Council OKs budget; mayor praises crews involved in warehouse collapse

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio

Tuesday, June 26, 2018 — The Bardstown City Council gave final approval of its Fiscal Year 2018-19 budget Tuesday night.

The budget consists of $57.8 million in revenues and $56.5 million in expenses — an increase of approximately $4 million over this year’s budget. The increase is the result of higher utility sales and resulting costs, along with a number of capital expenditures.

The budget includes a number of projects that include:

MAYOR DICK HEATON

— an LED lighting conversion plan for downtown;

— completion of the chloramine project that will improve water quality and stability by changing the treatment process;

— replacement of aging water lines in the older areas of town

— addition of a new water main under the Bluegrass Parkway to serve the Nelson County Industrial Park;

— replacing the sewer main that runs from East O’Bryan south, under the railroad tracks to the Mockingbird Lane area;

— upgrading the Rowan Creek Trunk sewer main and the Pottershop Pump station;

— move the fire department to their new station at the former Newcomb Oil property on East John Rowan Blvd.;

— five new vehicles for the police department and $20,000 for a body camera data storage system.

The council voted 5-0 to approve the budget. Councilman Bill Sheckles was absent from Tuesday night’s meeting.

CITY CREWS PRAISED FOR WAREHOUSE COLLAPSE RESPONSE. Mayor Dick Heaton praised the work by city and county first-responders as well as public works employees of the City of Bardstown in response to the warehouse collapse last Friday at the Barton 1792 Distillery complex.

Thousands of barrels lay in a heap after half of a Barton 1792 Distillery warehouse collapsed last Friday. Mayor Dick Heaton praised first-responders and city public works crews for their help in responding to the incident.

Public works employees were on the scene until 1 a.m. Saturday, and then back at the warehouse later that day, Heaton said. They were crucial in helping protect underground city infrastructure in the area while contractors worked to contain spilled alcohol from the collapsed warehouse, he said.

ROWAN CREEK TRUNK LINE FEE. The council approved an amended fee agreement with HDR Engineering regard the scope of work the company will be doing on the Rowan Creek sewer line upgrade project.

The initial scope of work did not include fees for archaeological or environmental studies, City Engineer Jessica Filiatreau explained to the council.

At the time HGR submitted its original contract for services, there had been no determination that an archaeological and/or environmental study would be necessary since the upgrade was basically replacing the line along the same route as the original. After its review, state regulators determined the city must have both reviews, which adds to the cost of the project.

The council approved adding $21,255 to cover the studies to the original $652,820 contract price, raising its fee to a total of $674,075.

The total estimated cost of the sewer trunk line project is $3.5 million.

PUBLIC SAFETY SERVICES FEES. The council approved first reading of an ordinance that updates the fee schedule the Bardstown Fire Department can charge individuals and businesses who need their services.

People who live in Bardstown and Nelson County or own property here will be exempt from the fees. The intent is to collect the fees from an individual’s or business’s insurance company. The original ordinance was approved by the city council in 2014.

The new fees the council approved are substantially higher than the 2014 fees. Bardstown Fire Chief Billy Mattingly explained the new fees are the national standards of what insurance companies will pay for emergency services.

The department will work with a cost recovery company to collect the fees. That company charges 20 percent of the fees it recovers for the fire department, Mattingly said.

The same company will work with the fire department to collect fees from people with repeated false alarms. City ordinance allows two false alarms per year. The fee for a third false alarm is $250, Mattingly explained.

In other business, the council:

— approved a five year property tax moratorium from Roger Carey for the new boutique hotel he wants to put in at 127 N. Third st. The new hotel is anticipated to have 21 rooms.

— approved the appointment of Karen Scout to the Human Rights Commission

— approved the adoption of the city’s personnel policy policies.

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