Budget & Finance
The mission of the Riley County Police Department Finance Office is to minimize the financial and social cost of public safety. The RCPD recognizes the need for operational efficiency in order to minimize the cost to the taxpayer. The primary role of the finance section is to track expenditures and produce reports which allow staff to make financial decisions that support professional policing in Riley County in the most efficient manner possible.
RCPD's 2024 budget of $26,937,092 ( 7.52% increase) minus a carryover of $256,633 for a realized cost of $26,680,459 (6.50% increase) has been approved by the Law Board.
The realized cost represents the actual costs to taxpayers in Riley County.
The goal of the 2024 budget is focusing on the personnel needs we continue to face,” Director Brian Peete said. “As a service-based department, we understand our employees truly are our greatest asset.”
With this additional funding, the department will add:
- 6.5% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) to employee salaries
- Continued salary survey implementation
RCPD has utilized the Consumer Price Index (CPI) Midwest Region annual percent change for the past 15 years to determine COLA. The 2022 annual was 8.0% which was originally proposed. At the April 17 Law Board Meeting, the Board requested the reduced COLA represented in this approved budget.
RCPD implemented approximately 50% of the Salary Survey conducted by The Arnold Group (TAG) in 2023. The comprehensive Salary Survey revealed RCPD lost its position in the local job market. The 2024 implementation will cover 37% of the remaining Salary Survey or approximately 19% of the total, leaving approximately 31% of the total for future years.
During budget discussions, $1,463,492 for staffing of community-focused enhancements and training programs was removed from consideration. Through the use of a strategic plan, these items will be addressed during future budgets. Commitment to attracting and retaining talented staff remained the focus and priority during these discussions.
“We want to compensate our employees fairly,” Peete said. “The Salary Survey is an objective path to this goal. Continuing to implement the Salary Survey and providing our employees with a reasonable COLA represents an investment into public safety for Riley County for years to come.”
The majority (86%) of the RCPD budget is expended on personnel. Currently, there are 1.5 police officers per 1,000 residents in Riley County, a significantly lower number than Kansas (2.6) and national (2.39) ratios. Despite the low officer-to-citizen ratio, Riley County has enjoyed lower crime rates than the state average for the past 19 years. Past research, supported by recent inquiries, has revealed RCPD’s percentage of the City and County’s overall budgets is comparable to or lower than similarly-sized departments in the region.
“We recognize the level of services our local taxpayers have come to expect and deserve from RCPD,” Peete said. “Manhattan and Riley County continue to attract businesses and residents because it is a safe place to live. We will continue to provide efficient, effective, and fair services to our community.”
Approved 2024 Budget
- Base Adjustments - $58,746
- 6.5% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) to employee salaries - $1,199,891
- Salary Survey implementation - $626,963
- Total increase over 2023 budget - $1,885,600
- 2024 Approved Budget - $26,937,092 (7.52% increase)
- Carryover from 2023 budget – ($256,633)
- 2024 Approved Budget Realized Cost - $26,680,459 (6.50% increase)
The realized cost represents the actual costs to taxpayers in Riley County.
*RCPD’s main funding source is property tax. RCPD represented 15.48% of County property tax and 18.89% of City of Manhattan property tax allocations for 2023.
The 2024 Budget was approved at the June 26 Special Law Board Meeting which can be viewed below.
- How is the RCPD funded?
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The Riley County Police Department Budget is funded according to Kansas State Statue (K.S.A. 19-4443):
- The City of Manhattan - 80%
- Riley County - 20%
- Riley County is also responsible for the cost of facilities and inmate medical
- Expected copy fees to be received during the current budget year
- Carryover from 2 years prior (2021 budget uses carryover from 2019)
- What is carry over?
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Carry over is the combination of two items:
- Unused Budget Funds: budget funds can only be used in the current budget year, all unused funds go into carry over
- Non-Budget Credits: items we received money for but cannot directly credit it back to a budget line. Examples include: prior year restitution/reimbursements, recycled batteries, SSA incentive payments.)
- What are copy fees?
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K.S.A. 45-219(c) allows the RCPD to charge a modest fee in response to information requests. Those funds are added to the unused funds for a given year and become carryover.
- Where can I get City Of Manhattan Budget Information?
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You can view the City of Manhattan's Finance page on their website.
- Where can I get Riley County Budget Information?
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You can view Riley County budget information on their website.
- When can I view the new annual budget?
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The final budget will be available after the required process is complete.
Administration at RCPD works with the Law Board to discuss and modify the budget timeline as needed for the appropriate year. Around March, discussions begin with the Law Board to determine what is deemed necessary and begin preliminary budget preparations and obtain guidance.
A draft budget is created and presented to the Law Board around April. At the time of the draft budget presentation, a determination is made for additional Law Board meetings if necessary for budget development.
A proposed budget is presented at the next Law Board Meeting and released for publication by the media prior to a mandatory public hearing. After the required hearing, and public release of the proposed budget, the Law Board can formally adopt the final budget at their next meeting.
You can expect a final annual budget for the upcoming year around July. The budget becomes effective on January 1 of the following year.
- How does the RCPD manage costs?
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The RCPD manages costs by:
- Tying major expenditures to our strategic plan
- Utilizing cost coding and contract tracking software
- Recommending new positions that can be justified in the strategic plan
- Monitoring non-personnel expenditures throughout the year to ensure we are not becoming reliant upon unused personnel funds for those expenditures
- Tracking overtime throughout the year and holding ourselves in an effort to operate within our budget. Emergent public safety needs that often include ensuring officer safety are never ignored
- Presenting large end-of-year purchase requests using unexpended personnel funds to the law board in a public meeting.