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Clerk outlines options to address inactive townships; commissioners consider transfers and consolidation
Summary
The county clerk told commissioners that 18 townships exist in the county and several are inactive; commissioners directed staff to pursue outreach and options including transferring duties for inactive townships to the county commission or combining adjacent townships.
County Clerk Jamie Dawes briefed the Saline County Board of Commissioners on March 25 about options for townships after noting several have become inactive or do not conduct budgets.
Dawes said the county has 18 townships; two (Dayton and Greeley) transferred duties to the county in 2018. Currently about six township positions are vacant and Washington Township has no officers. Dawes explained the clerk's office handles budget and publication duties for townships and that it can be time-consuming when officers are hard to contact.
Options discussed included:
- Transferring the duties of inactive townships to the Saline County Commission (the township would remain on paper but with county staff handling duties). - Combining inactive townships with adjacent townships (the county combined Summit Township with Falun Township in 1965 as precedent). - Leaving township organization intact but holding a summit to hear township officers' proposals for consolidation or other plans.
Dawes said two or three townships do very little beyond levying small amounts to pay officers; one township levies about $100 solely to compensate trustees. Commissioners said transferring duties for townships that do no budgeting or levy no taxes would be a "no-brainer," but they asked the clerk to contact township officers, offer discussions, and return with a proposal and maps showing potential combinations and the workload impact on the clerk's office.
Commissioners noted that dissolving a township that manages a cemetery or fire protection would transfer those responsibilities to the county and require careful consideration. Dawes also noted a procedural wrinkle: if a township has no officers it is unclear under state law whether the county can self-initiate a transfer; staff may need to appoint temporary officers to allow a township to request transfer.
No formal action was taken; the commission asked staff to proceed with outreach and return with options.
