Overview
Ellis County's 2026 budget book projects overall revenues of $31,121,948, with roughly 61% of revenue coming from local property taxes. The General Fund is budgeted at $34,778,008 in the summary table ($34,776,008 in the transmittal text - a $2,000 difference disclosed below). The mill levy is 38.118 for the 2025 levy year, up from 35.995, which the transmittal describes as still the 14th lowest county rate in Kansas. The Board chose to hold a public hearing on its intention to exceed the revenue neutral rate, and a hearing report records September 9 approval by a 3-0 vote under Resolution 2025-14. Assessed valuation for 2026 is $540 million, up 0.7% from $537 million. The county, established February 26, 1867 and named for Lt. George Ellis, covers about 900 square miles, and Hays City has been its permanent county seat since April 1870.
Source: Ellis County 2026 Budget Book, transmittal and Section VIII pages.
At a glance
Source: Ellis County 2026 Budget Book, transmittal and Section VIII pages.
General Fund and sales-tax funds - 2026 adopted
The book's fund-level pages are the source for these figures. Only the funds with extractable 2026 figures are shown; the General Fund department pages are summarized in the General Fund section below. The General Fund summary-table figure of $34,778,008 is used in the stat grid; the transmittal's $34,776,008 is shown alongside it so the $2,000 difference stays visible.
| Fund | 2026 revenue | 2026 expenditure |
|---|---|---|
| General Fund (summary table) | — | $34,778,008 |
| General Fund (transmittal text) | — | $34,776,008 |
| General Sales Tax, Fund 154 | $950,000 | $1,005,000 |
| Health Sales Tax, Fund 155 | $2,300,000 | $2,548,838 |
| Special Alcohol Programs | — | $8,540 |
| Special Parks & Recreation | — | $8,540 |
| Total | — | $34,778,008 |
Source: Ellis County 2026 Budget Book, transmittal and Section VIII pages.
General Fund
The General Fund has grown steadily: $29,121,040 in 2023 actuals, $31,365,940 in 2024 actuals, $34,668,601 in the 2025 budget, and $34,778,008 in the 2026 summary table. Two department totals are extractable from the book's Section VIII pages: the Sheriff at $5,481,277 (up from $4,804,168 in 2024 actuals and $5,229,746 in the 2025 budget) and the Treasurer at $615,435. The book's other department pages were not extractable in full, so no complete department breakdown is claimed here. The transmittal highlights three new full-time EMS positions and the final step of absorbing 14 full-time dispatch employees from the City of Hays, plus funding for public works projects ($1,600,000) and reserves: capital improvement $792,695, solid waste $100,000, fire $245,000, and equipment $818,100. Two countywide quarter-cent sales taxes, approved by voters in 2020 and sunsetting after ten years, fund health and general purposes.
General Fund history and extractable departments
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| General Fund, 2023 actuals | $29,121,040 |
| General Fund, 2024 actuals | $31,365,940 |
| General Fund, 2025 budget | $34,668,601 |
| General Fund, 2026 summary table | $34,778,008 |
| Sheriff, 2026 | $5,481,277 |
| Treasurer, 2026 | $615,435 |
| Total | $34,778,008 |
Source: Ellis County 2026 Budget Book, transmittal and Section VIII pages.
Debt
No debt figures are claimed on this page. The book's state budget forms (Section V and Section X), which normally carry the Statement of Indebtedness, extracted as image-only pages, and no debt table was extractable from the narrative sections. This is a gap in extraction, not a claim that the county has no debt.
Source: Ellis County 2026 Budget Book, transmittal and Section VIII pages.
Sources & notes
- Only source used: Ellis County, Kansas, 2026 Budget Book (transmittal letter, summary tables, and Section VIII fund pages). Read the budget book (PDF); the county's budget page is ellisco.net/381/County-Budget.
- Discrepancies disclosed: (1) the General Fund total is $34,778,008 in the summary table but $34,776,008 in the transmittal text - a $2,000 difference; (2) the General Sales Tax fund's transfer components as extracted do not cleanly sum to its $1,005,000 expenditure total, so only the totals are shown; (3) no certificate totals, revenue-neutral-rate value, or debt figures were extractable - all three are omitted rather than estimated.
- What is missing: a complete department-level General Fund breakdown and any debt schedule, for the reasons above.
- County palette: no verified Ellis County palette was on file, so this page uses the neutral Hometown Numbers dark-glass theme rather than a county color.