A coin flip was held at Monday’s Riley County Commission meeting to break a tie in the election of the Grant Township Clerk.
Travis Shanahan, the current clerk finished with 19 votes in the Nov. 8 election. So did Riley County resident Larry Noble. Riley County Clerk Rich Vargo explains that a coin toss, while rare in local elections, has happened before.
Vargo pulled out a large coin, tossed it into the air, as Shanahan called it.
And with that Noble was officially elected as the new Grant Township clerk. He’ll assume the office in January.
Riley County Commissioners previously approved the election canvass report at their Nov. 21 meeting.
In other business Monday, County Counselor Clancy Holeman presented the 2023 lease renewal agreement for the Riley County Police Department’s Aggieville substation, which was unanimously approved by the commission.
The agreement includes a $25 per month increase to $900 next year, beginning on Jan. 1, equating to an annual increase of $300. Commissioner John Ford…
County Counselor Clancy Holeman says the owner of the substation building, Gwyn Riffel, provides the space as a public service, and charges the county at below market rental rates. Holeman says if Riley County or the City of Manhattan decide to break the lease, it only requires a 30-day notice.
The 2023 annual lease agreement totals $10,800, up from $10,500 in 2022.
Legislative Draft Agenda approved
Riley County commissioners will meet in two weeks with members of the local legislative delegation to outline some of its priorities for the 2023 session.
County Counselor Holeman on Monday presented a draft agenda for that meeting, which is tentatively scheduled for noon on Dec. 12 in the Riley County chambers. He says two items that died in legislative committees last session, are what he calls potential “low hanging fruits.”
Some of these issues have been priorities for Riley County for several years. Commissioner John Ford says the constitutional home rule proposal has several layers to unpack, which will need to be explained to the incoming delegation of newly elected state representatives.
Because of redistricting, Riley County now has at least three new house members, including Kenny Titus in the 51st district, Lewis Bloom in the 64th district and Nathan Butler in the 68th district.
