By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post

Rural hospitals are facing economic pressures that have them operating in the red.

HaysMed has not been immune to these pressures. HaysMed Chief Financial Officer Michelle&nbsp;Beckner said the hospital has been operating at a loss and has been relying on reserves to cover the shortfall.

Although the&nbsp;<a href="https://chqpr.org/">Center for Healthcare Quality &amp; Payment Reform</a>&nbsp;reported 68 rural Kansas hospitals are at risk of closing,&nbsp;Beckner claimed HaysMed is not in danger of closing, and the hospital has implemented a plan to be back in the black within two years.

HaysMed is a nonprofit hospital that must file a 990 tax form with the federal government.

<a href="https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/480559088">According to its&nbsp;</a><a href="https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/480559088" target="_blank">2023 Form 990, available through ProPublica</a>, HaysMed had revenues of about $231.6 million but was $10.1 million short of&nbsp;expenses. As of its 2024 990 filing, the most recent available report, revenue had increased to $259 million, and the hospital's deficit had fallen to just less than $115,000.

Those annual reports are usually filed in May.

"We are very blessed, because the board and the stewardship prior to COVID were able to generate a healthy balance sheet for us, so right now that is helping us get through this post-COVID financial landscape," Beckner said.

HaysMed's reimbursement from Medicare and Medicaid does not cover the costs of services,&nbsp;Beckner said.

Medicaid covers about 50% of service costs, and Medicare covers about 80%.&nbsp;

In addition, reimbursements from Medicare and Medicaid are not keeping pace with inflation, widening the cost-to-reimbursement gap. In the last four out of the five years, inflation has grown more than Medicare has increased hospital reimbursement rates.

"Not only are we in the hole, but the hole is getting deeper,"&nbsp;Beckner said.

The hospital makes up the difference from private-pay insurance, such as United or Aetna.

Revising the reimbursement structure is a national legislative issue.

"I would love for our patients to understand the role they could play in supporting us with our legislators," Bekner said. "Are they at the table to say what we're doing in health care right now is not sustainable across the whole state of Kansas? So what can we do that's different? What can we do to increase reimbursements for the patients who need it?"

HaysMed faces $15 million in uncompensated or charity care annually.

Beckner said this is often care for individuals who lack insurance or are underinsured.

Because Kansas has not expanded Medicaid, there is a gap for people who don't qualify for Medicaid and can't afford to purchase insurance through the Affordable Care Act Marketplace, Beckner said.

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/bc922e8c-20dd-4a50-8d3a-19106c472222">Health care subsidies under the Affordable Care Act have expired. On Jan. 8, the U.S. House passed a bill to reinstate them, but legislation has not passed in the Senate.</a>

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/62085371-47c2-4129-835f-d28436feedf3">On Thursday, President Trump proposed his own health care reform plan.</a>

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/87dfa1c2-653b-462f-9be2-07f13b029fed">HaysMed CEO Edward Herrman has been an advocate for expanding Medicaid in Kansas.</a>

Herrman welcomed Kelly to HaysMed in April 2024 as she toured the state, urging the Kansas Legislature to allow the issue to go to a vote in both houses. 

Herrman said during the Kelly visit, “As the HaysMed President and CEO overseeing health care delivery, I can attest firsthand to the critical need for Medicaid expansion. Our hospitals are on the frontline, serving those in need regardless of their ability to pay.

"Medicaid expansion isn't just a policy. It's a lifeline for countless individuals and families, ensuring they receive the care they deserve.&nbsp;

<a href="https://sunflowerfoundation.org/statewide-poll-on-medicaid-expansion/">A 2023 study by the Sunflower Foundation found 68% of Kansas registered voters support Medicaid expansion.</a>

Beckner said uninsured and underinsured residents result in economic and human costs.

Patients who do not have insurance tend to delay treatment, so when they are seen at the hospital, they are sicker, Beckner said. This often means their treatment is more complicated and expensive. Delayed treatment can also result in unfavorable patient outcomes, lost time from work and time away from family.

"By this time, their disease progression is further. It's harder for them to recover or maybe they never recover back to the state they could have had if the disease been caught earlier in its progression," Beckner said, "so I think there are several human implications to that."

Herrman has also advocated for the expansion of the 340B drug program. This federal program allows hospitals to qualify for drug discounts.

Most small, rural hospitals automatically qualify for a tier of the program because they are designated as critical-access hospitals. To qualify for the deepest discounts, hospitals have to be a university hospital, teaching hospital or care for a high percentage of Medicaid patients.

