Nelson Fiscal Court approves resolution to receive state road funding

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio

Tuesday, April 4, 2017, 11:31 p.m. — Nelson Fiscal Court approved a resolution Tuesday confirming the county’s participation in the state’s cooperative road fund program.

The program provides counties with funding for road and bridge maintenance from the county’s share of the state’s tax on gasoline. According to the agreement, the county will receive a total of about $1.3 million in state road fund money in fiscal year 2018, with about 60 percent of that amount available to the county on Aug. 1.

A second disbursement — approximately 35 percent of the total — will be provided, subject to changes depending on the actual revenue compared to the estimated revenue figures.

The program reserves 3 percent of the county’s funding in the event of a road maintenance emergency occurs.

Judge Executive Dean Watts said the county has two bridges on county roads that will be replaced in the next fiscal year — one on Hugh Ice Loop, and the second is Higdon Loop — for a total of just under $400,000.

BULKY ITEM PICKUP. The annual pickup is nearly 2 weeks behind schedule due to weather and very heavy usage by county residents. The pickup remains in the county’s southern area, which includes all of the county west of Loretto Road and south of the Bluegrass Parkway.

Once that area is complete, the pickup will begin in the northwestern quadrant of the county — the areas west of Louisville Road and north of the Bluegrass Parkway.

FY 2018 BUDGET. Watts told the court he will present the draft 2017-18 county budget at the next Fiscal Court meeting April 18.

In comments to the Nelson County Gazette, Watts said the next fiscal year budget “looks strong,” and will contain raises for Nelson County EMS employees as planned last year.

By law, the court must receive a draft budget every year by May 1.

NEXT UP. Nelson Fiscal Court will meet next at 9 a.m. Tuesday, April 18 in the fiscal court room on the second floor of the Old Courthouse.

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