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Riley County approves CDL training loan-forgiveness program for public-works hires
Summary
The Riley County Commission approved a program to pay for employees' commercial driver licenses (CDLs) in exchange for a one-year retention commitment; commissioners debated program costs, repayment enforcement and whether to require prorated repayment.
Riley County commissioners voted to approve a training loan‑forgiveness program that will pay for commercial driver license (CDL) training for public‑works employees in exchange for an employee commitment to remain with the county for at least one year.
The program, proposed by Public Works staff, authorizes the county to pay for outside CDL trainers and to sign an agreement with trainees requiring repayment or legal recovery if an employee leaves before the agreed period. Commissioners approved the motion by voice vote.
Public Works Director John Ellerman told the commission the county has struggled to recruit CDL drivers and currently spends significant staff time training candidates in‑house. “What we'd like to do is ... start using [consultants] — they'll come in for a certain price, put them in our truck, but they're doing the training with that driver,” Ellerman said, describing options…
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