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Council questions records-request charging, mayoral appointment authority and proposes meeting-time limits
Summary
Council members asked why the city had not been charging for certain records requests, raised a question about the applicability of a Kansas statute on mayoral appointment authority, and discussed a proposal to cap council meeting length at two hours; staff agreed to draft a policy option.
During council reports, a member asked about charging fees for 'core' records requests and whether the city had been collecting those fees consistently. City administrator Gensby and other staff said their understanding is that the city has generally provided information without charging in some cases, though staff also reported instances where fees had been assessed. Council asked staff to review coding and revenue reporting so the council could determine whether the fee line item has been used consistently.
Separately, council members discussed a presentation that referenced KSA 12-10107 and whether that statute — on the mayor’s authority to appoint department heads — applies to cities of Kechi’s class. Staff noted differing interpretations and suggested the city would need to review the statute’s applicability.
Finally, one council member recommended exploring a policy to limit council meetings to two hours to respect members’ time; staff agreed to draft a policy for discussion at a future meeting.
