Ellis County Commissioners weigh bond, budget changes to fund courthouse HVAC, EMS facility and other capital needs

At a July 15 Ellis County Commission meeting, county officials laid out a multi-project capital plan and discussed using a bond to pay for courthouse HVAC work, an EMS facility in Ellis, replacement of hundreds of fan coil units in administrative buildings and other maintenance projects. Commissioners agreed to include a proposal that would exceed the revenue-neutral rate in the initial budget letters sent to the clerk as they continue budget deliberations.

County Administrator Darren Myers framed the options as a choice between “waiting for something to fail” and planning a financed program. He told commissioners a $5 million bond was an illustrative example and that interest rates have softened recently, meaning the county could capture bond proceeds in a repository and earn interest until projects begin. Myers said bundling projects—particularly replacing all fan coil units at once—could yield estimated savings “just over $300,000” versus staggered replacements.

Myers described the courthouse HVAC as a failing VRS system that is “not sized appropriately” and said the system shows signs of internal corrosion that can make partial repairs impossible. He warned that a catastrophic failure would force the relocation of court operations, requiring the county to transport inmates, jurors and attorneys to alternative facilities.

The commission spent substantial time on the EMS building in Ellis, which Myers said is old, subject to water intrusion, too small for modern equipment and likely needs replacement. Sheriff Scott Brown urged support for a separate mental-health stabilization center run by High Plains Mental Health, saying it would “keep people out of our jail” and reduce prolonged holds. Brown described long delays for mental-health placements and urged the county to fund regional capacity.

On EMS staffing, county staff described a proposal to add three positions to improve daily staffing and quality control. Myers said the budget draft anticipates roughly $300,000 in additional personnel costs depending on certification level; commissioners were told the county could cover those costs by using an estimated $150,000 in additional ambulance billing revenue and transferring about $150,000 from a health-related sales-tax fund, which would limit impact on the property-tax levy. The positions would not add an extra ambulance but would allow a shift supervisor to operate in a response vehicle and assist across the system.

Outside-agency funding requests also featured in the budget discussion. The county’s outside-agency pool was presented as a roughly 16% increase overall (from about $1.2 million to approximately $1.4 million), with specific requests including an increase tied to High Plains Mental Health (for per-patient stabilization services), the Ellis County Historical Society (an increase request from $100,000 to $140,000, which commissioners proposed holding flat at $100,000), and Access Transportation (a request rising from about $50,000 to $111,000 that commissioners tabled pending more information and coordination with the City of Hays).

Commissioners discussed how to pay for some of these needs long-term. Myers outlined scenarios that could align a new facilities bond’s payments with a roads bond that expires in 2030 so that the overall mill levy would be roughly stable in the transition years. He also noted the county’s existing sales tax that funds some capital projects is scheduled for renewal discussions in 2029 because the tax’s authorization expires under current law in 2030; commissioners would need to launch public engagement and possibly a ballot measure then to continue or change the sales-tax structure.

Public comment at the meeting emphasized taxpayer sensitivity to levy increases. Hays resident Ken Kennedy asked commissioners to pursue efficiency and cautioned that many taxpayers are on fixed incomes; he urged officials to weigh adequacy against fairness and asked the county to prioritize efficiency when possible.

After discussion the commission approved a motion to have the county administrator finalize and submit the revenue-neutral-rate letters that would allow the county to exceed the revenue-neutral rate for the 2026 budget year for general and fire funds. That motion passed 3-0. Commissioners also scheduled detailed departmental budget hearings for July 21 (training room at the EMS facility) to refine numbers before the final budget.

What happens next: staff will refine cost estimates, follow up with the City of Ellis on potential EMS-facility collaboration, and continue the budget-hearing schedule before a final budget is published. The commission emphasized the revenue-neutral mailing is a preliminary, reversible step intended to keep options open while the county completes its analysis.