Riley County approves 2025 budget amendment after staff clarifies magnitude of changes

Riley County commissioners voted Dec. 15 to approve a 2025 budget amendment after hearing from Britney Phillips, the county’s budget and finance officer, who clarified the scale and composition of the proposed changes.

Phillips told commissioners and members of the public that a packet layout had prompted some to think the amendment totaled $20,000,000, but she said that was incorrect: "it is about a $4,000,000 difference," and she walked the board through the adopted amounts and the proposed changes. The amendment was opened for public comment and, with no sustained public opposition, a motion to approve the certificate for the 2025 budget amendment was moved, seconded and passed by voice vote.

The presentation included line-item highlights: a $93,542 deposit from the state Make My Move grant to economic development; a $689,525 CIP expenditure shown in November's cash flows; an ARPA account balance of $3,000,102.74; and ongoing tracking proposals for out-of-state travel that staff said will begin in January 2026. Phillips also told commissioners that the county received a Moody’s rating confirmation (AA1) but that the full Moody’s report was not included in the public packet at the time.

Commissioners asked for clarifications about travel and accounting categorizations; Phillips said staff will begin using a project number in January and produce a tracking spreadsheet to present monthly. The board adopted the budget certificate as presented and recorded the approval with a standard voice vote of "Aye."