By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post

The Ellis County Commission voted to move forward with reconstruction of the bridge running over the Saline River on Yocemento Avenue at Monday’s County Commission meeting.

The commission accepted the bid of $123,819 from King Construction but that was only after the Public Works Department agreed to do some of the work.

At the last meeting in April Interim Public Works Director Curt Hoffman presented the commission with four bids the county received to replace the bridge deck. King Construction’s bid was the lowest totaling $239,905. But the commission asked Hoffman to look for ways to cut the cost.

According to Hoffman the county will save about $51,400 to remove the deck and remove and replace the guardrail. The county will also save $64,600 by not painting the bridge.

Hoffman said crews could begin work on the project by the end of the month.

In other business County Administrator Phillip Smith-Hanes presented the commission with three scenarios for the commission’s budget. In the scenarios the commission’s budget would stay approximately the same as last year, $238,448, cut 2.5-percent or cut 5-percent. A 5-percent reduction in the commission’s budget would cut about $11,900.

The cuts proposed by Smith-Hanes were a reduction in services by County Counselor Bill Jeter, ending the commissions membership is a number of county and municipality organizations and a few minor cuts elsewhere.

Commissioner Barbra Wasinger said they are still going to have to find places to cut, adding that they may have to look at cutting salaries of some non-union employees.

“You see people across the county taking pay cuts in half,” Wasinger said “It’s time to make some of those hard decisions”

Commissioner Dean Haselhorst echoed Wasinger statements and said once they get the budget proposals from each department, with their cuts they will have a better understanding of where they stand.

Each department will present the county administrator with their scenarios later this month.

“We can’t maintain this, we just don’t have the money,” said Wasinger.

Attorneys Alex Herman and Greg Schwartz went before the commission to discuss the defense attorney contract. Four different firms are contracted, by the county to handle certain cases. The county paid $5,500 a month per attorney. According to Herman, the contract saves the county about $900 per month per attorney.

The commission had built in the budget a two-year fee increase. But told the attorney Monday this do not have the money for an increase this year. Herman and Schwartz said they would stay at the $5,500 per month fee.

Haselhorst told the commission they did have a few leaks inside the courthouse and law enforcement center because of the latest round of rain but crews were called in to fix the issue.