Qualifying for drug discounts under the 340B program would mean about $10 million for HaysMed,&nbsp;Beckner said.

HaysMed does not accept Medicare Advantage plans because, Beckner said, the hospital administration does not think it is in patients' best interests. She said that often patients experience higher out-of-pocket costs compared to straight Medicare.

Since the pandemic, the health care industry has faced a shortage of nurses.&nbsp;The national average for nursing turnover is 16.4-18.4%, down from the COVID peak of 20.7%.

HaysMed is faring better than the national average with a turnover rate of 7.41% as of January 2026. However, the HaysMed turnover rate is higher than it was at this time last year, when it was 5.91%.

More nurses are choosing to become traveling nurses.

Covering the higher cost of traveling nurses takes a toll on the hospital's bottom line, but Beckner did not provide an exact number for that line item.

"It's a little bit of a vicious cycle," Beckner said. "With the nursing shortage, nurses get burnt out more easily because it's harder to get time off or they're asked to do more overtime to care for their patients. They're getting burnt out because we're working short. Then they leave."

If a staff nurse leaves, the hospital spends about $60,000 to replace them. Beckner said.

HaysMed has increased staff compensation by $8 million during the last two years, Beckner said.&nbsp;

"We want to make sure associates are paid competitively to respect their expertise, their skill and honor all the work that they're doing to provide care," she said.

How other hospital closures could affect HaysMed

Kansas has more hospitals at immediate risk of closure than any other state, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://chqpr.org/">Center for Healthcare Quality &amp; Payment Reform</a>. Thirty are at immediate risk.

"The current financial forecast for health care, particularly in rural health care, is concerning," Beckner said. ..."I think we will continue to see hospital closures, particularly in Kansas.

"Unless we figure out a different way to figure out the reimbursement-to-cost ratio, I think we will see additional hospitals close."

The latest hospital closure in Kansas was Rock Regional Hospital in Derby earlier this month.

If smaller hospitals in the region close, one of two things could happen, Beckner said.

HaysMed could see an increase in volume as patients travel farther to receive care.

Patients could go to another critical-access hospital that is part of a referral system with another regional hospital. If a patient is accessing a critical-access hospital in northern Kansas, and it closes, those patients might be referred to a hospital in Nebraska rather than to HaysMed, Beckner said.

Plans to bring HaysMed back into the black

Beckner said HaysMed has several long-term strategies to bring the hospital back into the black.

One strategy is service line growth. The hospital is recruiting more providers, increasing access to care and trying to make it easier for patients to be seen for services, Beckner said.

The hospital is focusing on maximizing payments by properly managing prior authorizations and insurance denials, she said.

Beckner said the hospital is facing an administrative burden from insurance denials.

"Another thing we are seeing from payers is they are being more proactive in denying on the back end after the care has been provided," she said. "Payers are saying we don't think that was medically necessary or we don't think that was appropriate care instead of listening to what the provider thought."

Beckner said this practice is also difficult for patients who receive a bill for care they thought was covered.

The hospital has also tried to maximize labor efficiency and cut supply costs, she said.

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/5470f484-aaa8-498d-adea-fc256ec3323e">Kansas will receive $222 million from the federal Rural Health Transformation Fund. However, how those funds will be allocated has yet to be determined.&nbsp;</a>

"Despite all the financial pressures that we are navigating and all of the headwinds," Beckner said, "we are excited to be here and honored to be serving the patients here in our community.

"It's an exciting time to be coming up with innovative solutions to be able to care for our patients."

HaysMed faces economic pressures, operating at a loss

Ellis County Sheriff's activity log: Jan. 11-17, 2026

Click&nbsp;<a href="https://hayspost.com/category/obituaries">HERE</a>&nbsp;to view the most recent obituaries and service times from our funeral home partners.

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Please allow up to 24 hours from the submission of the obituary for it to be posted on the Hays Post.&nbsp;

If you have questions, please contact Scarlett Deutscher at 785-301-2211.&nbsp;

If you have an issue outside of business hours or your obit has not been published within 24 hours, please email <a href="mailto:hayspost@eaglemedia.com" target="_blank">hayspost@eaglemedia.com</a> or call Cristina Janney, Hays Post editor, at 785-301-2077.&nbsp;

Recent obituaries, how to submit an obituary

The Hays USD 489 school district will hear a report on bond funds at its meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Rockwell Administration Center.

