Nelson County America First PAC hosts candidates for District 4 magistrate

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio

Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022 — The candidates for magistrate in Nelson County District 4 met for a candidate forum Tuesday night at Thomas Nelson High School. The event was sponsored by the Nelson County American First PAC.

Incumbent Republican Jeff Lear and Democrat Brent Brey answered questions posed by Don Thrasher and Kenny Fogle, the chair of the Nelson County Democratic party.

In his opening remarks, Lear said he and his brothers founded Bardstown Internet, which gave him an opportunity to move to Kentucky. His interest in serving as a magistrate formed after he began attending fiscal court meetings, he explained.

Brent Brey worked in his father’s business for several years before he was recruited by Four Roses to work at its Cox’s Creek facility. In 2016, the company built a new bottling facility there.

He’s learned to be data driven in decision making and learned how to keep spending constrained. He believes his experience would give him an opportunity to serve the district and county well.

PUBLIC COMMENT. Both candidates agreed they would like to see public comment brought back to fiscal court meetings.

Brey said its important to give the public a chance to speak. He said the court should come up with a standard format to allow public input at meetings.

Public input is important, Lear said. He said the public should have access to all of the paperwork that the magistrates have in front of them at the meetings.

“We’re up there shuffling papers and the audience have no idea what we’re looking at.”

BOURBON BARREL TAX. Brey, who works in the bourbon industry, said the barrel tax will likely be changed but remain in some form. Kentucky is the only state that has the barrel tax. According to his sources in the industry, the actual revenue shortfall would be much less than what’s been discussed.

Its important to remember that the industry could move its warehouses to states without the tax, he said.

Lear said the loss of the barrel tax would take $1.2 millon from the county’s operating budget. Our legislators have promised that nothing will pass that won’t make the county “whole” — though he’s not heard how they plan to accomplish this.

“I do feel a little betrayed by the industry” after fiscal court approved Industrial Revenue Bonds that remove property tax from the warehous properties for 30 years and then they seek to have the barrel tax removed. The barrel tax justified the county’s agreement to eliminate the property taxes for 30 years, he explained.

COUNTY GROWTH. Both candidates agreed that county government has to be prepared for the county to continue to grow.

Both pointed to the battery plant coming to Hardin County, and the likelihood the county will be home to some of that plant’s vendors and suppliers.

Lear said he believed county government’s job is provide infrastructure that will allow private investors to develop the communities, housing andindsutry to support new growth.

Brey agreed that county government should welcome and support what he called “smart growth.”

LIBRARY FUNDING. While both candidates praised our local libraries, they both saw areas for improvement in their operation and in how they remain accountable to taxpayers.

Lear said the process of selecting new library board members was unsatisfactory because the library board itself submits a list of potential candidates to the judge-executive. The judge-executive is expected to nominate one of these candidates to serve on the library board.

The process is a little “fishy”, but Lear acknowledged the fact that finding volunteers to serve on boards like the library board can be difficult. He agreed that fiscal court needs to appoint library board members who are more fiscally responsible to reign in spending.

The truth is that the county has very little influence with how the library board operates, he explained.

MULTI-PURPOSE SPORTS FACILITY. Lear said the county owns essential services right now, like EMS, the landfill, garbage pickup and recreation. However, he does not support county government spending its money to build a multi-purpose recreational complex.

He said he was less concerned with the cost of building the complex and more concerned with the county paying for its ongoing operating costs.

“I think this is better left to the private sector, or perhaps the schools,” Lear said. “There’s a reason we don’t have this type of facilitiy here, and that’s because they are expensive. You can’t break even running it. Just ask Lebanon what their acquatic center costs.”

Brey agreed the community needs a quality recreational facility.

“I think we can get it done,” he said, “We need to partner with local industry to make it happen.”

School use would generate revenue, he said. With the skating rink, bowling alley and movie theater gone, there’s not a lot for kids to do here.

DEPUTY SHERIFF PAY. Discussions about improving the pay for the deputies who make up the road patrol is not a new one, Lear explained.

The problem really needs a thorough examination, rather than just throwing money at the problem. That won’t always fix it, he said.

“This isn’t just a problem with the sheriff’s office,” he said. “All county employees are watching to see what we do to address this.”

Brey said he would have supported giving all county employees 10 percent rather than 7 percent raises.

“I’m confident that we will find a solution,” Lear said.

BALANCING REVENUE VS. COST OF SERVICES. When asked about keeping the county’s expenses within the budget, Lear said that the court has “lived within our needs and expanded service in accordance with our growth.”

“I don’t see a great shortfall coming anytime soon,” he said.

When the time comes to raise revenue when its necessary, all options should be on the table. “I’m probably going to vote against most of them,” he added.

Brey said the county should reap the benefits of having the new battery plant in Hardin County, and we should get some of the support industry here. Those new jobs will add to our tax base to help pay for service.

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