University Daily Kansan
Wednesday, August 24, 1977
15
Staff photo hv MARU ANGARITA
Havvu haircutter
A familiar sight to people on the Hill is Claremore Adamson, 75, relaxing in front of his barber shop at 41 W. 14th St., Adamson, who has run the business for 27 years, says he's the best.
County commission's purpose told
Staff Writer
By CHRISTOPHER COX
Douglas County's main governing body, the county commission, functions as both the county policy maker and administrator, these powers being delegated to it by state
The commission is composed of three members, each representing a district in the county. Each commissioner serves a four-year term, and elections are staggered so that no more than two commissioners are elected at the same time. One of the commissioners is elected by the other members to serve as chairman.
THE OTHER COMMISSIONERS, who began their terms in January, are Robert Neis, R1. E,rdulora, and Beverly Bradley, R2. T. Neis is the second district representative; Bradley represents the third district. The University of Kansas is in the third
The current commission chairman is Peter Whitenight, 1515 W. Seventh St., who represents the first district. Whitenight is midway through his four-year term.
One of the commission's most important duties is the preparation of the county budget, which is adopted each summer. The budget shows the amount of money owed on county bonds, the county's assessed value and the amount of tax money that will be
needed to support the various county departments for the next budget year.
Services and departments that Douglas County maintains with tax money include an ambulance service, public health and mental health services, institutional care facilities, civil defense and a historical society.
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS are also responsible for county officials and all general county employees. Boards can also be appointed by the commissioners; the planning commission and the zoning appeals board are examples.
Weekly commission meetings are held on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., with commissioners' office is temporarily in the building. Douglas County Judicial and Law Enforcement Center until next summer, when county Courthouse will be finished.
During much of this summer, the county commissioners have found themselves embroiled in controversial matters. They fired a county supervisor after an investigation by a county attorney turned up evidence of the supervisor's official role. The commissioner received a petition signed by 44 others protesting the site of a 100-foot communications tower the day construction began in the law center's south parking lot.
Schools serve community
Although education at the University of Kansas draws many students to Lawrence, other students are educated in the city's system are system, Unified School District No. 497.
The superintendent of schools is Carl S. Knox, Robert L. Taylor is assistant superintendent for instruction and per-
formence; E. H., E. K.; superintendent for business and facilities.
The district operates 17 elementary schools, three junior high schools and one high school. Special services include classes for blinded and educationally disabled children.
PERSONS MAY TELEPHONE 842-6222
enrollment dates and procedures the MPS will provide
These administrators, as well as directors of food services, elementary and secondary education, fine arts, vocational and continuing education, have offices in the administration building. 2017 Louisiana St., adjacent to Lawrence High School.
Charles Oldfather, professor emeritus of law, was elected last month by the DU 497
Oldfather has been on the board since 1975
board to serve as board president for 1977-1978. The board's operating year
Martha Masinton is the current vice-president of the board. She was elected in
THESE FOUR WERE joined last month by three new members—Roger Pine, Bob Davis and Bill Hopkins. All three were elected last Anril.
Julie Hack and Bill Bradley were reelected to the board in 1975. Hack has served several consecutive terms, and Bradley has had experience as a board member.
Pine is a businessman and farmer with a bachelor's degree from Kansas State University. During the campaign, he said he would like to look closely at the school district's budget and evaluate school programs.
Davis, a former policeman and probation officer in Lawrence, has served as a member of the district's Title VII Advisory Committee. He and his wife will be teaching-parents at the O'Connell Youth Ranch, which is being built south of Lawrence.
Hopkins is a professor of human development at KU. He has said that parents should be closely involved with the education of their children. At his first book, *The School District*, he gave a portion of the school district's budget spent on education would be important to him.
THE COMMISSIONERS, along with the incumbent county treasurer, were accused of harassing the newly elected county treasurer because the new treasurer allegedly wasn't allowed to observe the workings of the treasurer's office, and they
received a complaint from a rural resident who requested that a pipeline company's conditional use permit be revoked because an 800-gallon gasoline spill from the company's pipeline allegedly damaged his property.
