By MELINDA J. OVERSTREET
for Glasgow News 1
Glasgow’s city council on Monday approved the second of two required readings of ordinances adopting the budget for the coming fiscal year and amending the budget for the fiscal year ending in a week, approved a first reading regarding a budget amendment to reflect grant funds received and forwarded for the airport, and approved three resolutions and nine municipal orders.
While the second readings of the budget items got unanimous approvals with all nine council members present and zero discussion after their respective readings by the city attorney, it was the first reading of a proposed ordinance relating to future council and mayoral compensation that garnered the most questions and discussion and the only nonunanimous vote of the evening.
Before reading the text of the ordinance, which actually would be an amendment to an existing ordinance, City Attorney Rich Alexander provided some background information and explanation.
He said state law specifies that compensation for the mayor and council members can only be changed by ordinance no later than the first Monday in May in the year in which they are elected. It cannot be changed after they are elected or during their term in office, Alexander said. So, any changes they would make now would not take effect until the year after the next election for that office.
For example, he said, for the compensation to be changed for this current two-year term for council members, who were just elected in November, that change would have to have been approved no later than May 6, 2024, and it would have taken effect Jan. 1, 2025.
State law also provides, though, for a cost of living adjustment, which is not the same as a change in the compensation, per se. Such adjustments can occur each year provided they are within the limits established annually by the Kentucky Department for Local Government.
He said the proposed ordinance amending the current local law would reflect the current state law regarding compensation for elected officials but also makes clear that the cost-of-living adjustments are permitted on an annual basis if they are within the parameters set forth by the DLG and are within budgetary limitations.
According to the ordinance as it is now, the annual compensation of the mayor was $50,000, and it was $7,000 for council members.
The proposed new wording does not specify a dollar amount but requires that the amount of compensation be set by the council no later than the first Monday in May in the year of the election for the mayor or council members, respectively, and may not be changed for that term of office after that person’s election or during that person’s term of office.
An additional paragraph in the existing ordinance specifies the right to provide the COLA of no more than the percentage set by the DLG as part of the annual budgeting process.
Councilman Joe Trigg asked whether the COLA had been applied to either type of official’s compensation before and, if so, when and by what percentage.
Alexander said he didn’t know the exact dates they were applied or percentages, but based on information he had received from the city’s human resources manager, Lance Crimmins, the current salary, with adjustments, for council members is $8,614.56, and for the mayor, it is $67,644.20. Both were last adjusted around 2016, he said.
Trigg asked how the percentages are determined and whether it’s the same the federal government uses. Alexander said he didn’t know the answer to that, but the DLG puts out a letter each year specifying the current permissible maximum COLA.
Councilman Randy Wilkinson asked whether they had a ballpark percentage.
Mayor Henry Royse said the DLG had declared that this year’s COLA was 2.9 percent, and it’s based on “a very complex calculation.”
Wilkinson asked for confirmation of his understanding that if they approved this ordinance they wouldn’t be giving themselves a raise. Alexander provided that confirmation, and Councilman Terry Bunnell later made a similar statement, that none of them were talking about giving themselves raises.
This ordinance would not specifically provide them with raises to their base compensation amount, Alexander said, but he reiterated that it continues to provide the option of the COLA, which can happen annually during the budgeting process.
Wilkinson said he didn’t want his salary to increase, but he was OK with doing that for future council members, but this ordinance doesn’t change the base compensation for either the current members or the next group, whether they be incumbents or new members. It merely requires any changes to the compensation to be done by the deadline specified in state law and allows for the COLA.
Royse said the DLG also specifies each year the maximum amount of compensation that elected city officials can receive, and that figure is “a lot more” than what they receive in this city.
Councilwoman Marna Kirkpatrick asked whether that figure is “across the board” or based on population or some other factor. Alexander said he wasn’t sure, but he thought it might be higher for cities with a larger population. Royse said he thought it was just a ceiling that’s set, but he didn’t know whether anyone ever went as high as that ceiling.
After a few more minutes of discussion and general questions about the DLG’s role, the vote was 8-1 in favor of the ordinance, with Councilman Freddie Norris voting in opposition.
Budgets and other business
The budget ordinance for the 2025-26 fiscal year, also referred to as FY 26, has been reported previously in more detail. In brief, $8.25 million is the projected carryover from this year to the next from the General Fund, which includes the administrative, legislative, police, fire, emergency communications, recreation and certain other departmental functions. The coming year’s revenue for that fund is budgeted at approximately $26.05 million and the expenses at approximately $26.04 million, providing for a carryover to the following year of roughly $8.26 million to FY 27.
