In fact, from everything he's seen, the idea is more likely to be more expensive than a savings for taxpayers. The reason, he said, is that when two entities merge services, the entire consolidated service would most likely be expected to be as good as whichever of the two entities was originally best. Nothing foreseeable, he said, is going to stop the depopulation of rural counties. I think rural areas have a real struggle. There are cases of what could be called functional consolidation around Kansas.
Some counties share specialized services such as juvenile justice and mental health.
Also, several cities have partnered with their respective county governments for a variety of services including consolidated law enforcement. The merging of the sheriff's office of Riley County with the police force of its county seat, Manhattan, is an example. John Leatherman, a Kansas State University-Manhattan economist who's compiled reports of the economic conditions and history of each of Kansas' counties, said the time will probably come when more interlocal agreements or functional consolidation will be needed. But that's as far as it will go, Leatherman predicted. They have a great deal of attachment to their local governments, and they don't want them to go away.