The board is set to vote on a motion to receive&nbsp;$101,708 in contingency funds that were not used in the Hays Middle School renovation project.

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/b4809d7f-dd2f-497c-95e0-630f47ebdcec">The former high school was renovated for use by the middle school and opened to students at the beginning of this semester.</a>

The two remaining bond-funded projects include <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/4906798e-f3ac-4473-a4cb-4899a08613e3">a renovation and addition at O'Loughlin Elementary School</a>. Work is ongoing on that project. Work is set to start on the renovation of the former middle school into a four-section elementary school, Felten Elementary School.

Dustin Avey, managing director/co-head of public finance with Piper Sandler &amp; Co. Public Finance Investment Banking, will join the meeting virtually to review bond repayment mill levy analysis and bond project fund interest estimates.

Hays High Principal Shawn Henderson will give the board an update on the school's new cell phone policy.

The school board will review notice of property sale for 7.23 acres of district-owned property at 201 W. 29th St., adjacent to the former middle school. <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/909a410b-bf64-406d-a98b-01417d221495">That sale was approved for sale at the board's Dec. 19 meeting.</a>

Other business includes: • A second reading on Kansas Association of School Boards recommended policy changes • An HVAC preventive maintenance service agreement with Glassman Corp. to add equipment at O'Loughlin, Roosevelt and Hays Middle schools for $66,520 annually • Consideration of the addition of a student support specialist position at Felten Elementary, starting with the 2026-27 school year • Election of president and vice-president of the board for 2026

Hays USD 489 to receive $100,000 in contingency left from Hays Middle School project 

By SUZANNE KING <a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2026/01/08/why-30-rural-hospitals-in-kansas-and-12-in-missouri-are-at-risk/">The Beacon</a>

Kansas has more hospitals in immediate danger of closing than any other state, according to a recent analysis of the financial health of the country’s most remote hospitals.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://chqpr.org/">Center for Healthcare Quality &amp; Payment Reform</a>, a national policy organization, found that 68 rural Kansas hospitals are at risk of closing, including 30 at immediate risk. Its&nbsp;<a href="https://ruralhospitals.chqpr.org/downloads/Rural_Hospitals_at_Risk_of_Closing.pdf">analysis</a>&nbsp;also put Missouri among the 10 worst states for rural closings, with 29 rural hospitals at risk of closing, including a dozen at immediate risk.

Nationwide, the analysis found that 756 hospitals — one-third of all rural hospitals — could be in jeopardy, including 323 that are at&nbsp;<a href="https://ruralhospitals.chqpr.org/Solutions.html#the-need-for-rapid-action-to-prevent-closures-and-sustain-rural-healthcare">immediate risk</a>&nbsp;of closure. Hospitals that are losing money on patient services and don’t have enough reserves to offset those losses for more than six or seven years are considered to be at immediate risk.

Harold D. Miller, the Center for Healthcare Quality’s president and CEO, said the problem boils down to simple economics. Rural hospitals spend more than they bring in.

Because they are located in remote parts of the country, rural hospitals have fewer patients. But operating costs — like necessary staff and equipment — are the same as for hospitals in more populated areas.

At the same time, the cost of health care continues to climb, workforce shortages&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/12/24/traveling-nurses-kansas-hospitals/">make it more expensive to fill jobs</a>&nbsp;at rural facilities and much of the financial support that helped them through the COVID pandemic has gone away.

“Costs have gone up and payers haven’t kept up,” Miller said. “The hospital isn’t being paid based on actual cost. More likely it gets underpaid.”

A pessimistic assessment of the financial health of rural hospitals is not new. For years, experts have warned about pending closures. And across the country almost 200 rural hospitals have shut down since 2005, including 19 across&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/08/08/rural-hospitals-missouri-medicaid-cuts-at-risk-2025-closures/">Missouri</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kwch.com/2026/01/07/derbys-rock-regional-hospital-eviction-process-cleared-proceed-judge-decides/">Kansas</a>.

The rural hospitals that have closed their doors since 2012,&nbsp;<a href="https://ruralhospitals.chqpr.org/Problems.html#the-magnitude-of-financial-losses-at-rural-hospitals">the Center for Healthcare Quality found</a>, had a median operating loss of 9%. Rural hospitals that stayed open had a median 5% profit margin.

