[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6670966,"mediaKeyId","2171712-4ec31806ce2c7a7bc567c9a2b236ce83","parentId",2171712,"title","Riley County weighs adopting written policy for tax abatements after disaster damage under KSA 79-1613","audioSeconds",1278,"startMs",3924000,"endMs",5202000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2171712-4ec31806ce2c7a7bc567c9a2b236ce83&start=3924&end=5202","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2171712-4ec31806ce2c7a7bc567c9a2b236ce83/thumbnail_3924000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6670966/Kansas/Riley-County-weighs-adopting-written-policy-for-tax-abatements-after-disaster-damage-under-KSA-79-1613","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6670966-4cb21f8cbca5776600a7c68fb680bcc5/orig.mp4?Expires=1773572390&Signature=d-iPKJ3kw1rbIp4D-pW2YyNnbnBvuDPqO~tdgpvdTXplbvrl8zqYS5hAkC7znBJie~3bTZSsbCkHzALUiaQqpjHC4o0NvYROA4z42NtAgUi8gP6xzsOqakB1cIa-9JBY4eQpWRYFL13LJFTp74ofV2atFc~3gVPTjt~8t5WkdWWI9MjLmFnDYeurI59w1hrm6wa0aP2ObPLpVwUJhrviI9gXL8COU7S8YrIPxJp4lc2W7Qxl1gLEb4HFwQq0wWW5vGiccSZIzAM47z64C9uF7YXnkPdvnOUsw9R928FXD02cfYfABQHo2Jl1I85cET~lp1eeBSNy8BWKWQZe07bjBw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Riley County","date","2025-01-30T18:11:57.157Z","article","Anne Berson, an appraiser's office staff member, told the Riley County Commission on Jan. 30 that Kansas law treats property values as of Jan. 1 for that tax year and that KSA 79-1613 allows a county to abate taxes where a building is destroyed or substantially damaged.

“The statute permits the abatement of taxes for buildings or improvements that are destroyed or substantially damaged by natural disasters or fire,” Berson said, explaining that qualifying restoration costs must equal or exceed 50% of the market value before the damage.

The briefing explained that under Kansas’s annual (in-arrears) tax system, a change to a property’s condition after Jan. 1 generally does not alter the appraised value or taxes for that calendar year. Berson said Riley County has historically declined to grant abatements on equity grounds and that there is currently no formal written county policy addressing the statute.

Commissioners and staff discussed several practical issues the statute raises, including how to define a “catastrophic event,” whether insurance payouts should affect abatement decisions, and how to calculate the portion of a tax bill tied to an individual structure on a parcel. Berson and county staff said other counties use application forms requiring photos and repair estimates and that the commission has discretion under the statute to grant abatements on a case-by-case basis.

County staff asked the commission whether it wished to revisit the county’s unwritten approach. Staff proposed preparing a short (roughly three-page) summary of policies from other jurisdictions, legal guidance from the statute, and a draft policy the commission could review. No vote was taken; commissioners directed staff to research options and return with draft language and a summary of other counties’ procedures.

The office noted the administration and record-keeping implications of adding a discretionary abatement process and flagged the trade-offs between case-by-case relief and equity across taxpayers. Staff said they would work with the appraisal, treasurer and budgeting offices in preparing the materials.

If the commission instructs staff to draft a policy, staff said they would include: (1) criteria for qualifying events; (2) evidence requirements (photos, cost estimates); (3) whether insurance recoveries would be considered; and (4) a formula to prorate abatement where a building was unusable for part of the year.

The commission did not adopt a policy on Jan. 30; staff will return with the requested summary and proposed options for further consideration.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Riley County Commission's Zoom Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","Anne Berson, an appraiser's office staff member, told the Riley County Commission on Jan. 30 that KSA 79-1613 allows the board to abate property taxes for buildings destroyed or substantially damaged by disaster or fire, and staff asked whether the commission wants a written policy to guide such abatements.","taxTitle","Riley, Kansas","taxId",4218,"location","Kansas","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6670956,"Riley County commission approves drainage easements, park allocations and staffing refills; refers construction bids for review",267,9634000,9901000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2171712-4ec31806ce2c7a7bc567c9a2b236ce83&start=9634&end=9901","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2171712-4ec31806ce2c7a7bc567c9a2b236ce83/thumbnail_9634000.jpg","/articles/6670956/Kansas/Riley-County-commission-approves-drainage-easements-park-allocations-and-staffing-refills-refers-construction-bids-for-review","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6670956-20c18cec51238127c7f7bedbda5c4c3d/orig.mp4?Expires=1773572390&Signature=ILflQ3WNc1CN9Q92MARaUTyJOE1npLXOZY1Oj0dHukvywmiSgtmoEyzQL4XfJWK9BiljKE1jEG7kpXn~6peVLvT1j3QKnlIyyhBpo7PjD9Wc5rWTtO0GZGx18dgCdHXogKMz7Nc~-whKnzy1GRVmqd0reF8Ds57ytqVnJrcQOwdTjDzGKDqbktNGXNoXJVRRuOMshPrY3D4Vo~qWg2MW9EDcyGZYP3GUJVGtDqV4W1LguOXv1TguwSRYmVJThhRvQWkVsMRcqaytyyMzFS-wykHgRS4EWRBWL9BAYmo3Z5R7PkJE2qpYZ2dP~7eHuS92iyEJcUmOMD87ZggNxGHJQA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Riley County commissioners on Jan. 30 approved several agenda items by voice vote and referred bids for staff review.

