Questions regarding Grow Ellsworth County and grant writing requests were clarified Monday as the Ellsworth County Commission met with GEC Excecutive Director Stacie Schmidt, GEC Boared President Justin Lindsley and GEC Board Vice President Jon Halbgewachs.

Lindsley said the organization would be happy to help with grant writing when it can.

“That’s not our main focus,” he said, adding GEC simply is not capable of doing so every time.

It was noted that the North Central Regional Planning Commission in Beloit has individuals who focus exclusively on grant writing and administration.

In other business:

• Halbgewachs, who is also senior vice president and Kansas Operations Manager of Kirkham Michael Engineers, Ellsworth, said the bridge south of Wilson is now open. He also noted Kirkham Michael is developing a preliminary plan for the Kansas Department of Transportation to replace signage in the western half of the county.

• The commissioners toured the former Golden Plains Credit Union building in Ellsworth because the county has expressed an interest in purchasing the building.

• Approval was given to pay LockIT Technologies LLC to install a Lexmark printer in the county treasurer’s office.

• Approval was given to an engagement letter to Lindburg Vogel Pierce Faris Chartered in Hutchinson to assist with the county’s 2025 budget preparation.

From July 1: Several more 2025 budget requests came before the commission. Colby Richards, representing Grow Ellsworth County, asked for a budget of $80,000. That is a 10 percent increase from the $71,500 requested for 2024.

Dale Houston, superintendent of the county road and bridge department, requested $3,109,923, an increase from the $3,085,188 requested for 2024.

In other business:

• Jessica Kootz of the Midway Extension District said she heard the commissioners were reviewing the district’s lease in the courthouse. She asked what the likelihood was the commissioners would renew that lease.

“We haven’t really had an in-depth discussion,” Commissioner Shawn Thomas said, adding it’s more of maybe shuffling one office with another.

“We haven’t had any detailed conversations about increasing rent or anything like that,” he said. “It’s more of trying to utilize more space because the departments here don’t have adequate space right now; that part of the whole evaluation of the courthouse that we’re doing.”

“We love it here,” Kootz said. “We appreciate it. We think we get extra foot traffic too, just by people coming into the courthouse. I’m sure it benefits every other department.”

Thomas said the current footprint of the courthouse has outgrown the space needed.

“So, it’s a full evaluation of every square inch of the facility,” he said. “Every office, every location, every department. That’s what we’re having the Goldberg Group do.”

Thomas said the commission has already decided the courthouse is not going to be expanded.

“We’re going to utilize what we have,” he said.

• EMS Director Nathan Florian said his generator is back online, as is the ice maker.

Florian noted two technicians have left the EMS — one part-time and one a full-time shift supervisor. As such, Florian said overtime in his department will probably go up. He has promoted Dave Chamberlain to shift supervisor.

• Ellsworth County Health Department Director Kerianne Ehrlich discussed placement of the outdoor digital LED sign she purchased with grant funds.

• Approval was given to a request by Ehrlich to purchase a new hemoglobin analyzer for $500 using money from a family planning grant.

• Approval was given to a request by Sheriff Murray Marston for $2,671.89 from the equipment reserve fund to the sheriff office dispatch console fund to rectify a balance.

• County Clerk Shelly Vopat discussed preliminary work on the 2025 budget.

The next meeting of the Ellsworth County Commission is at 9 a.m. Monday, July 15, at the county courthouse.