News Flash

Get seasonal vaccines at the Health Department

As we quickly enter respiratory virus season, the Riley County Health Department encourages you to protect yourself and your loved ones by immunizing against the flu, COVID, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) this fall. You can now get your fl...

9/20/2023 Public Works Project Update

9/20/2023 Public Works Project Update

This update is intended to clear up any confusion caused by inaccurate information published in a local newspaper on September 18. The correct information is below and was published on the Riley County website, shared ...

Fairmont Park Dog Park Temporarily Closed Due to Canine Parvovirus

(RILEY COUNTY, KS – September 19, 2023) For the second time this year, Riley County will temporarily close the Fairmont Park Dog Park due to possible canine parvovirus contamination. Starting September 19, both the large and small dog enclosures...

Arrest Made after Fire Threatens Structures in Hunters Island Area of Manhattan

(Riley County, KS – September 18, 2023) Daniel Lee, 39, of Manhattan was arrested today in association with a fire that threatened structures in a neighborhood south of Ft. Riley Blvd. and an aggravated battery earlier in the day. The fire is cu...

2024 Budget - true vs false

This update is intended to clear up any confusion caused by inaccurate information published in a local newspaper article about the 2024 Riley County budget.

FALSE: Commissioners set a 2024 budget of $50.86 million. This is an 11% overall increase from las...

Gameday Traffic Notice

Residents should expect heavy traffic for all K-State home football games this season. Construction on I-70, west of Manhattan, will cause heavier traffic on detour routes, including US77 and HWY24 through Junction City, Milford, and the City of Riley.

For...

Jon Harkness - Employee of the Month for September 2023

This September, we are proud to acknowledge Jon Harkness as Riley County’s Employee of the Month. Jon serves as Facilities and Grounds Technician II in the Parks Department and his dedication, strong work ethic, and friendly demeanor make him a ...

Riley County 2024 Budget Update

(RILEY COUNTY, KS – August 29, 2023) The Riley County Board of County Commissioners approved the 2024 budget to exceed the revenue neutral rate during their regular meeting Monday, August 28. After several months of discussion and following a se...

Additional revenue expected in 2024 will help offset Riley County property taxes

(RILEY COUNTY, KS – August 24, 2023) Riley County Commissioners approved an adjustment to the proposed 2024 budget during their meeting Thursday morning, August 24. The adjustment will lower the proposed 2024 mill levy for Riley County from 41.312 to 39.9...

2024 Funding Riley County Fire District #1

This update aims to clear up any confusion caused by inaccurate information in a recent newspaper article about the budget of Riley County Fire District #1, which was published on August 21, 2023.

The proposed 2024 mill levy rate for Riley County Fire Dist...

Safety Tips for Excessive Heat

The National Weather Service in Topeka has issued an EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING in effect through at least Thursday nigh, August 24. Extreme heat and humidity, with heat index values reaching 120 degrees and above, will increase the risk for heat-related illn...

Revenue Neutral Rate public hearings set for August and September

(RILEY COUNTY, KS – August 7, 2023) Starting August 9th, the Riley County Clerk’s Office will begin mailing notices to property owners in Riley County. Each notice will include 2023 Estimated Ad Valorem Taxes and public hearing information for their area....

Keats Sewer Project Update

This brief update is intended to provide clarity to some information published in a recent newspaper article about the Keats sewer benefit district, published July 24, 2023. 

First, it is important to clarify that during the July 24 meeting, the B...

One Person Injured and One Pet Lost in Early Morning House Fire

(RILEY COUNTY, KS - August 2, 2023) The City of Riley Fire Department and Riley County Fire District #1 were dispatched just after midnight to reports of a structure fire at 303 N Broadway Street in the City of Riley. Upon arrival, crews found smoke and f...

Brush Fire SW of Tuttle Creek Dam Quickly Contained

(RILEY COUNTY, KS – July 28, 2023) At 9:02 a.m., Riley County Fire District #1 (RCFD#1) was dispatched to the 2700 block of Purcell Road north of Manhattan for reports of a brush fire. Upon arrival, crews found flames advancing rapidly through a...

Riley County community invited to share input for the future

(RILEY COUNTY, KS – July 18, 2023) People who live or work in Riley County are asked to participate in a planning process to direct growth and land use for the next 15 years. A Comprehensive Planning Survey is available on the Riley County website at www....

