By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post

The Ellis County Commission approved entering into a contract with Secure Consulting Inc. for the purchase of bulk natural gas at a special meeting Wednesday evening.

The county previously had worked with Seminole Energy Services to provide bulk gas supplies, but agreed to change services to Secure Consulting.

Jeff Younger, formerly of Seminole Energy, had worked with the county in the past and will continue to in his role with Secure Consulting.

Younger said there is two parts of the county’s utility bill, the commodity and distribution fee. Approximately 20 years ago, according to Younger, the commodity portion was deregulated.

Now companies such as Secure Consulting and Seminole Energy can supply the gas, with the utility company still handling distribution. This allows companies to find lower rates and offer those, in this case, to Ellis County. Younger estimates they can save between 15 percent and 20 percent.

Younger said they also can secure a lower price by purchasing in bulk before the winter. Because this winter was particularly cold in some areas, the price of gas went up, but the company was able to secure a lower rate by pre-purchasing in bulk.

The average price of natural gas, Younger said, is about $4.50, and the agreement with Secure allows the county to purchase 50-percent of the gas used for all of the major buildings in bulk.

The commission also agreed to send support letters to area congressional delegations encouraging them to authorize a new federal highway bill. The letters of support were in response to a National Association of Counties request.