Mayor casts tie-breaking vote after council splits 3-3 on 2014-15 budget

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio

Councilman John Royalty looks over an ordinance during the Tuesday’s meeting of the Bardstown City Council.

Tuesday, June 24, 2014, 11:30 p.m. — Bardstown Mayor Bill Sheckles was forced to cast a tie-breaking vote Tuesday night in order to get final approval of the city’s $45.4 million 2014-15 budget.

Citing frustration at how little time they had to review the budget, councilmen Tommy Reed, John Royalty and Bobby Simpson all cast “no” votes, while councilmen Francis Lydian, Roland Williams and Joe Buckman cast votes to approve the budget. With the 3-3 vote, Sheckles cast the deciding vote without comment.

Councilman Tommy Reed called the lack of time and input “frustrating.”  Before the vote, he apologized to the council for failing to request a finance committee meeting to force a discussion on the budget and its priorities well in advance of receiving the final budget.

The council received the budget a week before the June working session, then had only a week to examine it and come up with questions. Reed said he tried to ask as many questions as possible to get clarifications about the budget.

Council Tommy Reed was one of three council members who voted against the 2014-15 budget.

“Those clarifications were difficult, almost impossible,” he said. “I’m hoping future councils will be allowed to be part of the budget process and be able to educated themselves about the complexity of the budget.”

Councilman Roland Williams asked if it was possible to get the budget a month earlier. Mike Abell, the city’s chief financial officer, explained that some of the figures used in the budget are calculated very late in the process. Williams said a finance committee meeting could be used to help the council examine the budget, even an incomplete one.

Sheckles called the 2015 budget a “no-frills” budget that simply reflects the city’s cost of doing business.

After the meeting the Mayor said he would consider the council’s request to get budget information at an earlier date.

Larry Green explains the structure of the city’s classification and compensation plan.

CLASSIFICATION & COMPENSATION PLAN. The council spent considerable time discussing the city’s classification and compensation plan. The plan creates 55 pay grades that establish pay ranges for city employees. An employee’s pay grade is determined by the job they do, and advancement to a higher grade is tied to education and training, and taking on more responsibility explained Larry Green, the city’s assistant administrator.

The changes to the plan include elimination of some positions and additions of two new ones. The council questioned one proposed change that would raise all pay ranges by 2 percent.

Reed asked if increasing the ranges 2 percent would mean some people would get an automatic pay raise. Green assured him that it did not believe that would happen, but that if the council wanted him to verify that, he would. After additional discussion, the matter was tabled.

WEST JOHN FITCH CLOSURE DELAYED. The council also delayed taking final action on a request from Bethlehem High School to close West John Fitch Avenue behind the school. David Hall, a local historian and former preservation director, told the council the road has been a public right-of-way since 1928, and there has been no public hearing prior to the decision to close the street.

David Hall, local historian and former city preservation director, told the council his concerns regarding the proposed closure of West John Fitch Avenue.

“The problem is the manner in which its being handled,” Hall explained. “I have no problem with Bethlehem and what they’re trying to do with it.”

City Attorney Bruce Reynolds told the council he would look into the matter, and the council agreed to postpone final action until a later date.

TAP-ON FEES HIKED. The council gave final approval to substantial increases in the rates the city charges for setting water meters for new service. Councilman John Royalty said contractors had called him and were unhappy with the rate increases.

New water service for a single family home that cost $375 will now cost $700 for homes inside the city limits; the price for homes outside the city limits jumps from $425 to $750.

City civil engineer Jessica Filiatreau explained the increases reflect the city’s actual costs of the materials and labor, which had not been adjusted since 2006. Meter manufacturers moved to more expensive brass, raising the costs of materials. The city has been absorbing the greater costs, she said.

In other business, the council:

— gave final approval to rezone 99 acres in the Nelson County Industrial Park from I-1 Light Industrial to I-2 Heavy Industrial.

— approved policies related to how part-time employees are paid overtime and earn vacation days.

— gave the Mayor authorization to enter into an agreement with Nally and Haydon for relocation of utilities along KY 245 between US62 and US150.

— gave final approval to changes that will allow the sale of alcoholic beverages on election day.

— approved removing the licensing and training requirements from the city’s bicycle ordinance.

— approved the final budget amendment to the 2013-14 budget

— awarded a bid of $24,000 for 52 tons of color crumb rubber to Bluegrass Recreation of Floyd Knobs, Ind.

— approved changes to cemetery policies regarding cremation burials.

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