Council discusses funding, budgeting for council, city employee training
By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio
Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2017, 9 a.m. — The importance of continuing education for city employees and elected officials — and adequately funding that training — was discussed Tuesday night by the Bardstown City Council.
Councilwoman Kecia Copeland listens as Councilman John Kelley discusses the importance of training for city employees and elected officials.
Councilwoman Kecia Copeland raised questions about a policy the council put in last last year that allocated $1,000 in travel and training expenses to each member of the council.
Most of the council who took part in official Kentucky League of Cities trainings for elected officials this year have nearly exhausted those training funds, and the KLC has a conference with additional training set for November.
“It’s a conference that’s hosted for the city’s benefit,” Copeland said. Going to training for city officials helps them do a better job, she said.
Councilman Bill Sheckles said he considered the KLC conference as continuing education training for council members.
“[Paying for the council to go] was never an issue,” he said. “No one ever abused going to training.”
Councilman John Kelley agreed.
“If you want to do your job, you need to go to the trainings,” Kelley said. “You learn as much from talking to other individuals as you do from the actual training.”
Kelley said he supported every city department having sufficient funding budgeted for training.
Councilman Roland Williams and City Attorney Tim Butler talk prior to the start of Tuesday’s council meeting.
City Attorney Tim Butler suggested that the council also consider in-house training sessions for its own purposes, which are cost-effective. Copeland told the council that the KLC has speakers who are willing to come for on-site training sessions.
NATIONAL POLICE WEEK. Bardstown Police Chief Steve Uram advised the council he would like to allocate $2,000 to send two officers to National Police Week, May 11-17, 2017, to represent the city police department.
Uram said the trip would be canceled if there weren’t enough officers to provide adequate coverage while the officers are on the trip.
National Police Week honors the memory of officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
The request led to a discussion of adding the annual event to the police department’s budget.
Councilman Bill Sheckles suggested the department use some of its asset forfeiture money to cover the travel costs. Uram said he wasn’t sure how much money was in the fund, but would check on it. His request was an effort to be transparent regarding police expenditures.
Councilman John Kelley suggested the council consider adding funds to the police department budget when the city budget is amended in the near future.
MILT SPALDING
In other business, the council:
— voted unanimously to hire Milt Spalding as the new director of the joint city-county E-911 Dispatch center.
Spalding has served as interim director since the former director Debbie Carter resigned last August. He was one of three candidates who were part of the final interview process.
The new joint city-county 911 agreement requires city and county governments to approve the hiring of the director. Nelson Fiscal Court voted to hire Spalding at its meeting Tuesday morning.
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