Riley County shifts budget focus as commissioners seek cuts, health-department overhaul

Riley County commissioners on July 2 moved to pare back discretionary spending while deferring final decisions on health-department program changes until new leadership is in place.

Britney Phillips, the county budget and finance officer, told the board she had revised a key line in the budget from $2.5 million to $2.4 million and that the board had already agreed to take a 15% cut across a set of appropriations, including downtown Manhattan funding. "It's 2.4 million," Phillips said, correcting the packet figures. The board then asked department heads to identify roughly an additional 2% in discretionary (3C) spending as a bridge to cover COLA and one new/expanded position.

The commissioners emphasized the need to avoid sudden staff reductions. "We can't turn around and tell people they don't have a job tomorrow," Interim Health Department Director David Adams said. Adams and the board said program-by-program changes require subject-matter expertise and that the county should hire a permanent health department director before implementing structural cuts. Commissioners asked staff to produce comparative organizational charts and budgets from peer counties to inform those decisions.

The appraiser's office analysis — presented separately by Anna Buren — reinforced the budget pressure: Riley County's appraised base is roughly $10 billion, of which about $4 billion is exempt, leaving homeowners to shoulder an outsized share of the tax burden. Commissioners linked that structural issue to the long-term need for legislative change on exemptions rather than short-term local program eliminations.

Process and deadlines: commissioners agreed departments should return proposed 2% reductions and other updated figures by the Tuesday prior to the board's detailed session the following Thursday so staff can fold the numbers into the packet. The board also reaffirmed earlier decisions to cut $2 million from a transfer to the capital-improvement plan and to pause adding certain appropriations until the next budget session.

Next steps: the commission plans further budget work sessions in mid and late July to finalize the 2027 budget and to advertise and hire a health-department director who will be expected to help shape program priorities and staffing levels.