Fiscal Court approves request to add two full-time positions at the county jail
By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio
Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020 — Following a jail committee meeting Tuesday morning, Nelson Fiscal Court agreed to fund two new full-time positions at the Nelson County Jail.
According to Nelson County Jailer Buck Snellen, the jail currently has 12 fulltime employees that deal with inmates, a number that hasn’t changed since 1995.
The previous jailer made use of numerous part-time employees to help cover vacancies, but finding part-time jailers has grown increasingly difficult, Snellen explained.
The jail currently budgets $805,000 for salaries and benefits.
Judge Executive Dean Watts said the county will help cover the costs of the new full-time employees, and that the jail budget’s 2020-21 budget will reflect the additional staffing.
Snellen said he plans to offer full-time positions to two employees currently working part-time at the jail.
COUNTY ROAD AID. elson Fiscal Court unanimously approved a county road agreement with the state Transportation Cabinet that will bring a total of $1.38 million to Nelson County for road repairs.
The road aid money is generated by the state’s taxes on motor fuel.
According to the agreement, the money will be disbursed at three points in the fiscal year.
Approximately 60 percent of the money will be provided to the county in August, followed by 30 percent that is distributed the following January, with the final payment arriving after the end o the fiscal year in June.
The state reserves 3 percent of the road aid money to fund an emergency fund that counties can turn to if emergency funds are needed for unplanned road repairs.
EMS. EMS Director Joe Prewitt reported that the ambulance service’s 2016 four-wheel-drive ambulance blew its engine recently, and that he is checking on replacement costs.
Estimates for a replacement long block (engine block equipped with cylinder heads) run from $8,500 to $14,000. The cost to replace the engine is higher because removing the engine requires removing the cab from the ambulance.
Prewitt sought approval to get repairs started on the ambulance, but Judge Executive Dean Watts told Prewitt he would prefer to see more exact cost estimates for the replacement of the engine prior to approving the work.
Prewitt reported that he recently negotiated the purchase of used ambulance from an out-of-state vendor for $33,900.
In other business, the court:
— heard that the county’s bulky item pickup begins Feb. 24, 2020. The first area for the pickup is the area of the county east of US31E north of Bardstown, and the area east of KY 49, the Loretto Road, south of Bardstown. The pickup will last approximately 2 weeks unless delayed by weather.
Nelson County residents who have bulky items to dispose of can haul them to the landfill at no cost from now through the end of the bulky item pickup period.
— heard that sign-ups are now open for Spring 2020 soccer and Little League softball are now open. Visit the Nelson County Parks & Recreation Facebook page to sign-up.
NEXT UP. The next Nelson Fiscal Court meeting is 9 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020.
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