By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post
Being a part of major changes within Ellis County over the past five and a half years has been a challenge and a blessing for Ellis County Commissioner Dean Haselhorst and he says he is excited for what the future has to offer.
Haselhorst is the current District 3 commissioner and faces Republican challenger Ron Adams in the Aug. 2 primary election.
He has served as a county commissioner since he was appointed in August 2010 by then-Gov. Mark Parkinson. Haselhorst was appointed to replace commissioner Vernon Berens, who passed away while serving on the commission. Haselhorst was re-elected as a Democrat to a full term in 2012 and switched parties late last year.
Haselhorst said he and the current commission oversaw more change than any of the previous commissions over the last 80 years with the construction of the new Emergency Services building, the remodel of the courthouse and the jail, as well as taking over the former Commerce Bank Building on Eight and Main.
He said he is proud of what they have accomplished but called it a “major undertaking.”
“I would have liked to have done one project, finished it, (and) done another one,” Haselhorst said. “It would have been probably difficult to ask to get sales tax back to the vote two different times versus doing it once.”
He added looking back he has no reservations.
“We didn’t build a Taj Mahal,” he said. “We built what was needed.”
Getting the sales tax passed was also a huge undertaking, and Haselhorst said he is in favor of sales tax because it lessens the burden on taxpayers.
“We give the option to everyone that comes through Hays, whether they are from Colorado or they’re from Utah or they’re from Louisiana,” Haselhorst said. “If they stop here and shop, they are helping our community grow for the future.”
After the resignation of County Administrator Greg Sund in June 2015, Haselhorst was appointed the Construction Manager of the projects – a position he took no extra money for. He said he “walked into a hornets nest.”
“There was some ups and downs, some very tense moments,” Haselhorst said. “It was almost like starting over.”
But the county found out this month that the two projects – the Emergency Services building and the jail and courthouse remodel – will come in less than $200,000 over the $14.3 million budget.
As the county moves forward, Haselhorst said he believes the county is in a good position to deal with another large budget shortfall in the future.
Heading into the 2017 budget process, the county was facing a $3.7 million shortfall. Each department was asked to cut their budget 3 percent from the previous year, and the county chose not to fill 16 open positions, according to Haselhorst.
“We’ve done a real good job of conserving cash this past year,” Haselhorst said. “If we get hit again just like we were this year, I think we’re OK.”
After a small mill levy increase for 2016, the county chose not to raise the general fund mill levy for 2017.
“I hope we don’t have to raise that mill levy for a while,” Haselhorst said. There will be a mill levy increase in the future he acknowledged, “We can cut and cut all the time. Well, after the while when the cutting comes to an end, you have to review your next option.”
But he added, if oil prices rebound, the county might not have to increase the mill levy in 2018.
Haselhorst said his goal for the next four years is to get the building projects paid off and begin to build up funds to pay for road and bridge improvement.
“We’re not talking planning for four years. The commission is going to have to look at planning for 10 years down the road,” Haselhorst said.
He said he has enjoyed serving the county for five and a half years and “hopefully I get to serve them for another four after that.”