Key actions at a glance:

- Drainage easements to City of Manhattan: Commissioners approved granting a permanent drainage and stormwater utility easement plus temporary construction easements to the City of Manhattan and authorized the board chair to execute the documents. The easements were presented by county legal counsel and cleared by public works staff. (Motion made and seconded; voice vote: \"Aye.\")

- Bids for ditch-liner rock and related materials: The board received multiple bids for ditch-liner material (various tonnages and unit prices were presented by staff), then moved and seconded to refer the bids to staff for review and recommendation rather than award a contract at the meeting.

- Refill residential appraiser position: The commission approved posting to refill a Residential Appraiser 2 position (and, if necessary, hire at the Appraiser 1 level if qualified applicants are not found). The commission authorized posting and filling the vacancy when it occurs.

- 2025 community park allocations: The commission approved the Riley County Park Advisory Board’s recommended allocations from a $60,000 community park fund, and transferred $39,700 to the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) for larger future projects.

All four actions were approved by voice vote during the meeting. In most cases the record shows \"All in favor? Aye\" without a roll-call tally recorded in the public transcript; motions were seconded and then approved by the commission.

The meeting record shows the commission chose staff review rather than immediate awards for the construction bids, and required staff to return with recommendations before any contract awards were finalized. The other approved items direct staff to execute documents (easements), post and fill a vacant position, and allocate park funds to the CIP.","Riley County commissioners on Jan. 30 approved granting drainage easements to the City of Manhattan, approved 2025 park allocations with a $39,700 transfer to CIP, approved refilling a residential appraiser position and referred multiple construction bids to staff for detailed review.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6670959,"Riley County health director asks commission to place fiscal analyst under county finance while remaining in health department",1331,8106000,9437000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2171712-4ec31806ce2c7a7bc567c9a2b236ce83&start=8106&end=9437","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2171712-4ec31806ce2c7a7bc567c9a2b236ce83/thumbnail_8106000.jpg","/articles/6670959/Kansas/Riley-County-health-director-asks-commission-to-place-fiscal-analyst-under-county-finance-while-remaining-in-health-department","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6670959-f43f1c78a5e611284f799ac9a1bf3ec6/orig.mp4?Expires=1773572390&Signature=M8g0cYvSCbMd9PGX6Zkjx-I8l0HCnWzzkStLaHKgzGfCszKOIFsKzo4QHab2UFFJBdpJEC5IFoL1F0xZBpzkYiQle51-K~6ZpDuA2Jj78n8uQSXUSBf9tKDoUaWu2ASNt1AulT7aaJB9Ug3ffhQlp3uxEOhPBDQ2OrcBQaqs2xIo2qvrboxXWznIzynQSDNB9vC2QWB~CPZTHAMOgp9HNO2tkKXMWsIWvKXS9dKzSfUVd55Nc0XjHPrx~jCy2A6GthbFXjB34b6WU3t08L5NluWaWY4qRR3GSKFu63NJtEXxYocJjF~Y3jSzmpkofgJ0O1m3zA53MqgJFFj011QB7Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Diane Creek, Riley County health department director, asked the commission on Jan. 30 for approval to advertise and refill a fiscal analyst position and proposed placing the position administratively under the county finance director while the analyst would continue to work from the health department.

\"This position really needs to be underneath somebody who's trained in finances,\" Creek said, citing the department's large, complex mix of grants, federal and state funding streams and personnel costs. She told commissioners the job description had not been updated since 1996 and that human resources had helped modernize the role.

Creek said the analyst must stay physically at the health department to support daily operations and supervisors there, but that placing the position under the finance office would provide consistent oversight, policy compliance and expertise in grants accounting. She said Brittany (county finance staff) reviewed the concept and supported it.

Commissioners and staff discussed supervision, checks and balances and who would sign off on allowable grant expenditures. Creek emphasized she would remain engaged with the position if the commission agreed to the administrative change: \"Even if Britney manages this fiscal analyst position, I will not be disengaged at all,\" she said.

No formal vote was taken. Commissioners asked staff to return with the advertised job posting (the \"yellow sheet\") so the board could consider the vacancy formally at a future meeting. Creek and staff said they would work with human resources and the finance office to finalize a posting and bring back the advertisement and any related materials for the board’s action.","Diane Creek, Riley County health department director, asked commissioners on Jan. 30 to allow the county to advertise to refill a fiscal analyst post and proposed administratively placing the role under the county finance director while keeping the analyst physically stationed in the health department.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Riley County weighs adopting written policy for tax abatements after disaster damage under KSA 79-1613

Riley County commission approves drainage easements, park allocations and staffing refills; refers construction bids for review

Riley County health director asks commission to place fiscal analyst under county finance while remaining in health department