Commissioners discuss HB 1161 and plans to revise local appointment procedures

A commissioner told the Johnson County Board of Commissioners on March 9 that the state Legislature recently passed HB 1161, which the speaker said clarifies that unelected board appointees should serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority.

"So, we uh were able to get HB 1161 with Representative Lawson who worked with Johnson County ... the governor signed it into legislation," the commissioner said, describing the law as removing inconsistent appointment language in older statutes and giving appointing authorities clearer removal authority for unelected appointees.

The commissioner said the change matters because appointive boards — which can make decisions affecting taxpayers, such as the Board of Zoning Appeals — previously had inconsistent removal standards across statutes. He said the county will consider strengthening its interview process and more actively advertising openings so appointing officials have more information when making selections.

No formal county action on appointments was taken at the March 9 meeting. The board did unanimously appoint Kenneth Marshall to the Johnson County Public Library Board in a separate vote.

What happens next: County staff and commissioners said they will review appointment procedures, consider a more vigorous advertising and interview process for future vacancies, and return any required procedural changes for commissioner consideration.