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County staff present COLA and new-position costs; commissioners approve 2025 employee day budget
Summary
Budget staff told the commission a 2.7% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) would raise personnel costs by $743,526 if approved; new position requests add further cost. Commissioners approved the 2025 Riley County employee day agenda and budget.
Bridal Phillips, Riley County budget and finance officer, told the commission on June 9 that the Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U for December produced a 2.7% figure and county staff estimated the total cost of a 2.7% COLA at $743,526 if the board approves it. Phillips said the figure includes departments paid from enterprise or special funds (health department, community corrections, fire and solid waste).
Phillips and Human Resources staff also presented a consolidated estimate of all new position requests for the 2026 budget cycle; combined with the COLA impact the staff estimate exceeded $1 million. Phillips and staff emphasized these figures are preliminary: department-level budget work sessions planned for later in June will present the detailed numbers and allow commissioners to weigh trade-offs.
Commission discussion focused on the timing of final budget numbers, the interaction between COLA and new positions (staff said new-position wage figures include the pay-scale shift that would occur if COLA is approved), and whether revenues will keep pace with projected cost increases. Commissioner McKinley said he is concerned revenues will not rise as fast as personnel costs; other commissioners and staff noted some expenses (for example, inmate medical and off-site inmate housing) are legally required and can push departments over budget.
Separately, assistant county appraiser Steve Shirley and the employee-day committee presented a proposed agenda and budget for the county’s mandatory employee training/recognition day on Oct. 13, 2025. The committee proposed a venue at the AMC Theater, breakout sessions on succession planning and artificial intelligence, team-building activities, and a budget capped at $22,475 (the figure was presented as the maximum 2025 cost and is included in the general fund approved budget for 2025). The commission moved and approved the employee-day agenda and budget.
Why it matters: COLA and new positions are core components of the county’s personnel budget. Commissioners said they want detailed department-level numbers before agreeing to final COLA or new position approvals; staff said work sessions with final certified values will be scheduled before formal budget adoption.
What to watch: staff indicated formal budget work sessions will occur in mid-to-late June as state certification deadlines approach; the commission asked staff to present COLA and new-position costs both combined and separately for transparency.
