By ALIN HETT
Hays Post
County commissioners approved a purchase a motor grader, using capital outlay funds at its meeting Tuesday.
The county purchased $320,995 grader from Foley Equipment of Great Bend.
Brendan Mackay, Public Works director, said the grader was not a new piece of equipment, but something that the county had operated through a field-follow program last year before Caterpillar released the model for public sale.
Mackay said the grader has front hydraulics, blade slope control and a rear ripper features that will help with road construction, shoulder work and removing rock from roadways.
The hydraulics can power a side-delivery conveyor to place material while crews build or rebuild shoulders. The rear attachment could also be changed to pneumatic compaction wheels, allowing the grader to compact a road as it works.
As part of the fleet change, the Road and Bridge Division plans to transfer a grader to the Landfill and Solid Waste Division and trade in an older grader.
Bridge inspections
Commissioners approved a $34,920 contract with Penco Engineering, PA, for the county’s 2026 routine bridge inspections. The county share covers 194 bridges, averaging $180 per structure. The cities of Hays and Ellis approved their portions of the contract.
Mackay said the inspection cost is about twice what the county paid in previous years.
Updated federal requirements and National Bridge Inventory specifications require inspectors to record at least 54 new data items for each structure and reformat or change nearly all existing data.
The routine inspections are generally completed every two years, Mackay said, though some structures may need inspection every 12 months based on their condition.
Inspections of two major Saline River bridges are handled under a separate state contract. the county shares the cost with the state on those bridges.
Courtroom renovation upgrade
Commissioners approved an $81,400 bid from PWC for a renovation of the judge’s bench in Courtroom 1. The project will be paid from the District Court’s Fund 16 capital improvement budget. PWC was the low bidder.
The old bench does not have space for the judge’s computer, so court staff use a temporary table that blocks part of a handicap-accessible ramp.
The project also includes changes to the jury box, new tables for the prosecution and defense, a podium, a court reporter’s desk and mounts for new audio-video equipment. The new equipment is funded by a state grant and has already been paid for and reimbursed, Mike Smith, district court administrator, said.
Health insurance options
Julie Yarmer of FCMI, the county’s insurance consultant, presented renewal information and answered commissioner's questions. The county’s budget includes an estimated 7% premium increase for 2027, but Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas proposed an 18.31% increase for medical coverage.
The county is considering BCBS and other carrier options. Five other health plans have been quoted so far and all had higher increases, ranging from 40.19% to 69.81%, according to the meeting materials.
FCMI was still waiting for a quote from United Health. Dental renewals were estimated to increase 16.32% with BCBS and 17.04% with Delta Dental.
Yarmer said medical costs are trending up 12% to 18%, and the county’s claims experience contributed to this year’s higher renewal. Most previous renewals had been in the single digits, she said.
The county currently pays 86% of employees’ health and dental premiums; employees pay the remaining 14%. Employees pay the full cost of vision coverage, and the county pays for a MASA medical transportation plan for each employee.
Under the BCBS option, the county could use its health care reserve to cover the amount above the 7% budget increase. The reserve held about $1.18 million. Yarmer said the fund was built to help manage years when premiums rise more than the county has budgeted.
HaysMed and BCBS's contract for the coming year is still being negotiated. If the negotiation are not resolved, HasyMed would not be in network for BCBS patients.
Yarmer said that could add $2,000 to an employee’s out-of-pocket maximum for an individual plan or $4,000 for a family plan, with the possibility of additional balance billing.
Commissioners discussed how that potential cost compares with paying higher premiums under another carrier. Yarmer said the alternatives could cost the county more overall, even if it covered some employees’ additional out-of-pocket expenses.
ACCESS funding update
Nathan Leiker, County Commissioner updated commissioners on ACCESS Transportation, saying revised funding figures were still being worked out after a discrepancy in earlier calculations.
At a prior meeting, Leiker had discussed a combined city and county request of about $30,000 for the 2027 budget cycle.
The updated figures could spread costs across 2026 and 2027 and would be around $22,000 each year. Leiker said he was not seeking a decision Tuesday.
Leiker also said a county commitment letter would be important for ACCESS as it seeks Kansas Department of Transportation funding for 2027.
The task force has supported continuing the service while it develops a long-term plan and works with the city and county on how to make ACCESS better known to the public.
Leiker also shared that a formal request from DSNWK will most likely come to commissioners later this month.
FHSU updates from President Mason
Tisa Mason, FHSU president, spoke with commissioners about general updates about FHSU and the Sternberg Museum.
“That is not a decision about Sternberg’s value to Fort Hays or to our community or to our state,” Mason said of the Sternberg Msueum. “It is the financial reality that the University can no longer subsidize it alone.”
SEE RELATED STORY: Hope for the Sternberg
In other business
In other business commissioners approved an updated job description for the Human Resources generalist position. Jennifer Taylor, human resources manager, said the revision clarifies the job’s responsibilities and aligns them with the county’s current needs.
The current employee is expected to retire in December, and the county hopes to hire a replacement by early November.
Commissioners also welcomed new employees to the road and bridge department: Scott Relaford and Craig Hoover. In addition, Commissioners welcomed a new hire to the sheriff's office: Connor Butel.