By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

Starting Sunday, retail purchases made in Ellis County will cost slightly less.

The half-cent county sales tax, which has been in place five years, ends Sept. 30.

Ellis County voters approved the sales tax in 2013 for two building projects, the remodeling of the downtown courthouse and law enforcement center, and construction of the new Emergency Services Building at 1105 E. 22nd Street in Hays.

“These projects were part of a comprehensive plan of facility modernizations that included relocation of various county operations to the Administrative Center at 718 Main Street and the about-to-be-completed repairs to the Extension Offices at 601 Main Street,” said Ellis County Administrator Phillip Smith-Hanes in a news release.

“As promised to voters at the time of the election, the county successfully paid off the bonds used for remodeling and construction of the courthouse, Law Enforcement Center and Emergency Services Building within five years.

“Accordingly, the half-cent voter-approved countywide sales tax is no longer needed and will ‘sunset’ as of Sunday, September 30, 2018,” Smith-Hanes said.

Information about the new tax rates effective on October 1 can be found at: https://ksrevenue.org/pdf/edu961018.pdf