By GEORGE NUNNEMACHER | October 25, 2023

The Linn Valley City Council held its bi-monthly meeting at 7:00 PM on Monday, October 23, 2023, with Mayor Cindy Smith presiding and all council members present.   

Following approval of the October 9th and October 14th meeting minutes, Mayor Smith opened the floor for citizen participation, however, there were no citizens seeking to make comments or to share information with the Council.   

City Clerk Karen Siffring presented the Council with the final draft of Ordinance No. 252 which amends Section 12 of the Zoning Ordinance of the City of Linn Valley, Kan.  Key elements of the ordinance are two sections with proposed language dealing with the parking or storage of recreational vehicles and camping trailers at permanent residences within city limits.

The Ordinance had been adopted at the previous meeting contingent upon the correction of the wording as follows:

Item No. 4 in Section 6.1 of the city’s Zoning Ordinance which deals with R-1 Lots now reads as follows: 

“No recreational vehicle or camping trailer may be stored or parked on a lot such that it can be seen from any point off site at ground level, but a recreational vehicle or camping trailer may be parked outside of an enclosed structure on that lot between May 1 and September 30.”  

Likewise, Item No. 6 in Section 7.1 of the city’s Zoning Ordinance dealing with R-2 Lots now reads as follows: 

“If a permanent residence is on a lot, no recreational vehicle or camping trailer may be stored or parked on that lot such that it can be seen from any point off site at ground level.  Lots that do not have an existing primary family residence may host a maximum of (1) recreational vehicle used as a permanent or temporary dwelling, on the lot with no time limit.”  

There were other changes to the zoning regulations including the addition of definitions, clarification on the maximum size of accessory structures, regulations on child daycare and short-term rentals.  The ordinance was approved by the Council with these and other changes. 

Siffring noted that the city’s mowing contract is up for renewal.   Based on her recommendation, the council approved a motion by Council Member Robert Suppenbach to renew the current contract with Mike Van Vlack at the current cost of $150 per mowing.  

Council President Lew Donelson passionately addressed the council about disagreements between council members.  He stressed that council members and/or the mayor may not agree on every issue, but they must endeavor to work together for the benefit of the community.  Donelson also commented about the ongoing chatter on social media which seems to cause much of the ongoing turmoil within the community, noting that the gossip and backbiting needs to stop so that the residents can come together as a community.  

Donelson also raised the issue of past employees who left employment with the city, but whose resignations were never formerly accepted by the council.  He specifically mentioned Dan Donham, former Director of Planning and Development, who played a key role in earlier stages of the water and wastewater projects, but left employment with the city in July 2022 for reasons still unknown to Donelson.  

Based on Donelson’s request, the council voted to subsequently accept the resignations of the following four city employees:  

Carol Powers, Municipal Court Clerk

Don Hastings, Building Inspector

Dustin Stuteville, Police Officer

Dan Donham, Director of Planning & Development

Smith announced that the city’s 25th Anniversary Jubilee will be celebrated from 4:00 – 6 p.m. at City Hall on Monday, Nov.13th.  Past council members and mayors will be in attendance and will be recognized, and the burial of a time capsule has been planned as part of the event.