Riley County commissioners are keeping a close eye on a house concurrent resolution in the Kansas Legislature. HRC 5022 proposes a constitutional amendment requiring that a sheriff be elected in each county. The resolution was proposed in response to a few counties in Kansas switching to all appointed personnel. County Counselor Clancy Holeman says Riley County could be the only county to fall under an exemption. “If this bill passed we’d have a very good argument at least because it doesn’t say Riley County is exempt. It says that any county that abolished the office of sheriff prior to Jan. 1, 2021, as long as it did that would be excluded here, which looks like it’s only us,” he said. Holeman says while the resolution in its current form could exclude Riley County, it has the potential to evolve and eventually remove that exemption, once it were to leave committee. Commissioner Kathryn Focke didn’t like the idea of taking away the choice of the local government.
Source: 1350 KMAN
