A task force studying whether to combine law enforcement agencies in Lyon County will start by looking at the money spent on police and sheriff’s activities.
The seven-member task force met for the first time on Thursday afternoon in the Emporia Public Library. The group was created by the Emporia City Commission and the Lyon County Commission and has until August to explore whether consolidation should be pursued, and what the costs or benefits might be.
As a first step, members agreed to ask the Emporia Police Department and the Lyon County Sheriff’s Department for their total operating costs. That would include officers, vehicles, equipment and a number of other expenses scattered across the city and county budgets.
Task force member Dale Davis suggested that the group might also want to sound out local legislators first. By law, the Legislature would have to give its OK before Lyon County could vote to merge its police services.
“To establish a plan based on what the Legislature does scares the heck out of me,” said Davis, the chief executive officer of Sauder Custom Fabrication and a former Emporia city commissioner. “I just don’t like spending a lot of time discussing something that someone else has veto power over.”
County counselor Michael Halleran, an adviser to the task force, said it was already too late for the Legislature to pass that sort of a bill this year. If the group winds up recommending consolidation, the soonest a bill could be passed to permit a vote would be in 2008.
That creates its own problems, noted task force member Marshall Miller, a county commissioner. The Lyon County sheriff is up for re-election in 2008 as well, meaning voters could be asked to vote for a sheriff in the same year that they’re asked whether to abolish the office.
At the suggestion of task force member Julie Johnson, an Emporia city commissioner, the group also agreed to invite one more non-Emporia resident to join the group. Of the seven current members, only former county counselor Phil Winter and Hartford Mayor Paul Cassity live outside Emporia. The others are Davis, Miller, Johnson, County Attorney Marc Goodman and Emporia State University professor Nate Terrell.
“Let’s ask people to volunteer and see what we get,” Winter said.
In Kansas, only Riley County has a consolidated police force. Based in Manhattan, that department is run by a director who answers to a board appointed by both the city and county. In the 1970s, Emporia voters rejected a similar initiative.
The task force named Miller as its chair and Johnson as its vice-chair. It also agreed to keep its meetings open to the press.
The next meeting will be 4 p.m. March 29 at the library.
emporia123 (anonymous) says...
As a Lyon County resident I don't think the city is doing anything to us. This project was started by the County Attorney. If the County started it must be good a good idea.
Quite trying to cause trouble.
March 5, 2007 at 7:52 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
emporia123 (anonymous) says...
Snake are you a rural elitist. I have to disagree.
If you live in the country and have 6 acres, 40 acres or 4300 acres then you can understand the challenges that come with country living.
And yes check your "sources". Mike Holleran has been working on this idea.
March 6, 2007 at 7:39 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jerrysienfeld (jerry sienfeld) says...
Snake there is freedom of speech but if you can not play nicely with others we can lobby to have you banned from this site.
March 6, 2007 at 7:25 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
siamesefred (anonymous) says...
I haven't farmed in rural Lyon County since 1852, and I am one of those 6 2/3-acre landowners.
But I see everyday people who move to the rural area to escape Emporia but then complain that the country isn't like the city. They complain about the dust on gravel roads or lack of electives at the smaller school districts.
Life is full of choices and consequences. The choice to move out of Emporia means you may not find a house on a paved road and you attend smaller schools.
Deal with it. And if you don't like it -- move back to the city and leave us rural dwellers in peace.
March 7, 2007 at 7:01 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
AverageCitizen (anonymous) says...
I agree with snake and siamesefred. I currently live within the city limits of Emporia, but I grew up on a cattle ranch/farm near Gridley; however, I don’t really feel that this is relevant to the issue. I just don’t understand the logic behind this task force study. Why on earth would they want to do away with the Lyon County Sheriff’s Department? Currently, the Emporia Police Department’s jurisdiction ends with the Emporia City limits while the Sheriff’s Department jurisdiction is throughout the entire county, including anything within the Emporia City limits. The Sheriff, Under-Sheriffs, Process Servers, Jailers and other support staff that maintain the County Jail are all employees of the Lyon County Sheriff’s Department. If the Sheriff’s Department is already baring the brunt of the responsibilities why would you do away with their department and leave the other? Also, and I personally think that this is the true catalyst behind this particular task force and their study, the Sheriff is an ELECTED OFFICIAL, while the Chief of Police is an APPOINTED OFFICIAL. Does this not bother anyone else? Why are they trying to deny us, the citizens of Lyon County, the right to vote every four years on the person in charge of our safety and security? They want us to just give them the reins, and trust that they will act in our best interest? No thank you, that is why we have elected officials, if you don’t act accordingly, you are out of there. I don’t want to have to go through a whole long, drawn-out process of waiting for many individuals (commissioners, county attorney, etc.) to come up for re-election at differing times trying to build a Board that will actually work together and remove the Chief of Police if the needs of the citizens aren’t being met by him/her and their support staff. Sounds way too complicated for a simple person like me.
March 7, 2007 at 8:44 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
MelissaE (anonymous) says...
siamesefred--you said it all!
Don't move to the "country" if you don't like gravel, dust, limited utilities, etc. Move there because you've done your research--not because it's the "in" thing to do.
I grew up in rural Lyon Cty. and I wish wish wish I could go back and raise my kids the same way.
I just laugh at all the "newbies", because my mom still lives there, alone, widowed, and rarely complains.
Newbies = wants to "be free" and yet complains about the rural living conditions....um, DUH.
M
March 7, 2007 at 9:24 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mythoughts (anonymous) says...
Are all country folk small minded and vicious? I like that phrase "rural elitist" I work with people like that everyday, who seem to really enjoy being insulting - bah. That isn't a swimming pool in your backyard...
March 8, 2007 at 4:28 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )