Consolidate

To the editor:

Consideration should be given to consolidating some Kansas counties to save costs.

There are 31 counties in Kansas with populations of less than 4,000. In the Internet age, which has revolutionized communication, does it make sense for each of these counties to maintain its own court house, full slate of county offices, paid county commissioners, jail, sheriff’s department, road department, etc?

As the owner of a 60-acre heirloom farm in Marion County where I grew up, homesteaded by my great-grandfather in 1874, I do not complain about Marion County property tax, but it is high enough.

Because of excellent renters and federal crop subsidies, a socialistic (horrors!) huge slice of our national federal budget, this little bit of farmland is profitable, but I hope my county tax dollars are being spent wisely.

Stanley Manahan,
Columbia, Missouri