Osage County commissioners appoint Tempest Harrison interim deputy county clerk
May 19, 2026 | Osage County, Kansas
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The Osage County Board of County Commissioners voted May 19 to appoint Tempest Harrison as interim Osage County deputy county clerk under Resolution 2026-011, a temporary measure the board said will remain in place until a county clerk is chosen and installed under state law.
The board adopted the resolution by voice vote after a county legal advisor told commissioners that Kansas statutes are silent about the course of action when both the county clerk and deputy clerk posts are simultaneously vacant. “In the absence of any statute that specifically addresses a simultaneous vacancy, the county has inherent home-rule authority to adopt an ordinary resolution appointing an interim deputy,” the county attorney stated during the meeting.
The action was presented as a short-term administrative safeguard to ensure filings, notarial authorities and other clerk functions continue without interruption through the June 1 candidate filing deadline. Commissioners and party officials said they’d discussed the approach with staff at the Kansas Secretary of State’s office, which did not object to the county taking steps to preserve operations.
Under the resolution, Tempest Harrison will perform the duties of the county clerk’s office until a duly elected and appointed county clerk takes office, at which point statutory authority to appoint deputies (K.S.A. 19-302) will apply. Board members asked Harrison to document the temporary assignment with a payroll/personnel action form or similar paper trail so the change is clearly recorded in the county’s records.
Commissioners emphasized that appointing an interim deputy is intended to avoid disrupting candidate filings and other time-sensitive tasks — including notarization of candidate paperwork — until the county political party can convene precinct representatives to name a replacement as provided in K.S.A. 19-30. The board will coordinate with the party and the Secretary of State as those steps proceed.
The board adopted the resolution by voice vote after a county legal advisor told commissioners that Kansas statutes are silent about the course of action when both the county clerk and deputy clerk posts are simultaneously vacant. “In the absence of any statute that specifically addresses a simultaneous vacancy, the county has inherent home-rule authority to adopt an ordinary resolution appointing an interim deputy,” the county attorney stated during the meeting.
The action was presented as a short-term administrative safeguard to ensure filings, notarial authorities and other clerk functions continue without interruption through the June 1 candidate filing deadline. Commissioners and party officials said they’d discussed the approach with staff at the Kansas Secretary of State’s office, which did not object to the county taking steps to preserve operations.
Under the resolution, Tempest Harrison will perform the duties of the county clerk’s office until a duly elected and appointed county clerk takes office, at which point statutory authority to appoint deputies (K.S.A. 19-302) will apply. Board members asked Harrison to document the temporary assignment with a payroll/personnel action form or similar paper trail so the change is clearly recorded in the county’s records.
Commissioners emphasized that appointing an interim deputy is intended to avoid disrupting candidate filings and other time-sensitive tasks — including notarization of candidate paperwork — until the county political party can convene precinct representatives to name a replacement as provided in K.S.A. 19-30. The board will coordinate with the party and the Secretary of State as those steps proceed.
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