By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post

The issue of the Blue Sky Acres residential subdivision is set to go before the Ellis County Commission once more.

Property owner Mary Alice Unrein is again asking the commission to approve the final plat of the proposed housing addition south of Hays.

In November 2016, the Ellis County Commission rejected the final plat on a 1-1 vote. Commissioner Dean Haselhorst voted in favor of the plat while then-Commissioner Marcy McClelland voted against the plat. Commissioner Barb Wasinger recused herself from the vote because of a conflict of interest.

McClelland said she voted against the plat because of the possibility of groundwater contamination from septic systems and lack of available water in the area.

The commission’s failure to approve the plat led Unrein to sue the commission and McClelland in December 2016 in an effort to force her to change her vote.

A year and eight months later, in August 2018, a judge ruled in favor of McClelland and commission.

McClelland was defeated by Butch Schlyer in the Aug. 7, 2018, primary election, and Schlyer won a seat on the commission by winning a three-way race in the November general election.

In that same election, Wasinger was elected to the 111th District Kansas House of Representatives and Dustin Roths, Ellis County Republican Party chairman, was appointed to fill the remainder of Wasinger’s term.

The new commission will take up the issue at Monday’s commission meeting.

The commission will also continue discussing the 2020 budget at Monday’s meeting. The commission had previously requested each department within the county present a 2020 budget proposal with a 1.5 percent reduction from 2019. Those budgets will be presented to the commission Monday.

Monday’s meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m. at the County Administrative Center.