City holds first reading on ordinance to regulate scrap metal buyers
By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette
Bardstown Police Chief Rick McCubbin watches as Mayor Bill Sheckles swears in Bardstown’s newest officer, Officer Jeron Skillman . Click to enlarge.
Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2014, 11 p.m. — The Bardstown City Council held first reading Tuesday night of an ordinance that will regulate those who buy scrap precious metals and other regulated commodities.
At the council’s Jan. 7 working session, Bardstown Police Chief Rick McCubbin explained that local businesses follow the rules, but the city had no rules for itinerant scrap buyers who travel the region and set up shop at a hotel to buy jewelry, coins, gold and silver for a weekend.
The ordinance will require any business in Bardstown that buys scrap gold, silver or any other regulated commodity to record full details of the transaction, including the seller’s identity and full description of the items purchased. The buyer is also required to enter the transaction on a website called Leads Online.
The ordinance is based on one that has been in place in Elizabethtown. Bardstown’s version of the ordinance will be up for final approval at the Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2014 council meeting.
SWEARING IN. Mayor Bill Scheckles led the swearing-in ceremony for Bardstown’s newest law enforcement officer, Officer Jeron Skillman. Sheckles read the oath of office while Skillman’s fiance observed. At the completion of the ceremony she pinned the shield on his uniform.
ADVERTISING CONTRACT. The council unanimously approved authorizing the mayor to sign an advertising contract with the Kentucky Standard at a 61 percent savings over the “walk-off-the-street” rate, City Electrical Engineer Jeff Mills explained. The contract covers all advertising the city does with the newspaper, including legals, ads promoting Bardstown Cable TV and its cable internet service.
Last year the city purchased $54,430 in advertising with the newspaper. “If you’re rounding, $27,000 was cable, $17,000 was internet and $11,000 was general government,” Mills said.
Advertising is necessary to help the city-owned cable TV system be competitive.
“We’ve never been in a more competitive environment,” Mills said.
In other action, the council:
— approved unanimously a motion to enter into contracts for Sony HD TV and Palladia HD that will be added to the city cable TV system’s HD Xtreme tier.
— approved an ordinance creating a telecommunications franchise in order for the city to allow Bluegrass Cellular to complete a fiber-optic project using a portion of the City of Bardstown’s utility right-of-way.
-30-
