Riley County denies prosecutor's investigator request, approves election specialist and tables HR assistant amid budget concerns

Human resources and county offices presented several new or expanded position requests for 2027 during the June 29 administrative session. Commissioners weighed operational needs against a constrained budget.

Barry (presenting for the county attorney's office) asked the board to fund a criminal investigator who would handle follow-up investigation, evidence packaging and coordination with law enforcement so prosecutors would not have to rely on already‑tasked police investigators. "We are running into situations... where it would be beneficial to have an investigator who could do some of the followup that's needed on the case once we start reviewing it," Barry said.

Staff provided a cost estimate for the position: starting pay around $67,413, benefits $28,347, for a total package of about $95,760. Commissioners said they saw the operational need but that the county's budget gaps made adding new full-time positions difficult.

The board voted to deny the criminal investigator request, citing budget constraints and the desire to wait until a county administrator is in place to review staffing priorities. By contrast, the commissioners moved and seconded approval of an expanded elections specialist position and voted to approve that expansion during the meeting.

A proposed human-resources/administrative assistant position was tabled; commissioners directed staff to preserve the line as a placeholder in budget documents and to return with the fiscal impact so the board could evaluate it later in the budget process.

What happens next: The denied request will not be funded in the 2027 budget; the approved elections position will be incorporated into personnel planning; staff will return with cost and funding scenarios for the HR/admin assistant if the board wishes to reconsider.