Salina Warns Planning Applicants of Fraudulent Payment Requests

Salina planning staff warned the Planning Commission and the public about fraudulent payment requests being sent to individuals who have submitted planning applications to the city. Staff said the scam has been ongoing for several months.

According to staff, the fraudulent messages may appear legitimate and may reference specific applications or upcoming or recent public hearings, asking applicants to pay invoices for supposed fees. Staff said the scammers appear to be using information from applications that are part of the public record, possibly using automated tools to read posted documents.

In response, the city has added a disclaimer to the second page of the commission's agenda, which staff read aloud and said will be read at meetings for the near future. The statement reminds applicants that all application fees are collected at the time of submission and that no additional application fees are due following a public hearing. It states the city will not request payment by wire transfer and that legitimate payment requests are communicated through the GovBuilt portal or directly by city staff using an email address ending in @salina.org.

The notice directs anyone who receives a suspicious payment request or has questions about fees to contact community and development services at 785-309-5715 or through the city's planning channels before making any payment.

Staff said the matter has been reported to the police department and asked that community members who hear of the scam encourage affected individuals to contact the department before paying anything. "We don't have a lot of control over actually stopping it, but it has been reported to PD," staff said, adding that staff is trying to make people aware of it.