Fiscal court approves road projects, pay increase for county employees
By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio
Judge Executive Dean Watts shows the materials bid sheet to a member of the media at the beginning of Tuesday’s meeting of Nelson Fiscal Court. Click to enlarge.
Tuesday, June 17, 2014 — With the 2014-15 budget approved, Nelson Fiscal Court took up requests for road paving and maintenance work at its regular meeting Tuesday morning.
The court approved $99,474 for Magistrate Bernard Ice’s road paving requests that include Wheeler Road from Barnes Road to Ben Irvin Road, and a 1,700-foot section of Stumph’s Court. Fiscal court also approved $36,300 to pave a portion of Ice Road in Magistrate Keith Metcalfe’s district.
Each magisterial district has a budget of $120,000, and each magistrate sets the road paving and maintenance priorities as funding is available, Watts explained.
Citing the premature failure of some asphalt paving, Magistrates Keith Metcalfe and Sam Hutchins asked Watts if the paving work the county pays for could be tested to be certain it meets state standards. If the magistrates request it the testing will be done, Watts said.
The court also approved a $126,409 bid by Rame Construction to remove embankments from two areas along KY 733, Bellwood Road.
Anna Jane Thomas, winner of the Human Rights Commission’s essay contest, read her winning essay prior to the start of Tuesday’s meeting.
PAY RATES APPROVED. A usually routine approval turned into a discussion over pay raises when fiscal court began discussion about the 2014-15 pay rate schedule which gives most county workers a 1.5 percent increase. Magistrate Keith Metcalfe questioned Watts the schedule’s 5 percent the pay increase for the city’s preservation administrator, Hope Hawkins.
Hawkins is not a county employee, Watts explained. Her salary is funded by the City of Bardstown and paid out by county government. Hawkins’ salary is 100 percent reimbursed by the city, he explained, there is no cost to the county government.
Metcalfe said it didn’t look fair for county employees to get a 1.5 percent increase with one person getting 5 percent. Janet Johnston-Crowe explained that the arrangement for the county to handle payroll for planning and zoning employees has been in place for years. After additional discussion the court approved the pay rate schedule 5-1, with Metcalfe voting no.
HOLIDAY GARBAGE COLLECTION. The county’s normal garbage pickup schedule will take place on Friday, July 4. Watts explained for past Friday holidays, garbage collection was moved to Saturday. After some confusion about pickup days in the past, this year the county’s garbage collection will operate on the holiday.
In other business, fiscal court —
— approved a rezoning request from Marilyn and Daniel Ballard to rezone 4 acres on Quarry Lane from A-1 agricultural to R-1A residential;
— approved a rezonign request from Eugene Keeling Jr. to rezone 4.896 acres on Murray’s Run Road from A-1 to R-1A residential;
— approved a resolution for a Homeland Security grant that will help equip more ambulances with special equipment for bariatric patients;
— approved the replacement of an EMS response vehicle with a new Ford Explorer purchased on state contract. Two additional Explorers will be purchased for the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office.
Prior to calling the meeting to order, Anna Jane Thomas, winner of the Human Rights Commission essay contest, read her essay.
NEXT UP. Nelson Fiscal Court will next meet at 9 a.m. Tuesday, July 1, 2014, on the second floor of the Old Courthouse.
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