Topeka ? Voters outside Topeka blocked consolidation of the city and Shawnee County governments, rejecting a plan supported by area legislators and Gov. Kathleen Sebelius.

With final, unofficial results from a 3 1/2-week mail election counted Thursday, 60 percent of voters outside the city said “no.” While 71 percent inside Topeka supported the plan, state law required that a majority of each group approve the measure.

The plan had strong support from Shawnee County’s legislative delegation and united Sebelius, a Democrat, and House Speaker Doug Mays, a Republican who often has criticized her administration. Backers said the plan would streamline local government and make it easier to promote economic development.

But they couldn’t overcome skepticism outside Topeka, and turnout there was higher than in the city. Some rural residents feared they would pay higher property taxes, despite assurances to the contrary. Others worried that combative city politics would infect the new consolidated government.

“I’m just concerned about all the city politics coming out to the county,” said Brandi Ruse, a resident of Silver Lake, north of Topeka.

The plan would have created a five-member elected commission to oversee the unified government, but it would have appointed an administrator to run day-to-day operations. The administrator would have appointed the county clerk, treasurer and register of deeds, who are now elected. The sheriff would have remained elected.

Even with the consolidation, smaller incorporated cities, such as Silver Lake and Rossville, would have retained their own governments.

The plan’s rejection means that Wyandotte County and Kansas City will continue to have the only consolidated government in Kansas.

Don Moler, executive director of the League of Kansas Municipalities, said there has been only occasional interest in consolidation elsewhere, largely because it requires voters and officials to consider numerous, significant changes.

“I think generally there’s not a huge interest in it at this point,” he said. “Consolidation remains a very rare and somewhat elusive commodity, nationwide and not just in Kansas.”

State law requires the Legislature to grant permission before cities and counties can consider consolidation. Some lawmakers have talked of creating a process without state involvement, without much success.

“The more likely avenue in the next several years will be a case-by-case review by the Legislature,” said Senate Majority Leader Derek Schmidt, R-Independence.

Sebelius said she hoped the Legislature would consider creating a process that didn’t require its approval, and she noted the consolidation plan would have passed had only a majority of all voters been required.

“I hope the support for this proposal will allow us to try this again in the future,” Sebelius said in a statement.