City dips into its reserves to replace lost county rec funding

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio

Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2016, 11:55 p.m. — A group of budget amendments presented at Tuesday’s Bardstown City Council meeting prompted some pointed questions related to the city’s move last year to end its joint recreation department with Nelson Fiscal Court.

Councilman Francis Lydian poses questions about the city recreation budget during Tuesday’s Bardstown City Council meeting.

One of the five amendments to the city’s 2015-16 budget included a transfer of $100,000 from the city’s reserves to the recreation department budget. The fund transfer is to cover the loss of $100,000 in Nelson Fiscal Court recreation funding due to the termination of the joint city-county recreation department.

Councilmen Francis Lydian and Fred Hagan asked about the savings the city was supposed to see by ending its long-term joint recreation program with the county. In addition to in-kind services and the use of Dean Watts Park, fiscal court gave the city $100,000 to help cover the cost of city employees to maintain the park.

“You indicated we were going to save on expenses by separating the recreation department from the county, and that it was going to less expensive, and that we wouldn’t need the $100,000 from the county,” Lydian said.

Donna Paschal said the 2015-16 recreation budget included the county’s $100,000 payment — which did not happen after the joint rec program fell apart when negotiations failed to find a compromise last July.

Councilman Rolland Williams prepares for the start of the council meeting Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2016.

Hagan said he thought the recreation budget would have reflected the loss of the county’s funding; instead, the budget amendment moved $100,000 from reserves to replace it.

Some members of the council said they were led to believe the city would save money by ending its joint recreation efforts with the county.

The city recreation department has five employees, Paschal told the council. The county’s $100,000 basically covered the cost of the employees who maintained the park, she said. They no longer have the county’s funding, but they still have five recreation employees.

“Unless we fire all of us and eliminate those positions, its going to be awfully hard for me to decrease our budget by $100,000,” she said.

The savings will come in next year’s budget, she explained. One of the recreation employees is retiring this year and won’t be replaced. The other savings include not renewing a mowing contract and approximately $1,500 annually the city spent on fuel for its vehicles going to the park.

Chief Financial Officer Tracy Hudson said the savings will be reflected in the end-of-year June 30 financial report.

Without Dean Watts Park to manage, the city’s rec employees now do lots of other things, from replacing and repairing lights to catching up on maintenance of the city’s park and playgrounds. They take care of the COBEC building and the farmer’s market pavilion, she said.

In other changes, the amendments addressed:

CITY PARKING LOT EXPANSION. The budget amend adds y $15,144.66 for the expense of building an expansion of the city parking lot in front of City Hall.

COBEC RENOVATION. The budget amendment also moved reserve funds to the budget to cover $20k for the renovation of a portion of the City of Bardstown Educational Center, the former Old Kentucky Home middle school building. The renovated area will be used for the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry.

Two of the budget changes were to move expenses from one line item to another.

Hudson said the city police purchase of body cameras, and the purchase of new dumpsters were moved from one budget line item to an appropriate one.

All of the expenses were previously approved by the council.

NEXT UP. The council will hold a working session at 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 1.

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