By ALIN HETT
Hays Post
Scott Braun, Ellis County sheriff, told county commissioners today the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office will use a $327,000 COPS grant to replace aging in-car and body-worn cameras.
Braun said the grant, which the sheriff’s office applied for about two and a half years ago, will pay for 18 in-car cameras and 25 body-worn cameras. He said the current in-car cameras are about 12 years old, and deputies have had to complete “patch jobs” to keep them working.
The new camera equipment will use Motorola’s system, allowing patrol and detention staff to use one recording platform instead of two.
“Cameras have become a must,” Braun said. “We have never had a camera system hurt us in any way, shape or form in courts. They’ve only always helped us. Our guys rely on them for report writing and to look back on things. I’m very excited to get those into our cars.”
The contract includes installation of the in-car systems, so deputies will not have to take time away from patrol to install them.
Braun said Patrol’s current body cameras will be reassigned to the jail and upgraded in about a year. Patrol’s new body cameras are expected to be replaced in about three years, at no additional cost to the county, as part of the contract.
When commissioners asked whether the cameras would use artificial intelligence to identify possible crimes or interpret conversations, Braun said those capabilities are not active in the sheriff’s office’s system.
County approves Canterbury sidewalk study
The commission approved a $10,500 feasibility study and preliminary design for a possible 5-foot sidewalk along the west side of Canterbury Drive, from the Hays Recreation Center south to Seventh Street.
Brendan Mackay, Public Works director, said the study follows a complaint about children walking, biking and riding e-scooters along the roadway after Hays Middle School moved to the former high school.
The school district does not bus students who live within 2.5 miles of the school and is limited by bus-driver staffing. Currently, this stretch of Ellis County has no sidewalks for children to use.
“With this study, we would look at: Is it possible to add a sidewalk here,” Mackay said. “What is it going to take for utilities, right away, railroad crossing, updated signal crossing and putting a cost together?”
After the study, Mackay said everything would be set up to apply for a grant to cover property or other parts of the project.
“Without having this in place, we're not setting ourselves up to be able to successfully apply for a grant,” Mackay said.
Nathan Leiker, Ellis County commissioner, in response to Mackay speaking about the complaints, agreed with the study.
“This is just the first step to doing anything on Canterbury,” Leiker said. “Whether that be in expanding, widening or doing anything else.”
Brendan Mackay will work with Kirkham Michael who will provide engineering services to assess the feasibility and estimated cost to construct the sidewalk.
County reviews right-of-way
Mike Freeman, Public Works project manager, and Eugene Rupp, county appraiser, gave commissioners an early look at the county’s road right-of-way.
A right-of-way is land set aside for public road use and related needs, such as drainage ditches. The county began with Township 11, the northern fifth of Ellis County, to create a consistent way to review roads that might not fit the usual pattern.
For example, the county may maintain a road without a recorded right-of-way, or a right-of-way may exist where no road was built.
“Any maintenance that you do is solely within the discretion of the county,” Bill Jeter, county counselor, told commissioners.
The map below marks places for further review. It is not a plan to close roads or take land and staff will review each location individually, including whether changes could affect property access or emergency response, and bring updates back to commissioners.
In other business
Commissioners approved the county’s 2027 health and dental insurance renewals with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas. The proposed health premium increase is 18.31%, and the dental increase is 16.32%.
Darin Myers, County administrator, said the health renewal was the lowest-cost option; the next-highest renewal was about 40% higher.
The current RPM Speedway promoter, Chris Sutton, does not plan to renew the lease for the 2027 racing season. Myers asked commissioners for input on what to request from potential promoters, including experience, finances, insurance, references and plans for the number of races.
Ellis County commissioners also approved funding for ACCESS Transportation. You can find an in-depth story on that decision on Hays Post.
Commissioners also supported a state grant application for Victory Village, a proposed 120-unit apartment community in Hays. A separate story on this will be released in the following days.