Fiscal court discusses future funding options for Nelson County Fire Dept.

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio

Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2021 — Meeting again via video teleconference Tuesday morning, Nelson Fiscal Court discussed the future funding needs of the Nelson County Fire Department.

The department has a paid staff that mans the station during the day. The department depends largely on its 30-plus volunteers to assist when a fire or other emergency requires a response outside those hours.

Judge Executive Dean Watts said the department — given is current funding structure — has struggled to find personnel, and is likely to ask fiscal court to consider raising the county fire dues from the current rate of $60 per year.

The county fire department’s last dues increase — from $50 to $60 — was approved in May 2017. Watts said the fire department is discussing raising the existing dues to $120 annually to help fund adding a second shift of fulltime firefighters.

The creation of a fire district — similar to the district that funds the Northeast Nelson Fire Department — would mean annual fire dues based on 10 cents per $100 of property value.

Watts said that the magistrates will need to consider what kind of fire department the county needs for the future — given the amount of growth in the areas outside the city limits that are in the fire department’s service area.

“At some point we’re going to need to have a fulltime fire department,” Watts told the court.

The existing crew of paid firefighters do not receive benefits, Watts explained, and many of them have primary jobs while also serving as firefighters.

Watts told the court he met with the county fire chief last week to discuss the issue. While there was no proposal before the court Tuesday, Watts said the issue is one that fiscal court will need to be addressed soon.

TAX MORATORIUM REQUEST. The court approved the largest tax moratorium request it has received in recent history.

The Weyland Ventures, a Louisville real estate developer purchased the Parkview Hotel and Kurtz Restaurant, and the group is planning to invest up to $5.93 million to transform the property into a unique hotel experience.

The five-year tax moratorium means that once the project is completed, it will not be reappraised for at least five years.

The moratorium application puts the property’s current cash value at $1.05 million.

SHERIFF VEHICLES. The court approved seeking bids on three new vehicles for the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office. Two of those new vehicles are planned in the current budget; the third will use insurance proceeds of about $24,000 to replace a totaled vehicle.

Sheriff Ramon Pineiroa told the court they’re getting by right now with using older cars they keep as spares until the new units arrive.

PARKING LOT SEALCOAT BIDS. The court approved the low bid of $29,690 from Hillview-based Bid Rite to sealcoat the paved parking lots at Dean Watts Park.

The company will apply a coating product manufactured in Louisville by Sealmaster. This will insure that the product will meet the bid specifications, county engineer Brad Spalding told the court.

No sealcoating has ever been done at the park, Spalding said. The project should begin by late October, he said.

In other business the court:

— gave second and final approval of the county’s 2021-22 tax rate. The court left the tax rate of 13.9 cents per $100 of value unchanged from last year. The rate applies to both real estate and tangible property.

— heard that county garbage pickup will be delayed one day this week due to the Labor Day holiday. Friday’s garbage routes will be run on Saturday.

— learned that one inmate at the county jail and one employee are current COVID-19 positive.

— heard from Joe Prewitt, the county’s emergency services director, that Nelson County EMS had a record number of calls for service last month — 703. More than 200 of those calls were treat without transport, he said.

— at the company attorney’s request, took no action on a pending $185 million Industrial Revenue Bond request by Log Still Distillery. The IRB will be taken up at a future meeting pending some changes in the bond documentation.

NEXT UP. Nelson Fiscal Court meets next at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021.

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