By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post
The Ellis County Commission once again heard complaints regarding staffing and the ongoing wage and benefit study at Monday night’s meeting.
Public Works employee Mike Fisher approached the commission with a concern regarding the wage and benefit studies that he had received in the mail.
Fisher received multiple drafts of the study, which is not yet complete, and said he believes because the drafts do not match up the whole process “seems shady.”
“If I thought there was a shady moment in any of it, I would tell you that,” Commissioner Barb Wasinger said.
She said the county does not have the money to fully implement the results of the study right away, and it will take time.
Wasinger added the county has set aside some money during the budgeting process to help implement the study.
“When you start any kind of study or do any kind of plan, it’s going to have many different drafts involved,” she said. “It’s not to hide anything from you guys.”
Public Works Director Mike Graf also asked the commission for a direction when it comes to filling vacancies within his department.
Wasinger suggested Graf present the commission with a list of positions he needs to fill.
Graf said his department has scaled back and has “less employees than we’ve had in many, many years.”
In other business:
• The commission approved a change order at the Administrative Center for door locks for $2,175.80. This is the 13th change order for construction at 718 Main. During construction, the county has exceeded the contingency by about $9,000.
The contingency fund is set up for any unforeseen issues that come up during construction.
• Brad Teeter with Spangenberg Phillips Tice Architects updated the commission on the construction process at the Emergency Services building. Teeter said they will begin installing the structure for the metal building this week and, with warmer weather on the way, he expects the project to be complete by the middle of September.
• The commission voted against paying membership dues to the Kansas Natural Resources Coalition for $5,045. In past meetings, the commission had expressed concern with the priorities of the KNRC and said they did not believe it was in the county’s best interest to continue to be a part of the coalition.
• Graf also presented the commission with an update on possible funding for 230th and 55th improvements. He said the Kansas Department of Transportation has allocated $1.5 million for the project. That is less than what Graf estimated it would cost to upgrade the intersection, east on 55th just east of Doonan Truck and north on 230th approximately 1,000 feet.
• EMS Director Kerry McCue and Terry Siek presented the commission with information on the Kansas Heart and Stroke Collaborative.
• Health Administrator Butch Schlyer presented the commission with the January public health report.
• Commissioner Dean Haselhorst was absent from the meeting.