§ 19-4427 — County law enforcement agency; membership; appointment; terms; oath; vacancies; compensation and expenses; petition for election of members of agency; election provisions; terms of elected members; abolishment of former member positions

(a) Subject to the provisions of subsection (b), there is hereby established in all counties adopting the provisions of this act a county law enforcement agency which shall be known as the
"______________ county law enforcement agency."
(name of county)
(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), each agency shall have seven members who shall be selected in the following manner:
(A) One member shall be a member of the board of county commissioners of the county, selected by such board of commissioners;
(B) one member shall be a resident of the county, to be selected by the board of county commissioners;
(C) one member shall be a member of the governing body of the largest city located within the county, selected by such governing body;
(D) two members shall be residents of the largest city located within the county, to be selected by the governing body of such city;
(E) one member shall be the mayor of the next largest city located within such county, or a member of the governing body of such city, designated by such mayor; and
(F) one member shall be the county attorney of such county.
(2) The Riley county law enforcement agency shall have seven members who shall be selected in the following manner:
(A) One member shall be a member of the board of county commissioners of the county, selected by such board of commissioners;
(B) one member shall be a resident of the county, to be selected by the board of county commissioners;
(C) one member shall be a member of the governing body of the city of Manhattan, to be selected by such governing body;
(D) two members shall be residents of the city of Manhattan, to be selected by the governing body of such city;
(E) one member shall be the county attorney of such county; and
(F) one member appointed, on alternating terms, by the governing body of the city of Manhattan and the board of county commissioners of Riley county which member shall be a member of the governing body of the appointing authority.
The board of county commissioners of the county and the governing body of the two largest cities located within such county shall each meet on the second Monday in January next following the adoption of the provisions of this act and each two years thereafter and shall select and designate the members of their respective bodies and the other appointive members as members of the agency. Appointive members of the agency shall serve for a term of two years, and other members of the agency who are members by virtue of their county or city office shall remain eligible to serve as such only while holding such county or city office. All members of such agency shall take and subscribe to an oath as other county officials, and all vacancies occurring in the membership of the agency shall be filled for the remainder of the unexpired term of the member creating such vacancy in like manner as that provided for the appointment of such member. Members of the agency shall not receive compensation, but shall be reimbursed for their actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties.
(b) Whenever there shall be presented to the county election officer of any such county a petition, signed by qualified electors of such county equal in number to not less than 10% of the electors of the county who voted for the office of secretary of state at the last preceding general election, requesting a special election on the proposition of electing the members of the law enforcement agency of such county to be held at the time of the next primary election in August of an even-numbered year, such special election shall be held at the next such primary election which occurs not less than 60 days after the date the petition is filed, and the question submitted at such special election shall be as follows:
"Shall the law enforcement agency
of ____________________
(Name of county)
be composed of seven elected members?"
If a majority of the electors voting at such election vote in favor of such proposition, such county's law enforcement agency shall be elected at a special election which shall be held at the time of the next succeeding general election as follows: One member shall be elected from each of the county commissioner districts in such county and the remaining members shall be elected from the county at large, together with that portion of any city within the county which is located in an adjacent county. Any person seeking election to any such position shall file a declaration of candidacy for the appropriate position with the county election officer within 30 days after the special election at which the proposition for electing members of the county law enforcement agency is adopted. The county election officer shall give notice of the special election to elect members of the agency by publication once in a newspaper having general circulation within the county. Such publication notice shall be made not more than 14 nor less than seven days prior to the date of the special election. If a portion of any city within such county is located in an adjacent county, the county election officer also shall give written notice of such special election to the county election officer of such adjacent county as soon as the results of the special election on the proposition to elect members of the agency are known.
Ballots for the special election to elect members of the agency shall be prepared by the county election officer of the county to which this act applies, including ballots for that portion of any city within such county which is located in an adjacent county which ballots for the portion of such city shall include only the names of the persons having declared themselves to be candidates for the at large positions. All ballots for the at large positions shall be prepared in such manner that each elector is instructed to vote for the same number of candidates as the number of positions to be filled. So far as the same may be made applicable, the laws governing the election of county commissioners shall govern the election of such members to be elected within county commissioner districts, and the laws governing the election of other county officers shall govern the election of the members from the county at large, except that the election of members of the law enforcement agency shall be nonpartisan and in each instance the candidate receiving the greatest number of votes shall be elected. Where electors of an adjacent county residing in a city which is partly in such adjacent county and partly in a county to which this act applies are to vote on candidates for the at large positions, the county election officer of such adjacent county shall conduct the election and the board of canvassers of such adjacent county shall canvass the ballots cast at such special election by electors of such adjacent county who reside in such city. The board of canvassers of such adjacent county shall certify the results of the special election in the adjacent county to the board of canvassers of the county to which this act applies.
On the second Monday in January next following such general election, the member positions of the law enforcement agency established pursuant to subsection (a) shall be abolished and the members elected pursuant to this subsection shall commence upon the duties of their office. Members elected hereunder shall serve for terms of two years and, except for the provisions relating to selection of members, the provisions of subsection (a) shall be applicable to such members.

Legislative History

L. 1972, ch. 91, § 4; L. 1974, ch. 132, § 1; L. 1982, ch. 127, § 1; L. 1997, ch. 3, § 1; March 20.