By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
On a 2-1 vote Monday evening, Ellis County Commissioners approved employee pay adjustments for 2020, an issue that was also raised last week.
Dustin Roths voted against the increases during the 30-minute discussion, citing economic uncertainties in the county caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
"What I'm talking about is the reverberating economic effect on our major employers — our oil industry, our farming industry," Roths said after reading a prepared statement.
"The goal is to keep that mill levy to stay the same, too," he added. "So the problem is just because people earn things doesn't mean you can afford to pay them."
Chairman Butch Schlyer and Commissioner Dean Haselhorst supported the pay raises.
During town hall meetings in Ellis and Victoria, "we all three agreed that if the sales tax passed that we would do something with employees' wages to try and bring them back up to scale," Haselhorst said.
"I have always been in favor of this," Schlyer said. "Our employees have earned it.
"I don't want to hold anything hostage to what a virus might do some time," he added. "Things are coming back alive and it's time we get this done and get it done right."
Roths said he too wants to give pay raises to the employees, calling them "the backbone of our organization," but "it's time for conservatism."
The pay increases include a 1.6 percent cost of living adjustment for all Ellis County employees and a step raise for employees who've worked for the county five years or less. That's the final range of a pay plan policy the commission implemented four years ago as identified by the "Evergreen Study."
According to Interim County Administrator Darin Myers, the total cost to the county is $17,310.
As part of the 2020 budget, funding was allocated for salary adjustments. Pay for elected officials will remain the same.
Myers addressed the "harsh reality" of the mill levy following a presentation by Bill Ring, public works director, who has prioritized a list of eight road projects with an estimated cost of between $5 million and $6 million.
"I know it weighs heavy on the commission in wanting to hold the mill levy, to keep it flat," Myers said. "If we don't increase that mill levy, you're losing a quarter of million dollars a year for the next 10 years. That's $2.5 million.
"One of those road projects we left out could take that completely. I know there are several other large projects that the commission is aware of — the HVAC in this building, the HVAC at the LEC went out Sunday.
"I know it's nice to be able to keep that mill levy down especially being in the economic times we are.
"But the best interest of the county is being able to continue to raise that mill levy up because if we commit to a $5 to $6 million bond (for road projects) and the mill levy isn't raised, we know where our budget sits at today. There is no money going to public works for any of these other projects that need to be done," Myers said.
"Ten years from now, we could be here in the exact same discussion," he cautioned, "begging and pleading for another sales tax so we can do another $5 million bond and not being able to increase that."
The commissioners will meet in executive session at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday to interview candidates for the county administrator position.