With Ronnie Stinson absent, the six remaining Barren County magistrates met on Jan. 21 for the regularly scheduled monthly meeting. Michael Crimmins/Glasgow News 1
By MICHAEL CRIMMINS
Glasgow News 1
Barren County might soon use the services of a federal lobbyist.
Five of the six county magistrates present for the recent fiscal court meeting voted to allow Barren County Judge-Executive Jamie Bewley Byrd to continue discussions with the lobbyist firm Statesman Advisory LLC.
The idea of hiring a federal lobbyist was first discussed at the Dec. 16 Administration and Budget Committee. As discussed in that committee meeting, Byrd said the projects she would want the lobbyist to focus on would be the Ag Expo Center, for which they recently put out the architecture and design bid, and a water treatment expansion at the Narrows at Barren River Lake.
The total contribution from the county would be $2,000 a month, the Glasgow Water Company would contribute $2,000 and Allen County would contribute $500 a month, Byrd said, which is $2,500 less than originally discussed.
The lone no vote came from Magistrate Tim Coomer, who said he “didn’t have enough information” to vote. Byrd said she would bring the contract to the magistrates before signing, but that this vote essentially expresses the county’s interest.
“I’d hate for them to go through all the trouble if they don’t know if we’re even interested,” Byrd said after the meeting.
She said the lobbyist, if approved, would start in February or March after “everything settles down in D.C.”
Magistrate Ronnie Stinson was not present at the Jan. 21 Barren County Fiscal Court meeting.
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