The Ellsworth County District Court has a new clerk. Kristy Vattershell of Lyons introduced herself at Monday’s meeting of the county commissioners.

Vattershell succeeds longtime clerk Peggy Svaty, who resigned recently to run for county magistrate judge. Svaty, a Republican, faces opposition in the primary from Rita Sunderland of Ellsworth.

Vattershell, who plans to commute to Ellsworth from Lyons, worked 17 years for the Rice County District Court clerk’s office and three years for the Barton County District Court clerk’s office.

In other business:

• Ginny Boots and Ron Etchison of the Ellsworth County Council on Aging submitted a 2021 budget request of $29,000 — $1,000 higher than the $28,000 received in 2020.

• County treasurer Geneva Schneider requested $167,678 for 2021 — $2,678 more than the $165,000 requested in 2020.

• Stacie Schmidt of Ellsworth County Economic Development requested $69,000 for 2021 — $9,000 more than for 2020. Schmidt said she is asking for the 15 percent increase to expand the marketing of what Ellsworth County has to offer.

“I will do the best I can with the money I’m given,” she said.

• Joyce Kraus of the Wilson Heritage Museum in Wilson requested $6,000 for 2021.

“We will see how we come out with our overall budget,” Commissioner Steve Dlabal Jr. said.

“We’ll discuss it,” Commissioner Kermit Rush said.

• Jeremiah Brown of the Ellsworth County EMS discussed the $79,332 purchase of three Life Pack cardiac monitors. The monitors are mandatory and Brown’s current monitors will not be served after Feb. 3.

Brown said he plans to drop consideration of the purchase of another ambulance for the time being and focus instead on the purchase of monitors.

Rush asked if the purchase could be paid for out of the county equipment fund for 2020.

After further discussion, Brown said he will sign an order to purchase the three monitors but delay delivery until December.

In the meantime, Brown said he would try to get more grant funds to pay for the purchase of the monitors to add to the $25,000 he has already received.

• Kerianne Ehrlich said she is using $1,600 of the COVID-19 relief grant funds she received to pay for the installation of a permanent tempered glass barrier by Doubrava Woodworking.

Ehrlich said a third positive case of COVID-19 has been confirmed in the county. The person is a woman in her 60s.