(Riley County, KS – March 20, 2023) Starting this month, some fees associated with environmental health permits, land use permits, and licensing processes will increase to help offset county costs. However, Riley County will continue to cover the bulk of the costs for all Planning & Development and Environmental Health Services.

“The applicant will still only be responsible for a portion of the expense,” said Planning and Development Department Director, Amanda Webb.  “The increases will help offset county costs, but we are not putting the entire burden on the applicant. Our goal is a balanced and fair approach that reflects responsible stewardship of tax funds.”

Fees for services such as wastewater system repair permits, mobile home park licensing, and publishing of public notices will increase, but the county will continue to absorb the remainder of the costs as part of the annual Planning & Development Budget.

“Previously, we weren’t charging applicants to publish the required public notices and the existing fees were not covering these expenses,” said Webb. “Charging a flat fee seemed like a fair approach.”

Mobile home park (MHP) licensing fees have increased based on the intensive amount of staff time needed for the process. Previously, applicants were charged $5 per unit, for either a new license or a renewal license, with a maximum fee of $300. Applicants will be charged a flat fee of $150 for initial licenses and $75 for renewal licenses plus $5 per unit over 50 units, both with a maximum of $500.

“A lot of work goes into licensing or renewing a license for mobile home parks, including site inspections of each unit, each space, and the entire facility,” said Webb.

Summary of Fee Changes

The Planning and Development Department has a staff of 5.5 FTE employees to serve the unincorporated areas of Riley County, which covers roughly 600 square miles. Their mission is to coordinate the design, adoption and implementation of comprehensive planning which shall strive to ensure that all resources of the county are preserved, developed and managed consistently with adopted policies that promote the highest quality of life for present and future residents.

Find more information about Riley County Planning and Development and Environmental Health at https://www.rileycountyks.gov/367/Planning-Development or by calling 785-537-6332.