Atchison County Extension board votes to join district with Brown and Doniphan; commissioners told taxing district would take effect in 2027

Representatives from Kansas State Research and Extension told the Atchison County Commission on May 13 that the Extension board voted to seek formation of a three-county district that would combine services with Brown and Doniphan counties.

Shanna Neal and regional director Carla Nemechek described the governance and budget effects: the new district would initially be governed by an appointed board (the commissioners would appoint representatives), then the district board would be elected on general-election ballots in odd-numbered years. The district board would set a mill levy; if that levy exceeded revenue-neutral thresholds, the district would follow state notice and hearing requirements for taxing entities.

Presenters said the district would take effect administratively on July 1, 2026; the taxing mechanism and mill levy would take effect on Jan. 1, 2027. Local commissioners asked how the change would affect county budgets if Atchison County kept its existing appropriation level; presenters said county appropriations would be removed from the county budget once the district tax is established and that any local changes (increase or decrease) would affect both the county’s budget and the district’s funding.

Presenters said districting would allow more specialized agents across the three counties and would preserve local program development committees (PDCs) to guide programming in each county. Commissioners did not adopt a resolution at the meeting; presenters offered to return with a formal resolution and said Brown and Doniphan counties would consider similar resolutions in May.

Ending: Commissioners asked staff to include the proposed district resolution on a future agenda for review and possible adoption after additional inter-county coordination; presenters said they would provide copies of the proposed resolution to each county.