University Daily Kansan
Wednesday, January 29, 1975
2
City, county lawmen reject consolidation
By BILL GRAY Kansan Staff Reporter
Although legislation permitting consolidation of city and county law enforcement offices is under consideration by the Kansas Legislature, Lawrence and Douglas County aren't contemplating consolidation of law enforcement.
Arthur Heck, chairman of the Douglas County Commissioners, said Tuesday that city and county officers would be working side by side in the new law enforcement center now under construction, but that they don't combine all of their operations.
However, Heck and Buford Watson, Lawrence city manager, said that the new city-county center would have a joint communications center and jail, that the sheriff's office and the city police department would be housed on the same floor and that city and county officers would use the same system for keeping records.
"There will be some intergovernmental cooperation." Watson said.
Legislation that would allow consolidating law enforcement agencies is being sponsored in the Kansas House by a former leader Donn Everett, R-Manhattan.
Everett said recently that his bill would be patterned after a law that already has allowed consolidation in some Kansas counties. But it still would allow cities and counties to approach the idea in a variety of ways, according to Everett who have the final say on any consolidation.
The present law allows consolidation only in Riley County and perhaps a few other counties, according to Alvin Johnson, acting as the Riley County Police Department.
The law requires certain conditions, primarily population size and total assessment, that make it apply specifically to Riley County, he said.
Under the law, voters in Riley County voted in 1972 to consolidate the sheriff's office and the Manhattan Police Department operation went into effect Jan. 1, 1973.
Last fall, an attempt was made to eliminate the consolidation. Opponents circulated a referendum petition that placed the question on the ballot again last November. Voters rejected a return to the old system 6 to 1.
"In terms of economics, it's worked out very well," he said.
Johnson said consolidation had worked out very well for the county.
Because consolidation gave the police forces a broader tax base, the amount county residents pay out of their individual taxes for law enforcement has gone down in Riley County, even though the overall cost of law enforcement has gone up, Johnson said.
He said that he thought consolidation made money, but that it was much more efficient.
City allocates inspection funds for Kaw bridge
By JANET MAJURE Kansan Staff Reporter
The Lawrence City Commissioners Tuesday authorized spending $1,500 to have the bridge at Sixth and Massachusetts inspected.
The inspection will begin Monday and will be conducted by Finney and Turnipseed Consulting Engineers, Topeka. Cost had been estimated at $2,800; but the cost will be lower because the Highway Patrol will provide equipment that the city otherwise would have had to buy, according to Buford Watson, city manager.
Byron Seegas, 117 Pawnee, suggested that instead of inspecting the bridge, the city should spend its money to set load limits on it and to remove excess asphalt.
Watson said that because he wanted to assure people that the bridge was safe, an inspection by a qualified consultant was necessary.
In other business, the commission approved IBM's bid and a tentative budget for a computer system for the city, county and school district. The school district already had approved the bid.
In order to get the four votes necessary to pass the ordinance, the commissioners must elect a new governor.
The commissioners' also approved a compromise salary increase of $800 a year for commissioners. Their present salary is $1700 in 1977 and on the second Tuesday in 1990.
The original ordinance called for $1,560 a
computer the mayor and $1,290 for a
company.
Rose voted against the measure, saying the Lawrence has have very successful with it.
The commissioners also authorized condemnation of land at Second and Indiana for a city maintenance garage and for construction of the city sewage treatment plant.
At Watson's suggestion, the commissioners also raised the city's charge for Saturday burials from $120 to $145 to offset overtime paid to workers on Saturdays.
The commissioners also decided not to give the Lawrence Arts Commission control of the property.
In other action, the city commission accepted from Kaw Motor and Salvage a bid of $7.40 for regular car tow-off for the police department and approved switching $50,000 of community development funds earmarked for purchase of right-of-way to a revenue sharing fund earmarked for housing rehabilitation.
"The can be a problem; how much your citizens are going to have to spend." Watson said. "We'd have to review it's worked in other counties."
Watson said funding of a consolidated force could be a stumbling block in its formation in Douglas County. He said he had to move forward to meet the demand for the funding for the Riley County force.
Another county, Grant County in western Kansas, has rejected a plan for consolidation of the county police with the police in the county seat, Ulysses. But Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kan., are considering consolidation.
Heck said he agreed with Watson that Lawrence and Douglas County should consider how consolidation had worked in other counties. He said consolidation should be studied after the new law enforcement building was in use.
"We'll see how it works in other countries, and somewhere down the road we'll be able to do that."
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