Ellis County making long-range plans

ELLIS COUNTY – Ellis County’s growth spurt over the past few years has necessitated a need for some long range planning.

Last week at a kickoff meeting, Ellis County took a look at its growth needs in regard to facilities and after a thorough assessment hired Kitchell, a building services firm, and its partner HOK, a professional design firm, to update county facilities for future population growth.

The county was quick to add that despite county departments expanding office space, Ellis County’s representatives remain committed to the principles of limited government.

“It’s not the size and scope of government that is expanding,” said Ellis County Judge Todd Little, “it’s the number of citizens we serve. We believe government should be present in the lives of our citizens only when they need it, but when they need it, we want it to do its job well.”

In May, the Ellis County Commissioner’s Court entered into a professional services agreement with Kitchell to analyze future facility needs, develop a long-term strategic plan, and implement construction projects.

Last week that first phase of the process began, and the team is working with each county department to determine current and future needs to address the anticipated increase in demand for county services.

The facilities needs assessment started at a basic level according to Judge Little’s office. Kitchell representatives toured each county building and took note of the space utilized by each county department.

Once the information gathering phase is complete, the team will utilize new census data and population growth projections to develop a long-range planning vision for the county.

The focus will be on providing value to the county, preparing for the future growth, and utilizing funds and resources as efficiently as possible.

“This long-term needs assessment will allow Ellis County to adapt to a rapidly-growing population, which increases the need for customer service,”  Little concluded.

The team will continue working with a steering committee as a resource and sounding board as they prepare for public workshops and presentations to the Commissioners Court for findings, recommendations, and decisions over the course of the next five months.