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County
plans to take over maintenance of township roads
Wayne White | Managing Editor
LYNDON—Junction Township has reshuffled its board members
again, but after a decision of the Osage County Commission, the
county’s township form of government might soon tumble like
a house of cards.
Monday, commissioners were first dealt the resignation of Janet
Trautman from her position as Junction Township treasurer. Trautman’s
husband, Chuck, resigned last week as Junction Township trustee
and Gary Summers was appointed to fill the position.
Following the commissioners’ acceptance of that resignation,
Junction Township Clerk Don Croy – who had been appointed
in May to fill the position vacated by Virgil Schied – also
resigned. Croy’s resignation came with his request to be appointed
as township treasurer. The commissioners agreed with Croy’s
resignation request and appointed him as treasurer.
With one position on the township board again vacant, Ron Mathe
told the commission he was willing to serve as clerk. The commissioners’
approval of Mathe’s appointment left Junction Township with
an entirely different board than was elected.
While the township’s disputes over road maintenance and board
procedures might have appeared to be deferred by the shuffle, commissioners
dealt a hand of their own to the county’s townships.
On a motion from Osage County Commissioner Ken Kuykendall, commissioners
agreed to begin a process to change the county from township road
maintenance system to countywide road maintenance, designated as
county road unit system in state statutes.
Kuykendall indicated the action resulted in part from Junction Township’s
recent problems.
“Junction Township is kind of the poster children for it,”
Kuykendall said.
The commissioners directed county counselor Delton Gilliland to
draw up a petition to be carried by any registered voter in the
county who wishes.
Kuykendall and Osage County Commissioner Mike Pruitt both said constituents
have been urging them to adopt the county road unit system.
“There’s been a lot of people asking,” Pruitt
said.
“There’s been a lot of people asking and if they’re
willing to do it …” Kuykendall agreed. “I’ve
had multiple people asking me how to do it.”
As explained by the commissioners, willing participants will distribute
the petition with the goal of collecting approximately 1,080 signatures,
or 10 percent of the county’s registered voters.
If the petition is declared sufficient, “the statute requires
you to pass the resolution,” Gilliland told the commissioners.
Once a resolution is approved, any objecting citizens will have
90 days to file another petition calling for an election on the
issue. It was noted that if the resolution is approved and not contested,
all township road maintenance in the county would cease.
“The townships continue to exist as a municipality,”
Gilliland said, but will only be responsible for other government
functions under their authority such as cemeteries, libraries or
fire departments.
“It only pertains to the roads,” Osage County Commissioner
Carl Meyer reiterated.
The petition procedure is one of several ways commissioners could
have enacted the change. They also could have adopted the county
road unit system by their own declaration.
“I don’t want to do that,” Kuykendall said. “I
don’t want to fiat to county unit.”
With Gilliland asking when the commissioners wished for him to have
a petition ready, Kuykendall answered, “As soon as possible
or I’m going to have a riot on my hands.”
Kuykendall said Gilliland should be expecting a phone call from
a “concerned citizen” who desired to carry the petition.
Pruitt said he also knew of people who wanted to circulate the petition.
In other business, the commissioners:
• approved a conditional use permit for the erection of a
cellular tower by Black and Veatch west of Osage City and north
of U.S. Highway 56. Local emergency services will also be allowed
to use the tower as a condition of the permit.
• were informed the federal owned land entitlement payment
increased this year to $78,193 from last year’s $47,538. The
funds are paid by the federal government in lieu of taxes for federally
owned lands in the county.
• held three executive sessions for personnel matters: One
with senior center employee Marsha Mondragon, one with senior center
director Byron Jordan, and another with Osage County Attorney Brandon
Jones. No action was taken after the executive sessions, other than
to schedule Mondragon to appear at next week’s commission
meeting.
• toured the county waste transfer station and inspected a
scale that may soon need replaced.
• approved nine neighborhood revitalization tax rebate applications
and denied four.
• approved purchase orders in the amount of $13,525 for a15-foot
rotary mower for the highway department, and $2,871 for consultant
visits for the county’s global information system.
• considered leasing land in the north part of the county
for salt and sand storage, but took no action. |
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