Riley County Welcomes New Budget and Finance Officer

(RILEY COUNTY, KS – July 14, 2023) Brittany Phillips started work July 6th as the new Budget and Finance Officer for Riley County. She joins the organization from Chapman, Kansas where she most recently served as Board Treasurer for the Chapman ...

Structure Fire at 12261 Walnut Creek Road in Leonardville

(Riley County, KS – July 5, 2023) At midnight on the morning of Wednesday, July 5, Riley County Fire District #1 was dispatched to 12261 Walnut Creek Road in northern Riley County for a report of a structure fire. Upon arrival, crews found a garage fully ...

Emily Infante: July Employee of the Month

This is the first time a love of pickles and singing in the office have been mentioned as part of an employee of the month nomination, but winner Emily Infante is someone who’s always had a wonderfully quirky approach to life. 

“I always try to ha...

Grant funding increase supports childcare needs in Riley County

(Riley County, KS – June 28, 2023) The Riley County Health Department’s Raising Riley program is now able to offer $100 more per month to childcare scholarship recipients, thanks to increased funding from the Kansas Early Childhood Blo...

Congratulations to Lisa Jones - June's EotM

Over the years, figuring out how to surprise the Employee of the Month has become a major feature of the award. Supervisors and REACH committee members cook up elaborate schemes to bring folks to the Commission meeting for the announcement. Sometimes cowo...

Fire training in Manhattan June 7-8

(Riley County, KS – May 31, 2023) Next Wednesday and Thursday evenings, June 7th and 8th, members of Riley County Fire District #1 will conduct training exercises at the former Crestview Church, located at 4761 Tuttle Creek Boulevard in Manhatta...

Early detection of attic fire prevents major damage to Riley County home

(Riley County, KS - May 15, 2023) At 2:00 a.m. Sunday morning May 14, Riley County Fire District #1 was dispatched to 3503 Rocky Ford Circle to a residential fire alarm activated by a smoke detector. Upon arrival, crews found smoke inside the residence an...

Federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Declaration Expires Today

Today, May 11, 2023 marks the end of the federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) declaration. It's been a long road. Most tools to fight COVID, like vaccines, treatments, and testing, will remain available to the public.  Walk-ins...

Groundbreaking Ceremony for North County EMS Station May 8th

(Riley County, KS – May 2, 2023) Members of the media, the public, and elected officials are invited to a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the start of construction for the new Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Station in Leonardville. The ce...

Brett Clark - May's Employee of the Month

Intensive Supervision Officer Brett Clark is May’s Employee of the Month. He has worked for Riley County Community Corrections since 2001, when he started as an intern during his study of Criminology at Kansas State University. 

As an Intensive Su...

Bivalent COVID-19 Doses at RCHD

Riley County Health Department has bivalent COVID-19 vaccines available. We are still administering federally-purchased COVID vaccines, so there is zero out-of-pocket costs for COVID vaccinations at the health department. As those emergency reserves dwind...

Several fires break out in Riley County over the weekend

(Riley County, KS - April 24, 2023) Riley County Fire District #1 (RCFD#1) responded to several out-of-control fires over the weekend. Greener vegetation and recent rains helped make it possible for firefighters to extinguish the blazes quickly and preven...

More than 50 firefighters battle wildfire near Tuttle Creek lakeshore in Northern Riley County

(Riley County, KS - April 19, 2023) At 11:00 AM Tuesday, April 18, Riley County Fire District #1 was dispatched to the area near Indian Hill Road and Halls Ravine Road for reports of wildfire. Strong winds spread embers from a large fire burning on the Po...

Riley County signs disaster declaration for wildfire near Indian Hill Road

(Riley County, KS – April 18, 2023) The Riley County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) have declared a local disaster emergency, activating disaster emergency plans to help fight the wildfire currently burning in the north portion of the coun...

Dr. Jacob Clarke, MD - April Employee of the Month!

Dr. Jacob Clarke, MD has made a big impact at the public health clinic during the brief time he’s worked at Riley County. He was hired in May 2022, and he received three nominations for Employee of the Month in April 2023. His team uses phrases ...

Riley County Planning Board/Board of Zoning Appeals recommends denial of request to build substation

(Riley County, KS – April 12, 2023) More than 90 people attended Monday’s Riley County Planning Board/Board of Zoning Appeals (PB/BZA) meeting to share their input about a proposed electrical substation to be built in the Ashland Township near Konza Prair...

