Barren fiscal court approves several items during first May meeting

By JAMES BROWN
Glasgow News 1

The Barren County Fiscal Court approved several items at its first meeting of May on Tuesday morning.

The approvals included three items related to funding for Barren County Emergency Management.

Garland Gilliam explained that because federal emergency management had been shut down, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear agreed to use state emergency management funds to cover the gap. The federal program pays 50 percent of the county emergency management director’s salary. Gilliam is the county emergency management director.

Barren County Judge-Executive Jamie Bewley Byrd and Gilliam had to sign the agreement with the state, and the fiscal court approved the paperwork.

The court also approved the Emergency Management Performance Grant that extends the contract through Sept. 30, 2026. That is the end date of the federal fiscal year. They also approved a grant that allows the county to pursue excess funds that were not used by other counties during the last grant period.

The magistrates also approved the acceptance of state road aid funds beginning on July 1, which is the start of the state fiscal year. The funds amount to $1,614,377.12.

Byrd said the estimated amount the county is projected to receive from the state has declined by up to $300,000.

“This pays for the operation of the [county] road department,” she said.

The fiscal court also approved bid requests for a construction manager for the agriculture expo center to be built in Cave City.

Byrd said those bids will be due to the judge-executive’s office by June 2. She also said there will be a board established to oversee the project as it moves forward.

The expo center is to be built on property adjacent to the Cave Area Conference Center off Mammoth Cave Street in Cave City. The federal government earmarked $20 million to be used for the facility.

The magistrates also approved a contract from the Army Corps of Engineers with the Barren County Sheriff’s Office for patrols of certain areas under the Corps’ management.

Sheriff Kent Keen told the magistrates this a program that has been in existence for several years, and that the Corps contracts with law enforcement agencies throughout the state for this type of service. The patrol contract runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

The next meeting of the fiscal court will be a special-called one on May 21 at 9 a.m.