Brief(1)
H.B. 2205 would amend existing law regarding land surveys. The bill also would repeal the statute that creates elected county surveyor positions in Shawnee and Wyandotte counties. In regard to land surveys, the bill would authorize reference measurements using the state plan coordinate system established by statute. The bill also would update the reference to the federal agency that maintains triangulation stations that may be used as survey reference points. In addition, the bill would allow a county engineer, in the absence of the county surveyor, to contract with a land surveyor to review and certify subdivision plats or surveys prior to recording. The bill also would provide that certain survey reports that currently must be filed with the county surveyor could be filed with a county engineer in the absence of a county surveyor or with a county road department if there is no county surveyor or county engineer. The bill would permit the Secretary of the State Historical Society to electronically file and retrieve survey reports that must be filed with the Society under existing law and to periodically bill for filing fees. Under existing law, any filing fee must be paid at the time of filing.
Finally, the bill would make it a class C misdemeanor to remove, alter, damage, or destroy a United States public land survey corner or a related accessory without having a qualified land surveyor establish reference points necessary to restore the corner or accessory.
Background
A representative of the Kansas Society of Land Surveyors testified in support of the bill. A representative of the Kansas Association of Counties submitted testimony to the House Committee on Governmental Organization and Elections objecting to one provision of the bill. The House Committee amended the bill to address that concern.
No opponents testified on the bill.
The House Committee also amended the bill to abolish the offices of the elected Shawnee and Wyandotte county surveyors. That amendment would address the same issue addressed in H.B. 2260 which would have affected only Shawnee County. During the hearing on the latter bill, the Committee learned that neither Wyandotte nor Shawnee counties currently have elected surveyors.
The Division of the Budget's fiscal note indicated that the passage of H.B. 2205 would have no fiscal impact on state revenues or expenditures.
1. *Supplemental notes are prepared by the Legislative Research Department and do not express legislative intent. The supplemental note and fiscal note for this bill may be accessed on the Internet at http://www.ink.org/public/legislative/bill_search.html.