Ellis County eyes nearly flat 2027 budget after $600,000 in cuts
Commissioners rely on delayed raises and trimmed reserves to offset rising costs
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Sign up freeHAYS, Kan. — Ellis County commissioners were scheduled to review a nearly flat 2027 budget Tuesday, August 4, after slashing roughly $600,000 in proposed spending during July work sessions to offset rising operational costs. The revised spending plan, shaped by Commissioners Neal Younger, Michael Berges and Nathan Leiker, sits just $5,221 higher than the 2026 budget.
County Administrator Darin Myers noted in his agenda report that anticipated personnel changes in August could push next year's final bottom line below current funding levels.
To achieve the savings, the commission previously trimmed $200,000 from the county's public works budget. It also pushed back employee step raises and cost-of-living adjustments by three months, a move expected to save about $110,000 next year.
Additional belt-tightening measures included reducing all departmental transfers to reserves by 10% and moving a $50,000 allocation for ACCESS public transportation into a budget stabilization fund pending a task force review.
The board is expected to finalize the document in the coming weeks ahead of a Sept. 8 public hearing and adoption vote.
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