By TONY GUERRERO
Hays Post
The Ellis County Commission approved the final plat application for the Fairview Patch Addition during its Tuesday meeting.
The proposed 13-parcel residential development is north of Severin Road and 400th Avenue. Ten parcels will measure 3 acres each, one about 3.1 acres, and two larger parcels about 4.5 and 4.7 acres.
The homeowners association will maintain the private roads. Bill Jeter, county counselor, stated that the roads will be built to county specifications; however, the county is not obligated to maintain them.
The commission approved the final plat in a 2-1 vote. Commissioner Nathan Leiker voted against the plat, stating that it does not align with county planning.
"We've dealt with a lot of localized subdivisions, and this is getting pretty far out there," Leiker said.
Highway 40 and Main Street intersection in Victoria
Brendan Mackay, Ellis County public works director, received approval for $25,000 in funding to reconstruct the East Main Street approach to Old Highway 40 in Victoria.
At a previous meeting, the commission voted against approving financial assistance for the approach reconstruction after the city of Victoria requested the county cover one-third of the total $124,685 cost.
Ellis County Public Works restructure
Mackay received approval to restructure the Public Works Department. The plan is to reallocate existing positions to improve efficiency, career development, workload distribution and long-term planning without adding new positions.
The restructuring could result in a maximum increase of $10,000 in the Public Works budget if all affected employees opt for family plan insurance policies, Mackay said.
Other business
The Ellis County Commission received an update on the 2025 Ellis County Fair from Justin Scheck, Ellis County Fair board president. The theme for the fair is "Another Day in Fairadise."
Mackay also received approval to purchase a $358,000 road grader to replace one that requires significant repairs. The county will owe about $51,420 for the first year's payment.
The commission approved a two-year cell phone contract with Verizon to replace the expired contract with Nex-Tech Wireless. The Ellis County IT department determined Verizon offers a more cost-effective option, saving $14,000.