By TONY GUERRERO
Hays Post
The Ellis County Commission approved a resolution for a public hearing for Big Creek Estates during its Tuesday meeting.
A public hearing is set for 8:30 a.m. Sept. 16, allowing the community to give their input to the commission on the proposed Reinvestment Housing Incentive District before final decisions are made.
The commission discussed three lift station options with Adam Pray of the Platinum Group for the incentive district that covers 13 single-family homes planned southeast of Hays. Construction costs are estimated at $650,000.
Local Environmental Protection Program septic grant extension
The commission discussed the extension of its Local Environmental Protection Program and a $50,000 grant awarded by the Kansas Department of Health through June 30, 2026.
The grant assists with the cost of repairing or replacing failing septic systems for low-income households, using the 2024 Federal Poverty Guidelines to determine eligibility:
• 200% or below the federal poverty level gets 100% coverage with grant funds
• 201 to 250% of the federal poverty level gets 85% of coverage with grant funds
• 251 to 300% of the federal poverty level gets 75% coverage with grant funds
Justin Craig, county environmental services director, said anyone with questions on qualifying can reach out to the Ellis County Environmental Office.
Text-to-speech automated dispatch solution
The commission approved the purchase of text-to-speech dispatch software that would automatically send radio alerts and broadcast incident information through a digital voice over dispatch radio channels.
Ellis County Communications Director Jeff Ridgway said the Emergency Communication Center currently relies on 911 dispatchers to notify emergency responders and provide information over the radio manually.
"This interface would allow a dispatcher from the time they take the 911 call to initiate a process without interrupting that 911 call to dispatch emergency responders," Ridgway said.
The commission purchased an alerting system from US Digital Designs for $63,153.60, with an estimated annual service cost of about $3,000. Ridgway said the software can possibly shorten response time.
Other business
The commission discussed potential dates for two upcoming meetings: a county work session and a joint meeting with the Hays City Commission. Darin Myers, county administrator, said the city will wait until after the November election for a joint meeting.
Ellis County is also seeking a volunteer to fill a vacancy on the Joint Planning Commission. The commission encourages residents to volunteer, especially from the eastern part of the county.
Myers thanked everyone involved in the cleanup, including staff who helped relocate departments, such as the IT department moving into the Sheriff's training room. The city offered its boardroom for Tuesday’s meeting.