Budget fix
Budget and Finance Officer Brittany Phillips presented a small, but significant change to the yearly budget at Thursday’s Riley County Commission Meeting.
As per Monday’s request, budgeting and finance officials have reworked numbers for investment income, now offering $2 million in investment interest income, based on increased revenue from interest, totaling approximately 3.5%. Previously that number had been projected at $925,000.
The change was made due to an expected increase in revenue from interest on the county’s cash balances and investments. The move drops the overall mill levy on the budget from 41.312 to 39.956, still exceeding the revenue neutral rate but much closer to what commissioners had been targeting.
Commissioner John Ford expressed his opinion on the new rate.
The final budget will be presented to the Riley County Commission on Monday.
The total projected taxes to be levied in dollars is $31.6 million, equating to a mill levy of 39.956. Last year, the total taxes levied was $30.4 million, with a mill levy of 42.214.
Community Corrections Update
In other business, commissioners were presented with July figures from Community Corrections.
Director Shelly Williams says intake and assessment was particularly busy, with 22 intake instances in the month, with greater than half placed out of home at the time of intake. She also noted a record usage of on-call volunteers, with 55 hours recorded in July alone.
Juvenile intake and assessment had a busy month in July, totaling 22 intake instances in July, almost 1 per day – higher than May and June.
Greater that half were placed out of home at the time of intake. with eight going to parents, four to relatives, three into protective care, four in emergency shelters, and one in detention.
There was a record usage of on-call volunteer hours, with 55 hours in July alone.
Commissioners also unanimously approved the end of year report, which was effective June 30.
Resolution for illegal left turns
A resolution was approved Thursday regarding left turns from Walters Drive onto Tuttle Creek Blvd.
The intersection is on county access. Public Works Director John Ellerman says a traffic study has concluded the intersection has an elevated accident rate.
The signage is in city limits, and the City of Manhattan recently approved its own ordinance, eliminating left turns during peak hours. RCPD does enforce that and violators can be ticketed for not obeying the signage.
North county fence dispute update
Riley County Commissioners were presented a new version of an order assigning partition fence responsibility for properties located between Indian Hill and Rose Hill Roads, located north of Tuttle Creek Lake, in northern Riley County.
The initial viewed version was a draft without all the necessary information. County Counselor Clancy Holeman says there was also an issue regarding the description that was caught and fixed for the new draft as well as one other minor issue with the fence viewing.
The Commission moved and approved a motion to assign the partition fence responsibility.
