Author: Arturo Mauricio-Gonzalez

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.

WAMEGO — The Kansas Department of Transportation hosted the first of two open houses this week to provide information on the U.S. Highway 24 corridor management plan in Riley and Pottawatomie counties at the Wamego Senior & Community Center on Monday. The US-24 corridor plan will evaluate traffic operations along the corridor in both counties to identify short- and long-term improvements that serve the communities while keeping traffic moving efficiently and safely. According to KDOT, this segment of US-24 is one of the most traveled roads in the region. KDOT project team members were available to answer questions and collect…

Following heavy rains in recent weeks that included temporary flooding in some parts of town, officials say they are keeping a watchful eye on water levels. “Currently, we are paying close attention to watersheds for Tuttle Creek, Wildcat Creek and the Blue River,” said Vivienne Leyva, public information officer for the city government. “With several large rain events in recent weeks, ponds are full and the ground is saturated, which leads to larger runoff amounts. With these saturated soils, we are concerned about a possible flood event if we receive additional rainfall.” As of June 18, the Manhattan area received…

WESTMORELAND — The Pottawatomie County Planning Commission scheduled a public hearing where residents will be able to give their input on the proposed data center to be built near the Jeffrey Energy Center near St. Marys. The planning commission met to discuss proposed a proposed data center Thursday in Westmoreland. The planning commission agreed to have the public hearing in St. Bernard Catholic Church Parish Hall at 6 p.m. on July 28. Most members of the commission were open to the idea of letting the public have their input on the draft regulations the commission has prepared so far. To…