IT HAS BEEN almost 37 years since the idea of consolidating law-enforcement agencies in Lyon County was first seriously raised. It has been almost 35 years since Lyon County voters rejected the proposal.
Lyon County was one of the first counties in Kansas to consider consolidation. City and county officials began studying the possibility in 1970. In 1972, the Kansas Legislature passed the enabling legislation for Lyon County, which was signed by Gov. Robert Docking. But in August of 1972, voters rejected the plan by a wide margin.
Much has changed since then.
In 1972, consolidation was unexplored territory in Kansas. No one knew quite how it would work or even if it would work. It was also a year of turmoil at the polls, when a bitter fight over a court election drew a large number of angry voters to the polls in August. Part of that anger was apparently expressed in a 5-1 vote against consolidation.
Two years later, Manhattan and Riley County consolidated their police and sheriff’s departments, becoming the first consolidated department in the state. The legislation that allowed those departments to merge was based largely on the Lyon County bill. The Riley County consolidation was not without problems, but those problems were worked out. For more than 30 years, the combined agency has been providing good service to the county and city.
Given Riley County’s success and the recent interest of people in Lyon County in cutting taxes by consolidation of services, this seems like a good time for Emporia and the county to raise the issue again. That’s why a joint city-county committee has recommended formation of a task force to consider whether consolidation would be a good idea.
The ways consolidation might both save money and improve law enforcement in the county include:
• Unified equipment purchases, with possible savings for volume and elimination of duplication.
• Maintenance of a unified, seamless emergency dispatch operation.
• Unified hiring, with one standard of training for all law officers.
• One pay scale for all law officers in the county.
• Fewer managers in the office and more officers on the street.
The task force, assuming that one is appointed, would surely find more reasons to either recommend or not recommend consolidation. But a task force is needed if the people of Lyon County are to find out what they need to know to make an informed decision.
Some people in the county may be disposed to see a consolidation study as an extension of last year’s fight over the proposals to expand the county commission and hire a county manager. It would not be. The task force plan comes from within city and county government, not from outside. If a task force is appointed, it will be appointed by the people’s elected representatives.
For Lyon County, consolidation is not a new idea — it is an old one whose time may have come at last.
Phil_Dillon (anonymous) says...
Consolidation defenitely needs to be explored. There are probably other departments in the city and county administrations that should be looked at also.
January 15, 2007 at 1:56 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )