Ellsworth County has received an early Christmas gift. At Monday’s meeting of the Ellsworth County commissioners, Judge Mike Keeley of the 20th Judicial District presented the county with a $74,680 check. The check was reimbursement for the cost of a seven-year-long sexual predator court case which the county was required by statute to pay.

Keeley said the offender was from Lyons but committed the offense in Ellsworth County. He is currently in the custody of the Larned Mental Hospital.

In other business:

• Shawn Esterl, Ellsworth County sanitarian, gave a brief report of his activities in the county during the second and third quarters of the year. He said in the second quarter, he spent 56 hours on septic systems, 24 hours on water wells, 15.5 hours in the lab running tests and one hour of education. During the third quarter, Esterl spent 60 hours on septic systems, 15 hours on water wells and one hour on education.

• County appraiser Carl Miller discussed a payment under protest case with commissioners. Miller said Steve Olsen, who lives near the dam at Kanopolis Lake, made a payment under protest on his property taxes.

“He’s really upset,” Miller said. “He felt like he’s being deceived.”

Miller said Olsen thought the 1.785 mills in property taxes levied by the commission went to the commission. In fact, the commission is distributing the money to include the rec committee, the fine arts center and the swimming pool, all in Marquette.

Rec Commission representative Scott Johnson attended the recent meeting of the Marquette City Council to ask permission to move forward with repairs to the roof on the former Marquette elementary school and a batting cage.

Miller said Olsen wanted to know whether commissioners knew how the money was being spent.

Commissioner Kermit Rush said he thought it was just for the rec commission.

“He would have to talk to the (rec commission) board,” Rush added.

• Miller presented the 2018 Real and Personal Property Value and Tax Summary to commissioners. Under the category of property value by type and class, Miller noted 24.61 percent of the county’s total valuation was paid by residential, 20.59 percent was paid by ag land, 17.07 percent was paid by commercial real estate and just 2.94 percent was paid by oil and gas.

“I thought these were interesting,” Miller said.

• No action was taken after a 10 minute executive session with Miller to discuss non-elected personnel.

• A $74,900 bid from High Plains Roofing in Hays was approved to redo the roof on the county courthouse after it was damaged in a hail storm earlier in the year.

The next meeting of the Ellsworth County commissioners will be at 9 a.m. Monday, Dec. 23, at the county courthouse.