Riley County offices closed on Friday in observance for the Juneteenth holiday, causing some confusion with the public.
Commission Chair John Ford took time during Monday’s commission meeting to clarify any confusion. He says past commissions have decided it is plausible to observe all federal holidays.
President Joe Biden established the 19th as a federal holiday Thursday afternoon, following a bill passed by the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. It caused the county to have to make a quick decision. Since the holiday was on a Saturday this year, the county decided to close offices Friday.
County Clerk Rich Vargo says other local entities, such as City of Manhattan and Kansas State University, do not have such policies in place.
Riley County commissioners also Monday approved the authorization of Industrial Revenue Bonds for Meadowlark for its ongoing project. This followed the City of Manhattan’s approval of up to $50 million in bonds last week. Riley County Counselor Clancy Holeman noted that the county’s approval carried no fiscal impact.
Holeman says the statute for the bond states it applies to the county as well in certain circumstances. County Clerk Rich Vargo says this bond could also be a potential tax burden to taxpayers, which is why it was brought to the county as well.
Meadowlark is expecting to close on the bonds in July.
In other business Monday:
Assistant Public Works Director Gary Rosewicz announced he is retiring in September. Public Works Director John Ellerman requested and got approval to fill the vacancy. Ellerman says they will recruit outside of Riley County due to a lack of quality candidates in the area.
