Cole Bertelsen

City commissioners discussed approaches to the 2027 budget on Tuesday, including whether to maintain the proposed mill levy after the county’s assessed property valuation figures came in lower than expected. The current budget proposal would increase the average homeowner’s property taxes by 4.4%. City manager Danielle Dulin maintained her recommendation to keep the city’s mill [...]

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After a 3-2 split vote, the Manhattan City Commission set a ceiling for 2027 budget plans that it cannot exceed. This maximum would increase city property taxes by 6.7% for the average homeowner. Tuesday’s action does not adopt the budget or set the final mill levy. Commissioners could lower the levy before adopting the budget, [...]

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Officials from the Riley County Police Department appeared at Tuesday’s city commission meeting to address common questions about their automated license plate readers, but were met with security concerns from commissioners and the public. These plate readers (ALPRs) are high-speed, computer-controlled camera systems mounted on squad cars, poles or overpasses, and include Flock cameras. RCPD [...]

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City officials say a series of major drainage projects are still needed to address flooding concerns across the city, even as work on the levee system nears completion. During Tuesday’s work session, public works director Brian Johnson outlined the city’s stormwater finances and long-term capital improvement plans, which include projects in North Manhattan, Aggieville, South [...]

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City officials said assessed property values increased about 7.8% from 2025 to 2026 — a gain of roughly $798.6 million — as commissioners received an initial overview of figures that will be used in preparing the 2027 budget. Ben Hart of Baker Tilly, the city’s financial adviser, told commissioners Tuesday the increase would lower the [...]

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Manhattan’s debris collection effort is halfway complete and on schedule, according to the director of public works. Brian Johnson said after finishing the initial pass for large debris, workers will now collect remaining, smaller debris over the following five to seven days. “That first pass was really the big brush and tree piles that were [...]

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The Manhattan City Commission provided feedback on tree plans in Moro Street’s reconstruction design during Tuesday’s work session. All current variations of the design include angled parking on the north side of the street, no parking on the south, wider sidewalks, additional crosswalks and trees along the route. Discussion focused on the number of trees, [...]

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City commissioners debated proposed revisions to Manhattan’s workforce housing sales tax policy Tuesday night. Commissioners pushed back against removing certain requirements and references to workforce housing, which was meant to give the commission more discretion on a case-by-case basis. “The whole rationale for having a policy is to have a set of standards … that [...]

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The Manhattan City Commission approved resolutions permitting alcohol at two city events during its Tuesday meeting, despite commissioner Jim Morrison’s pushback. The commission voted to allow alcohol at concerts in the “Arts in the Park” series. This permit will apply to people possessing or consuming alcoholic beverages in the approved area within City Park from [...]

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Manhattan city commissioners unanimously approved a resolution Tuesday opposing the proposed incorporation of the city of Green Valley in Pottawatomie County. The resolution says the petition is “inadvisable” under state law. This decision authorizes city manager Danielle Dulin to present Manhattan’s position at an upcoming public hearing before the Pottawatomie County Commission. Dulin said state [...]

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