Gazette to tweet updates from today’s special-called Bardstown Council meeting

STAFF REPORT

Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012, 10 a.m. — Mayor Bill Sheckles has called a special meeting of the Bardstown City Council this evening to address — and revise the — the selection process for chief of the city’s fire department. The meeting is set to begin at 5 p.m. at the City Hall Annex building.

• To read the city council meeting agenda, click here.
• Follow the Gazette’s breaking news tweets from the meeting at https://twitter.com/NCGBreakingNews

Since Monday, Jan. 16^th, the two fire departments housed at the city’s main firehouse – the city-funded Bardstown Fire Department, and the Bardstown-Nelson County Volunteer Fire Department Inc. – have different chiefs for the first time in memory.

First Assistant Chief Marlin Howard — a city employee — was elected chief of the incorporated fire department (known as “the corporation”) at the Jan. 16^th meeting, while Anthony Mattingly remains chief of the Bardstown Fire Department. Both fire departments are manned by the same firefighters and share the same quarters on North Fifth Street. The biggest difference is funding: taxes pay for the city fire department, while fire dues are the funding source for the “corporation.”

Today’s special-called meeting will begin with an executive session pursuant to KRS 61.810 (1)(f): “Discussions which might lead to the appointment, discipline or dismissal of an individual employee without restricting that employee’s right to a public hearing if requested.”

Sheckles said Tuesday night that once the council emerges from the closed session, he will ask for a vote on an ordinance that will modify the process of selecting the city fire chief. A second ordinance added to the agenda will likely reclassify the city fire chief position as a non-elected city official.

The Nelson County Gazette will be tweeting updates from the council meeting. To follow the Gazette tweets, visit https://twitter.com/NCGBreakingNews.

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