(KAIR)--Nearly fifty people gathered in the upstairs banquet room of Your Place or Mine Catering in Holton Saturday morning for a chance to meet with state legislators and perhaps, have some questions answered.

The Legislative Forum allowed local residents to meet with Senator Dennis Pyle, and Representatives Randy Garber and Richard Carlson in an informal setting.

Education was one of the issues addressed by Pyle, who said that while education funding should be debated, suitable funding should be determined by the legislature and not the courts.

Hoyt resident Boone Smith had a question for Pyle in regards to when school board members are elected. He said he was concerned that if the school board elections were moved to November, new board members that take office in January will be halfway through the school year, as opposed to starting in the middle of the summer and going a full school term.

Pyle responded that the cost of running municipal elections was one factor in possibly moving them to the fall, and added that holding them in even numbered years would help defray some of that cost.

Garber also discussed the issue of renewable energy, saying that he is not against renewable energy, but a balance has to be found since the wind doesn’t always blow, and the sun doesn’t always shine. He adds that the current power plants are getting older and are starting to be phased out because they aren’t meeting the EPA restrictions.

Garber says funding also has to be as equal as possible. He believes that when they heavily subsidize one side, it gives one side a reason to say that it costs them less to generate a kilowatt of energy, But Garber says that in this case, they are not taking into consideration the federal tax credits and the subsidies.

Other topics discussed included charter schools, welfare overhaul, and the effort to end endless appeals by Kansas death row inmates.

The event was hosted by the Holton/Jackson County Chamber of Commerce, the Holton Recorder, and Your Place or Mine.