By Alin Hett
Hays Post
Ellis County commissioners unanimously approved the county’s 2027 budget Tuesday following a public hearing that sparked discussion about spending priorities.
The proposed general fund mill levy is 0.85 mills higher than 2026, while the fire district mill levy is proposed to increase by 0.531 mills. Final mill levy rates will be determined after the Ellis County Clerk completes the final abstract numbers in November.
During the public hearing, Ellis County resident Mike Werth questioned commissioners about several areas of the budget, including what appeared to be a significant reduction for the Road and Bridge Department.
Werth said he understood the difficulty of maintaining salaries and keeping county positions competitive while trying to control spending, but the Road and Bridge reduction stood out as he reviewed the budget.
“It looked like very few of your departments really kind of toned down,” Werth said. “The Road and Bridge took a big cut. Pretty important.”
Nathan Leiker, Ellis County commissioner, said the reduction does not represent a cut to services but instead brings the department’s budget closer to what it has actually been spending.
“For the past three or four years, Road and Bridge has had a budget surplus at the end of the year that they carried over,” Commissioner Leiker said. “So we felt that we were able to bring that number down, so we wouldn't have to tax for that.”
Leiker also said planned asphalt and bridge projects are not expected to be affected by the reduction.
“It kind of trues it up to what the real budget is with Road and Bridge, and it doesn't have any fluff in there,” Leiker said.
The county is also deferring some employee pay adjustments that otherwise would have taken effect in January as part of its effort to control the 2027 budget.
“All of our employees are going to feel some of this because we're deferring and moving some of the pay adjustments that would have taken place in January,” Leiker said. “Those are being shifted.”
Werth also questioned the county’s financial support for Grow Hays, pointing to what he said was an increase from $23,000 in contributions in 2018 to $165,000 annually now.
Werth questioned what taxpayers throughout Ellis County receive from that investment, particularly as other areas of the county budget face tighter spending.
“I just don't see where you're getting anything out of this,” Werth said. “Maybe I'm looking at the little picture and I need to look at the big picture.”
Neal Younger, Ellis County commission chairman, said the economic relationship between Hays and the remainder of Ellis County makes investments in economic development beneficial beyond the city limits.
“Without the city of Hays, Ellis County couldn't survive,” the commissioner said. “And the same thing without Ellis County, you can't survive.”
David Clingan, Grow Hays associate director, was present at the meeting and addressed Werth’s questions, describing Grow Hays as the economic development organization for Ellis County and pointing to its work in business development and retention, housing and efforts to keep young people in the area.
“Our goal and mission is to continue to work with business growth that comes into Ellis County,” Clingan said. “How we can work with succession, keep businesses inside of Ellis County.”
Clingan said the organization works with other community partners to increase development and housing availability.
He also pointed to Agiliti as an example of the organization’s economic development work. Clingan said the company at one point considered moving its Ellis County operation to another state.
Working with the company and the state of Kansas, Grow Hays helped develop a plan to keep the operation in Ellis County, he said, with Agiliti now expected to add between 100 and 140 employees.
Clingan also addressed the increase in county support since 2018, saying Grow Hays previously operated with a two-person staff before expanding as the organization took on additional projects.
“This four-person team has worked on a lot more projects in Ellis County than we worked on in the past because of that,” Clingan said.
He also cited The Grove and Microfactory among the projects the organization has worked on, arguing that economic growth creates a ripple effect as additional jobs, residents and development generate spending and tax revenue throughout the county.
Werth said his concern remained whether some outside expenditures should also be reduced when county departments, employees and taxpayers are being asked to adjust.
“When everybody else is having to suck down and tighten up, I just don't see this from the county,” Werth said.
Purchase of new equipment, CAT 150
Commissioners approved the purchase of a used CAT 150 motor grader for the Ellis County Public Works Department.
Brendan Mackay, Ellis County Public Works director, said county staff field-tested the grader for about a year during 2025 and 2026, giving the county the opportunity to purchase the same machine this fall for about $50,000 to $60,000 less than a comparable new model.
The grader includes additional equipment not available on the county’s current machines, including a rear ripper and additional front hydraulics that would allow crews to operate attachments used for rebuilding road shoulders.
The machine will also retain a factory seven-year, 8,500-hour warranty and replace one of two graders the department had planned to purchase.
In other business
Ellis County commissioners agreed Tuesday to waive landfill fees for the 54th annual Hays Oktoberfest after a request from Emily Knowles, Oktoberfest Hays director.
Ellis County commissioners scheduled a special meeting for 8:30 a.m. Sept. 22 for a public hearing on a request from Ellis County Rural Water District No. 6 to add property previously released by a Trego County rural water district.
Bill Jeter, Ellis County counselor, said state law requires commission approval and a public hearing within 30 days of the application being filed with the Ellis County Clerk’s Office.