Session of 1998
                   
HOUSE BILL No. 2762
         
By Committee on Agriculture
         
1-30
            9             AN ACT concerning agriculture; relating to county extension councils;
10             amending K.S.A. 2-611 and repealing the existing section.
11            
12       Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas:
13           Section 1. K.S.A. 2-611 is hereby amended to read as follows: 2-611.
14       (a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, the citizens of voting age
15       residing in each of the county commissioner districts in each county in
16       this state are qualified to participate in the meeting which shall be held
17       in each such district in each year not earlier than September 1, and at
18       least 10 days before the annual meeting of the county extension council
19       upon a date and at a time and place determined and fixed by the executive
20       board of the county extension council and shall elect annually from among
21       their number four members of the county extension council. In Leav-
22       enworth county, such election shall be held at the time of the annual
23       Leavenworth county fair. In Washington county, such election may be
24       held at the time of the annual Washington county fair. Of the four mem-
25       bers, one shall be elected to represent agriculture and shall be actively
26       engaged in agricultural pursuits, one shall be elected to represent home
27       economics work, one shall be elected to represent 4-H club and youth
28       work, and one shall be elected to represent educational programs in ec-
29       onomic development initiatives. The county extension council executive
30       board members of each county may choose to hold a countywide election
31       meeting in lieu of holding a meeting in each district. Prior to adjournment
32       of the countywide meeting the citizens of each county commissioner dis-
33       trict shall separate into groups for the purpose of electing the county
34       extension council members who shall represent the district on the county
35       extension council. The countywide meeting shall be subject to the same
36       conditions hereinabove provided for county commissioner district elec-
37       tion meetings.
38           (b) The executive board of the county extension council, as provided
39       for in subsection (f), may choose, as an alternate method of electing
40       county extension council members, to mail a ballot to each citizen of
41       voting age residing in the county at least three weeks before the annual
42       meeting of the county extension council. The ballots shall contain the
43       names and resident addresses of all persons who are candidates for county

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  1       extension council membership. The incumbent county extension council
  2       members shall select not less than two persons as candidates for each
  3       position to be filled. After the ballot has been marked, each voter shall
  4       mail or otherwise transmit the ballot to the county extension office of the
  5       county at least seven days prior to the annual meeting of the county
  6       extension council.
  7           (c) In any county having three county commissioner districts, the cit-
  8       izens may elect county extension council members at large or by county
  9       commissioner district as determined by the executive board of the county
10       extension council for the county. In any county having other than three
11       county commissioner districts, the citizens shall elect county extension
12       council members at large. A county extension council elected at large
13       shall also have a total elected membership of 24, with six members elected
14       to represent agriculture who shall be actively engaged in agricultural pur-
15       suits, six members elected to represent home economics, six members
16       elected to represent 4-H club and youth work, and six members elected
17       to represent educational programs in economic development initiatives.
18       When county extension council members are elected at large, 12 shall be
19       elected annually, three of whom shall represent agriculture, three of
20       whom shall represent home economics, three of whom shall represent 4-
21       H club and youth work, and three of whom shall represent educational
22       programs in economic development initiatives. County extension council
23       members elected at large shall serve under the same conditions as county
24       extension council members elected by county commissioner districts, ex-
25       cept the provision that three members of the executive board shall be
26       elected from each county commissioner district shall not apply.
27           (d) The 24 members so elected in the three county commissioner
28       districts, or at large, in any county shall constitute and be the county
29       extension council, and it shall be the duty of the council to plan the
30       educational extension programs of the county.
31           (e) At the annual meeting of the county extension council, the council
32       members elected to represent agricultural pursuits, home economics
33       work, 4-H club and youth work or educational programs in economic
34       development initiatives, may meet separately and elect a group chairper-
35       son. Each group shall meet as necessary for the purpose of developing
36       educational program plans on extension work in agricultural pursuits, in
37       home economics work, in 4-H club and youth work, or economic devel-
38       opment initiatives. All program plans shall be subject to final approval by
39       the executive board of the county extension council.
40           (f) The county extension council shall meet annually not earlier than
41       October 1, and not later than December 20, and shall elect from among
42       its own members an executive board consisting of a chairperson, a vice-
43       chairperson, a secretary and a treasurer and five additional members. The

