Ellis County Commission recap: April 12, 2022

On this episode of the Post Podcast, Hays Post reporter Jonathan Zweygardt recap this week's Ellis County Commission meeting with County Administrator Darin Myers.

Transcript:

EDITORS NOTE: Transcripts are provided by an automated service and are not verified for accuracy.

 

James Bell 

This week's Ellis County Commission meeting was a busy one. Hays Post reporter Jonathan Zweygardt recaps that meeting with County Administrator Darinn Meyers, on this episode of the Post Podcast.

 

Jonathan Zweygardt 

We're gonna talk a little bit about yesterday's meeting. And then also, obviously, with kind of some of the fire dangers, your position as the fire chief, we can talk about that as well. But as far as the last night's meeting, kind of the busy meeting from last night, so that had a couple of presentations and a couple of different things. We'll kind of chat about some of those last night DSC Wk with Jerry Michaud, their director, and then presidents and then also with access. And when Chris came before the commission yesterday, I was kind of curious, they kind of, you know, providing their annual update to the commission, talking about obviously, with TSN DVK. staffing issues a big deal. I didn't know if there was anything in particular that kind of stood out from their presentation yesterday, as they gave a report to the commission.

 

Darin Myers 

I think there's several things that point out, that if you look at the commission meetings for the last several months, as well as the ones that are coming up, last year, in the budget cycle session with the Commission, they had requested all the outside agencies who with funding from the county come back and kind of give updates periodically throughout the year. So that's why you're seeing a lot of them at the commission meetings, explaining where they're at with their organization where the funding has went to and where they've kind of progressed and, you know, coming out of COVID what their plans are. And last night DSM Wk Jerry gave a pretty good update on where they're at. Seems like a similar problem. There's not enough workers and they're not being paid, not being paid enough, and how are we going to figure out how to pay them. But there's also I think, the biggest point that really stuck out to me, and they have individuals out there, I can't remember how long the waiting list was. But they were on that waiting list individuals for over 10 years now waiting to get services from DSM Wk, not just because of the funding, but because they don't have the level of supporters within their organization to take care of them because they can't find that in the workforce. So I think that was the biggest thing that stuck out with the SW K. And it's it's an important service to our community, but all of Northwest Kansas for the entire area that they serve.

 

Jonathan Zweygardt 

You said he said since 2012, and I think it was commissioner Schleicher asked, you know, Is it money? Or is it staffing and Jerry said if if we found a whole bunch of money, we'd still have the issue because of staffing. And, and you're the county is right in that kind of same boat, it seems like everybody's dealing with staffing issues. Yep. And then also with access, the County Commission works with them through grant support, because the large share of their funding comes from grant support through k dot and the Commission, a lot of times, it's asked to just sign on for supports through grants for access.

 

Darin Myers 

And one of their biggest grants that they get for their funding source. track a lot of things from the amount of people that they transport with their their their set fees are from the state, how many miles they drive, but a lot of their funding comes on at 20 Grant, or if they get $20. And matching funds here locally, for instance, from the county commission, that can eat up 20% of what they get. They get the other 80% from the grant from the federal government. So it's a smart investment of money that there's a need for that public transportation throughout the county. And I was surprised by their rates $2 for an in person drop or in town drop off and $4 anywhere in the county. And that's in line throughout the entire state, which is us amount set by the I believe k.is What he said, so significantly cheaper than taking a taxi or an Uber. And sometimes the services of those larger vans for the people in need of those types of services for wheelchair bound and such are so great option. And we need that for our community.

 

Jonathan Zweygardt 

And I know you kind of hit on it with the presentations. You know, this kind of leads into that last line item on the on the agenda from yesterday is the budget forecast. And, you know, there's a lot of numbers and a lot that goes into that. So but this is the start of that conversation that commission is hearing from these different outside agencies that the Commission partners with and provides funds for. And that's kind of, you know, along the line with this budget process, which you're just now starting for, believe it or not 2023. And so that kind of is your reasoning, why and, and kind of going into that.

