ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
The new business at the most recent Liberal City Commission meeting began rather surprisingly, with the commission accepting the resignation of Matt Landry.
Liberal Mayor Jeff Parsons read Landry’s resignation letter to the commission and gathered crowd at the meeting.
“Dear members of the commission, please accept this e-mail as my formal resignation from my position as a commissioner of the City of Liberal effective April 14, 2026. Serving on the commission has been an honor, and I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the growth and well-being of this community,” Parsons read. “I appreciate the collaboration with fellow commissioners, City of Liberal staff and residents, and I am proud of the work we have accomplished together. After careful consideration, I have decided to step down from my role at this time. This decision was not made lightly, but I believe it was the right step given my current circumstances. I will remain committed to the continued success of the city, and I am confident the commission will carry forward the important work ahead. Please let me know if I can assist in ensuring a smooth transition. Thank you again for the opportunity to serve.”
“I want to thank Matt for serving, he did an outstanding job during his time on the commission, and we wish him the best in his future endeavors,” Vice Mayor Janeth Vazquez added.
City Counsel Lynn Koehn then talked about the procedure to fill the new vacancy.
“There are actually two different statutes that govern for vacancies in cities in the state of Kansas. K.S.A. 12-104, which I believe was already sent out to the commission, is the catch-all that applies to all cities,” Koehn said. “There’s a 60-day window from the date the vacancy occurs, and the commission shall appoint someone, and failure to do so can result in having a special election, which would be an extra cost to the city. Then there’s K.S.A 13-513, which states after a vacancy occurs, the city needs to fill that vacancy. With this case, I don’t know the specific date anyone would be considered no longer qualified for this position, but I think you should look at the 60 days as of today to be on the safe side. You have to be a resident of Liberal to be on the commission, and the moment that ceased being the case for Mr. Landry, the vacancy would have occurred on that date by law.”
The commission will be accepting applications from qualified candidates living in Liberal city limits to be appointed for the open seat to fill the unexpired term. Applications are available at the city clerk’s office at City Hall at 324 N. Kansas Ave. The application is also available for download online at cityofliberal.org/182/Boards-Commissions. Applications are due back to the city clerk by 2 p.m. Thursday, April 23, and applicants will be asked to appear before the commission for interviews at 10 a.m. Friday, April 24 in the Commission Chambers inside the Liberal Recreation Department at 950 S. Grant Ave. The public is invited to attend this special meeting. For questions about the application process, people can contact City Clerk Alicia Hidalgo at (620) 626-2204 or
Also approved Tuesday evening was Ordinance No. 4646 concerning the establishment of the Liberal Youth Council.
“Staff have proposed the formation of the Liberal Youth Council (LYC) to give high school students a voice in local government to address community issues. Through the LYC, young residents will have the opportunity to learn about city operations, engage their elected officials in dialogue, and help influence local policies and projects in Liberal,” Chief Communications Officer Keeley Young said. “The LYC’s proposed purpose is to introduce young residents to local government leaders, staff, and operations, provide a formal method for young residents to share their perspectives on City of Liberal issues, encourage civic engagement and future involvement in leadership roles, and connect the Liberal City Commission and staff with new ideas for development. The proposed membership structure includes up to 15 residents, ages 14 through 19, who live in or attend school in Liberal. Applicants under the age of 18 will require parental/guardian consent to participate. Members will be selected for a two-year term through appointment by the Liberal City Commission. In addition to members, the Liberal City Commission will select a commissioner liaison on an annual basis to attend LYC meetings. The city manager and/or designees will be invited to attend meetings to provide information and staff support as non-voting mentors for the council. Meetings are proposed to be held during odd-calendar months (September, November, January, March, May and July) with members sharing comments from the council during the second city commission meeting of even- calendar months (October, December, February, April and June). Members will be encouraged to attend Town Halls and public outreach events as representatives of the council.”
Rezoning was also a bit of a hot topic for the evening, with the commission approving Ordinance No. 4648 concerning the rezone of 601 E. 15th Street from R-3 to C-2 and Ordinance No. 4649 concerning the rezone of 1011 E. 8th Street from I-1 to R-3.
The commission also approved some light expansion by approving the adoption Ordinance No. 4650, annexing certain parcels of ground into the city limits for the Liberal City Cemetery and the adoption of Ordinance No. 4651, which concerns annexing certain properties owned by the Zamora family into the city limits.
To conclude the meeting’s new business, the commission gave approval for the mayor and city manager to negotiate and enter into contract addendum terms with Professional Engineering Consultants for the completion of Railroad Crossing Elimination Project Environmental Assessment tasks in an amount not to exceed $300,000.