The carryover from this year from all the funds together, including the General, Plaza Theatre, Capital Projects, Municipal Road Aid, and cemetery- and landfill-related funds, is budgeted at $21.27 million, with estimated revenues budgeted at $34 million and estimated expenses at $33.6 million, providing for a carryover to FY 27 of an estimated $21.7 million.
“This is a very, very large living document that everybody on this council has had lots of opportunity to study and read and make decisions on. I appreciate your time, because it’s a very important part of what we do here,” Royse said.
Also getting the second of its two required nods was the ordinance that amends the current fiscal year’s budget ordinance in the following ways: by receiving into the General Fund $271,907.49 for an airport grant and transferring that same amount to the Glasgow Municipal Airport; receiving into the unappropriated General Fund $2,000 from donations and transferring from the unappropriated General Fund $9,200 for the security software, Bitdefender; transferring $1 million from the unappropriated General Fund to the unappropriated Sanitation Landfill Fund to replace monies from an earlier transfer; and transferring $87,900 from the unappropriated Sanitation Landfill Fund for parts and repair of equipment for the landfill.
The first reading of the ordinance with the airport-grant budget amendment was added to the agenda at the top of the meeting, with Councilman Terry Bunnell suggesting the addition. He said the city was required to have at least a first reading of the ordinance before the end of this fiscal year. The amendment would reflect $690,751.74 received into the Administrative Miscellaneous Revenue Account for Glasgow Airport Grants and subsequent transfer of the same amount to the Miscellaneous Expense Account for Glasgow Airport Reimbursement of Grant.
The first of the resolutions is a joint one between the city and the Barren County Fiscal Court amending an interlocal agreement between the two local-government entities related to the collection of fees and assignment of responsibility for the cost of permit software for the county building inspector, who also does the inspections for the city. Alexander said the amendment was essentially for the purpose of more accurately reflecting how things are actually processed.
For example, the new wording specifies that the Barren County Fiscal Court is to retain 70 percent of fees for inspections of buildings, electrical and HVAC performed within the city limits and submit payment of 30 percent of those to the city. He said that’s how it’s actually been being done, but the 2023 agreement said the city was collecting the fees and submitting 70 percent to the county, so this was mostly a housekeeping matter to clean up the language.
The resolution also states that the agreement is amended to specify that the city is to provide the software used by the building inspector’s office to download documents, file permits and other functions.
Councilman James “Happy” Neal asked about how the 70/30 split was determined, and the mayor listed a few factors that went into that. He asked Kevin Myatt, planning director for the Joint City-County Planning Commission of Barren County, for further information. Myatt specified that the building inspector’s office is completely separate from the planning office, though they work closely together. He pointed out, though, that the city is getting the service of an inspector without having to directly employ one and also mentioned a few other factors.
The fiscal court still has to approve the resolution as well before it can take effect. Royse said after the meeting that he’s been told there may be a special-called meeting of the county government during which it would be addressed.
The other two resolutions authorize grant applications. One would be for $327,675 from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, through the Kentucky Department for Local Government, and the city would be expected to match that amount. The funds would be used for lighting at the ballfield in Weldon Park and for Phase II of the American Legion Park remake. It is intended for that phase to include outdoor exercise equipment, a shelter and a small dog park area, all toward the “front” of the park near Happy Valley Road, and a basketball court in the vicinity of the former summer camp building, said Eddie Furlong, director of the Glasgow Parks and Recreation Department, after the meeting. A larger shelter at the top of the hill, near the aquatic center, would be in Phase III of the project, he said.
The other grant would be for $1,266 from the Kentucky Department of Agriculture Animal Control Advisory Board, with the city expected to match that amount, for the Barren River Animal Welfare Association’s spay/neuter program.
The municipal orders were for eight reappointments and one appointment – Beth Hinkley to the Tax Appeals Board – to local boards, commissions, committees, etc. The reappointments are:
– Joey Botts to the Barren County Economic Authority;
– Randy Gibbons, Thomas Grubbs and Candy Wethington to the Glasgow Board of Adjustment;
– Sue Mutter to the Barren River Area Development District Council on Aging;
– Sarah Young to the Glasgow-Barren County Tourist and Convention Commission as a lodging representative; and
– Tim Gooden and Thomas Grubbs to the Historic Preservation Commission.
The next regular meeting of the full council is scheduled for 6 p.m. July 14 in Council Chambers in the Luska J. Twyman Municipal Building, 126 E. Public Square.
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