By GAYLE WEBER

gweber@dailynews.net

Despite expenditures increasing to $20.7 million, the county's proposed mill levy for 2009 is decreasing.

County auditor Ken Beran cited increased property valuations for the proposed 37.18 mill levy, down .15 of a mill from last year.

The 2008 budget amounted to $18.2 million. This year's budget represents a $2.5 million increase, or 13 percent, over last year.

Beran presented the proposed 2009 budget to the Ellis County Commission on Monday but said commissioners will need to address a potential $240,000 deficit in the solid waste fund next year.

"The only place that I saw that you had any leeway in the general fund to this extent would maybe be reducing your transfer to the capital improvement reserve," Beran said.

The budget reflected a transfer of $600,000 to the space needs fund, but Beran suggested taking $150,000 of it to transfer to the solid waste fund.

He also suggested raising rates at the landfill by 10 percent.

"What you don't know is what effect raising that rate has on usage of the landfill," Beran said.

"Or the county ditches," Commission Chairman Dennis Pfannenstiel added.

The rate increase would equate to about $98,000 more in the solid waste fund. That, combined with the transfer, should make up the deficit in solid waste, according to Beran.

However, according to Public Works Administrator Mike Graf, cash flow is the short-term problem. The long-term problem is the distance Ellis County hauls its solid waste. It uses a landfill in Topeka, but commissioners told Graf to start looking for a closer landfill to reduce costs.

"If (other landfills) are in the same boat we are, they might like the extra income," said Commissioner Perry Henman.

Beran also addressed other budget issues including the commissioner's option to reduce the mill levy even more. Beran said they could decrease the over-budgeted Social Security taxes and Kansas Public Employees Retirement System contributions by about $50,000 each.

"If we did that, (the mill levy) would be down about a half mill total," Beran said.

Another suggestion was made by Beran in regard to the commission's approval Monday of a conditional-use permit for a wind farm southwest of Hays.

"If we have a lengthy court battle ... the county is the pocket that has to pay for it," Beran said.

The county counselor budget stayed the same this year; however, Beran cautioned an increase could be needed.

"We'll probably have not just the wind farm, but the Hadley thing, maybe, and who knows what else," Henman said.

In other business:

* Commissioners decided to move up the bidding process on a 2-mile stretch of Old U.S. Highway 40 to November.

* Graf informed commissioners the asphalt supplier, SemMaterials, filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this month, and the county's supply of emulsion would be affected.

"We're still trying to come up with a solution for 20 miles of sand seal work," Graf said. "We don't have enough emulsion to do that."

Graf said SemMaterials provided the lowest price and was the closest supplier. Now, the county will be forced to pay up to $1.20 per gallon more for asphalt and sealant in addition to increased shipping costs.

* EMS Director Kerry McCue asked commissioners to allocate $500 for employees to build a wall in the Ellis EMS station.

The wall, which would stretch from floor to ceiling and would be 15 feet wide, would separate the ambulance bay from the medical supplies storage.

"Hopefully, it will keep some diesel fumes out of that area where our medical supplies are stored," McCue said. "Our staff is willing to do it. ... They want to see it happen, so they're going to make it happen."

McCue requested the money come from the county building fund, which was zeroed out last year.

Commissioners made no decision on the request Monday, since they didn't know where the money would come from.

* Jason Dinges requested commissioners appoint an independent commission to determine if Ellis County Joint Planning Commission members voted on projects in which they had a potential conflict of interest.

He referred to minutes of the June 29, 2005, planning commission meeting in which the commission agreed members with a conflict of interest should "voluntarily excuse themselves, vacate their seat and refrain from discussion."

Commissioner Vernon Berens said he was not prepared to act on the request without reviewing the material.

* Commissioners approved an increase in compensation for election board workers.