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Riley County to publish 2026 budget hearing after midyear financial briefing
Summary
Budget and finance officer reported a proposed 2026 tax rate above the revenue-neutral level and commissioners voted to publish the required notice for a public hearing on the 2026 budget.
Britney Phillips, Riley County budget and finance officer, told the commission on Aug. 11 that the county’s estimated tax rate to fund the proposed 2026 budget is 37.951, which she said “is over the revenue neutral rate of 36.821.”
The notice of the budget hearing must be published at least 10 days before the hearing under state statute, Phillips said, and she asked the board for permission to publish the legally required notice for the county and its special benefit districts and cemeteries. The board moved, seconded and approved publishing the notice.
Why it matters: publishing a notice is a required procedural step when estimated rates exceed the revenue-neutral rate, triggering the hearing and public review process and giving taxpayers a formal opportunity to comment before adoption.
During the same financial briefing, county staff walked through a series of midyear financial reports. The reports compared year-to-date wages and overtime to budgeted amounts, highlighted departments exceeding expected percent-of-year benchmarks, and flagged several line items that may require budget amendments later in the year.
Staff singled out the county jail’s off-site inmate medical costs as unusually high year to date, noting psychotropic drug costs and longer local jail stays after the closure of some state facilities have contributed to rising expenses. Phillips and staff said they expect to return to the board later in the year with any necessary budget amendments.
The reports also noted that an account labeled “disaster fund” houses ARPA funds; staff clarified the disaster fund balance shown in the report reflected amounts budgeted for 2025, not the total ARPA balance.
The board approved the motion to publish the hearing notice; commissioners did not amend the proposed publication during the meeting. The county will publish the notice at the interval required by statute and set a date for a public hearing on the proposed 2026 budget.
Ending: County staff said they will circulate the formal notice once published and will return with any required budget amendments or additional detail requested by commissioners.
