The Emporia Gazette

May 27, 2012

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O.K., I’LL ADMIT I have a definite opinion on these two issues. Having been closely connected to county governments for the last 28 years, I have seen the current system in action, both as an insider and as an outsider. I also have a keen interest in history and government. That’s why I volunteered to be on the Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce’s County Study Group.

The basic organization of county government in Kansas dates from statehood. Over the last 150 years, there has been very little organizational change. County government was originally setup to be an extension of state government: To provide for law enforcement and courts, hold elections, open (but not necessarily maintain) wagon roads for horse and buggy travel, house criminals, provide for the legal subdivision of land, record transfers of property and to collect taxes. Since then, the duties and responsibilities of county government have grown exponentially!

The rise of the Federal bureaucracy and complexities of our daily life have resulted in county governments having many, many functions and duties that weren’t even imagined just 50 years ago. Until the 1930s, Kansas was an agrarian society with the vast majority of people living in the rural areas of the county. There actually was “a farm on every 40 acres” in 1890! Today, incorporated towns and cities in Lyon County provide about 65 percent of the county’s citizens and 65 percent of the property tax revenue for the operation of Lyon County government. I have heard several reasons why the status quo should be maintained. Let’s take a look at some of those:

“It will cost too much.” This is the most commonly heard concern. The current County Commission allocated about $250,000 for the funding of a county administrator and 2 additional commissioners. In many respects, this is the way that most governments react to change, i.e., creating an all new layer of bureaucracy rather than taking the business approach of incorporation and consolidation. Every time I attend a function of county government, I look around to see if anyone’s wearing the administrator’s “hat.” Sometimes it’s a commissioner or the county counselor. Sometimes it’s a paid auditor or consultant. Sometimes it’s the controller or the head of human resources. Sometimes it’s an appointed department head or an elected official. Usually, it’s nobody. A citizen or employee with a problem does not have an easily accessible single source of contact representing Lyon County.

Most county administrators are assigned budgeting and human resources duties, along with communicating with other government entities, researching issues before the commissioners and, most importantly, interacting with the public. In short, they are the “on site” representative of the county commissioners, from whom they receive all of their authority.

In my opinion, Lyon County has sufficient non-elected staff that could be absorbed into the new administrator’s office. The need for consulting services, such as budgeting, should be significantly less. The counties that I visited that had a county administrator all hired legal counseling on an “as needed” basis. I would speculate that the reduction of consulting and counseling services alone would very nearly pay for a full time professional administrator!

The cost of two new commissioners should be minimal, about $40,000 out of a budget of over $22 million. I feel that this is a small price to pay for 67 percent more representation and much less concentration of power. At a public forum, I heard a complaint that the county can not afford a car, a secretary and office space for 2 new commissioners! Amen to that. We shouldn’t be paying for all of that for any commissioner, regardless of the number! What is more difficult to quantify is improved efficiency, less duplication of county purchases, increased cooperation with other governmental units and employee morale. All of these have a good chance of happening with an organizational change. Certainly the right person is the most important aspect of job.

“Three commissioners are enough to run the county.” The dynamics of a three member board of any kind usually results in two members pairing up and dominating the board. In the past, I have personally seen this happen, at the expense of the “out” commissioner’s district. After all, a two to one vote is generally all that is required. So, we usually do not have 3 commissioners running the county, we have two. If you want 3 commissioners running the county, then we must have a five member board. So I guess I agree with the above statement. In fact, several “supermajority” zoning issues in the last few years have resulted in one commissioner running the county. Had these cases been heard by a five member board, it would have required two commissioners to agree that the measure was not worthy of a zoning change after the filing of a protest petition.

The dynamics of a five member board would bring about a greater diversity of thought and discussion. A professional administrator would facilitate that diversity and discussion. I have heard citizens complain about the commissioners “micromanaging.” With the current county organization, what would you expect? Some one needs to manage the organization. Would you want your school board to consist of only 3 members and no superintendent? How much “micromanaging” would the members of a school board have to do in a situation like that?

“The city folks and the Chamber should keep their noses out of the county’s business.” So just who is Lyon County? Everyone who resides within the borders of the county is a resident. Who pays property taxes to Lyon County? Everyone who owns property within the borders of the county. County government is the business of all residents of Lyon County. For example, I have three properties within the city limits of Emporia, along with a rural residence with some acreage. The county mill levy is identical on all four properties. As stated earlier, 65 percent of the voters pay 65 percent of the bill. They live in town. They also receive much less than 65 percent of the direct benefits.

The Chamber knows that the tax burden in Lyon County is disproportionately high as compared to similar counties. Business people also know that commercial property is taxed at a higher rate than most. If I, as a small businessman, thought that passing both of these measures would ultimately result in a net tax increase, I would definitely be against it too!

Why does this have to be an “us” vs. “them” discussion anyway? What’s good for the rural areas is also good for Emporia and what’s good for Emporia is also good for the rural areas.

Rural infrastructure and law enforcement are a necessity and a benefit to all citizens. We are truly a community and need to function like one. In my opinion, both of these issues are needed to help create a better sense of community in Lyon County.

“The administrator can’t control elected officials so why have one?” The administrator is hired by the Board of County Commissioners and is their employee. It is no more of a question of “control” for the administrator than it is for the Commission. I have official duties in six surrounding counties. All of these counties have one thing in common: Elected officials dedicated to the welfare of their county. With quality elected officials, it is not a matter of manipulation and control. It is a matter of focus and function. A professional administrator can help create a single mission for Lyon County and encourage everyone, both public and private, to “get on board.”

Over a hundred years ago, three commissioners were no doubt enough to manage the business of the county. It made sense then. County government is just too large and complex for three people to set policy and effectively manage today. I urge you to vote “yes” for both increased citizen representation and efficiency in Lyon County government.