TOPEKA – Bucklin City Council members will pay $100 in civil penalties for violating the Kansas Open Meetings Act or KOMA, Kansas Attorney Kris Kobach today announced.
Under the terms of a consent order, council members are required to pay the civil penalty and attend additional training on the Kansas Open Meetings Act.
“Most governmental business must be conducted in view of the public in order to comply with KOMA,” First Assistant Attorney General for Open Government Enforcement David Van Parys said. “To the city council’s credit, they remained cooperative throughout our investigation and have promptly undertaken steps to ensure this type of violation does not reoccur.”
After an investigation, the Kansas Attorney General’s Office determined that the Bucklin City Council members violated the KOMA by voting to approve a financial commitment of the city in a meeting conducted via text messaging. This improper conduct deprived the public of the right to observe and monitor city business.