Fiscal Court Recap, 9/11/17

Darren Doyle, story:
Edmonson County Fiscal Court was held on Monday, September 11, 2017 in the upstairs courtroom of the county courthouse. After those in attendance recited the Pledge of Allegiance with a little more feeling than usual on this 9/11, county business and reports continued.

Road Report: County Road Foreman Ray Page reported that he and his crews had been busy clearing downed trees and limbs from the excessive rainfall and results from the leftovers of Hurricane Harvey. He said crews had to pause blacktopping operations to see to the cleanup, and even members of the mowing crew were recruited to assist. Page said that the mowing crew was back to regular work and blacktop operations had resumed.

Sheriff Report: Sheriff Shane Doyle was absent due to the annual Kentucky Sheriff’s Conference, but Chief Deputy Jeff Brooks filled in. Brooks didn't have a report to give but opened the floor for any questions from the court.

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Magistrate Joe Durbin said he'd been contacted by someone at the local Child Protection Services Office who had asked Mag. Durbin to ask the Sheriff's Office why they weren't getting as much assistance for home calls as they used to. Brooks said that it's just like everything else with the Sheriff's Office, which depends on available manpower. Brooks said that regular policy was for law enforcement to assist child protection in cases where drug activity or violence is suspected and when the Sheriff's office was tied up on another call or shorthanded that KSP was to be dispatched. Durbin also said the child protection office also asked why all available law enforcement officers can attend a ballgame but can't respond to other calls. 

Magistrate Durbin also said, "This should probably be discussed in private, but you all (the Sheriff's Office) came to us publicly in the last meeting so we're coming to you now in public." Brooks said he couldn't comment as to what calls get answered from whom, but said he'd try to obtain that information.

​Jailer Report: Deputy Jailer Todd Vincent reported that Hart County Jail was currently housing 21 inmates from Edmonson County while there were two other prisoners on home incarceration.

County Attorney: CA Greg Vincent reported that his office received a letter from the City of Bowling Green demanding reimbursed training expenses, adding up to over $40K for a police cadet that the Sheriff's Office had recently hired, as per the contract between the City and the cadet. Vincent said that no one, in fact, was hired, but rather the cadet in question was volunteering with the Sheriff's office. He said that he responded with a letter declining the reimbursement due to the fact that the former cadet was a volunteer only, and because of that, the cadet and/or the county was exempt from reimbursing any expenses. He said he received no response from the City of BG and didn't expect to hear anything else as he felt like the City was unaware that the cadet was only a volunteer and not an employee.

​In other county news, the County Attorney pay raise discussed at last meeting was reviewed again. Judge Executive Wil Cannon had recommended a $2K per year pay raise for the County's portion of the salary, which had not changed in nearly 20 years at a rate of $18,800 annually. The county pays a portion of the County Attorney's salary while the state pays the rest.

Magistrate Edd Rich agreed with the $2000 raise and was in the process of making that motion when others began to discuss. Magistrate Durbin said because of the county's current financial strain, he suggested a $1200 raise to make the amount an even $20K per year, noting that the magistrates took only a modest raise themselves. The motion passed.

The court also voted to:

• Give $1000 in appropriation to Red Cross in lieu of hurricanes
• Set Library Tax rate at 7.3%, which was unchanged from last year.
• Approved August 2017 Treasurer's Report
• Change the October 9 Fiscal Court meeting (Columbus Day) to Tuesday, Oct 10 at 9am due to the county holiday.
• Changed Dec 25 meeting (Christmas Holiday) to Thursday, December 21, 2017. 

Rhonda Clemmons with the Chamber of Commerce and Tourism reported that over 2600 email addresses were obtained from those attending county booth at the state fair, which would help in drawing more tourism to the county. She also announced the Chamber cookout would be held on Sept 23, 11am-1pm, and will feature live music, kids’ activities, and free pony rides. The event is free and sponsored by Jacob's Home Furnishings and Laura's Hilltop Restaurant. 

The next meeting is scheduled to be held on Monday, September 25, 2017 at 9am.