You might have seen the notice that this question will appear on your 2024 General Election Ballot: “Shall township organization in Clay County be discontinued and replaced by the creation of a seven-member county board of commissioners effective upon the expiration of the supervisors’ terms of office in January of the third calendar year following this election?” But what does this mean?
By statute, when counties have a Township form of organization, they operate as county board of supervisors. When they operate without a Township form of organization, they operate as county board of commissioners. Clay County currently has seven board of supervisors.
Clay County Board of Supervisor Chairman L. Wayne Johnson and Clay County Clerk Cassie Aksamit discussed this ballot item, saying how “townships are a political subdivision and another layer of government; however, it is known that they can and do function very differently across the state.
For some counties, a township is a full-function political subdivision, in which that township would be solely responsible for the maintenance of the roads within those township miles.
“This type of operation would require, but is not limited to, the Township owning their road equipment, employing the equipment operators (wages and benefits), purchasing of all gravel, culverts, road signs, and other road maintenance items, carry proper insurance for the roads and employees.”
For Clay County, this is not the function of the Townships.
“In fact, for a very long time, the Townships in Clay County have operated as just a layer of government but provide no function in the township maintenance. Townships in Clay County are only asked to form a budget and then reimburse the county for road maintenance each year per an interlocal agreement with the Townships,” Johnson said.
Johnson and Aksamit also clarified that just like any other political subdivision, a township must have a board for operation. The township board members are elected every four years.
“In the 2022 election, many of our townships would have fallen vacant due to not having a full board for continuance; however, the Clay County Board of Supervisors had to make several inquiries to Clay County residents to find people who would be willing to serve on the township boards, even if just long enough to allow those Townships to prepare a budget for the following fiscal year.
“Many of those who were appointed by the Clay County Board of Supervisors to fulfill these positions requested to fill them just as interim, and did not wish to continue to serve on the township board beyond what was needed.”
According to the duo, there is belief that the disinterest of people to serve on those boards could be due to the township board members also assuming a level of personal responsibility and liability for the township, including developing a budget and road care.
One Township did fall vacant after the 2022 election, and the Clay County Board of Supervisors acts as that Township Board.
In saying all of this, what will change? It is a formality that will just switch the identity of the existing Clay County Board of Supervisors to being called the Clay County Board of Commissioners. The representation will remain the same for all of Clay County.
It will eliminate the need to request assistance from Clay County residents to act as township boards as the townships will become dissolved.
Additionally, all budgeting will be absorbed by the county, which in turn will not change anything as the county already budgets for and provides items for the townships, especially when it comes to road maintenance, such as bringing in gravel/ rock and grading the roads, culverts, bridges, employees, equipment, etc.
Aksamit said this ballot item is simply removing a layer of government that no longer serves a purpose as it once did. Per statute, if this issue were to pass in the General Election, the change would not go into effect for another three years after the election.
If anyone has any questions, contact Johnson at 402-762-3860 or Aksamit at 402762-3463.
