Library Board member Eric Magette and City Manager Zack Daniel spoke to legislators in Topeka on Monday, explaining why an amended bill that would require Library Board members be elected should pass.
Currently, members of the Library Board are appointed by city and township officials. Magette, who is vice president of the board, was reappointed alongside board president Kenny Massey last month with a mandate from city commissioners to pursue shifting the board to being elected.
The amended bill removes all language referencing appointments and replaces it with instruction for members to be elected. The specifics of the electoral process would be ironed out with a joint resolution between the city and township.
Magette said the bill had the full support of each local governing body involved.
“We view this as fixing something that we missed the first time around,” Magette said.
Daniel said the new bill would move the Library Board closer to what it was supposed to be a few years ago, when Eudora was promoted to a city of the second class, meaning a city with a population between 2,000 and 14,999 people.
Rep. Mike Amyx, D-Lawrence, voiced his support for the bill, as did County Commissioner Gene Dorsey.
Rep. Emil Bergquist, R-Wichita, chairs the Local Government Committee. Jason Long, a senior assistant at the Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes, introduced the bill.
Committee members seemed to generally support the bill, but asked a few questions.
The bill would require elections to the Library Board be held in even-numbered years, but Long said there was no reason it couldn’t be switched to odd-numbered years, which would better align with other local elections.
Rep. Linda Featherston, D-Overland Park, asked if there are people wanting to run for the board. Magette said it depends, but he’s confident they could recruit people to fill spots on the board because of strong community support for the library.
Featherston also asked whether this could infuse politics into the Library Board, or lead to book banning debates.
Magette said there are already politics involved through the City Commission, which appoints people to the board. The switch would allow for more direct representation for the library.
Rep. Lon Pishny, R-Garden City, asked if the additional election would be a strain for county officials. Daniel said he had provided a copy of the bill to County Clerk Jamie Shew, who said it was not a problem.
The committee did not take any immediate action Monday. The bill would need to pass the committee before getting a full vote in the House.
Reach reporter Cuyler Dunn at [email protected]
