By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Board of Reno County Commissioners is discussing whether or not to put a question on the ballot to expand its membership from three to five members.
"The way the commission is looking at doing it right now, the commission would call for the election by a resolution," said Deputy Elections Clerk Jenna Fager. "They would put it on the ballot that way. The deadline to have it in to us, a resolution written up and passed, it would need to be on August 3rd."
This would be to put the expansion on the November ballot. Fager also wanted to be sure that when drawing the lines if five members are decided, that there would be consideration of trying to use existing precinct lines.
"If their boundaries don't follow the precinct lines, then that could create more ballot styles in the county," Fager said. "We already have quite a few ballot styles for a city/school. It increases the chance for board worker error."
An example is that because of the way the school district boundaries are drawn in the context of the Hutchinson city limits, there are already several different ballots that have Hutchinson city elections and different school boards.
"In a city/school election currently, I believe it's around 175 ballot styles," Fager said.
The commissioners also asked for County Counselor Joe O'Sullivan to let them know of the legal impacts on the open meetings act of having five members as opposed to three. That will likely be a point of discussion at a future meeting.