Opinion ID: 2537968
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: kjra

Text: In the district court, the City argued that the KJRA controlled and limited the court's standard of review. Although the district court agreed that its review of an administrative action should be limited, it found that the KJRA was not applicable under the definitions of K.S.A. 77-602(a) and K.S.A. 77-602(k) because the City of Salina was involved in the current action. K.S.A. 77-602(a) provides that under the KJRA, the term agency means a state agency. K.S.A. 77-602(k) provides the definition of state agency: `State agency' means any officer, department, bureau, division, board, authority, agency, commission or institution of this state which is authorized by law to administer, enforce or interpret any law of this state but does not include any political or taxing subdivision of the state, or any agency thereof, or the judicial or legislative branch of state government. (Emphasis added.) This court has reiterated what is contained in this plain statutory language  the KJRA does not apply to the actions of cities, counties, or other political subdivisions of the state. See, e.g., Kaplan v. Board of Johnson County Comm'rs, 269 Kan. 122, 125, 3 P.3d 1270 (2000); Landau v. City Council of Overland Park, 244 Kan. 257, 273, 767 P.2d 1290 (1989); Coffman, Procedures Under the Kansas Act for Judicial Review and Civil Enforcement of Agency Actions, K.S.A. 77-601 et seq., 76 J.K.B.A. (Feb.2007). Regardless, the City contends that the KJRA should apply to this case because the displacement of the Fricks' businesses resulted from a joint improvement project between the City and KDOT, a state agency. KDOT is a department of the State of Kansas under K.S.A.2008 Supp. 75-5001, which also makes it a state agency under the K.S.A. 77-602(k) definition. The City argues that the KJRA would otherwise apply to KDOT and it should also apply to the City, which as the principal on the improvement project, decided to step into the shoes of KDOT and administer relocation benefits. What cannot be ignored, however, is that under the agreement between the City and KDOT, the City was the principal in the Project and all property rights were to be acquired in the City's name. In compliance with this agreement, the City, not KDOT, was the condemning authority that actually acquired the Fricks' property. Thus, it was the City's action that caused the relocation expenses to be incurred, giving rise to the right to benefits, and in clear terms, the KJRA does not apply to city actions. The district court correctly concluded that the KJRA does not apply in this case.