City officials continue to wrestle with the Kansas Department of Transportation over the used of barbed wire fencing in side the city limits.

Current projects by KDOT have used the barbed wire fencing that is prohibited in City limits, and there are plans to continue using the banned fencing.

City manager Allen Dinkel said that the City must follow the rules that it makes. “Basically, the city ordinances does not allow barbed wire in that application, and I think the ordinance should be followed…when the City passes an ordinance, we need to follow the ordinance and of course the commission can change an ordinance, but until we do -the ordinance is in place.”

The City could decide to review the ordinance and change it, but Dinkel said he would advise against that. “I think ultimately, you don’t want barbed wire throughout town…part of the problem I have along Highway 77 and the City commission does too, is that the barbed wire is near an apartment complex and near parks and it’s just something that we need to stay away from – there’s other methods of fencing.”

If City commissioners decided to review the ordinance and possibly change it the process would not be easy.

Metropolitan Planning Commission Director David Yearout said – no. “Stay with the prohibiton.”

“There are going to be times when exceptions are going to be necessary; we build it in for security purposes, like around the football field, or water towers…we get calls from people saying ‘I want to fence my yard’ and they want to know can they put barbed wire – no, not in town,” said Yearout.

City commissioners asked city staff to continue conversation with KDOT regarding the barbed wire and halting any future barbed wire fencing. No decisive action was taken on the existing barbed wire that has been put in place by KDOT; it will continue to be reviewed in future City Commission meetings.