Parks & Rec To Get New Tractor, Other Fiscal Court News

Parks & Rec's Greg Hudson speaks at the night meeting of fiscal court on July 24, 2017.

Darren Doyle, editor@edmonsonvoice.com, story and photo:
Edmonson County Parks & Rec was approved for a new tractor after a lengthy discussion at last night's fiscal court meeting. Several questions were asked and magistrates weighed in on the pros and cons of the purchase, as well as the borrowing of the money from the Road Department account for the purchase, as requested by Parks & Rec.

Parks Program Administrator Greg Hudson updated the court of the park's current tractor that he said was far beyond maintenance and repair. He also broke down the different needs that the park will continue to have for a new tractor and that the money will be paid back to the general fund over time with money budgeted within Parks & Rec.

Judge Cannon said the requested tractor would cost somewhere around $18K-$19K and while the county's general fund could cover the purchase, he recommended taking a short-term loan from the Road Department that would be paid back in full by December in order to not put strain on the general fund. The amount of funds in the Road Dept's account was not discussed, but Cannon said it was a comfortable balance.

Mag. Joe Durbin asked about the need for a tractor now that ball seasons are completed, and Hudson's reply was that now is actually the time that fields can be repaired and maintained. Hudson said that the Spring season is too wet to do most type of long-term work on the fields and new tractor was imperative now.

​Durbin said that to his knowledge, the current tractor belonging to Parks and Rec was not housed properly and that could have possibly helped lead the tractor to its current state. Mag. Mark Woosley asked how long would it take to complete the tasks that necessitate a tractor, to which Hudson said would be a couple of months. Woosley asked about renting a tractor instead of buying and Judge Cannon said he saw no sense in that because the purchase would have to be made at one point or another. 

Mag. Durbin also inquired about a budget shortfall for Parks and Rec if the purchase was made, to which Judge Cannon said there would not be, according to a prior budget discussion with Hudson.

Hudson also said that the park regularly borrows Park Director A.B. Webb's personal tractor and that it wasn't fair for the county to use Webb's personal equipment. A motion was made by Mag. Edd Rich to purchase the tractor with the borrowed funds from the Road Department, seconded by Buck Simmons. All voted "yes" except for Woosley, who voted "no," and the motion passed.

During the meeting, District 2 Constable Tim Skees addressed the court and requested use of NCIC, or The National Crime Information Center, which is a computerized database of documented criminal justice information. Constable Skees said he needs access to the same system that local law enforcement personnel use to run licenses, vehicle tags, and gain background info on subjects during traffic stops, of which he currently has no local authority to use. He also requested that Judge Cannon appoint vacant constable offices in three districts, including Wingfield, Segal, and Lincoln. No action was taken on either request.

In other fiscal court news, the county approved multiple taxes and fees from the County Clerk's office as well as the Sheriff's tax settlement, fee, and franchise monthly report.

The court also approved the Health Department Affiliation Agreement along with the Barren River District Health Department Mass Treatment and Vaccination Resolution.

Rhonda Clemmons updated the court on various Chamber, Tourism, and Trail Town news, as well as the SOKY Film Commission.

The next fiscal court meeting is scheduled for Monday, August 14, 2017 at 9am in the upstairs courtroom at the Edmonson County Courthouse.