BY JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post

The Ellis County Commission faces a number of challenging decisions as they head into Tuesday afternoon’s budget meeting.

The county’s budget was hit hard by the sharp drop in oil and gas prices, and officials must cut between $1 million and $2 million from the 2016 budget.

County Administrator Greg Sund outlined some possible changes the county could make in his memo to the commission.

The ideas range from a 1-percent sales tax increase that would take effect when the current tax ends. Sund said this could be a long-term solution.

According to Sund, the county also could change the way roads are maintained with the lesser traveled getting less attention.

The possibility of cutting EMS services to either Ellis or Victoria was also an idea approached by Sund, but County Commissioner Dean Haselhorst said he received a number of calls from residents over the weekend expressing concern with the proposal.

Sund said at Monday night’s commission meeting the ideas need to be investigated in the effort to save the county money.

The county may also look at cutting funding to outside agencies, and will discuss a number of open positions within the county. At Monday night’s meeting, three different department heads asked the commission to consider allowing them to fill vacant positions within their respective departments.

Tuesday afternoon’s budget meeting is at 1 p.m. at the Administrative Center.