City machine defined
By ROBERT GODFREY
Staff Writer
To even the casual observer, Lawrence appears dynamic and growing. There is almost daily evidence of ongoing city projects designed to meet the needs of the community, whether it be the paving of a road or the building of another of the numerous parks interspersed throughout the city.
The commission-manager form of government is not new to Lawrence. The waning years of city buses saw a national trend, toward the adoption of that form of city government in an era of massive expansion.
While actual operations of the city are more or less left to the city manager and individual departments within the city, the city commission, with advice from the city manager decide whether to require an officer to conduct the city service.
Lawrence residents, in 1951, voted to adopt the commission-manager system and, despite attempts to bring a return to a mayor-city council government, it has stayed ever
Under the commission-manager form of government, three commissioners at large are elected at two-year intervals. The two candidates who receive the largest majority of votes are seated on the commission for four years. The third-highest candidate serves a two year term. The commissioners elect the mayor from their ranks.
Lawrence city commissioners meet each Tuesday night on the fourth floor of the First National Bank Tower, 910 Massachusetts St.
On any given Tuesday night, commissioners may be faced with decisions on zoning ordinances, land-use requests or even multi-nillion dollar decisions regarding bond issues.
But the commissioners' work is not limited to Tuesday nights. For example, every July the city manager presents a city budget to commissioners for approval. Before the budget is accepted, it comes under the scrutinization of the commissioners, who have the final decision from the press raises for city employees to proposed city projects such as a new recreation center.
And all of this decision-making is done on a part-time basis with token pay. Most commissioners are employed in various full-time professional jobs.
Present city commissioners are Jack Rose, Ed Carter, Don Binns, Barkley Clark and Marine Argeringer, mayor. The city manager is Batford Watson.
Public Hanging
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Consumer Affairs information aids residents in variety of areas
Staff Writer
By BETH McLAUGHLIN Staff Writer
The Consumer Affairs Association (CAA) educates and assists consumers with a variety of problems including landlord-tenant disputes, deceptive advertising, used car sales and auto repairs. In 1972, is funded by the University of Kansas Student Senate.
Judy Kroeger, campus director of CAA, says that the campus is located at the location of the Kansas Union, serves st-dents and community members.
CAA plans to open a new office near downtown Lawrence as soon as office space can be found.
Garnet Wrigley, who will be the new community director, said she hoped the opening of a new office off campus would enable more students to learn and grow.
Wrigley said that because the elderly and students were the consumers who used CAA services most often, she urged them to use CAA services.
The most common complaints received concern landlord-den-
tancements. Kreiger said that 800 complaints concerning land-
lord-den-tancements were filed every month.
When a complaint is filed with the CAA, the agency investigates the problem and tries to achieve a voluntary settlement from the
One case in which CAA intervened occurred when a mail order company sent checks for $200 to Lawrence High graduating seniors. The check could be applied only toward the purchase of a set of cookware, which the company said was valued at $269. The CAA investigated and found that the cookware was worth only $69. The seniors were advised of the CAA findings:
However, if the company is valid and a settlement is not reached, the complaint is advised to seek legal aid or take the matter to court.
person or business involved. If the investigation reveals that there is no basis for a complaint, the CAA tries to persuade the consumer to take action.
Kroger said that sometimes she called the Better Business Bureau in Topeka to check on businesses that have had complaint letters.
All complaints are filed and a code is assigned. When a person wants to check to see whether a complaint has been filed against someone, he can look at the file to see what action, if any, was taken. He also must that the tenants often looked into the files to check on landlords.
The CAA is the only organization in Lawrence that consumers can contact for information or assistance regarding all consumer problems. Persons requiring information from CAA should call 864-3946 or stop by its office in the Kansas Union.
THE $75,000,000 QUESTION:
Where do you advertise when you want to reach the checkbooktoting $75 million market on the Hill, 60% of which comes off the Hill to bank in Lawrence?
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