Council responds to state attorney-general inquiry about possible Open Meetings Act emails

Council members discussed a letter they had received from the state attorney general alleging potential violations of the Kansas Open Meetings Act tied to email exchanges between council members.

One council member said they had received a letter from the attorney general and that some members had replied to a forwarded email that may have constituted city business. "I got this letter this week that, from Chris Cobalt, the state attorney general, that Darcy and I had been in in violation of the KOMA," the council member stated during the meeting. The city attorney explained that the attorney general's office typically issues a request for information, solicits signed statements from involved members, and often resolves matters with remedial training rather than punitive measures.

The city attorney told the council: "If they think that we have violated KOMA, their typical response is to require one hour training or some sort of training." The attorney added that in practice the AG rarely levies fines and that staff uses blind carbon copies for mass emails to avoid inadvertent reply‑all violations.

Councilors agreed to collect statements from members, to consider in‑house or external training on open‑meetings rules, and to allow the attorney general's office to complete its review. A council member also noted that the AG cannot remove elected officials from office; that remedy had been suggested in a correspondence the council discussed but the attorney clarified it is outside the AG's authority.

Next steps include compiling signed statements for the AG and scheduling or attending KOMA training recommended by staff.