Jul 07, 2026

Ellis County employees, elected officials receive pay raises

Posted Jul 07, 2026 6:36 PM
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By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

The Ellis County Commission apprive a 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment for county employees during Tuesday's meeting

County officials said the 2.8% pay increase was calculated using the mean average of the last three years of cost-of-living data.

The adjustment applies to all Ellis County employees and elected officials.

Following the increase, updated annual salaries for elected county officials include:

• County Commissioner District 1 — $21,037 — Michael Berges
• County Commissioner District 2 — $21,886 — Neal Younger
• County Commissioner District 3 — $21,037 — Nathan Leiker
• County Attorney — $173,575 — Aaron Cunningham
• County Clerk — $88,053 — Bobbi Dreiling
• County Clerk Election Stipend — $10,000
• County Treasurer — $82,972 — Vernon Ruder Jr.
• Register of Deeds — $95,857 — Rebecca Herzog
• County Sheriff — $117,216 — Scott Braun

Commissioners approved the adjustment as part of ongoing county compensation considerations.

In other business

  1. Ellis County commissioners discussed a request from the Schoenchen City Council regarding the possible transfer of ownership for a small piece of property in Schoenchen. Kyle Zimmerman with the City of Schoenchen attended the meeting to present the request. If approved, county staff will work with legal counsel to begin the process, with final documents expected to come before the commission at a future meeting. Plans for surveying the land are now in place. 
  2. Ellis County commissioners approved a request from Leo Dorzweiler to rename the Deutschefest Hall at the Ellis County Fairgrounds to the Loran Zimmerman and Unsere Leute Deutschefest Meeting Room. The request was made to recognize the late Loran Zimmerman’s contributions, including his time, financial support and efforts in developing the fairgrounds. 
  3. Ellis County welcomed several new employees during the latest County Commission meeting.The Public Works Department has added Weston Pfeifer to its team. The Ellis County Treasurer’s Office welcomed Ashlee Parker and the Ellis County Health Department added Bobie Jennings.
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