Riley County will see a nearly 6% increase in the 2025 police budget.
The Riley County Law Enforcement Agency Board on Monday unanimously approved a $28.5 million budget for next fiscal year, a 5.88% increase from last year that includes a 3.8% cost-of-living adjustment for employees.
Board member John Matta said the increase also included a carryover from last year’s funds.
The law board published the $28.5 million budget by a 4-2 vote last month after it requested that Riley County Police Department officials bring down their original proposed budget of $28.9 million so that the increase stayed below 6%. The $28.9 million proposal was a 6.6% increase from last year.
Officials can reduce a budget but can’t increase it once it is published.
Board member Barry Wilkerson voted in favor of the budget on Monday despite voting against publishing it in May because it didn’t fulfill what he believed RCPD officials wanted.
“I’m going to go ahead and support this budget,” Wilkerson said. “While I don’t think the budget is what RCPD requested, I think we will satisfy our obligations to the public.”
The police board oversees the Riley County Police Department, which is jointly run by the city and county governments. Once the budget is set by the board, the city and county governments are required to fund it. The city pays 80% of the budget and the county pays 20%.
The mill levies for the city and county, combined with property valuation increases, determine the increase in taxes for residents.
The law board’s next meeting is set for July 15.
