By GAYLE WEBER

gweber@dailynews.net

Lower revenue from birth certificate sales in Kansas has resulted in about a 40-percent decrease in the local Citizen Review Board budget for 2010.

CRB Director Rene Meyers asked Ellis County commissioners Monday to waive a rent payment of about $1,100 in order to make up the deficit in state funding.

"This year, if I'm able to keep that $1,100 in my budget and utilize it, it would be one step closer to reaching my goal of trying to obtain that 40 percent I was cut," Meyers said.

Commissioners agreed to waive the rent payment for this year only. Meyers has been paying about $1,000 to Ellis County for the past eight years in order to do work for two judicial districts outside Ellis County while using a county office.

Meyers said she has been denied for state grants that would make up the deficit because she has an operating budget. However, she has been able to recover about one-third of what she needs because the judicial districts she serves have stepped up to contribute what they can for all expenses except salaries.

In other news from Monday's Ellis County Commission meeting:

* Commissioners will attend Kansas Open Meetings Act training next week as part of a requirement after the commission violated the open meetings act in March.

* Commissioners approved purchasing a backhoe from Foley Equipment for $92,394.

* Commissioners outlined four projects to be considered for federal funding through a five-year plan. The projects include a bridge 1 mile west of Ellis, a bridge 3 miles north of Ellis and two re-paving projects on Old U.S. Highway 40 from 280th Avenue to Victoria and from Yocemento to Ellis.

"To me, it's repair the high traffic first," Commissioner Glenn Diehl said.

The county will have about $1.2 million in federal funding to obligate to projects through 2014.

* Diehl has continued to meet with wind developers to discuss proposed changes to the county's zoning regulations.

He sent them changes proposed by the county commission and planning commission and has asked for input, especially in regards to sound ordinances.

"To me, there's a potential for a billion dollars in investment in Ellis County, and we better have our regulations down right," Diehl said.

* Commissioners approved a bid of $3,550 from Legleiter Construction and Roofing to replace the roof on the rural fire station in Catherine.

* Work on the Old U.S. Highway 40 re-paving project is drawing to a close. Public Works Administrator Mike Graf said APAC Kansas should finish shoulder work and striping the 2-mile stretch of road in the next week or two, depending on the weather.