Ask that sheriff and superintendents meet and form a plan

 

The Commissioner’s meeting room was packed with approximately 40 people comprised of city mayors, council people from countywide and citizens concerned with one of four subjects discussed last week – cutting the SRO program, cutting infrastructure funding to the cities, the county taking over La Cygne and Pleasanton’s city fire departments, and last, potential charges for additional usage of county dispatchers due to Hwy. 69 patrolling by Linn Valley and Pleasanton.

The first subject to allow public speaking on was the SRO program; USD 344 School Nurse Melissa Shroyer spoke and said she was speaking as a school nurse, mother and taxpayer and said there were several reasons to have an SRO at the school.

She outlined safety, rapport with the students and more. She continued that she understood the desire for the county to be revenue neutral and said the cost to the benefit needs to be looked at.

Deputy Klayton Parscale spoke next and handed the commissioners a petition with 600 names on it stating they supported the SRO program.

Parscale had addressed the commissioners in the past and was told to visit with the various school boards and “the commission was not the place for this.”

He said, “Now it is the place.”

He said in addition to his 600 signatures, La Cygne resident Teal Briggs had an additional 500 names on an online petition she started.

He told the commissioners that his petition was started Wednesday and explained that the SRO program helps the county with patrolling during the summer when several lake communities double in size. They help with wrecks, the fair and holiday patrolling, as well.

“The program means Linn County is safer during peak times; response time is decreased with more manpower – not just on the SRO,” said Parscale. “This is not an ultimatum; it’s a petition to show you the citizens are okay with the “burden” and want the SRO program to stay in place.”

Jayhawk-Linn 7th grader Rayse Dean spoke to the commissioners next. After handing them his prepared speech and told them the SROs were responsible for educating him, and fellow students, on the dangers of drugs, helping them with issues at school and more.

USD 344 High School Principal Mitch Shaw said, “SROs make school safer; they prevent a lot of issues that can happen and create a better environment for kids.”

Linn Valley City Councilman Lew Donelson told the commissioners that removing the SRO program would not remove the need for them or the amount of incidents that are occurring in the schools.

USD 362 Superintendent Rex Bollinger gave a brief history that the superintendents met March 7 to discuss an agreement that each district would pay $12,000/SRO to the county. He said his board and Jayhawk-Linn’s board approved the agreement. “I’m shocked and disappointed you’re taking it out of the budget; the agreement was signed and sent in March.”

Commissioner Jim Johnson then asked Bollinger about his budget increases and was answered that increases came, in part, due to increased valuation in the district.

Bollinger told the commissioners that their district budgets are strict on what funds can be used for and capital outlay can’t be used for salaries. 

He said, “If we have to fund it, we have to increase taxes and you’re asking 60 percent of the county to increase taxes.”

Back and forth comments concerning changing how things are done ensued between Johnson and Bollinger with Johnson asking who was in charge of the SRO program.

Sheriff Kevin Friend answered that Deputy Clint Johnson was. Johnson then asked why Clint Johnson was in charge but not in the school.

He asked who’s choice it was that Johnson was no longer in Jayhawk-Linn as an SRO, and Friend said he was in charge and continued that the commission is in charge of finances, but not people.

The commissioners continued asking about the circumstances why Clint Johnson was not in school and Friend took the podium and told Jim Johnson, “You’re in charge of the finances – not my people. What I do with them is none of your business. My job is to effect law enforcement in Linn County – not finance it. Law enforcement is much like medical, we’re very expensive to have.”

Friend continued, “You guys come out and say you’re going to cut the program; how do you know I’m not going to cut the jail program and we’re not going to have any money coming into that place and maybe we might need people in our schools for the security of our children more than we need a whole bunch of inmates housed there.”

Bollinger again took the podium after an interchange between Johnson and Friend and said he and the other two superintendents had no problem sitting down with Friend to make a standard operating procedure for the SRO program.

Commissioner Rick James said that the commissioners sat down with the superintendents from all districts and asked for $12,000 for each SRO in their districts. He continued of his history in Linn County stating his kids went to public school until they pulled their kids out and put them in Catholic Schools, St. Thomas and St. James Academy. “When they went to their elementary and junior high. There was no SRO.”

He continued about former Sheriff Paul Filla’s funding of the SRO program in the early days. “His easiest avenue of funding was with the commission.”

“It’s not an issue of whether we should have an SRO Program, it’s who should fund it. Who funds the teachers, who funds the busses – it should never have come to the commission…the funding should switch,” said James.

Johnson said County Clerk David Lamb emailed all other 104 counties how they handle SRO programs and several audience members said, “We care about Linn County, not other counties.”

USD 344 Travis Laver commented that he’d already sent the county money and was working on putting together more, but the district is the smallest, poorest district in the county.

Laver said he had not heard from the county following his desire to trade the county out for use of the school for the senior meals program.

Pleasanton City Councilman Jake Mattingley later commented that the city was in discussion to see if they could help the school out with part of the funding of the $12,000 needed to keep an SRO at the district.

