Recessions. A new courthouse. Sanitation code. Cooperation of city and county government.
Between the two of them, outgoing Lyon County commissioners Marshall Miller and Bob Davis have seen a lot of changes during their terms. Miller was elected to the commission in the fall of 2000 and began serving in January 2001. Davis came to the commission in 2004. Both decided not to run again this year.
Miller decided to run for commission after he retired from business.
“My friends felt I needed something to do,” he said. “They got me to apply.”
He decided to run for a second term.
“After four years you learn what is going on,” he said.
In 2001, the economy went into a recession, Miller said.
“We scrambled the first, second and third year of my term,” he said. “The state was out of money and pulled money out.”
In 2002, the county didn’t receive the second half of revenue sharing monies from the state. In 2003, those funds stopped altogether.
“Now we’re in the worst economic situation in my lifetime,” Miller said. “Neither federal or state has any money.”
Miller said another event that stands out in his mind during his first term was the changes in the sanitation code in Lyon County.
“Work was being done with the sanitation code,” he said. “That was kinda a big crisis with (the) county. I voted for it and felt like it was an environmental thing. I was pleased we got it done.”
Miller also had the opportunity to see the county through moving into the new courthouse at 430 Commercial St. and he was involved in the re-modeling of the old courthouse, now known as the Lyon County Annex.
During his terms, the county was able to sell TFI Family Services a county-owned building located at 618 Commercial. This allowed TFI to stay in Emporia and allowed the county to remodel the former Deer Trail building across from the Lyon County Fairgrounds and moved the Lyon County Extension Office into that building.
Miller said the county is in good shape right now.
“We’re leaving the county in a pretty good financial situation,” he said.
Davis served for a total of four years on the County Commission. He decided to run for commission because there were some issues that he thought he could lend some knowledge to.
Davis saw many changes during his time on the commission as well.
“We continue the last four years the gaining of respect for county and city employees,” Davis said. “I thought we had some awful good employees and they are not being respected as such. Too often the news media takes the negative and runs with it.”
During his term, Davis has been heavily involved in plans to renovate the fairgrounds.
“It’s still a very strong priority with the county,” he said. “When we get taxing and financial (conditions) more in perspective it will get renovated.”
Another accomplishment during Davis’ term is the cooperation between city and county government.
“That needs to continue,” Davis said. “There’s a lot of work left to do. But the groundwork has been laid.”
Davis and Miller will officially be released from office on Jan. 12. Their last official commission meeting is on Jan. 8.