permits without notifying the public in a way that allowed appeals; she asked the board either to convene the zoning appeals board or to explicitly clarify their interpretation of the county regulation that allows appeals of decisions by the zoning administrator.
Commissioners acknowledged the complaint and asked staff to investigate procedural steps, whether required notices were issued, and what records were available. The board did not take formal action during the meeting but asked staff to return with information about the appeals process and any outstanding permit records.
