By MELINDA J. OVERSTREET
for Glasgow News 1
Barren County’s governmental body agreed to enter agreements with multiple entities, three of which were related to ensuring American Rescue Plan Act funds are being used in a legal manner, at Tuesday’s regular fiscal court meeting, and several community members were appointed to serve on committees and/or boards.
The fiscal court approved a memorandum of agreement with the Barren River Area Development District for a trial program in which a person assigned as a grant writer specifically for Barren County, Park City and Cave City, with the cities having separate agreements, for the amount of $22,500 annually. Glasgow employs its own grant writer. In a related matter, the fiscal court approved payment of BRADD dues of $13,247.
Service and maintenance agreements, respectively, were approved with BK Technology Professionals and Lyons Service.
Garland Gilliam, director of Glasgow-Barren County Emergency Management, had applied for a 4,500 grant with the American Association of Retired Persons that was awarded, which prompted the need for a memorandum of understanding with the organization, which was approved. The funds must be used to improve the local community with a focus on people ages 50 and up. Gilliam said this was one of 300 applications approved from 3,600 submitted, and the money will be used to purchase 15 portable generators that can be deployed by EM staff to medically fragile individuals in the event of power outages. For example, it could be loaned to someone who uses oxygen or a dialysis machine.
The fiscal court approved a resolution pertaining to the American Rescue Plan Act State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund expenditure policy and agreed to enter two agreements, one with Sites & Harbison PLLC, that Judge-Executive Jamie Bewley Byrd said were in relation to ensuring proper use and tracking of the ARPA funding.
One other agreement approved is with the Commonwealth of Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Department of Highways for up to $51,986 reimbursement to resurface Oil City Road.
Committee reports
Action items not among those previously reported that were completed upon recommendation from committees, presented by their respective chairs, included approvals of the following, with all votes unanimous except as noted:
— Purchase of $9,642 worth of Christmas decor for the exterior of the courthouse;
— Purchase of two Tahoes to be ordered now for $45,617 each for the sheriff’s office and authorization for the sheriff to order another in the near future, as they take months to receive;
— Purchase from Brown’s Overhead Door for 12 units to be installed at the recently acquired building at East College and South Franklin streets was approved at the quoted price of $3,470;
— Payment of $55,000 to an escrow account for a down payment on the purchase of a property the county is pursuing that as yet has not been publicly disclosed;
— Purchase of a 3/4-ton GMC gasoline pickup truck to transport the jail road crew, with Magistrate Derek Pedigo casting a vote against it, which he said after the meeting was because he felt that anything above a half-ton should be diesel;
— Issuance of a purchase order for $16,633.45 for repair of a dump truck;
— Purchase of a 22-foot trailer from Ag Central Co-op, one of two businesses that provided price quotes, for $8,500 for the Road Department; and
— Authorization to spend no more than $6,500 to repair or replace radio equipment, including some on a tower at Pine Ridge for Road Department communications.
Appointments
As the current deputy judge-executive, Beau Jones, is taking a different job with the county soon, Byrd sought – and received – approval of appointing Gilliam to the role; he is also to continue to be emergency management director.
Amanda Steger, who was hired early in the calendar year after the sudden resignation of the previous county treasurer, was reappointed for a full one-year term from July 1 through June 30 of next year.
Appointments or reappointments of the following were also approved:
— Barren County Economic Authority, four-year terms – Larry D. Glass (replacing former Magistrate Carl Dickerson), Magistrate Brad Groce (replacing former Magistrate Mark Bowman) and Ervin Sorrell (reappointment);
— County ethics commission, three-year terms – Troy Robertson (replacing Tony Hodges), Janelle Pedigo (replacing LaToya Drake), and Larry Davenport (replacing Melvin “Tommy” Garrett);
— Hiseville Cemetery Board, three-year terms except fiscal court member – Magistrate Tim Coomer, and Mary Ruth Jessie and Linda Morrison, both reappointments;
— Library board, four-year terms – Marty Kinslow (replacing John Conatser) and Wilma Bunnell (replacing Cecile Garmon); and
— Joint City-County Planning Commission of Barren County, four-year terms – Tommy Gumm and Eddie Atnip, both reappointments.
Other business
Aside from first reading of an ordinance adopting the recommendations of the reapportionment committee, which has been previously reported, the following action items were also among those approved unanimously:
— 2022 sheriff property tax account settlement, subject to audit;
— 2022 sheriff franchise tax account settlement, subject to audit;
— payment to Burks Auto and Towing for sheriff’s 2023 Chevy Tahoe (car #163 for new car setup/install for $11,276.76);
— payment to MPH Industries Inc. for sheriff’s equipment ($4,182);
— City of Cave City annexation (3 parcels, northwest corner of Ky. 90 – the vicinity of Ky. 90 at Estes Road, Patton Funeral Home, The Place Church and Blossom Hills undeveloped subdivision);
— sheriff’s office payment for two Chevrolet Tahoes received; and
— second reading of Ordinance 680, adopting a supplement to the county’s published code of ordinances.
Departmental reports
At each of the regular meetings now, department heads are asked to briefly provide a snapshot of what’s happening with their areas, which often involves numerous statistics. A numerical and other tidbits from this meeting are:
— Coroner Tim Gibson said that so far in 2023, the coroner and deputy coroners have responded to 87 calls for service, have transported 87 bodies to Louisville for autopsies and have worked with four drug-overdose deaths. He added that for each of the past two years, the total number of overdose cases was seven.
— Road Department Supervisor Jamie DeGroft said the first round of mowing was completed June 1, and the crews started the second round June 5 and are through approximately one-third of the roadways. The Ramp Road tile replacement project has been completed, he said. The department has used, over the course of the fiscal year that began July 1, a total of 28,985 gallons of fuel, including gasoline and on-road and off-road diesel.
— Jailer Aaron Shirley said 314 inmates were booked in last month and 309 were released. A toatl of $4,141.60 in various fees was collected. The inmate road crews traveled 268.2 miles and picked up 1,162 bags of trash, 64 tires, 34 wildlife animals.
— Chris Jennings, director of the Parks and Recreation Department, said the Take Me Out to the Ballpark event this past Saturday was a great success – so much so that they may try to have another in in the fall.
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