By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Reno County Commissioner Ron Sellers acknowledges the difficulties of having a three member board. It means there isn't a lot of communicating board members can do with each other ahead of public meetings without running afoul of open meetings statutes.
"It's much easier to get to the bottom of a discussion and get to understanding each other's viewpoint on a larger board," Sellers said. "There's some discussion in Reno County that we might be better served by a five person board. I think that's one of the things I'd like to explore in the next year and three-fourths that I have in my term, to see if the citizens of Reno County might move in that direction."
He believes there's more room to negotiate with more people at the table.
"I think you would have better representation, better viewpoints, more viewpoints," Sellers said. "It would be easier to come to a majority decision with five versus three."
The county commission would need to pass a resolution creating the additional districts and then that would go before the voters at the next general election.
"If you have more people, I think it's easier to get to a middle ground," Sellers said. "That's why I would recommend that we at least look at growing the commission to a five member board."
The public can also force the commission's hand by petitioning to change the number. That petition would need signatures of 5% of the registered voters in the county.
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