BY ANDY TAYLOR

COFFEYVILLE — City commissioners Monday sparred over an emergency measure — which was approved on a 4-1 vote — that would decrease the commission’s quorum number from four to three.

Mayor Alec Hendryx made the suggested change in the commission’s quorum after a situation on Dec. 14 in which two of the five city commissioners did not attend a regularly scheduled meeting. Hendryx could not attend the Dec. 14 meeting because of a previous work commitment, and commissioner Jim Taylor, Sr., said he would skip any commission meeting whereby any other commission member was not attendance.

By having two of the five members of the commission not in attendance at the Dec. 14 meeting, the commission was unable to reach a quorum, and the meeting had to be postponed until Monday night when all five commission members could be present.

By decreasing the quorum from four to three, the commission will be able to still conduct business if two commissioners could not be in attendance, the mayor said.

Commissioners Pam Jones, David George and Richard Gonzales voted in support of Hendryx’s emergency ordinance measure while Taylor cast the lone dissenting vote.

Normally, city ordinances require readings at two separate meetings before they are in effect. However, Hendryx suspended the normal procedures Monday and said the quorum issue was an “emergency matter.” The new quorum ordinance was declared in effect following its passage Monday night.

“It’s just not right,” said Hendryx in his comments toward Taylor, who, the mayor claimed, intentionally missed the Dec. 14 meeting to stall city business. “It’s not feasible to hold up city business like that.

“This situation would not have been possible if you (Taylor) had not been so irresponsible.”

Taylor fired the issue back at the other four commissioners, saying commissioners had an obligation to be present at each and every meeting. With one member of the commission not in attendance, the Coffeyville community cannot adequately hear or see how each commissioner addresses city business concerns, he said. Therefore, it is more prudent for him to miss the meeting when another commissioner is not in attendance (and thereby force a meeting postponement due to a lack of a quorum) than allow the citizens to see a partial commission at a meeting, he rationalized.

However, Hendryx emphasized said the issue of decreasing the quorum number was strictly the result of Taylor’s decision to intentionally skip meetings when another commissioner would not be in attendance.

“Don’t act like that we (the other four commissioners) are creating the problem,” said Hendryx. “You created the situation.”

Taylor also took a swipe at the reduced quorum number. With a three-person quorum, only two votes are needed to approve most measures. That would mean only two votes would be needed to sell city property or cast votes on other weighty issues, he said.

“I think it’s a great move, you all,” Taylor said with sarcasm in his voice. “You all are really looking out after our community.”

Commissioner Pam Jones replied that the entire quorum matter could be resolved had Taylor attended the meetings — regardless of who else from the commission was not in attendance.
“Yes, we cannot pay our bills if we don’t have our meetings,” Jones said. “He (Taylor) needs to take it serious and show up.”

At the Dec. 14 meeting, which was postponed due to lack of a quorum, Jones read a statement in which she solely blamed the meeting’s delay on Taylor’s intentional desire to skip the meeting due to another commissioner’s absence and automatically force a meeting postponement.

At Monday’s meeting, Taylor accused Jones and other commissioners of conspiring to form that statement, which, Taylor said, violated the Kansas Open Meetings Act. He said he was seeking an investigation into the matter from the Kansas Attorney General.

Jones asked Taylor Monday on what grounds would an investigation take place.

“You’ll be informed in due course,” Taylor said.