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Ellis County approves KDOT noxious‑weed spraying agreement, adopts 3% annual adjustment
Summary
The commission approved the 2026 county agreement to spray Kansas Department of Transportation rights‑of‑way and raised labor/truck sprayer rates; the board added a 3% annual adjustment for the next three years to account for rising costs and labor shortages.
The Ellis County Commission approved the county’s 2026 agreement to perform noxious‑weed spraying for the Kansas Department of Transportation and approved updated labor and equipment rates, plus a 3% annual adjustment for the next three years.
Gary Haas, the county’s weed control supervisor, recommended raising labor and truck sprayer rates to $45 per hour and UTV sprayer rates to $30 per hour after reviewing wages, benefits, fuel and equipment costs. Haas told the commission, “I think, $42.52 or something like that is what our labor cost is with benefits,” and said the department had used FEMA equipment rates for some billing benchmarks.
Commissioners expressed concern about being short‑staffed during the spray season and discussed whether the agreement should be a flat contract or billed by actual work performed; Haas said the county charges KDOT only for work completed, not as a flat annual fee. The motion to approve the KDOT maintenance agreement with an added 3% annual adjustment for three years was seconded and carried by voice vote.
