TOPEKA, Kan. — A Kansas city council has agreed to settle charges by the state's attorney general that it violated the Kansas Open Meeting Act (KOMA) when it fired a city clerk during a private executive session.
According to Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, the Kanopolis City Council and city Mayor Anthony Hopkins broke from their August special meeting into executive session. During the private session, the members allegedly agreed to fire the Kanopolis city clerk Yvonne Stoppel and neglected to hold a public vote on the termination. During a meeting held after the private session, a public vote was taken and Stoppel's firing was ratified, the Attorney General's Office said.
The Kanopolis mayor and city council members admitted to the KOMA violation in a consent order, which also includes members undergoing one-hour of training on KOMA regulations, according to Schmidt's office.
