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Riley County approves WIC facility agreement with Fort Riley; staff warn of sizable grant shortfall and approve EMS job changes
Summary
Commissioners approved a memorandum of agreement allowing Riley County WIC clinic use of Fort Riley facilities and approved updates to EMS division chief and deputy chief job descriptions; county budget staff said WIC requested $1,332,984 but recent allocations total $997,877, meaning county subsidy for operations in 2027 is likely.
Riley County commissioners on May 18 approved a memorandum of agreement with the U.S. Army Garrison at Fort Riley to allow the county WIC program use of Fort Riley facilities and agreed to updated EMS leadership position descriptions. County budget staff also warned the board that WIC grant funding is likely to be insufficient, creating a probable county subsidy need for 2027.
David Adams, the interim Health Department director, presented the WIC facility MOA with Fort Riley and highlighted two provisions: Riley County reserves the right to terminate the agreement if KDHE funding is reduced or eliminated, and the agreement will be renewed annually with the garrison commander. Commissioners moved, seconded and approved the MOA.
Brittany Phillips, Riley County budget and finance officer, explained there are two separate WIC grant applications this year (operating funds and breastfeeding peer counselor). She said the combined total requested is $1,332,984 but that prior requests were reallocated and the county is currently slated to receive $997,877, creating a substantial gap.
"The total request for WIC including breastfeeding peer counselor is 1,332,984," Phillips said, and later added that the county does not expect to receive that full amount and will likely need to subsidize the program in the next fiscal year. She asked to return with corrected numbers before formally approving the application (deadline May 31).
On personnel actions, Adams presented updated EMS division chief and deputy chief position descriptions as part of an organizational restructure to consolidate county fire, EMS, emergency management and 911 administration. Revisions added leadership-curriculum and experience requirements (division chief: 10 years EMS with 7 years supervisory experience; deputy chief: 7 years EMS with 5 years supervisory experience) and maintained a requirement that senior leaders reside in Riley County within 60 days of hire. The board approved the updated job descriptions by motion.
Votes at a glance: the board approved the WIC facility MOA with Fort Riley, the EMS position-description updates, and routine consent items including tax-roll corrections, a mobile-device reimbursement request and May 14 minutes. The WIC grant application itself was not finalized; staff will return with corrected fiscal numbers before the May 31 grant deadline.
Why it matters: the WIC MOA secures clinic access on Fort Riley but funding uncertainty for the WIC program means county budgets could be affected if grant awards remain below the requested level. EMS leadership changes set new hiring expectations that could affect recruitment and operations.
Next steps: budget staff will return with corrected WIC grant numbers for commissioner consideration before the application deadline; planning and HR staff will implement updated EMS position descriptions if candidates are hired under the new requirements.