 

Darin Myers 

Yeah, the budget cycles, it's a little bit shorter this year, the process is a little different than we've done in the past. But the commission, you know, one of their things that they had really emphasized last year was if we're giving outside agencies those funding, we'd like to know where it's going and so that way it's justifiable and understandable to the public of those taxpayer dollars going to help organizations like DSN Wk or High Plains mental health or economic development with grow haze A lot of those have immediate results and impacts coming back to our community for those, those dollars that we give them.

 

Jonathan Zweygardt 

I know last night, speaking of the budget kind of laid out, so with the Commission, the schedule of how the budget process will go, and I know next week, which I assume will spend a lot of our next couple of months talking about the budget through August and into September for 2023. That he kind of laid out the the schedule, and so next week, you'll kind of get maybe more of a direction as far as how the commission wants to go with department heads and kind of their direction for them.

 

Darin Myers 

Yep. So we spent a little last night I know, you couldn't see the numbers on the screen. But it was basically just how that the lines progressed on if you made a change with salaries or if you made a change with valuations, you made a change with health insurance or a combination of both. It shows you on how inflation and change in how services are going to impact the impact of over the next 10 years, a lot of that is the sales tax that was passed back in 2020. Once that expires, come 2030. The county is right in the same financial piece that it was back before then. So it's not that we emphasize what the commissioner has made sure we're making smart choices now not necessarily for 2023. But what's 2033 look like? Make sound investments now spend the money where it needs to be now. So that way we're looking at what 2020 or 2030 2033 looks like. And yeah, those kick off the budget process next week. With the information we shared last night, hopefully there'll be able to individually think about it and make some discussions, we have a have a discussion next week at the commission meeting as to what direction they'd like to see the department heads and elected officials put in their budget for for next year.

 

Jonathan Zweygardt 

And like I said, I know we're gonna be talking about this, you know, until September, but you talked about those numbers. And I thought it was interesting to see how different things change and you made the comment, you're talking about inflation, and valuation, healthcare. If one of those changes, you know, even just a salaries, for instance, if you if one of those things change just a percentage plus or minus, it makes a great impact on, you know, not only next year, but also there 10 years from now. But also what happens if two or three of those things are four or five of those things change that, you know, while we don't know what the future looks like, you know, that's still important to make good financial decisions. Because of the, you know, there are some things you just don't know you can't control. And so that's something that you said the commission has to look for.

 

Darin Myers 

Yeah, one of the easiest things that you can look at when you look at a forecast like that is you can look at the history and guarantee almost everything you buy now is more expensive, or everything you do now is more expensive than it was when you were a kid. So nothing's ever gonna get cheaper 10 years from now, hardly anything's gonna be cheaper than it is now. And just look at the gas prices two years ago, we were under $2 an hour. We were pushing. We were on vacation two weeks ago, we paid the highest at 486. Out in Illinois. So a lot of those play big, big impacts on the budget and all those little pieces combined. Make make up a big portion of where we need to look out into the future and just be smart with those dollars that way. We're just more financially sound.

 

Jonathan Zweygardt 

And there were a handful other things we wanted to quickly hit on but one of the things that I was gonna ask because I think you brought it up last night, the mill levy, when was the last time that the Commission raised the mill levy, obviously, it changes due to valuations. And there's some things outside of the Commission's control. It just happens because that's how it works with valuations. But as far as a real middle of a change, you know, when the last time that happened by the Commission was or that commission.

 

