County counsel, county clerk brief commissioners on nuisance-abatement talks and August primary deadlines

At the July 6 meeting Jacob Hansen, Riley County counsel, briefed commissioners on ongoing work to extend or make permanent the county’s criminal nuisance-abatement measures created under Senate Bill 384, saying Riley County is coordinating with Johnson County and lobbyists and that a final resolution to use the statute fully should be available to the commission soon.

"We're continuing to have a discussion with Johnson County and in hopes to not only extend but perhaps make permanent that criminal nuisance abatement," Hansen said. He added that he expected to bring a resolution related to substantive use of the statute before the commission relatively soon and that one trial connected to enforcement remains pending a verdict.

Hansen also said the county will submit a proposed revision to the Riley County Fair alcohol-sales resolution to the commission this week.

In a separate briefing, Rich Barberelli, Riley County clerk, reminded residents that voter registration for the Aug. 4 primary closes July 14 and that advanced in-person and mail voting begins July 15. Barberelli described advanced-voting hours (Monday–Thursday, 7:30 a.m.–5 p.m.; Fridays to noon, plus one Saturday 8 a.m.–noon) and urged voters to consult sample ballots online or at the courthouse because a constitutional amendment page on the ballot is long and may be confusing at the polling place.

Barberelli said the county posts sample ballots and polling-place maps on the clerk’s website and encouraged voters to review their ballots before arriving at polling locations.