2-611.   County extension councils; election of members; meetings; developmentof programs; election, term of office, oath, powers and duties of executiveboard; bond of treasurer; expiration of terms; qualification of members.(a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, the citizens ofvoting age residing in each of the county commissioner districtsin each county in this state are qualified to participate in the meetingwhich shall be held in each such district in each year not earlier thanSeptember 1, and at least 10 days before the annual meeting of thecounty extension council upon a date and at a time and place determinedand fixed by the executive board of the county extension council andshall elect annually from among their number four membersof the county extensioncouncil. In Leavenworth county, such election shall be held at the timeof the annual Leavenworth county fair. Of the four members, one shall beelected to representagriculture and shall be actively engaged in agricultural pursuits, oneshall be elected to represent home economics work, one shallbe elected to represent 4-H club and youth work, and one shall be electedto represent educational programs in economic development initiatives.The county extensioncouncil executive board members of each county may choose to hold a countywideelection meeting in lieu of holding a meeting in each district. Prior toadjournment of the countywide meeting the citizens of each countycommissioner district shall separate into groups for the purpose of electingthe county extension council members who shall represent thedistrict on the county extension council. The countywide meeting shallbe subject to the same conditions hereinabove provided for countycommissioner district election meetings.

      (b)   The executive board of the county extension council, as provided forin subsection (f), may choose, as an alternate method ofelecting county extensioncouncil members, to mail a ballot to each citizen of voting age residingin the county at least three weeks before theannual meeting of the county extension council. The ballots shallcontain the names and resident addresses of all persons who arecandidates for county extension council membership. The incumbentcounty extension council members shall select not lessthan two persons as candidates for each position to be filled. After theballot has been marked, each voter shall mail or otherwise transmit theballot to the county extension office of the countyat least seven days prior to the annual meeting of the countyextension council.

      (c)   In any county having three county commissioner districts, thecitizens may elect county extension council members at large or bycounty commissioner district as determined by the executive board of thecounty extension council for the county. In any county having otherthan three county commissioner districts, the citizens shall electcounty extension council members at large. A county extension councilelected at large shall also have a total electedmembership of 24, with six members elected to representagriculture who shall be actively engaged in agricultural pursuits,six members elected to represent home economics, sixmemberselected to represent 4-H club and youth work, and six members elected torepresent educational programs in economic development initiatives. Whencounty extensioncouncil members are elected at large, 12 shall beelected annually, three of whom shall represent agriculture, three ofwhom shall represent home economics, three of whom shall represent4-H club and youth work, and three of whom shall represent educationalprograms in economicdevelopment initiatives. County extension council members elected atlarge shall serve under the same conditions as countyextension council members elected by county commissioner districts,except the provision that three members of the executive board shall beelected from each county commissioner district shall not apply.

      (d)   The 24 members so elected in the three countycommissioner districts, or at large, in any county shall constitute andbe the county extension council, and it shall be the duty of thecouncil to plan the educational extension programs of the county.

      (e)   At the annual meeting of the county extension council,the council members elected to represent agricultural pursuits, homeeconomics work, 4-H club and youth work or educational programs in economicdevelopment initiatives, may meet separately and electa group chairperson. Each group shall meet as necessary for the purposeof developing educational programplans on extension work in agricultural pursuits, in home economics work,in 4-H club and youth work, or economic developmentinitiatives. All program plans shall be subjectto final approval by the executive board of the county extensioncouncil.

      (f)   The county extension council shall meet annually not earlierthan October 1, and not later than December20, and shallelect from among its own members an executive board consisting of achairperson, a vice-chairperson, a secretary and a treasurer and fiveadditional members. The date, time and place of the annual meetingshall be determined and fixed by the executive board. No more thanthree members of the executive board shall be elected from any countycommissioner district, and at least one member shall be elected fromeach county extension council member group namely, agriculturalpursuits, home economics, 4-H club and youth work, andeducational programs in economicdevelopment initiatives. The executiveboard of the county extension council is authorized to transact allbusiness of the council, shall have control of all the property of thecouncil, and may employ and fix the compensation of such persons as arenecessary for the conduct of the business of the council, except asherein otherwise expressly provided.

