Overview
Ellsworth County adopted a 2026 budget of $14,182,221 in total budget authority, supported by $7,307,256 in 2025 ad valorem tax. The General Fund is $4,671,611, about a third of the total, followed by Road & Bridge at $2,871,235 and Employee Benefits at $2,105,500. The revenue neutral rate is 60.110 mills and no resolution to exceed it was required. The Sheriff's department alone is $1,641,084 - 35% of the General Fund - and the county's ambulance service is $788,187.
Source: Ellsworth County 2026 adopted budget, certificate and General Fund pages.
At a glance
Source: Ellsworth County 2026 adopted budget, certificate and General Fund pages.
All funds - 2026 adopted
The authority and ad valorem columns each sum exactly to the certificate's printed totals. The Hospital Sales Tax and Bridge Construction Sales Tax funds are sales-tax funded and carry no ad valorem levy.
| Fund | Budget authority | 2025 ad valorem tax |
|---|---|---|
| General | $4,671,611 | $2,596,344 |
| Bond & Interest | $928 | — |
| Road & Bridge | $2,871,235 | $2,071,643 |
| Health | $395,656 | $270,813 |
| Noxious Weed | $292,400 | $109,661 |
| County Building | $386,176 | $123,585 |
| Special Bridge | $865,338 | $123,585 |
| Employee Benefits | $2,105,500 | $1,702,556 |
| Hospital Operations | $323,227 | $309,069 |
| Special Alcohol Programs | $72,821 | — |
| Special Parks & Recreation | $15,492 | — |
| 911 Emergency | $70,409 | — |
| Wireless 911 | $10,795 | — |
| Ellsworth County 911 | $250,652 | — |
| Health Capital Outlay | $363,304 | — |
| Bridge Construction Sales Tax | $780,834 | — |
| Hospital Sales Tax | $662,925 | — |
| Opioid Settlement | $42,918 | — |
| Total | $14,182,221 | $7,307,256 |
Source: Ellsworth County 2026 adopted budget, certificate and General Fund pages.
General Fund
The General Fund's 2026 authority of $4,671,611 is the sum of its sixteen department lines, verified exactly. Its beginning unencumbered balance is $798,496, budgeted receipts other than ad valorem tax are $1,315,141 (shown as a printed total only - the receipt components as extracted do not reconcile to it, so no breakdown is claimed), and resources available are $2,113,637. The tax required is $2,557,974, plus 1.5% delinquent compensation of $38,370, giving the ad valorem figure of $2,596,344. The Sheriff and ambulance together are $2,429,271 - 52% of the fund.
General Fund expenditures by department - 2026
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| County Commission | $69,664 |
| County Clerk | $176,630 |
| County Treasurer | $200,500 |
| County Attorney/Counselor | $171,492 |
| Register of Deeds | $125,180 |
| Sheriff | $1,641,084 |
| Election | $68,311 |
| Unified Court | $104,980 |
| Courthouse General | $457,500 |
| Ambulance | $788,187 |
| Appraiser | $202,630 |
| Solid Waste | $102,350 |
| 4-H Barn | $2,600 |
| Economic Development | $80,000 |
| Emergency Management | $85,000 |
| Other Appropriations | $395,503 |
| Total | $4,671,611 |
Source: Ellsworth County 2026 adopted budget, certificate and General Fund pages.
Debt
No debt figures are claimed on this page. The budget's Statement of Indebtedness pages extracted as scrambled, rotated text, and no indebtedness figure could be verified from them. This is a gap in extraction, not a claim that the county has no debt.
Source: Ellsworth County 2026 adopted budget, certificate and General Fund pages.
Sources & notes
- Only source used: Ellsworth County, Kansas, adopted budget for 2026 (certificate, budget summary, and General Fund pages). Read the budget (PDF).
- Sum checks: the certificate authority and ad valorem columns, the General Fund department total, and the General Fund tax requirement plus delinquent compensation all reconcile exactly to their printed totals. The General Fund receipt components as extracted do not reconcile to the printed $1,315,141 total, so only the total is shown.
- Extraction limits disclosed: no debt figures (scrambled indebtedness pages); the General Fund page's 2024/2025 columns appear transposed between rows, though the 2026 column agrees in both.
- County palette: no verified Ellsworth County palette was on file, so this page uses the neutral Hometown Numbers dark-glass theme rather than a county color.