Fiscal Court Recap: November 9, 2018

Darren Doyle, story:
Edmonson County Fiscal Court met in the downstairs courtroom on Friday November 9, 2018 as a result of the regular Monday meeting falling on Veterans Day. The upstairs courtroom was occupied by other court activities.

Road Report: Assistant Road Foreman Greg Carroll said that crews will soon be moving into District 4. He said three bridges were underwater due to recent storms but are now okay. He also said some major work is being done on the paver. Discussion later in the meeting said costs could be upwards of $10K; however, that was better than spending $100K for a used paver.

Jailer Report: Deputy Jailer Todd Vincent reported there were 27 inmates currently housed in Hart County Jail, with one on home incarceration. He also said one car has been repaired while another one is still out of service. He discussed some recent medical bills for inmates that the county will have to cover. According to the bill list for this week's meeting, nearly $1300 was accrued in medical bills for inmates.

County Clerk: Kevin Alexander recapped the election process from Tuesday's general election. Overall voter numbers were up countywide 82 voters from the May primary, with all precincts up except for Kyrock. Total Absentees: 239 voted in the clerk's office, 64 submitted ballots. He said those numbers were up significantly since May, which was a total of 173.

Number of voters: he said in the primary, there were 3,000 voters, which was a 33% turnout, compared to 49%  in the general. More than 52% voted in District 1,  District 2 had 44.7%, District 3 had 43%, Kyrock had 48.4%, Lincoln was the lowest with 35.5%, and Bear Creek showed a 51.5%. He also mentioned the difficulty of finding poll workers, and this year they had some high school/college students participate as workers for the first time. He wanted to publicly thank them for their service. 

Parks and Rec: A.B. Webb, said that he had shut down the bathrooms for the winter in all the parks. He also said there had been more vandalism at Chalybeate, with the vandals stuffing paper into the toilets to clog them, along with stealing parts of the faucets. John Kiernan reported that they had another great year in soccer with 40 more kids in league. He commented on the recent Halloween on Square, which was the biggest ever. He said it was a good move to change the date as a result of the weather forecast, which he felt like drew the bigger crowd. He said little league basketball is about to begin with games starting the week after Thanksgiving.
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​Judge Wil Cannon said that residents near Rock Castle shooting center are requesting berms to be installed around property, and have requested a county ordinance. County Attorney Greg Vincent said there is much to consider, according to law.

Cannon said because it’s a commercial shooting range, the county needed to consider an ordinance. He noted that everyone, including homeowners have to follow law regarding the use of firearms on their property (wanton endangerment possibilities). He said the court would research the options.

Judge Cannon also addressed apparent rumors of the county kicking out the backpack program from the county health department building, which he said were not true. He said the county is going to clean out some rooms at the facility to ensure there's enough room for supplies for the backpack program. 
 
James Simmons, a trustee of Hawks Cemetery, requested that the Hawks Cemetery Road be turned into a one-way street. Judge Cannon said property owners did not want this a few years ago but that the court will check again. Simmons said the road is too narrow for two cars that meet and recently a mower had to back a truck and trailer all the way back in order for an oncoming car to pass. Magistrate Buck Simmons confirmed that two property owners that have adjacent property to the cemetery didn’t want the change; however, they don’t live there.

Judge Cannon said the court would reach out to landowners to seek their input; however, Mr. Simmons appeared agitated at the comment. "Did you ask all the businesses on the street out here in front of the courthouse before you made it a one-way street (referring to Jackson St.)?" he asked. "What about Bowling Green? You think those folks ask everybody if it's ok with them?"

Simmons said there are no residents or driveways on Hawks Cemetery Road; that it's just the cemetery and some farmland. He agreed that the property owners of the area don't actually live there. Cannon again said he would contact the property owners.

As the meeting came to a close, Judge Cannon introduced three newly-elected magistrates that were in attendance. They will take office in January, which was District 2 republican Corey Vanmeter, District 6 republican James Vincent, and District 1 democrat Mark Meeks.

The next fiscal court meeting is scheduled for Monday, November 26th at 9am.