Cindy Samuelson, spokeswoman for the Kansas Hospital Association, cautioned that the report’s dire predictions of 30 Kansas hospitals being on the brink of closing may be overblown. Many rural Kansas communities provide taxpayer support in the form of a city or county levy. Although that funding is not guaranteed, she said it is a good bet that it will continue.

“I really think you’re not going to see 30” hospitals close, Samuelson said. “Those people who live in those 30 areas are going to say, ‘We’ll pay the tax. Health care is important to us.’”&nbsp;

Kansas still has 100 rural hospitals — second only to Texas — while Missouri has 58. But many operate at a loss. And the challenges only seem to be growing.

Recent changes at the federal level are expected to dramatically increase the number of people without insurance&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/12/19/aca-expiring-tax-credits-health-insurance/">beginning this year</a>. That will likely add to the number of patients hospitals have to treat for free, and it is expected to ultimately lead to more expensive care since people who skip doctors’ appointments or medicine often end up sicker.

Hospitals also are watching what will happen at the state and federal levels to the 340B Drug Pricing Program, which helps many hospitals subsidize the cost of care across their operations. Some lawmakers would like to change the way the program works, which could leave hospitals with another big funding gap.

“It could impact essential services the hospitals provide,” Samuelson said.

While loss of the drug program or reduced government insurance coverage under Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act marketplace will likely mean problems for hospitals, Miller said many rural hospitals will face grim prospects even if none of those changes occurs. Already, he said, they are dealing with the reality that insurance plans aren’t paying them enough to cover their expenses.

Many people assume Medicare and Medicaid are the primary culprits for funding shortfalls, Miller said, but private insurance is actually a bigger factor for many small rural providers.

Private insurance is often the&nbsp;<a href="https://ruralhospitals.chqpr.org/Data4A.html">largest contributor</a>&nbsp;to rural hospital revenue — especially since private Medicare Advantage plans have become increasingly popular. But often hospitals are getting the smallest reimbursements from that sector.

Traditional Medicare plans are required to cover most of the cost of care for the patients they cover, but the same is not true of Medicare Advantage plans, which are sold through private insurance companies and work like any other private plan.

Rural hospitals may fall outside a Medicare Advantage plan’s network, or the plan will quibble about paying for certain procedures or services. That can leave patients without nearby care options and hospitals without funds to cover costs.

All of it contributes to rural hospitals’ funding gaps, Miller said.

“If those private insurers are paying half as much as it costs to deliver services in the hospital,” he said, “that hospital is not going to stay open.”

A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kha-net.org/CriticalIssues/FinancialStability/FinanceResources/d175040.aspx?type=view">2024 study</a>&nbsp;from the Kansas Hospital Association found that private insurers, or commercial payers, in the state paid less than payers in neighboring states. That left Kansas hospitals with fewer private dollars to help cover the costs of care for uninsured or underinsured patients.&nbsp;

And because private plans were covering less, patients were left carrying more bad debt, the study found, because they couldn’t afford out-of-pocket costs. Or they were avoiding care when they needed it, which ultimately drives up cost.

The closure of any rural hospital puts people’s health at risk. Not only are patients left with long drives to hospitals in an emergency, they also lose affiliated physician practices, laboratories and imaging services, which often puts preventive care in jeopardy.

“The bottom line for patients if they lose their hospital is that there’s always going to be a larger barrier for them to go seek care,” said Tom Mueller, director of the Kansas Center for Rural Health at the University of Kansas Medical Center. “It’s important to point out that rural folks are happy to drive for the most part. … But, regardless, if you’re talking about a 20-minute drive versus a two-hour drive, you might not go get that thing checked out.”

As a result, chances at early detection are missed. Screenings are postponed or avoided. And people’s health suffers.

Hope for rural transformation funds

Kansas hospitals are waiting for details about the funds the state has been awarded through the new $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Fund, which is being dolled out to states across the country for the next five years.

Missouri&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/12/29/medicaid-missouri-rural-health-transformation-hr-1/">will receive</a>&nbsp;$216 million during the 2026 fiscal year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced, while Kansas will receive $222 million.&nbsp;

Samuelson said the details of exactly what was funded from the Kansas proposal will be announced in coming days. But she expects the programs funded will help hospitals. It won’t mean an immediate influx of money, but it will mean a chance for the state to invest in shoring up rural hospitals.&nbsp;

And the industry hopes the funds will bring structural changes, like addressing root causes of disease, which would make care less expensive. And investing in the rural health workforce.

