Should Government Restructuring Include Fewer Elected Officials

A committee appointed by Story County Board of Supervisors to recommend how the county can operate more efficiently has suggested increasing the number of supervisors representing the county and to no longer elect department heads such as the sheriff and county auditor.

The Story County Government Restructuring Committee completed a 23 page report of restructuring suggestions that the board will discuss 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the Story County Administration building in Nevada.

Among recommendations are to change the current form of government to a board-manager form which would increase the number of supervisors from three to five. They would serve as policy makers and appoint a county manager. The committee also suggests that, that county manager would appoint department heads such as the treasurer, auditor, recorder, attorney and sheriff.

The report said that department heads under elected officials seem to work independently without common goals or directions.

The committee also found:

• A lack of security measures in county buildings.
• That better communications were needed.
• Diminished funding for roads and bridges.
• Redundancies in having both county and Ames city assessors.

The full report and appendixes can be found online.

The committee reported that if the board decides not to change its form of government that it should at least get rid of elected department heads and combine some offices such as the auditor and recorder or create a finance department combining the treasurer and recorder offices and the financial duties of the auditor's office. An election commissioner could handle the auditor's election duties, the report stated.

The report also suggested that the supervisors look at creating an office where residents could acquire all permits, licenses and offices instead of going to multiple locations like they have to now.