Former Manhattan mayor Loren Pepperd had a special request for Riley County law board members on Thursday night in Manhattan city hall. Pepperd asked the Riley County Law Enforcement Agency Law Board to reach out to local Islamic leaders to help in the identification of possible extremists during the public comment session as the special law board meeting got underway. Pepperd pointed out the recent detention of the terror suspect attempting to commit an act of terror. The plot was thwarted with the help of muslim clergy in Topeka. Board chair Robert Boyd acknowledged the request, and stated the agency would continue to work with local entities to ensure the safety of the community.
As the board moved into the general agenda Manhattan city manager Ron Fehr lobbied the board for possible help in funding a portion of the $500,000 short fall in city funding brought about by delinquent property taxes. The request was met with firm resistance from RCPD director Bradley Schoen as he pointed out that the emergency fund submitted in the request was not to be used in such a manner.
Law board member Wynn Butler said there should be a way for the RCPD to contribute to the overall economic health of both the city and county in trying times, and not be held above the other governmental bodies untouched as the community dealt with the issues. Law board chair Robert Boyd objected to Butler’s assumption, and said he believed the RCPD budget should be “sacrosanct” as it deals with the safety of the community. Director Schoen and his staff repeatedly defended the emergency fund as it was defined to be used specifically for “emergencies” in the statute. RCPD staff also highlighted that the bulk of the police department’s budget consists of personnel costs. Any reduction in funding would probably affect police officers, and other staffers, directly if larger cuts to funding are made by the county or city. RCPD attorney Michael Gillespie told the commission no possible motions on the possible funding could in fact be made during the special session due to it being a discussion item only on the agenda.
The next agenda item was the first draft of the Riley County Police Department budget plan. Law board members questioned RCPD staff on several points of the budget including the cost of living allowance, fuel, and administration line items. Staffers outlined the main reasons for the projections being historical spending limits. In particular RCPD assistant director John Doehling went back and forth with several law board members over the fuel line item specifically saying he believes the price of fuel will rise, and not see the low rates of the previous year. Director Schoen applauded Doehling’s efforts to curb administration costs, and finding ways to bridge costs by focusing on prioritizing training for officers and staff.
Overall the projected budget was put forward as being $19,763,753.98 for 2016. This figure puts the proposed budget at an increase of 1.964% over 2015. This first pass at the budget was accepted by the board by a vote of 4 to 2. The budget is expected to be published in May. The board then went into executive session over what was listed as non-elected personnel matters.