“It’s going to be changes that will be impactful and hopefully long-lived with regards to transformative care in rural areas,” Samuelson said.

Lucretia Stargell, CEO of Goodland Regional Medical Center and Rawlins County Health Center in northwest Kansas, said she hopes the new transformation fund drives rural hospitals to be more collaborative.&nbsp;

In May, her hospital brought oncology care back to Goodland one day a week by sharing the cost with other rural hospitals. Now cancer patients can see a doctor close to home rather than driving to Hays or other faraway cities.

It’s an example of how rural hospitals can bring care to the patients, Stargell said, but also help patients navigate finding specialist care in other places when necessary.&nbsp;

“Our big audacious goal is to be a medical home for the region, she said. “We want to help coordinate your care. We want to get you to Hays or Salina or Kansas City, but we want you back. It’s a complex world to navigate, and that’s our duty as a hospital to be part of that.”

Hospitals haven’t gotten to the point of being on the brink of closure overnight, and getting back to health won’t be simple either, Stargell said. But taking deliberate steps to create long-term change seems like the best approach, she said.

“If there were a quick fix,” she said, “hospitals wouldn’t be closing.”

Why 30 hospitals in Kansas and 12 in Missouri are at risk of closure

Kansas is turning 165, and the Sunrise Rotary Club of Hays and the Hays Young Professionals are inviting the community to celebrate in true Sunflower State style with an evening of trivia, tacos, prizes, and hometown pride.

Kansas Trivia &amp; Dinner Night, to be held Saturday, January 31 at The Venue at Thirsty’s Bar and Grill, will bring together friends, families, coworkers, and trivia lovers for a fun and festive competition centered on Kansas history, culture, and icons. The event combines friendly rivalry with great food and meaningful community impact, making it a perfect way to honor Kansas’s statehood anniversary.

Teams of up to four players will compete across eight themed trivia categories, each featuring 10 questions, culminating in a dramatic Final Jeopardy–style “Final Kansas Question.” Cash or prizes will be awarded to the top three teams, and mulligans will be available for purchase on site, adding an extra layer of strategy and excitement. Space is limited to just 10 teams, so early registration is encouraged.

Dinner is included with trivia registration and features a full taco and nacho bar with all the trimmings. Guests will enjoy soft and hard tortillas, taco beef, chicken, or carne asada, along with all the fixings. Tea and water are included, and a cash bar will be available for adult beverages.

The evening also includes a silent auction and a 50/50 raffle, with tickets sold on site. Attendees are encouraged to bring four or more food items for the Fort Hays State University Tiger Food Pantry and will receive one free 50/50 raffle ticket as a thank-you for supporting local students in need.

Doors open at 6:00 p.m., dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m., and trivia begins promptly at 7:00 p.m.

Tickets are $25 per person and include both trivia and dinner. A limited number of dinner-only tickets are available for $20 and include dinner, access to the silent auction, and the opportunity to purchase raffle tickets and enjoy the festivities.

All proceeds benefit the Sunrise Rotary Club of Hays and support local service projects, including improvements at Ekey Park, the installation of Little Libraries throughout Hays, and Birthday Cake Kits for children and families in need, and the club’s support of the FHSU Rotaract chapter.

By attending, guests will not only celebrate Kansas’s rich history and 165 years of statehood, but also help strengthen the Hays community.

To reserve your spot, visit: <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/kansas-trivia-night-tickets-1969405907083?aff=oddtdtcreator">https://KansasTriviaNight.eventbrite.com</a>

Celebrate Kansas. Enjoy great food. Win prizes. Make a difference. Join us on January 31.

Celebrate Kansas’s 165th Anniversary in Hays with trivia, tacos, community spirit

By MONIQUE KOERNER Cottonwood Extension District

•Having hypertension increases the risk for heart disease and stroke, which are leading causes of death in the United States.

•Nearly half of adults in the United States (47%, or 116 million) have hypertension.

•Only about 1 in 4 adults (24%) with hypertension have their condition under control.

*Many people have high blood pressure and don’t know it.

To address hypertension in Kansas, K-State Extension is bringing the Hypertension Awareness and Prevention program (HAPp) to Ellis and Barton counties. 

HAPp is a four-month self-monitoring blood pressure (SMBP) program that will provide participants with:

· A free validated blood pressure monitor.

· An opportunity to meet with a trained HAPp Coach twice a month to help take and track blood pressure.