Two out-of-control fires burn thousands of acres in Riley County

(Riley County, KS - April 10, 2023) Two major fires burned more than 3,500 acres last week. Both were prescribed burns that got out of control. Thankfully, no structures were lost and no injuries have been reported.

On Thursday, April 6, Riley County Fire ...

Law enforcement investigates weekend structure fire at Riverchase Mobile Home Park

(Riley County, KS - April 10, 2023) At 4:00 PM Saturday, April 8, Riley County Fire District #1 was dispatched to reports of a structure fire at 4440 Tuttle Creek Blvd. Lot 29. The first arriving unit found a small garden shed fully involved in fire.&...

CANCELED: Volunteer Firefighters Training in Ogden

(Riley County, KS - April 6, 2023) Tonight from 7-9 p.m. Riley County Fire District #1 will be conducting training exercises with volunteer firefighters at three locations in the Ogden area. Exercise staging areas will be in Random Woods, on Wildcat Creek...

Weekend fires threaten several areas of Riley County

(Riley County, KS - April 3, 2023) Riley County Fire District #1 battled three wildfires over the weekend. Thankfully no homes were lost and no injuries have been reported.

The first fire started Friday evening in Southeast Riley County, near Gehrt Road an...

Illegal outdoor burn scorches 60 acres near Manhattan

(Riley County, KS - March 29, 2023) At 1:45 PM Wednesday, March 29, Riley County Fire District #1 was dispatched to an area near High Plains Trail, just southwest of Tuttle Creek Lake dam, for reports of a fire outside. Upon arrival, crews found an illega...

Gloria Loberg - March Employee of the Month

Gloria was hired in May of 2022. She works as a Custodian in the Public Works Department and makes sure people get a good impression of the county anytime they enter our facility. She loves working here because she says everyone is so friendly and kind. H...

Wildfire near HWY 177 threatens homes in SE Riley County

(Riley County, KS – March 21, 2023) At 1:31 PM Monday, March 20 Riley County Fire District #1 was dispatched to HWY 177 in SE Riley County for reports of a fire in the highway median. Upon arrival, crews found a rapidly expanding grass fire moving to the ...

Two wildfires threaten Riley County during high winds

(Riley County, KS – March 16, 2023) Riley County Fire District #1 was dispatched to two fires during dangerous conditions Wednesday, March 15. 

The first call was dispatched at 12:18 p.m. for reports of heavy black smoke in the Baldwin P...

Out-of-control prescribed burn threatens homes in SE Riley County

(Riley County, KS – March 7, 2023) Last weekend, a permitted outdoor burn in southeast Riley County got out of control, burning over 300 acres of grassland and threatening structures and outbuildings in the area of Deep Creek Road. Concerned residents cal...

Riley County Property Valuations Arriving in the Mail Soon

(RILEY COUNTY, KS – February 27, 2023) The Riley County Appraiser’s Office mailed the 2023 Change of Value Notices (CVNs) for each of the approximately 25,000 real estate parcels in the county on Friday, February 24th. The CVNs reflect...

Public meeting in Keats to discuss updates to sanitary sewer system

(Riley County, KS – February 24, 2023) Property owners in and around Keats are being notified by mail of an upcoming public meeting to discuss the Keats Sewer Benefit District. The meeting will be held at 7:00 PM on Thursday, March 9th at the Ke...

New Brush Truck now in service at RCFD#1 Konza Valley Station

Say hello to Brush Truck #115! This (new to us) brush truck is now in service at Station #115 Konza Valley. Brush #115 will respond immediately to brush fires and vehicle fires in the area around HWY 177 and I-70 and aid anywhere in the county as needed. ...

21st Judicial Drug Court Holds First Graduation Ceremony

(RILEY COUNTY, KANSAS – February 21, 2023) As the 21st Judicial District Drug Court quickly approaches their one-year anniversary, they are hosting their first participant graduation February 22, 2023. To date, eighteen participants have received the bene...

Riley County Commission Meetings to be held at the small cities

Once a quarter in 2023, the Riley County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) will hold a regular meeting in one of the smaller cities. Meetings are open to the public and will be held in the evenings, starting at 6:00 p.m., to allow more people to attend...

February Employee of the Month: Vivienne Leyva

Vivienne Leyva is February’s Employee of the Month. She has been with the county for one year and is only the second person to fill the Public Information Officer role for the organization. 

