OPINION: Release the Health Department report

The Riley County government ran off the person in charge of the health department, after conducting an investigation that produced an 800-page report. Two other high-level managers in the department also left, perhaps coincidentally. We don't really know.

In fact, we don't know anything at all. All we know is what the elected county commissioners said in a confusing effort to say more without actually saying anything. They said that all taxpayer money in the department was used "appropriately," but that the use of the money did not align with county policies.

Huh?

What's worse, this is the second Health Department director to leave under such circumstances in less than two years. The previous one was fired, along with a county fiscal agent, in August, 2024. We never knew why that happened, either.

County officials say that they don't have to tell the public why these things happened, and they don't have to turn over the investigative report. Even though the basic philosophy of the law in Kansas is that government records belong to the public, there are enough loopholes that the government can often keep such things secret. Matters related to personnel tend to disappear into one of those loopholes.

But just because they are legally allowed to keep the investigative report secret doesn't mean they should.

The Mercury has asked elected county commissioners and the bureaucrats who run the place to hand over the report. They have refused.

That's wrongheaded. The public needs to know what's going on. We're talking about a six-figure job running a department with dozens of employees. During the pandemic, the Health Department director was arguably the most powerful person in the region.

County commissioners have to stand for election. They can be held accountable for this kind of decision. So it's in their interest to let the public know.

It's in the county's interest that the public understands so that people will have confidence in the health department and make use of the important services it provides. Not to mention confidence in the county government generally.

The only way to preserve that confidence is transparency. Otherwise, they're just giving fuel to rumor, speculation, conspiracy theories and cynicism.

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published July 8, 2026 at 12:04 PM.