Ellis County Commission Summary
Week of August 12, 2026
2027 county budget cuts spending but increases mill levy
Fire district mill levy to rise despite flat budget
Solid waste budget incorporates $500,000 transfer station expansion
Public works director addresses road work questions
2027 county budget cuts spending but increases mill levy
ELLIS COUNTY, Kan. — The proposed 2027 Ellis County budget will feature a spending reduction of approximately $80,000 compared to 2026, yet property owners will still see an increase in the county mill levy. Ellis County Administrator Darin Myers explained that while the overall county valuation increased by 2%, a decrease in rural valuations outside of Hays and Victoria, combined with the loss of an oil depletion fund transfer, resulted in a mill levy that exceeds the revenue-neutral rate. The commission has authorized a maximum proposed mill levy of 40.717 mills to be published for the general fund, up from the current 38.118 mills. However, Myers noted the final mill levy is substantially lower than the 41 mills initially projected before the Ellis County Commission cut over $800,000 from the preliminary budget.
Fire district mill levy to rise despite flat budget
ELLIS COUNTY, Kan. — The Ellis County Fire District budget will see a nominal spending increase of roughly $1,200 next year, but a drop in oil and gas valuations will still trigger a mill levy increase for rural taxpayers. The proposed maximum mill levy for the fire district is 4.398 mills, an increase from the current 3.924 mills. Ellis County Administrator Darin Myers stated that oil and gas revenues account for about 25% of the district's budgeted revenues, meaning the decreased valuation in those sectors directly alters the mathematical formula used to calculate the final mill levy.
Solid waste budget incorporates $500,000 transfer station expansion
ELLIS COUNTY, Kan. — Ellis County's solid waste budget, which relies entirely on user fees rather than property taxes, will increase by about $700,000 in 2027 due to rising customer usage and increasing trash-hauling expenses. Over $500,000 of the budget increase will be drawn from the department's unencumbered cash balance to fund a capacity expansion on the north side of the Ellis County Transfer Station and to replace a backhoe. The remaining roughly $200,000 of the increase will be funded by increased fee revenue driven by rising customer usage and trash-hauling expenses.
Public works director addresses road work questions
ELLIS COUNTY, Kan. — Addressing public questions about road work priorities and maintenance, Ellis County Public Works Director Brendan Mackay explained the technical differences among chip seal, scrub seal and fog seal treatments to the Ellis County Commission. Mackay noted that a recently questioned mile of 280th Avenue received a standard chip seal instead of a more robust scrub seal because applying a scrub seal's sand surface over an existing sand base would eliminate necessary friction and create dangerously slick driving conditions. Adjoining miles of the road that do not share that base layer are scheduled to receive scrub seals later this fall.
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