“This has been a great place to work...

Volunteer for the Medical Reserve Corps

FILL OUT A VOLUNTEER APPLICATION

(Riley County, KS – February 7, 2023) In 2022, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded $75,000 in grant funding to the Riley County Health Department to re-establish a local Medical Reserve Corps ...

Legal Time Trend Publication

Published February 2, 2023

Results of the Market Analysis for Riley County, Kansas for the assessment year 2023 pursuant to K.S.A. 79-1460, 79-1460a.

A study of the residential real estate market indicates an overall inflationary trend of approximately 13.3...

RCHD Hires Community Health Educator for opioid prevention education

(Riley County, KS - January 18, 2023) Asia Sampson recently joined the Riley County Health Department as their new Community Health Educator. She will be responsible for sharing opioid prevention education in the tri-county region, focusing primarily on y...

January Employee of the Month: Derick Schroller

2023’s first Employee of the Month is one of the kindest IT Technicians you’ll ever meet. Like many of the employees here, Derick Schroller began his career with Riley County in the Treasurer’s Office. He started eight years ...

Making Good Use of Discarded Materials at Household Hazardous Waste

Riley County’s Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Department serves a total of 11 counties as part of the Big Lakes Region, and they processed 628,000 pounds of hazardous material in 2022. That’s the fourth highest amount in the state, ri...

Change in Valuation Notices - Mailing in February

The Riley County Appraiser’s Office has completed analysis for 2023 property valuation. The annual Change of Value Notices (CVNs) should be completed and mailed to property owners by the end of February. The CVNs reflect changes in property valu...

2023 Swearing-In Ceremony

At this morning’s Riley County Board of County Commissioners meeting, Commissioner John Ford, Judge John Bosch, and Judge Grant Bannister were sworn in for their new terms of office. They were re-elected in the 2022 General Election. 

Th...

November Proclaimed Native American Heritage Month

We are proud to announce the Riley County Board of County Commissioners proclaimed November 2022 Native American Heritage Month. Riley County EMS staff members Nathan Dixon and Abby Linderman received the proclamation, which stated:

WHEREAS, Native America...

RCHD Encourages Vaccinations as 2022 Flu/COVID Season Begins

(RILEY COUNTY, KS - November 9, 2022) The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) recorded 48 new COVID-19 cases for Riley County for the week of October 29 - November 4. The Incidence Rate is 64.7, placing Riley County in the SUBSTANTIAL incid...

Election Night Results

Find Election Night Results at https://www.rileycountyks.gov/1983/2022-Election-Results

Operation Green Light Display in Downtown MHK Signals Support of Veterans and Families

Starting Sunday, November 6th, green lights will be installed and displayed along Poyntz Avenue in Downtown Manhattan to show support for military veterans and their families. The Operation Green Light display will last one week and is part of a national ...

Structure fire in Ogden caused by heat lamp in chicken coop

(RILEY COUNTY, KS - October 18, 2022) At noon Tuesday, October 18, Firefighters from Riley County Fire District #1 (RCFD#1) and Manhattan Fire Department (MFD) were dispatched to reports of a structure fire located at 203 William Drive in Ogden.  ...

Keats barn total loss after early morning fire

(RILEY COUNTY, KS - October 5, 2022) Riley County Fire District #1 was dispatched to reports of a structure fire at 2748 W. 60th Avenue in the Keats area at 5:45 a.m. this morning. When crews arrived, they found a detached barn fully involved with fire. A...

4/11/2022 Carlson Road Fire Update

4/11/2022 CARLSON ROAD FIRE UPDATE

The Carlson Road fire is now completely contained. Our crews continued to monitor the burned area over the weekend, checking for hotspots, and we are grateful to be able to consider this fire 100% contained as of Monday m...

Board of County Commission Meetings

The Board of County Commissioners will not be in session on the following dates:

• Monday, July 3, 2023 (Independence  Day)
• Monday, September 4, 2023 (Labor Day)
• Thursday, November 23, 2023 (Thanksgiving Day)
• Thursday, December 7, 2023 (KAC 48th Annual...

North Central Regional Planning Commission

Resources that may be able to assist low-income households in need of services.

The U.S. Department of Energy Weatherization Assistance Program reduces energy costs for low-income households by increasing the energy efficiency of their homes, while ensurin...

Road Construction & Closures

Information about current Riley County Road Construction Projects...