Committee hears bill to let Butler County reduce fair board from township-based appointments to 15 members

The House Committee on Local Government heard testimony on House Bill 2,145, which would allow Butler County to change how members of its county fair board are appointed so the board consists of 15 members appointed by the county commissioners, with up to five members appointed at-large.

Committee reviser Charles said the substitute bill mainly adds an exception for Butler County to the statute governing county fair board appointments (K.S.A. 2-128) and that most other changes in the substitute are non‑substantive edits. "As introduced, what 2,145 did was it just established an exception to the general provision for appointment of County Fair Boards," Charles said. He told the committee the substitute consolidates the Cloud County exception and the proposed Butler County exception into the general statute.

The bill was presented to the committee as a response to recruitment difficulties under the statute that requires one appointee from each township. Jay Hall, Deputy Director and General Counsel for the Kansas Association of Counties, said Butler County currently has 29 townships and that the township-based requirement has made it difficult to recruit a fair board representative from every township. "Essentially, they would have, their fair board currently consists of 29 members, which is a very large board, because they have 29 different townships. So they are looking to change that so that instead of having 29 members they can appoint... a more manageable 15," Hall said.

William Johnson Jr., Butler County administrator, appeared remotely to confirm the county’s experience. Johnson said the county previously had to expand its board with at-large members and that the total membership had reached as many as 35. "We have 29 townships. So at minimum, by current statute, it's a 29 member board. But over time... they've expanded that, through at large members to a 35 member board. And so it's just gotten too big," Johnson said.

Committee members asked whether the change would shift appointment authority from township-based selection to county commissioners. Charles and other witnesses confirmed the substitute would permit counties with five commissioners (Butler has five) to appoint members by commissioner district with up to five at-large appointments, rather than requiring one representative from each township.

No neutral or opponent witnesses attended in person, and the committee closed the hearing on House Bill 2,145 without taking a vote.

Why it matters: Supporters told the committee the bill addresses a practical problem recruiting volunteers under the current statutory model and provides a pathway by which other counties could adopt a similar structure by charter resolution. The committee record includes written testimony from a Butler County official on this point.