DA finds no evidence Merriam Drainage District board violated open meetings act, misspent money

“Based on what they (the investigators) are telling me, there is a decent chance that nothing will be filed against the drainage district”

A Johnson County District Attorney's Office investigation has found no evidence suggesting that the Merriam Drainage District Board knowingly violated the state's open meetings act or misspent taxpayers' money.

Last summer, the district attorney's office received complaints alleging that the drainage district board had repeatedly failed to notify the city of Merriam of its public meetings. Merriam's city attorney and one of the drainage district's own board members filed the complaints.

Concerns were also expressed that the drainage district was neglecting to bid out its construction projects. The district attorney's office eventually began a comprehensive investigation of the board's meeting practices and its financial activities of the last two years. Read more