District 2 Commissioner Danny McCullough then commented that the SRO program is a “broken program. I’m in favor of 100 percent funding if there’s a manual on how to run it.”

Linn Valley POA Manager Pam McCoy later asked what “it’s broken” meant and Sheriff Kevin Friend explained that “several years ago a USD 344 SRO jacked up – the county is being sued for that. The county has responsibility and liability – that was a flaw – the wrong person in the wrong position.”

He referenced the case of David Allen Huggins molesting a student and being incarcerated for those actions.

Friend said, “A man was killed a few years ago by a county snowplow; we don’t defund snow plows now.”

“I’m being sued 13 times for $85 million,” said Friend. “Now you want to come and stick your nose in my business; I come to my commissioners for funding.”

“I’m upset about it; on Dec. 31 I have to figure out six people to fire,” said Friend.

He continued, “You told me to take $300,000 out of my budget – what other departments were told that? That’s discrimination.”

Friend said, “It’s one program of one office. If you cut 10 percent of mine, cut 10 percent of theirs. Make it fair – not one program. Everyone will hurt a little bit.”

More discussion amongst the commissioners and public ensued with City of La Cygne Police Chief Tina Fenoughty stating, “Public safety is one of the top three things families seek when researching moving to a community. The citizens of La Cygne contribute with tax dollars that go to the SRO program and dispatching. $296,000 was paid to the county in property taxes.”

She continued that the commissioners made the decision to defund the SRO program with no financial discussion and no discussion with entities affected – on their own. 

“Defund the SRO program and economic development fund $600,000 saving $25 cost…” she said, “it’s not helping the taxpayer; it’s putting citizens at greater risk. Financial figures should have been presented and given to the lake communities, cities, etc.”

She urged the commission to rethink their decision.

James said to the audience, “You have spoken and I think we can work something out with the superintendents if they pay their fees; find some grants – a right way to do it this year.”

He continued, “I believe funding belongs in the school – it wouldn’t be a program without the county.”

He then made a motion to “go into negotiation with the superintendents, have them pay their full fees and work out with the sheriff what they can.”

The motion passed 2-1 with Jim Johnson voting no on continuing the program.

NEWS

Souza resigns county clerk post

thumb

Linn County’s county clerk is resigning. At the weekly Linn County Commission meeting Tuesday morning, delayed a day because of Monday’s governmental Columbus Day holiday, Danielle Souza spoke during the public comment agenda section of her intention to resign the... [More]

Farmers State Bank under new ownership

thumb

Time moves on and things change – and the banking world is not exempt from those changes. When Farmers State Bank owner Dale Sprague passed away in August of 2024, his wife Janice and family made those changes when they sold the three banks this fall to Citizen Bank owner’s... [More]

Linn Valley council updated on water, lagoon projects

thumb

Linn Valley city council held its first meeting of the month on Oct. 13 at 6 p.m. at City Hall. Mayor Lewis Donelson began the meeting by asking city employees present at the meeting to stand up front and introduce themselves and state their job title. The mayor continued by... [More]

More News

SPORTS

Schneider makes State for Hawks in girls’ golf

thumb

Celeste Schneider made the 3-1A State golf tournament again this year for the Lady Hawks and will be looking to earn another State medal.  To see the full article, check out this week's edition of the Linn County News or check out the online version here.

Wade and Britz advance to State for the Buffalos

thumb

The Prairie View girls’ golf team is doing well. The girls won the Pioneer League championship at Deer Trace on Oct. 7 and then followed that up by placing fourth at 3-1A Sub-State tournament at Crestwood in Pittsburg on Oct. 13.  The Lady Buffs won the league tournament... [More]

Blu-Jays convert takeaways into Homecoming win

thumb

Pleasanton converted two second-quarter fumble recoveries and a third-quarter interception into passing touchdowns to break a three-game losing skid and claim a 41-6 Homecoming win over Southeast-Cherokee Friday at Blu-Jay Nation Stadium. The victory moves the ‘Jays’... [More]

More Sports

COMMUNITY

Mound City Community Garden

thumb

A new community garden is growing in Mound City. Located directly west of Food Fair on Main Street and christened the Cultivate Kindness Garden, it has taken root thanks to the hard work of several local residents.  Headed by Shayna Lamb with the help of Sue Vicory, along... [More]

Kelley honored - Instructor of the Year

thumb

Shelly Kelley is honored as the ACMHCK Mental Health First Aid Trainer of the Year! This recognition highlights the significant impact that Shelly and the MHFA team are having by equipping our communities with essential tools to support mental health and save lives. “Receiving... [More]

A few things to know about football

thumb

What do rugby and soccer have in common? They are the two sports that American Football originated from. The first football game was played between Rutgers and Princeton Universities in New Brunswick, New Jersey on Nov. 6, 1869. But the game looked much different than the football... [More]

More Community

PLEASANTON WEATHER

Today's e-Edition

View Legals for Free