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Senate committee hears bill to let Clearwater Cemetery District drop Ohio Township
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Summary
Supporters told the Senate Committee on Local Government that SB 396 would let the Clearwater Cemetery District remove Ohio Township from its territory, reduce the board to three trustees and ease a disproportionate tax burden, while preserving cemetery access and maintenance; the committee took testimony but did not vote.
The Senate Committee on Local Government heard testimony on SB 396, a bill that would authorize the Clearwater Cemetery District in Sedgwick County to remove Ohio Township from the district and reorganize the board of trustees into a three-member panel, proponents said.
David Loes, a member of the Clearwater Cemetery District board representing Ohio Township, told the committee the township’s residents “pay disproportionately high share of taxes, about 27%,” while accounting for “about 2%” of the district’s operating costs and services. He said Knoll Cemetery in Ohio Township is largely inactive and that the district has substantial reserves, which his written materials put at roughly $500,000 in cash assets and about a $47,000 surplus. “This bill represents a good faith effort to achieve that outcome for the taxpayers,” Loes told senators.
Bert Usry, introduced to the committee as the mayor of Clearwater, echoed the financial point and said the Knoll cemetery is titled to the City of Clearwater and would remain within the district even after a reorganization. Usry said the district historically has operated with a three-member board and that SB 396 would not direct the board’s action but would give it statutory authority to adopt a reorganization resolution and to enter an interlocal agreement with Ohio Township for any remaining cemetery care.
Committee counsel Jason Long Carnap summarized the bill for members, saying SB 396 would authorize the board to adopt a resolution to remove Ohio Township territory, specify that the three trustees would be the mayor of Clearwater, the township trustee from Nenesca Township, and an at-large member to be elected at the next general election, and allow a retroactive effective date of Jan. 1 so the change would apply for the 2026 tax year. He also said the statute would permit an interlocal agreement for care and revenue distribution for plots that remain in Ohio Township.
Senators pressed for details. Vice Chair Ron Reichman asked about the population and burial options in Ohio Township; Loes estimated the township population at about 495 (he described the figure as approximate), said only about half the township lies inside the cemetery district, and noted two local cemeteries (Roll and Knoll) that are roughly three-quarters full. Sen. Petty asked whether Knoll receives any maintenance; Loes said routine mowing occurs about once every two weeks and clarified that the cited $67,000 figure referred to capital improvements at other district cemeteries—not routine maintenance at Knoll.
Sen. Clifford asked why the matter required state legislation. Carnap explained that current cemetery law does not provide a straightforward mechanism for a territorial reorganization of the district and that legislation is the simplest statutory fix to permit the change without dissolving and reconstituting the district.
Supporters emphasized that the reorganization is intended to reduce what they described as an unequal tax burden while preserving cemetery access and protections. Loes asked the committee to review his written testimony and attached financial documentation and recommended SB 396 be recommended favorably for passage.
The committee closed the hearing on SB 396 and had no further business that day. No committee vote on the bill was recorded at the hearing.
