Judge-Executive Tim Hutchins provides update on county government progress

By TIM HUTCHINS
Nelson County Judge-Executive

Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023 — I am humbled by the outpouring of support, friendship, and prayers that I have received in the last several days. As I stated in my press release last week, I have been diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer. My prognosis is good and I am confident with the course of treatment that my physicians have suggested. As I start my radiation regime, I will continue with my duties as judge-executive.

With September being National Bourbon Month, I want to take this opportunity to thank all the employees of our local distilleries. These employees are one of the main reasons that Bardstown is the Bourbon Capital of the World. I want to personally invite every Nelson County distillery worker to the “Cheers to Bardstown” on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2023. Nelson County appreciates you, and Nelson County recognizes you.

All county residents are invited to this event as well. “Cheers to Bardstown” is for us, the residents of Nelson County. This is our festival to showcase that it isn’t just the bottles on a shelf that has made us the Bourbon Capital of the World. It’s also our loyalty, pride, hard work, and sense of community.

Over the last eight months, new members to several Nelson County organizations have been added. With new faces on the library board , airport board, planning and zoning and the board of adjustments, we are ensuring that Nelson County will have new sets of eyes looking at day-to-day operations, future plans, and budgets.

Historically, the traffic pattern around the Old Court Square has never been a true “roundabout.” New signs have been installed so that all incoming traffic into the traffic circle now yields to the traffic already in the circle.

Additional signage has been placed to remind us about these changes. With traffic patterns already in a state of change with the new St. Joe roundabout, it was decided that instead of ignoring the issue we would be proactive and make the two circular traffic patterns match. I ask for patience as we all adjust to these new traffic patterns. I want to personally thank Mayor Dick Heaton, Police Chief Kim Kraeszig, Sheriff Ramon Pineroa and their staff for supporting and easing traffic concerns in front of St. Joe Church in the mornings. Their presence has helped traffic move more smoothly so that our citizens can get to work and school.

With the help of Jailer Justin Hall, the magistrates, John Greenwell, and Brad Spalding, our inmate program is visible in areas throughout Nelson County. In the last few weeks, our inmates have been assisting with the beautification efforts in New Haven and Fairfield. These communities are important to Nelson County and we want to make sure that these residents know how much they are valued.

There continue to be issues with phone and internet in Nelson County government offices. A committee of Jon Snow, Jeff Lear, and Justin Hall are working with providers to streamline these services and ensure that our citizens are able to communicate with county offices when needed. All AT&T phone lines have now been identified in county buildings with many not being used even though they have been on the monthly invoice for a very long time. This will be corrected and is another cost savings for county taxpayers.

With the upgrade and subsequent cost to the Nelson County Landfill, we will be identifying other potential revenue streams. Washington County has confirmed that they are interested in their garbage being taken to our landfill. The estimated annual revenue from Washington County will be approximately $500,000. This additional revenue will allow us to keep our garbage rates lower than surrounding counties. The volume of garbage from Washington County is very low and will have no long-term effect on the operational lifespan of our landfill.

The newly formed Fairgrounds Committee (agri-tourism) and Recreational Committee (recreational tourism) are beginning their planning processes. Both areas are potential untapped economic revenue streams. With the improvement to the fairgrounds and increasing activities for recreational tourism, the county is preparing for the future. It is my plan to include the Tourist Commission in this planning to ensure that our tourism tax dollars will also be used on family-friendly tourism activities as well.

With the extreme heat we had in August, the Nelson County Civic Center was open for a few days for any citizen who needed to escape the heat. High temperatures are expected again next week, and the civic center will be opened again if needed.

In the last month, county government has applied for several grants including grants to assist with the cleanup of illegal dumps in the county and a Justice Assistance Grant (JAG), which will help the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office.

To date, we have applied for more than $2.3 million dollars in grant applications. The grant writing process is long and frustrating. The average time between writing a grant and then the disposition of the grant is usually 1 to 2 years. We are hopeful that we will see the results of the grant applications start to trickle in around the beginning of 2024.

Thank you again for your support, friendship, and prayers. Together, we are moving Nelson County forward.

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