By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post

The Ellis County Commission held its first 2016 budget meeting Monday afternoon, and it appears the recent decline in oil prices is going to affect the bottom line.

In recent years, Ellis County has collected about $3.3 million annually in oil and gas production taxes.

Ellis County Administrator Greg Sund said Monday because the state expects the price of oil to be reduced by almost half, the county may only collect $1.3 million to $1.4 million in oil and gas taxes.

The state of Kansas issues a cost-per-barrel figure used to determined estimated revenues. In 2014, that price was $84 a barrel, but in 2015, that figure is estimated to be between $34 and $38 a barrel.

Sund said one way to make up the difference would be to increase the mill levy.

This past year, according to Sund, was the first in recent years the mill declined slightly.

To make up for the loss of the oil and gas taxes, the county would have to increase the mill by about four, according to Sund.

County Commission Chair Marcy McClelland said she does not want to raise taxes, but it might be something the county has to do.

She said when you take the increase over the whole valuation the tax increase would not be that great.

“I’ve always thought that you’ve got to think what you pay for.” McClelland said, “If they (taxpayers) tried to buy those services, they’d pay a whole lot more.”

Commissioner Barb Wasinger said raising taxes would be an unpopular move throughout the county.

“I’m not going to raise the mill levy by four,” she added.

Wasinger instead called on the departments to look for ways to cut their budgets.

“You may not be able to fill positions that are empty,” she said. “We’re all going to have to sit back a look and see how we can function with less.”

“We don’t have the money,” Wasinger said.

The county commission and department heads will meet again next month to continue shaping the 2016 budget.