Mayor: Police officers who live outside county can’t drive take-home cars home

Capt. McKenzie Mattingly congratulates Steve Uram, the city’s new police chief, and presents him with his chief’s shield and rank insignia during Wednesday’s council meeting.

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio

Thursday, Nov. 10, 2016, 11 a.m. — The Bardstown Police Department’s policy regarding its take-home vehicles was Wednesday to prohibit officers from driving their city-provided police cars to their homes if they live outside Nelson County.

The change follows questions about the policy raised by Councilman Roland Williams.

Bardstown Mayor John Royalty discusses the city police department’s policy on officer’s take-home vehicles.

Williams told the council at its meeting Wednesday night he had fielded a number of questions about the policy from city residents. He said he agreed that officers’ take-home vehicles are an additional benefit to the officers and serve as a visible deterrent to crime wherever they are parked.

Mayor John Royalty said Williams’ questions promoted him to review the take-home policy, which he said allows officers to drive their cars to their homes outside Nelson County. He found the policy did not match the city council’s earlier municipal order regarding vehicles leaving the county,  which prompted him to order the practice stopped Wednesday.

“Now they park them at the county line or leave them at the station,” he told the council. “There’s no city vehicles now that will leave Nelson County. We’ve been in violation of the municipal order for probably five years.”

Take-home vehicles are an additional benefit to officers that helps supplement their pay, which he said is lower than that at other police departments. Officers are also in charge of making sure the cars are properly maintained.

Williams specifically asked about the fuel costs for officers who use their official vehicles when they are working off-duty events. Officers are allowed to work in their police uniforms and use their take-home cars.

Royalty said the fuel costs are not tracked at the level of an officer’s use. He said Steve Uram, the city’s new police chief, plans to review all of the department’s policies — including take-home vehicle policy — and bring them up to date.

FIRE DEPARTMENT JOB DESCRIPTION. The council approved changing its current classification and compensation plan to create a fire department volunteer recruitment and retention position.

The fire department received a four-year grant to fund the position and provide funding for purchase of personal safety equipment. Chief Randy Walker said at past meetings the new position will focus on creating a well-trained and motivated pool of volunteer firefighters.

The move changes the title and job description of one firefighter position. The fire department is authorized 17 positions, and the new position will fill an opening that exists now in the fire department. The new position will be fully funded by the grant for the four-year term. At the end of the grant, the city will take over funding for the position.

In other business, the council:

— approved a municipal order regarding collection of the E-911 fee placed on city residents. The order directs that city residents’ fees will be directed to the joint city-county E-911 central dispatch operation. If order allows the city to direct those 911 funds to another dispatch provider should the city withdraw from the existing dispatch agreement.

— authorized the mayor to apply for funding from the state’s revolving loan program. The borrowed funds will be used for an upgrade at the city’s water treatment program that will change the process used for treating city water.

Currently the city uses chlorine as a disinfectant in its water purification processes. The upgrade will allow the city to move to the use of chloramine, a process that is compatible with water treated by the Louisville Water Co. The change means the city could more easily use Louisville water in the event of an extended drought or other water supply disruption.

— approved a donation of $1,000 to Bardstown Main Street to purchase new lights for the city Christmas Tree.

— approved a series of Historic Review Board recommendations regarding renovations and landscape changes to a home in the city’s historic district at 207 North Fourth St.

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