The Ellis County Commissioners on Monday decided to spend more time researching and gain some clarity before adopting an Insurance Proceeds resolution.

The resolution would put the County in a position to receive 15% of the earnings off any insurance payout when 75% or more of a structure is destroyed by a fire, explosion or windstorm.

If the County adopts the resolution the insurance company would send 15% of the insurance proceeds to the County, with the rest going to the property owner.

Once the County is satisfied with the cleanup job they would pay the property owner the remaining funds. The resolution would apply only to unincorporated portions of Ellis County.

County Administrator Greg Sund said that this is a way to ensure that property owners clean up demolished buildings and, “If we don’t have something like this, the chances of cleaning up are zero.”

Commissioners Dean Haselhorst and Swede Holmgren (Commissioner Barbara Wasinger was absent) both expressed concern with the resolution.

Commissioner Holmgren said he is looking at it from both sides, “from a County Commissioner’s perspective. This might have some merit in the event we have a disaster. As a personal property owner, I’m saying wait a minute. I need to read the fine print.”

Sund said that it is built into state insurance law, if the resolution is passed. There would also be a separate fund created for each individual situation and the money would have to be used for clean up of the property.

The Commissioners ask Administrator Sund to do more research before they take up the resolution again.

Sund also said they have had two of the type situations in the past few months.

The commission also approved the updated Emergency Operations Plan. It is required that the county update the plan every five years. Bill Ring, the County’s Emergency Management Coordinator said he has been working on updating the plan for about eight or nine months.