The county attorney’s office has largely caught up post-COVID

Story of Emma Loura/Manhattan Mercury

The COVID-19 pandemic has strained judicial districts across the country, but Riley County has nearly cleared its backlog.

County Attorney Barry Wilkerson told county commissioners Thursday that his office is up to date on cases interrupted by the pandemic, though he acknowledged those gains have led to other delays.

“The system itself is behind schedule,” Wilkerson said. “I mean, you don’t lose 18 months and catch up in a couple of years, so there are still things that have been pushed aside. We’re still making progress in 2024 on things that we would have liked to have done in 2023.”

Wilkerson said despite past setbacks, he was confident about the future.

“We’re pretty happy with where we are right now and we’ll be able to operate within the budget you gave us last year for this year,” Wilkerson said. “We don’t anticipate any problems.”

As for personnel, Wilkerson said he is currently interviewing to fill a position left vacant by a recent retirement. He said he expects to fill the position within the next 10 days.

“This is a great county to serve,” Wilkerson said. “We certainly appreciate all the support we’ve received over the years.”