Proposals to audit the Emporia Police Department and the Lyon County Sheriff’s office are being considered by the local task force on law-enforcement consolidation.
The task force voted Thursday to solicit a request for auditors with a deadline to respond by Aug. 16. The best proposal would be given to the Emporia City Commission and Lyon County Commission for approval.
If it goes forward, the audit would look at the inventories and expenses of the police and sheriff’s departments, and whether any costs could be saved by combining the two agencies.
Meanwhile, it became increasingly clear that even if consolidation happened, it probably would not happen in 2008. The task force had originally hoped to have a final recommendation by Aug. 21 but on Thursday voted to ask the two commissions for more time.
“The governing bodies need time to digest whatever we come up with,” task force member Dale Davis said. “Then you’ve got to get it through the Legislature and you don’t do that in 15 minutes.”
“And if you do it too fast, people think you’re trying to shove it down their throats,” task force member Paul Cassity added.
The task force asked for its deadline to be extended until an audit was completed or until either commission rejected the idea of an audit.
Task force chairman Marshall Miller said the delay might be for the best. Had everything gone ahead in 2008, the same ballot would ask voters to choose a sheriff and whether to do away with a separate sheriff’s department.
By the same token, task force member Marc Goodman noted, keeping the issue hanging could make things difficult for the city.
“You have a police chief vacancy,” said Goodman, who is also the county attorney. “May I ask you how you’re going to hire someone if they know their life expectancy may be no more than two or three years?”
Davis noted that, since both the sheriff and the police chief would be considered prime candidates to head the new law-enforcement agency, the issue might bring some well-qualified people out of the woodwork.
In any event, City Attorney Blaise Plummer said, “We won’t wait. We can’t afford to wait to hire someone.”
The task force’s next meeting is tentatively scheduled for Aug. 23.
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Posted by dhcc66 (anonymous) on July 27, 2007 at 10:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
hey, i have an original idea. lets not do something that will cost millions to start up when both the city and county say we have a budget shortfall. and, didn't the riley county law enforcement people say they are 20+ years into their consolidation and they are just now able to say they have recovered the cost/savings of the original consolidation. IT TOOK THEM 20 YEARS TO RECOVER....lets not make that mistake
Posted by ks_farmboy (anonymous) on December 12, 2007 at 12:08 a.m. (Suggest removal)
THIS IS SUCH A STUPID IDEA! STUPID!! leave the county in the county and the city in the city. there is one county like this in the state for a reason. if it were to be that good, everyone would be doing it. so stop wasting our money, and put an end to this crap.
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