By TONY GUERRERO
Hays Post
The Ellis County Commission approved the creation of the Stonewood Estates North Addition Community Improvement District during its Tuesday meeting.
A community improvement district is a designated area where property owners agree to pay additional taxes or fees to fund road improvements. Subdivision roads in Ellis County are normally not maintained by the county.
Commissioners briefly opened a public hearing before approving the resolution creating the district. Dominic Eck of Gilmore & Bell said the next steps involve financing the initial construction, followed by a maintenance improvement about five years later.
Eck said the roads would then return to the county’s regular maintenance schedule. He also said homeowners will have the option to prepay their assessments in full, potentially at a discounted rate, or spread payments over 10 years.
Other business
• The commission discussed future costs tied to Revenue Neutral Rate mailers as the county begins planning for the 2027 budget. State reimbursement for the mailings is scheduled to end in 2026 and commissioners said they support keeping the expense within the county clerk’s budget. No action was taken.
• Commissioners approved allowing Ellis County Public works to supply labor and equipment to complete the cities of Victoria's and Ellis' chip seal projects