Darin Myers 

 I had it on piece of paper last night I look back for the last 15 years and 15 years ago and there's a big misinterpretation with the mill levy extra is everybody thinks that the mill levy sets the budget and that's not necessarily the case. It's a combination of what your valuations are for your property compared to what the budget is. And then that kind of helps determine what the mill levy is. Valuations go up your budget stays the same your mill levy goes down. If you're if your mill levy goes up, your valuations go up, your taxes go up so there's so many different pieces to that. And then you also got to look just for instance, the city Hayes, believe the overall mill levy is 110 mills. The county collects 100% of that, but we don't keep hardly any of it. You have about 40 mills that goes to school districts you have 25 or so mills that goes to the city Hayes Ellis County is only 36. And then you got the fire district on where yours at Sometimes if you're over an LLC that LSP Levy, so we're only the Ellis County government is only about a third of what you pay in your property taxes for the city Hays residents. A little bit less than in the others because the mill levies are different analysis Victoria. But yeah, it's it Where's actually changes more, we basically focus more on the budget. So if our budget say this year is 24 million, they basically give us the direction that yeah, we would like to see the budget stay the same, because we have no impact on what the valuations or the evaluations or what the homes are come across is what the markets doing. Everybody knows what the market is in Hays right now. There's no homes for sale, the homes are selling 10 to 15 20% higher than what the appraised values are. And people are paying that price when those prices go up supply and demand. Low supply the demand is high that people pay more. Eventually our appraisals by state statute have to catch up to that. So the middle of has basically been the same essentially for the last seven years. It's it hovers we can't keep it essentially the exact same because the valuations changed the budget changes which changes the mill levy, but it's it's been I think I said last night, the last seven years, there's only been six tenths of a mil difference from where it was seven years ago, which in the overall grand scheme of things when your overall mill levy for the city Hays area. It's 110 Mills, seven tenths of a mil is pretty minimal.

 

Jonathan Zweygardt 

Yeah, very good. Well, I'm sure talk about that more as the budget process just getting started for 2023. A couple of other things yesterday, the HVAC work and the admin center already underway with Glassman corporation that was just kind of a final approval last night for the commission.

 

Darin Myers 

Yep, the US that I believe they prove that work and the purchase order back in February. So they're getting started on that. And it's going to be about a nine month process. Working through going back to how salaries and the workforce are shortages, it's the same thing. And in the supply arena, there's about a 20 week lead time, I think 20 to 24 week lead time before we get a lot of the equipment for that so they got a lot of prep work cleaning, replacing some fan coil units throughout the building some rooftop units. There's a lot of work that goes into that. So though, you'll see Glassman down the administrative building for the next nine months quite a bit.

 

Jonathan Zweygardt 

Very good. And I know there are a couple of other things but you know, before we get out I wanted to make sure obviously in your role as the fire chief, you repeat to the weather before we got on and you know today's another Dangerous fire weather day and it looks like with the lack of moisture in that 10 day that you know we got to kind of keep an eye on that for the next handful of days after dealing with that before as well.

 

Darin Myers 

Yeah, I know when you're asking me about speaking about this this morning you had a couple of people knocking on wood last night that nothing pops up. We've been fortunate last week with three or four days of fire weather last week that we didn't have anything locally we had some smaller fires. We also assisted out of county on a fire up in Brooks county but it's happening all around us still it's just not hit home yet. If you didn't see last week at that fire North Norton up in Nebraska the volunteer fire chief up there was killed in a car accident because driving through smoke and hidden one of the other fire vehicles very unfortunate so my my guess my thoughts and sympathies out to that would fire department up in Nebraska but here we are again a week later. At Red Flag Warning today it looks like it's going to proceed for the next several days the burn ban in the county is still in place. So there is no outside burning, except for what's allowed within the burn ban. And like you said I looked at the weather because I do that about about every day and you know how the weather changes in Kansas but the next 10 days there's chances for moisture but as I showed you the highest chance was 40% sometime over the weekend but he said point 04 inches and then the way the wind blows that'll be gone within two hours after the wind blows when it stops raining. So for the next 10 days it doesn't look like we're gonna see any good chances or moisture but hopefully, like I say as the weather changes we'll get something sooner than later. I don't like having the Birdman in place I like it off and getting plenty of moisture but I just hope everybody's careful out there. tire chains up on your trailer so they're not dragging don't throw your cigarettes out don't do any outside burning recreational chimineas firepits anything we we have fires that actively start back up in the wind that had been out for two weeks from brush piles and people burning trees and branches. So that's that's kind of why that burn plan is in place right now and even after a little bit of rainfall because those those winds can torch up a fire and Start things but if you see something, don't be afraid to call 911 If you have something call 911 Immediately, the faster we get resources out there, even if we've come to find out there's nothing on fire there's no issue at least we got to help them. There's no harm in turning people around in the past week, get people there is the faster you'll be on top of things and less damage and destruction.