Fort Madison, IA – The chairman of the Lee County Board of Supervisors is trying to raise public support for combining two county offices. Rick Larkin wants residents to vote on whether the Treasurer's office and the Recorder's office should be combined. He has started circulating a petition that calls for the question to be placed on the ballot in November 2006. Larkin says the recent announcement that Treasurer Mary Hoenig will retire at the end of the year makes this the right time to push for a consolidation. The board must appoint someone to replace Hoenig by the middle of February, which would be 45 days after her retirement. Larkin says the replacement will be made aware of the petition effort and the fact that the position of treasurer may be eliminated. The county recorder would be in charge of both offices. Before this question can be placed on a ballot, 4400 signatures are required.
Chairman Starts Petition Drive
