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Riley County commissioners weigh COLA, department requests and $1 million cut to CIP transfer
Summary
Commissioners reviewed 2026 budget proposals including differing COLA figures, department staffing requests and a proposed $1 million reduction to the capital improvement (CIP) transfer to lower the mill levy increase the county would need.
Riley County commissioners spent the bulk of their July 14 meeting reviewing proposed 2026 budget changes, discussing cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) requested by departments, and agreeing to a $1 million reduction in the planned transfer to the county's capital improvement program.
The discussion opened with public comment questioning why different local governments and agencies arrive at different COLA rates. One speaker cited a draft worksheet indicating a countywide COLA of 2.7 percent while the Riley County Police Department (RCPD) was shown at 2.4 percent. The county clerk, Richard Bargo, told commissioners that the county had followed policy to reach the 2.7 percent figure but noted that other entities, including the city, had chosen different approaches: "The city's gone through some tough financial times ... they did a pay study ... and so they did a pay study in the not too distant past," Bargo said, explaining divergence in local decisions.
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