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Ellis County raises labor and equipment rates in 2026 KDOT noxious-weed contract
Summary
The county approved the 2026 Kansas Department of Transportation agreement for noxious weed treatment and increased hourly rates (labor to $45, truck sprayer to $45, UTV sprayer to $30) with a three percent annual adjustment included in the contract.
Noxious Weed Director Gary Haas asked the Ellis County commission to approve the county’s 2026 contract with the Kansas Department of Transportation for treatment of noxious weeds and to raise labor and equipment rates to reflect higher operational costs.
Haas recommended increasing labor to $45 per hour, the truck sprayer rate to $45 per hour, and the UTV sprayer rate to $30 per hour for the 2026 agreement, noting previous rates had been labor $38, truck $40 and UTV $25 and that costs for wages, benefits, fuel and equipment had risen. Haas told the board the 3-year average KDOT work produced about $9,030 in revenue and that the county had been asked to do more guardrail spraying; he also said additional labor would allow more work but cautioned against shortchanging county responsibilities.
Commissioner Nathan Leiker moved to approve the 2026 KDOT Bureau of Maintenance County Agreement with a three percent annual adjustment to the contract costs; Commissioner Michael Berges seconded. The motion passed by voice vote of three to zero.
The agreement as approved will have the county perform treatment at KDOT-requested locations with the county charging labor and equipment at the new rates; actual work volumes and resulting revenue will depend on KDOT requests and county labor availability.
