League of Women Voters
of Salina, Kansas

Public can voice opinions
Discussion of consolidation continues today

Sharon Montague
Salina Journal

Consolidation talks As part of an ongoing League of Women Voters study of city-county consolidation, Randall Allen, director of the Kansas Association of Counties, will be part of a public forum at 7 p.m. today in the Prescott Room of the Salina Public Library.

When workers at a business in the South Industrial Area interrupted a burglary recently, they called 911, and both Salina police officers and deputies with the Saline County Sheriff's Office rushed to the scene.

The city and county agencies always help one another, and they share a jail, an emergency dispatch center and evidence facilities and have a joint drug task force, Sheriff Glen Kochanowski said.

Kochanowski made the comment Wednesday during a meeting between county officials and members of a League of Women Voters' committee studying consolidation.

Those examples help to demonstrate what County Commissioner Craig Stephenson termed a "seamlessness" of city and county services that county commissioners have worked toward.

"Taxpayers aren't concerned whether it's a county truck or a city truck, or whether it's a police officer or a sheriff's officer," Stephenson said. "They just want things taken care of."

But, while city and county officials work together in many ways, county officials told the committee members that there's a reason to have separate law enforcement, public works and other departments in the city and county.

Kochanowski noted that his department provides many services -- including serving court papers and running the jail -- that are mandated by state statute and that aren't provided by the city.

The city also doesn't have an appraiser, a register of deeds or an election officer, and the duties of the city and county clerks are different.

No good reason to do it

Stephenson said he doesn't see a good reason to combine city and county governments, and he's heard from many county residents who are concerned with the type of service they'll get if the entities are joined.

"It's the unknown," he said. "It's the giant of the city of Salina and its ability, then, to have a sucking-in of all the services."

Stephenson said county residents also are concerned about suddenly being burdened with debts incurred by city officials.

County Appraiser Rod Broberg said Saline County and the city of Salina probably cooperate as much as any other city and county in the state -- or more than most. So he questioned why full governmental consolidation should be necessary.

Stephenson said city and county officials plan to continue to cooperate. At a joint meeting earlier this week, he said, they picked several issues to study. The elected officials plan to meet several times a year, Stephenson said, and city and county staff will work together as much as necessary.

Gina McDonald, president of the League of Women Voters, said some people think consolidation is black and white -- either you're consolidated or you're not. But, she said, consolidation might not be all or nothing.

The league's plan is to study the issue, poll its members and develop a position statement.