· Monthly nutrition education workshops.

· Stress management and healthy lifestyle strategies.

There are no requirements to participate. There is strong evidence that suggests that participants who engage in SMBP along with clinical or community support can lower their high blood pressure.

This year we have Dr. Travis Haneke, cardiologist, joining us for the kick-off meeting. He will be a great resource for people wanting to learn more about blood pressure, how it works, and how they can maintain healthy blood pressure.

•Participants are expected to attend the kick-off meeting on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, from 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. in either Great Bend (Barton Co. Health Department, 1300 Kansas Ave.) or Hays (Cottonwood Extension Office, 601 Main St., back meeting room).

•Participants are expected to measure their blood pressure at home at least twice per month (February – May).

•Participants are expected to attend office hours to discuss SMBP readings and healthy lifestyle strategies twice per month (February – May). Office hours will be scheduled after the Kick- Off meeting.

•Participants are highly encouraged to attend nutrition education workshops once per month (February-May).

* The program is free, but you must register to attend. For any questions, please contact Monique Koerner at moniquek@ksu.edu or Karissa Frasier at krfrasier@ksu.edu or call 785-628-9430.

* If you are only interested in the nutrition programs, those are free and open to the public and you don’t have to participate in HAPp to attend. Please register so we know how many to plan for because we will do food demonstrations and taste testing at each workshop.

*Registration at&nbsp;<a href="https://kstate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eKU0KiUnIFj0dV4">https://kstate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eKU0KiUnIFj0dV4</a>

Please note that HAPp coaches will not be diagnosing conditions or interpreting blood pressure readings. 

The HAPp Coach’s role is to help participants learn proper self-monitoring blood pressure techniques; make their own determination if blood pressure readings are within a healthy range; learn healthy lifestyle strategies that can reduce high blood pressure; and connect to community resources or other Extension programs that can improve health and well-being.

Monique Koerner is the Family and Community Wellness Agent with K-State Extension – Cottonwood District. You may reach her at: 785-628-9430 or moniquek@ksu.edu.

🎙 KOERNER: Hypertension Awareness and Prevention program 2026 

<a href="https://hayspost.com/pages/state-farm-weather-window">For a full look at the weather forecast, click here.</a>

Three-day weather outlook

Reporter Cristina Janney speaks with Doug Williams of Grow Hays about the potential economic impacts of the proposed Tallgrass solar development in Ellis County.

In an interview on the Hays Morning Blend on Friday, Doug Williams of Grow Hays said he thought the proposed Tallgrass solar facility could have a positive economic impact on Ellis County.

Developer ibV has requested a conditional-use permit from the county to locate the $275 million solar facility on pasture land in the southwest portion of the county.

"It would have a very positive impact on the community here in Ellis County, economically," Williams said, "from a number of aspects."

The county commission is negotiating with ibV for a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) agreement for the first 10 years the project is operational.

IbV expects the facility's lifespan to be about 35 years.

Those negotiations are ongoing, but the agreement could be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars based on a similar agreement made with the Buckeye Wind Farm.

After 10 years, the facility would return to the tax rolls. Property taxes on the facility would be collected locally by the county, the Hays school district and the rural fire district.

Strategic Economic Research developed an economic impact study for ibV, estimating that 148 new jobs would be created locally during construction and 17 in the long term, which Williams said would benefit the local economy.

"All those things have a good impact on our local economy and are really things that we are looking at bringing into our community," Williams said.&nbsp;

"I know there has been some pushback and concern about different aspects," he said.

However, he noted the wind farms in this area were also controversial when they were built.

Williams acknowledged residents have expressed concerns about the facility's ecological impacts.

He said the facility will have weather monitoring and the ability to tilt the solar panels to minimize hail damage.

"I think the ecological imapct are rather minor," he said.

"For 100 years, we have been pumping oil in this community. We are the No. 1 oil-producing community in the state of Kansas. Think about the economic impact that oil has had on this community over the last 100 years."

Landowners receive royalties, and operators and service companies earn profits.

"It's massive," Williams said. "Certainly, there are some ecological issues of oil production. That is one of the things that comes with it.

"I certainly hope the county gets behind it, and this occurs because it could be another project among many we have going on in the county right now."

If the county approves the ibV permit, the developer estimates construction on the project will begin in 2027, with about 18 months until completion in 2028.

