The possibility of allowing the Lyon County Research and Extension office join with the Frontier District was up for discussion again at Wednesday’s study session of the Lyon County Commission. Commissioners Scott Briggs and Rollie Martin talked about comments and concerns they have heard from the public. Commissioner Teresa Walters was not in attendance.
The main question people have, Briggs noted, is the notion of creating a new taxing district. If Lyon County were to join the extension district, which consists of Franklin and Osage counties, taxing authority for the extension office would transfer to the district instead of remaining in Lyon County.
“The community seems to be very, very apprehensive about taxing authority,” Briggs said. “That’s the main concern.”
The Frontier District was formed last year, and recently invited Lyon County to join. This would combine Lyon County’s four extension agents with the five agents working with the district. County commissioners then would appoint four members to the district’s board, with membership later being determined by public vote.
The question of taxing authority was an issue in 2009, when a discussion was being held to form an extension district with Chase County. With the two counties having such different valuations, many in Lyon County worried about how much of a burden they would be taking on. At Wednesday’s meeting, County Controller Dan Slater pointed out the differences between then and now.
“The last time this came up I was kind of outspoken about questioning it because of differences in valuation between the two counties,” Slater said. “This time it’s different, because while we’ll still be the largest county in the district, the difference is not that much.”
Slater pointed out that money for extension has gone up slightly in the last few years, but the county’s rising valuation has lowered the mill levy.
Supporters of joining the district say it would give the combined nine extension agents the ability to become more specialized, and would allow the three counties to share resources.
Briggs noted a concern about what that would take away from Lyon County, to have four agents working in three counties instead of just one.
“I mentioned the fact that, being a commissioner, I’m a little selfish to share because I think we’ve got good agents here,” he said.
The issue of districting has been visited several times in the past few years, and has been studied extensively, according to Martin.
“We’ve really been looking at it for almost three years, studying and educating ourselves,” he said. It began with the discussion with Chase County and continued with a discussion this fall about what it would mean to form a district with Coffey County. “So It’s been an ongoing story.”
Joining a district would have both potential benefits and potential drawbacks, Martin explained. Absorbing potential budget cuts from the state would be easier for three combined districts than it would be for Lyon County alone.
“That’s a possibility, just as it’s a risk of over-taxation,” he said.
Discussion will continue on districting at Thursday’s action meeting, but commissioners may not vote on the issue yet.
“Another question that’s been raised is, ‘What’s the hurry?’” Briggs said.
If the resolution passes, there will be a 60-day protest period during which people can petition to force the issue to a ballot. A petition containing the names of 5 percent of qualified electors would make that possible, said County Attorney Marc Goodman.
On Wednesday commissioners also discussed a resolution to adopt a sign management system as required by the 2009 Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, and heard a report from County Engineer Chip Woods about damage to Road 40 by an Irsik K Doll truck after it got stuck.