By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post
The Ellis County Commission continued to work through the 2016 budget at a special meeting on Thursday, and it appears there will be slight increase in the mill levy for next year.
The county estimates tax collections in 2015 will about $1.5 million dollars less than last year, mainly because of a sharp drop in oil prices.
At Thursday’s meeting, the commission and department heads worked with Ken Beran of Adams Brown Beran and Ball, to transfer extra money from the capital equipment fund to cover a portion of the deficit.
Beran estimated the mill to be 35.329, an increase of 1.045 from last year, or about 3 percent. An earlier draft of the budget had shown an increase of the mill levy to nearly 39 in order to eliminate a budget deficit of $2 million.
Another proposed move was to transfer the entire oil and gas depletion fund over the next two years to cover the drop in oil and gas valuation. An initial proposal was to use $1.5 million in 2016 and save the rest of the more than $3 million for the future. But Commissioner Barb Wasinger brought up concerns that the state may take to remaining money back.
In an effort to keep the money within Ellis County, the commission will transfer half of the money this year and half next year with it going toward the 2016 and 2017 budget.
“I am all for spending half of the $3 million that is in there,” Wasinger said, “but I am positive that we are going to need it later on.”
Beran said the purpose of the transfer it to protect the county’s assets. He said when they do an audit, the county has one asset “and that is cash.”
Under the proposed changes, the county would still be able to budget for a 1-percent employee salary increase, fund the salary increases recommended in the wage-and-benefit study commissioned by the county last year, budget for an increase in employee health insurance and fill an open mechanic position in the Public Works Department.
Beran said he advocates for an increase in the mill, in part because there is a chance the oil and gas valuation will go down again next year. He also said the Legislature has proposed a cap on mill increases in 2018, which would be tied to the Consumer Price Index.
Beran is expected to present the updated budget to the commission at its first meeting in August on the third and they could publish the budget on Aug. 7 with the public hear on Aug. 17.
The deadline for the commission to hold a public hearing is Aug. 25.
In other business:
• The commission met in an executive session to discuss non-elected personnel matters. No action was taken.
• The commission also agreed to pay Randall Allen of the Kansas Association of Counties $2,500 plus travel expenses to help with the search for a new county administrator.