      (g)   Members of the county extension council and of the executiveboard shall receive no compensation for their services as members of thecouncil or of the executive board. The members of the executiveboard, after their election and prior to entering uponthe duties of their respective offices, shall take and sign the usualoath of public officers and the same shall be filed in the office of thecounty clerk.

      (h) (1)   The treasurer of the executive board afterelection as treasurerand before entering upon the duties of the office as treasurer shallexecute to the council a corporate surety bond, of 100% of the amount asnearly as can be ascertained that shall be in the treasurer's hands at anyone time. All the bonds shall beconditioned to the faithful discharge of the duties of the office oftreasurer. The amount and sufficiency of all bonds shall be determinedby the county clerk, and, upon the county clerk's approval endorsed onthe bond, shall be filed with the county clerk, who shall immediatelynotify the secretary of the executive board and the county treasurer ofthe approval and filing. The cost of any corporate surety bond sofurnished shall be paid by the executive board. In the event of thebreach of any condition thereof, the chairperson of the executive boardshall, and if the chairperson does not, any member of the countyextension council may, cause a suit to be commenced thereon in the member'sown name for the benefit of the council, in which suit it shall notbe necessary to include the treasurer as a party to the suit and themoney collected shall be applied to the use of the council, as the sameshould have been applied by the treasurer.

      (2)   Public notices of each annual election meeting or mail ballot electionfor countycommissioner districts or at large, and the annual meeting of the countyextension council provided for in this section shall be published onceat least one week but not more than three weeks prior to the date fixedfor such election or annual council meeting in a newspaper havinggeneral circulation in the county. The executive board shall call eachof the annual election meetings and the annual meeting of the extensioncouncil and shall cause the notices of meetings to be published asherein required. The notices shall state the date, time and place ofthe meeting. The cost of publishing the notices shall be paid by theexecutive board of the county extension council.

      (3)   The elected officers and the members of the executive boardshall hold office for one year and until their successors are electedand qualify. Vacancies in the membership of the executive board shall befilled for the unexpired term from the remaining members of the county extensioncouncil by the executive board. Vacancies among the officers of the executiveboard shall be filled for the unexpired term by election from the membersof the executive board. Each year not earlier than January 2, and not laterthan January 15, the retiring executive board shall meet with thenewly elected executive board at a time and place designated by thechairperson of the retiring executive board. At the meeting theretiring executive board shall conclude all business of the past yearand pay all lawful bills for the year in which it has served and providethe new executive board with all reports, records and other informationwhich may be necessary to the operation of the county extension programduring the ensuing year.

      (4)   Members of the county extension council shall hold office for aterm of two years and until their successors are elected and qualify,and no member of the council shall hold office for more than twoconsecutive terms. Vacancies in the membership of the county extension councilshall be filled by appointment by the executive board for the unexpired term of office.

      (i)   Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, the terms ofall members of any county extension council serving on the effective dateof this act shall expire in 1987, and 24 members shall be elected toconstitute and be the county extension council by one of the electionmethods authorized by this section. Of the members elected to the countyextension in 1987, six members shall be elected to represent agriculturewho shall be actively engaged in agricultural pursuits, six members shallbe elected to represent home economics, six members shall be elected torepresent 4-H club and youth work and six members shall be elected torepresent educational programs in economic development initiatives. Threeof each of the sixmembers elected to represent each county extension council member groupshall hold office for a one-year term and until their successors areelected and qualify, and three of each six-member group shall hold officefor a two-year term and until their successors are elected and qualify.

      History:   L. 1951, ch. 8, § 4; L. 1972, ch. 3, § 4; L. 1974,ch. 4, § 1; L. 1979, ch. 2, § 2; L. 1981, ch. 7, § 1;L. 1986, ch. 5, § 1;L. 1987, ch. 6, § 2; July 1.