"This is obviously not a new technology, but we have a great appetite for energy in this country," Williams said. "What we have out in this neck of the woods is sunshine and wind, and under the ground, we have oil.&nbsp;

"Being an exporter of energy and employing people locally to produce that service and that product, I think, is a definite win for Ellis County."

IbV is negotiating with the county to establish an escrow account to pay for road repairs or improvements required by the construction of the facility. A bond will also be required to cover the cost of decommissioning the site.

"From what I have watched and their copious answering of questions, they really addressed all of the questions, and it really gets down to there are certain people who would prefer it not to be here," Williams said.

"It's their right to prefer that, but I think, in the long run, from an economic standpoint, we would be well-served by projects like this."

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/3f26edb4-f272-41dc-998b-51e7e232db76">IbV has&nbsp;</a><a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/3f26edb4-f272-41dc-998b-51e7e232db76" target="_blank">scheduled two open houses for the proposed solar facility on Thursday, Jan. 22</a>, from noon to 2 p.m. and from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.,&nbsp;at Gella’s venue room.

This will be in a station-type setting where community members can engage directly with the Tallgrass Development team on specific areas of interest, such as engineering, environmental, community benefits and solar technology.

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/43b108f6-bc5c-46de-969e-92813c1887e5">SEE RELATED STORY: Ellis Planning Commission sends solar project to Ellis County Commission</a>

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/2f5f583f-6095-43e9-a234-d29443c480cb">SEE RELATED STORY: Neighbor expresses frustration at solar project's approval&nbsp;</a>

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🎙 Williams: Solar facility could have positive economic impact on Ellis County

During the 1960s there was an oil boom in Morrow County, Ohio where we grew up, and either there were no regulations on anything or no one followed them, because oil rigs appeared on tiny patches of ground barely big enough to contain the equipment, and the drilling rigs were so thick and close together, that at night the countryside looked like the Emerald City. 

A company drilled a well on our place and told Dad they hit oil, but one morning we awoke to find everything gone, oil tank and oil included, without him ever seeing a cent.

 The area was left a mess, with lengths of oil well pipe, huge wooden timbers and chunks of steel cable laying everywhere in the weeds. The oil company never came back to clean up their mess, but Dad had decided to get something for our trouble in case they did, so he hooked onto several long well-casing pipes and drug them to a fencerow behind the barn.

One of our favorite winter pastimes was rabbit hunting. We didn’t have a dog so we’d just wonder through the woods and along fencerows looking for tracks and rootin’ through weed and briar patches to kick out rabbits hiding therein. 

One snowy Saturday afternoon we departed on a rabbit hunting excursion that followed our usual route, starting behind the barn and turning right at the end of a short pasture, then following a drainage ditch that was overgrown on both sides with all manner of briars, blackberries and other stellar rabbit hiding places. 

Several inches of soft snow made for slow going, but the snow made rabbit tracks show up like chocolate chips in pancakes.&nbsp;The drainage ditch ran for a couple hundred yards and where it ended against the next fencerow was where the highjacked oil well pipes resided.

&nbsp;Rabbit tracks littered the ground all around the pipes; one pipe in particular had a highway of tracks going into one end but none going out the other. A quick glance inside showed complete darkness, telling us Brer Rabbit was certainly holed up inside. Eureka!

But it seemed terribly unsportsman-like, even to us, just to shoot him in the pipe, not to mention a complete waste of tasty rabbit meat, so how would we get him out? 

Surely pounding on the outside of the pipe would get him moving. With Ralph standing near one end, his old 12-gauge cannon at the ready, I proceeded to jump around on the pipe. I tapdanced, kicked, beat and pounded all up anddown one end of the pipe, but nothing. 

Since we couldn’t actually see him in there, maybe he was facing the other direction, we thought, so we traded ends and tried again; still nothing. Somewhere we found a long stick of some sort that reached part way through the pipe. While Ralph stood on guard, I poked and prodded from both ends, but still nothing! Curses! We were getting nowhere! 

Then suddenly I had a two-word epiphany that would solve our problem -John Deere!

We hiked back to the barn, started the old JD 3010 with a loader on front and headed through the snow back to the pipe. As we chugged along, we could almost taste the freshly fried rabbit, as surely no cottontail alive could keep its footing inside an oil well pipe with one end hoisted toward the sky. 

I swung the tractor around in front of the offending pipe, slid the loader bucket beneath it and lifted it a few feet in the air, all the while awaiting the thunder of Ralph’s old 12-gauge as Brer came sliding out the other end. 

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