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  1       date, time and place of the annual meeting shall be determined and fixed
  2       by the executive board. No more than three members of the executive
  3       board shall be elected from any county commissioner district, and at least
  4       one member shall be elected from each county extension council member
  5       group namely, agricultural pursuits, home economics, 4-H club and youth
  6       work, and educational programs in economic development initiatives. The
  7       executive board of the county extension council is authorized to transact
  8       all business of the council, shall have control of all the property of the
  9       council, and may employ and fix the compensation of such persons as are
10       necessary for the conduct of the business of the council, except as herein
11       otherwise expressly provided.
12           (g) Members of the county extension council and of the executive
13       board shall receive no compensation for their services as members of the
14       council or of the executive board. The members of the executive board,
15       after their election and prior to entering upon the duties of their respec-
16       tive offices, shall take and sign the usual oath of public officers and the
17       same shall be filed in the office of the county clerk.
18           (h) (1) The treasurer of the executive board after election as trea-
19       surer and before entering upon the duties of the office as treasurer shall
20       execute to the council a corporate surety bond, of 100% of the amount
21       as nearly as can be ascertained that shall be in the treasurer's hands at
22       any one time. All the bonds shall be conditioned to the faithful discharge
23       of the duties of the office of treasurer. The amount and sufficiency of all
24       bonds shall be determined by the county clerk, and, upon the county
25       clerk's approval endorsed on the bond, shall be filed with the county clerk,
26       who shall immediately notify the secretary of the executive board and the
27       county treasurer of the approval and filing. The cost of any corporate
28       surety bond so furnished shall be paid by the executive board. In the
29       event of the breach of any condition thereof, the chairperson of the ex-
30       ecutive board shall, and if the chairperson does not, any member of the
31       county extension council may, cause a suit to be commenced thereon in
32       the member's own name for the benefit of the council, in which suit it
33       shall not be necessary to include the treasurer as a party to the suit and
34       the money collected shall be applied to the use of the council, as the same
35       should have been applied by the treasurer.
36           (2) Public notices of each annual election meeting or mail ballot elec-
37       tion for county commissioner districts or at large, and the annual meeting
38       of the county extension council provided for in this section shall be pub-
39       lished once at least one week but not more than three weeks prior to the
40       date fixed for such election or annual council meeting in a newspaper
41       having general circulation in the county. The executive board shall call
42       each of the annual election meetings and the annual meeting of the ex-
43       tension council and shall cause the notices of meetings to be published

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  1       as herein required. The notices shall state the date, time and place of the
  2       meeting. The cost of publishing the notices shall be paid by the executive
  3       board of the county extension council.
  4           (3) The elected officers and the members of the executive board shall
  5       hold office for one year and until their successors are elected and qualify.
  6       Vacancies in the membership of the executive board shall be filled for
  7       the unexpired term from the remaining members of the county extension
  8       council by the executive board. Vacancies among the officers of the ex-
  9       ecutive board shall be filled for the unexpired term by election from the
10       members of the executive board. Each year not earlier than January 2,
11       and not later than January 15, the retiring executive board shall meet with
12       the newly elected executive board at a time and place designated by the
13       chairperson of the retiring executive board. At the meeting the retiring
14       executive board shall conclude all business of the past year and pay all
15       lawful bills for the year in which it has served and provide the new ex-
16       ecutive board with all reports, records and other information which may
17       be necessary to the operation of the county extension program during the
18       ensuing year.
19           (4) Members of the county extension council shall hold office for a
20       term of two years and until their successors are elected and qualify, and
21       no member of the council shall hold office for more than two consecutive
22       terms. Vacancies in the membership of the county extension council shall
23       be filled by appointment by the executive board for the unexpired term
24       of office.
25           (i) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, the terms of
26       all members of any county extension council serving on the effective date
27       of this act shall expire in 1987, and 24 members shall be elected to con-
28       stitute and be the county extension council by one of the election methods
29       authorized by this section. Of the members elected to the county exten-
30       sion in 1987, six members shall be elected to represent agriculture who
31       shall be actively engaged in agricultural pursuits, six members shall be
32       elected to represent home economics, six members shall be elected to
33       represent 4-H club and youth work and six members shall be elected to
34       represent educational programs in economic development initiatives.
35       Three of each of the six members elected to represent each county ex-
36       tension council member group shall hold office for a one-year term and
37       until their successors are elected and qualify, and three of each six-mem-
38       ber group shall hold office for a two-year term and until their successors
39       are elected and qualify.
40           Sec. 2. K.S.A. 2-611 is hereby repealed.
41           Sec. 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
42       publication in the statute book.
43      
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