By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Ellis County Commission appointed a new appraiser at its meeting Tuesday.
The commission appointed Deputy County Appraiser Eugene Rupp. Ellis County Appraiser Lisa Ree is set to retire on Dec. 23.
"The appraiser's position — they call it the accidental profession," Ree said. "No one goes out and seeks to be county appraiser. I was very fortunate to have two people in the office to mentor me and saw something in me that I didn't know was there.
"They encouraged me to continue with education and impressed on me that I could do this. Without them, I wouldn't be here before you. I thank them."
Rupp said he wanted to thank Ree for her years of service.
"I hope this will go smoothly, and I hope to meet all the high expectations she set for public service," he said.
Rupp will take over the appraiser's position on Dec. 24 and fill the remaining portion of Ree's four-year term, which will be up on June 30, 2025.
Rupp started with Ellis County on Oct. 30, 2001, and was promoted to deputy county appraiser on Jan. 5, 2014.
Other business
The commission also:
• Heard reports from Fort Hays State University President Tisa Mason, State Rep. Ken Rahjes and the city on the proposed expansion of the neighborhood revitalization program.
• Accepted a donation from Buckeye Wind Farm to purchase wildfire helmets for county firefighters.
• Approved an application for a grant from the Kansas Revolving and Assistance Fund for 25 percent of the cost of two cardiac monitors/defibrillators. Funds have been set aside in the county budget for the remaining cost of the equipment.
• Approved the purchase of a 2018 Freightliner for $52,900, an undercarriage to repair a dozer for $79,020 and a Padfoot roller motor for $27,022. All three purchases will be made from the year-end operating budget.
• Approved replacement of the county's access control system and renewal of a subscription for security software.
The cost to upgrade the access control system is $50,750. However, due to some changes, several departments have agreed to help fund the upgrade. The clerk’s office will pay $4,182 and the register of deeds office will pay $4,182. The remainder will be paid out of commission contingency at $17,384.
The Cyber Security Solution subscription renewal will be funded from the Ellis County IT budget at a cost of $59,400.