With budget approved, tempers flare during fire department discussion

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio

Tuesday, June 23, 2015, 11:55 p.m. — The Bardstown City Council held second reading on its 2015-16 fiscal year budget, though for a time Tuesday night it wasn’t clear what version of the budget the council had in front of them to approve.

Councilman Francis Lydian watches as Tracy Hudson, chief financial officer for the City of Bardstown, compares figures on a spreadsheet while the council prepares to take a final vote on the 2015-16 budget.

Councilman Francis Lydian told the council that the copy of the budget distributed to the council for the meeting was not the same budget the council had approved two weeks earlier. While Lydian’s comments generated some puzzled looks, he was back up his claim with evidence.

In the city fire department budget, the newer budget increased the fire department’s share of funds transferred to Nelson County Dispatch. The budget the council approved two week ago set that total at $28,708; the budget distributed to the council for final approval Tuesday night increased that amount to $73,600.

Lydian also noted the newer budget increased by $43,000 the amount of money transferred from unrestricted funds in the fire department budget.

The budget changes — if correct — would require two more readings by the council prior to the end of the month because it differed from the original budget.

Mayor John Royalty talks with City Attorney Tim Butler during Tuesday’s meeting of the Bardstown City Council.

While it was unclear at first why the two versions of the budget differed, Councilman Fred Hagan tried to push the process forward by modifying his motion to state he sought to approve the version of the budget the council approved two weeks earlier — not the altered budget that was the council’s iPads.

Chief Financial Officer Tracy Hudson told the council that the figures changed were due to the need to have a balanced budget in regard to Nelson County Dispatch. The dispatch budget has a $43,275 deficit, and the funds needed to be moved around to cover that.

Hudson said she had talked with E911 Director Debbie Carter regarding the need for the dispatch board to reduce expenses by $43,275 so the city would not have to move the money out of its reserves to cover the shortfall.

After additional discussion, the council approved the budget in a 5 to 1 vote, with Councilman Francis Lydian voting against the budget. Lydian said he believed approving a budget without the mechanism to pay for it “was the city putting the cart before the horse.”

After the vote, Councilwoman Kecia Copeland asked the council about options the city has to raise revenue to fund the expanded fire department.

Hagan told her the four options include raising the occupational tax, establishing an insurance premium tax, raising property taxes, or creating a utility franchise fee.

TEMPERS FLARE DURING FIRE DEPARTMENT DISCUSSION. During council’s comments later in the meeting, Lydian called on the city council to push for new negotiations with the volunteer fire department. He again told the council he had a problem with passing a budget without a way to fund it.

Councilman Roland Williams expresses his views during Tuesday’s meeting of the Bardstown City Council.

Lydian said he read in the local newspaper that the mayor had negotiated a contract with the volunteer fire department, adding that Royalty didn’t follow the usual procedures that would have included the council’s review of the matter.

Mayor John Royalty told Lydian he would be correct — if the negotiations with the volunteers had resulted in a contract. “I haven’t received anything from them,” he told Lydian.

Lydian again referred to the newspaper story that he said claimed the mayor had a contract with the firefighters.

“I only gave them a proposal and they rejected it,” Royalty said.

An increasingly agitated Lydian asked Royalty to show him the proposal; Royalty told him it was a moot point since the proposal was rejected anyway.

Royalty invited Lydian and the rest of the council to visit City Hall and he would show he does each day s mayor. “I’ll bring you up to date on every step I took throughout the day, and when you get done with that you’ll say ‘Wow! What a day!’ ”

Lydian told Royalty he had not been transparent in his negotiations with the volunteer fire department issue. “You got your word out and I have mine, so let’s move on.”

Lydian was about to continue talking when Royalty interrupted him by banging his desk. “That’s it — no more! Stop!”

Copeland asked to speak next but Royalty cut her off, “No ma’am, this is over with, we’re going to move on.”

When asked about the incident after the meeting Copeland, said she wasn’t going to comment on the fire department issue, but to ask the mayor about complaints about the condition of some homes in town.

After the meeting, Royalty told members of the media that Lydian’s suggestions he didn’t do due diligence in negotiating with the fire department was absurd. “It’s wrong, wrong, wrong,” he said.

He refuted Lydian’s statement that as mayor, he had failed to be transparent. Royalty said he’s tried to keep the council informed, and worked to get them involved in the city budget process.

“I don’t know where he was coming from,” he said. “I really don’t.”

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