Riley County’s juvenile intake saw an improvement in June, community corrections director Megan Lewis told county commissioners on Monday. Juvenile intake and assessment services for the month of June were 21 in total. “Nineteen were released to their parent or guardian, one was a relative and then one went to detention,” Lewis said. “You might recall that the month of May was a lot higher numbers for detention, so that was an improvement.” To view the full article visit theMercury.com.
Author: Arturo Mauricio-Gonzalez
Riley County commissioners on Monday unanimously approved replat requests for residential lots and farmland. One request allowed for the separation of an existing rural homestead from a larger agricultural tract. The request, presented on behalf of J and M Leasing, sought approval of a residential use designation for an “extraneous farmstead,” allowing an existing home and associated buildings to be partitioned from a larger 46-acre agricultural property. The proposed lot encompasses 9.8 acres and is about 2,000 feet east of the intersection of Tuttle Creek Boulevard and Marlatt Avenue, on the south side of Tuttle Creek Boulevard in Wildcat Township.…
Riley County commissioners unanimously approved a sweeping reorganization of the health department, adopting a plan designed to improve efficiency, streamline operations and reduce costs while preserving essential public health services. The approved restructuring reduces the department’s 2027 personnel budget from $5,032,412 in 2026 to $4,371,482 — a 13% cut. The move also lowers the county’s general fund contribution to the health department by 12.4% to $1,835,448. Authorized staffing will also decrease from 44 full-time equivalent positions to 37 FTEs. To view the full article visit theMercury.com.
Riley County commissioners on Thursday unanimously approved increasing numerous service fees, including raising the cost of dumping trash at the transfer station, beginning Oct. 1. The resolution, presented by assistant county engineer Evan McMillan, is designed to keep the county’s solid waste fund financially stable while covering rising operating costs and funding future improvements at the county transfer station. The largest change is an increase in the municipal solid waste disposal rate from $64 to $72 per ton, a 12.5% increase, with the minimum charge rising from $16 to $18. To view the full article visit theMercury.com.
Riley County commissioners on Thursday reviewed an updated budget that calls for a property tax increase of 6.7% for the average homeowner. County administrators presented the commission with an updated version of the 2027 budget that sets the mill levy at 38.012 mills. A mill is $1 for every $1,000 of assessed, taxable property value. That means a homeowner paying $436.84 in 2026 county property taxes for a $100,000 home would have to pay $466.43 on a home now worth $106,700 home in 2027 (given the average increase in existing single-family homes). That’s an increase of $29 or 6.7%. To…
Riley County commissioners and department heads discussed long-term budget challenges, property taxes and the future of county services during a county officials luncheon, with several officials warning that maintaining current service levels while keeping taxes flat may become increasingly difficult. The discussion followed the commission’s recent budget hearing, during which commissioners approved transferring $5.15 million from the county’s capital improvement program fund to the county’s general fund in an effort to maintain a relatively flat mill levy for 2026. “We will continue budget work sessions to work through the process,” said Brittany Phillips, budget and finance officer. “Ultimately all of…
The Riley County Police Department plans to apply for a $31 million federal grant that would fund updates and expansions to its facilities, including adding space for housing criminal illegal aliens awaiting prosecution. Riley County commissioners on Monday approved RCPD’s request to apply for a grant in the amount of $31,742,522 from the U.S. Department of Justice FY 2026 Bridging Immigration-related Deficits Experienced Nationwide (BIDEN) Program. “It’s a ready-shovel project,” said Erin Friedline, RCPD deputy director. “It’s a necessary modernization using federal money instead of local tax dollars.” To view the full article visit theMercury.com.
Riley County commissioners on Monday approved an agreement to hold alcohol vendors financially responsible for any injuries that occur related to the sale of beer at the Kaw Valley Rodeo during the county fair. The annual “indemnification and hold harmless agreement” is a document used by the commission for the Kaw Valley Rodeo and beer sales in the arena during the Riley County Fair. As previously reported, the commission approved beer and alcohol sales for the rodeo and fair last week. To view the full article visit theMercury.com.
Riley County commissioners continued work on the proposed 2027 budget Thursday, reviewing department requests after directing officials to identify 2% reductions where possible. Budget and finance officer Brittany Phillips said several departments were unable to meet the requested cuts because of mandatory obligations or unpredictable expenses. “I want to be really clear that not every department was able to. They already came in with very low budgets, and some were just really not able to make that decrease,” Phillips said. “I’ll speak on budgets that I oversee, because I wasn’t able to lower all of them as well, so juvenile…
Repair work for the waterslide is complete. The pool will reopen Friday for regular hours (1:00 – 8:00 p.m.) City officials said that unfortunately, the coating needs to finish curing, so the slide will not be open Friday, but the rest of the waterpark will be. The City of Manhattan appreciates and thanks you for your patience and they hope to see you at the pool.