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Riley County commissioners move Human Resources out of clerk's office after heated debate
Summary
After extended discussion about timing and staffing, the Riley County Commission voted to transfer the county's Human Resources division from the clerk's office to the county counselor's administrative services; supporters cited a consultant report, opponents warned the change needs an organized transition and additional staff.
The Riley County Commission voted May 7 to move the county's Human Resources division out of the clerk's office and place it under the county counselor's administrative services after a lengthy debate over timing and staffing.
Supporters said the change implements recommendations from a recent organizational review. "I fully support county administrator functions moving, and I think this is in the county's best interest," said Vice Chair Ford during the discussion. The resolution was introduced by commissioners and, after discussion and a second, carried by majority voice vote.
Opponents said the commission had not coordinated a transition plan with affected staff and raised concerns about the office's day-to-day capacity. "This process has not been that," Elizabeth Ward, the county's Human Resources director, told commissioners, saying staff were not consulted and the clerk's office's as-needed position historically used to support HR is budgeted under the clerk, not HR. Ward said the division needs a full-time HR assistant to operate effectively and requested the board consider how the position would be funded.
Commissioners who supported the transfer said they expected HR staff to remain in place during a short relocation and that logistics would be worked out with the counselor's office. "We were highly recommended to do it as soon as possible," one commissioner said, adding that cooperation with the clerk's office would be part of the transition.
The motion directed staff to implement the transfer; commissioners asked the county counselor and HR director to coordinate details and report back publicly. As an interim measure, commissioners later agreed to move the HR director temporarily to a vacant office on the health department campus (the former David Adams office) while final logistics are worked out.
The written resolution number is unclear in the transcript (both 050726 and 050426 are referenced); staff told the commission they would finalize citation and the effective date in the published resolution. The commission said any funding implications would be handled through existing general-fund appropriations or follow-up budget actions if needed.
Next steps: county staff will coordinate a short-term office move and provide a staffing and funding plan to the commission in the coming weeks.
