City council gives initial approval of $58.7 million fiscal year 2021 budget

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio

Tuesday, June 9, 2020 — The Bardstown City Council held first reading of the city’s fiscal year 2020-2021 budget at its meeting Tuesday evening.

The council was held using Zoom video teleconferencing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mayor Dick Heaton said that due to the pandemic, there remain a number of unknowns regarding its impact on the second half of this new 2020-2021 budget. Heaton said he considered this budget an “interim budget” that the council is likely to revisit at the first of next year to see if adjustments are needed.

The budget relfects a reduction of revenues, and cuts of $1.2 million in budget requests from the city department heads.

The 2020-2021 budget includes $56.7 million in anticipated revenues, and $58.7 in expenditures, Heaton said. The budget includes $12 million in capital improvements, including major projects to upgrade water and sewer infrastructure.

The final reading of the 2020-2021 budget will take place at the council’s June 23rd meeting.

TOURISM BUDGET. The council approved the proposed budget for the Bardstown-Nelson County Tourist Commission as presented by Samantha Brady, tourism’s executive director.

Brady said the proposed budget was cut by more than $389,000 from last year’s budget due to the loss of revenues tourism anticipates from the restaurant and room taxes that fund it.

Brady said that she expect tourism to rebound fairly quickly in Nelson County, adding that people are interested in visiting smaller cities than larger cities.

The budget cut covered mostly marketing expenses, she explained. If more revenue comes in than budgeted, that money will be dedicated to restoration of some of the marketing budget.

“We’re planning for the worst but hoping for the best,” she explained.

Local restaurants seem to be coming back faster than hotles, which are 85 percent down in occupancy from this time last year, she said.

In other business, the council:

— approved placing a sign denoting the “Henrytown Garden District” on the existing Community Park sign at the corner of North Third Street and Halstead Ave.

— approved signage for the city fire department’s new fire station on East John Rowan. The sign will face west and be visible to motorists traveling east on John Rowan.

— approved fireworks permits for Bloomfield Church of God, which will have two fireworks booths — one at Burger King and the second at Walmart.

— approved a firework permit request from St. Catherine Academy. The booth will be placed at O’Bryan Farm Equipment on US31E South.

— approved a contract to allow QK4 to provide construction inspection services for the upcoming John Rowan sidewalk project.

— heard the Mayor say that the city is replacing the basketball rims at Woodson Rogers Park and the Communityn Park.

— heard a report that one of the new Bardstown Blessings boxes located on Guthrie Drive was vandalized three times since it was placed there. The box is expected to be relocated.

NEXT UP. The Bardstown City Council next will meet at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 23, 2020.

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