By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post
As Ellis County continues to negotiate with the county employee union, some employees are expressing disappointment with the lack of progress.
County employee Mike Fisher approached the commission Monday night to express the group’s concerns.
The end of October was the deadline for employees to sign up for insurance for 2015, but Fisher said employees were forced to pick a coverage without knowing how much each employee is going to have to cover.
Fisher said while the Ellis County economy continues to grow, many employees feel they are being left out and called on the commission to reconsider employee wages and benefits.
“With everything else growing in Ellis County, it’s hard for workers to understand why they should be asked to take cuts in benefits — which is the same as taking a cut in pay,” said Fisher, a heavy-equipment operator for Ellis County.
He said the county continues to lose quality employees because the perceived lack of quality pay and benefits — and morale among employees continues to decline.
“We are losing key people at an alarming rate, and it’s clear it is time to rethink the wages and insurance rates,” Fisher said. “Being one of the top 10 employers in the county should come with a responsibility to our workers.”
Earlier this year, the Ellis County Commission contracted Evergreen Solutions for $37,500 for a wage-and-benefit study.
County Administrator Greg Sund said the study is expected to be completed later this month.
Because the commission is in the midst of negotiations, Sund declined comment.
Commission Chairwoman Barb Wasinger said the commission is grateful for the workers of Ellis County but said, “Union negotiations are the nature of the beast.”
She also added the commission had hoped to have a deal with the union finalized by now.
In other business:
• The commission pushed a decision on whether to join the Kansas Association of Counties wage study until next week. The commissioners want more information before moving forward.
• Voted to renew the county’s participation in the KCAMP Rate Stabilization Program.
• Accepted an employee evaluation form for all county employees.
• Voted to allow Smith County to join the multicounty household hazardous waste program managed by Ellis County.