Riley County planning staff on Nov. 3 released a draft comprehensive plan and outlined a brief schedule of public outreach and hearings ahead of a tentative county adoption set for Dec. 18.

Amanda Webb, Riley County planning director, told the commission the draft "is on the website" and that staff would send a notice to about 350 addresses on the county mailing list to prompt public review. Webb said the county will hold multiple public events, including a Riley County Planning Board work session on Nov. 10, a community workshop at Pottorf on Nov. 12 with consultants from Stantec, and a Manhattan Urban Area Planning Board work session on Nov. 17. Webb said formal public hearings are planned in early December and the county commission’s tentative adoption date is Dec. 18.

Why it matters: The comprehensive plan sets long-range goals and an implementation schedule for county priorities. Webb described an implementation plan that assigns short-, medium- and long-term time frames to goals and names responsible parties; that implementation section will be posted as a companion document while staff finalizes edits.

Webb said the implementation plan "outlines the goals, the objectives, and the actions and assigns a short, medium, and long term, time frame to them and then also responsible parties." She told commissioners the draft still "needs some help" and invited public comment through email, phone, in-person visits to planning staff and at the scheduled sessions.

Commissioners discussed branding for the plan and expressed a preference for the second option presented by consultants: "Riley County Together 2040." Commissioners asked that the cover and title also include the adoption year and a clear label such as "Riley County comprehensive plan" so readers know the document’s purpose. Webb said staff will update the plan packet and post weekly progress reports through the adoption process.

What’s next: Staff will host the Nov. 12 community workshop (6–8 p.m. at Pottorf) with Stantec staff in attendance, and both planning boards will hold hearings and make recommendations to the commission before the tentative Dec. 18 adoption. The plan and its accompanying implementation document will be available on the Riley County website for written comment.