Beech Tree News Network

The Butler County Fiscal Court met in their regular session for December on Monday, December 8th. Magistrate Johnny Tuck was absent from the meeting. The meeting was held at the Green River Museum in Woodbury. Visitors included Morgantown Mayor-Elect Billy Phelps, MPD Chief Charlie Swiney, Magistrate-Elect Bobby Moore, Gina Tynes from Hocker Family Insurance, and Lewis White and Shirley Flener from Green River Waste.

Old business was first on the agenda, specifically the bids for renovations and improvements to buildings at Reeds Ferry. Three bids were submitted for the project. Jonas Mast and Doug Smith submitted a combined bid of $7,600. Cottrell's Construction's bid was $11,300, and a bid from Norman Burdin totaled $13,660. Before magistrates voted on the bids Judge-Executive David Fields told the Court that any contractor doing business with the county must carry liability and workman's compensation insurance. Gina Tynes confirmed that, and added that using uninsured contractors could cost the county money when audits are conducted, and could place the county in a position of liability in the event of an injury to an employee of the contractor. Further discussion established that a worker waiving their right of workman's comp coverage would not absolve the county of liability in the event of a claim.

Third District Magistrate Chad Tyree moved to accept the low bid from Mast and Smith, contingent on them having proper insurance coverage. First District Magistrate Stevie Givens seconded the motion, and the motion passed by a 4-0 vote.

Next the Court approved the annual of $2,500 for the Woodbury Museum. Tommy Hines accepted the money on behalf of the museum. He took a moment to highlight improvements being made to the museum, which include a new roof for one of the buildings that will more closely match the original roof, and woodwork painting to match the original color scheme of the buildings.

"Little details like this really help keep the buildings authentic," said Hines. The motion to give the allotment passed 4-0.

A recommendation to appoint Dr. Todd Cohron and James Runion to the Extension Board was approved by a 4-0 vote. Their terms will be one year.

Richard Embry from E-Pest spoke to the Court about pest control for the courthouse, senior center, and animal shelter. Embry pointed out several shortcomings with the pest control service currently provided by Leitchfield Exterminating. His concerns included; not enough frequency of service, out of date rodent bait, improperly disposed of rodent bait, insufficient or improperly placed rodent bait stations, and lack of chemical data sheets and service records. Embry submitted an estimate to the Court, but no action was taken on the matter.

Magistrates considered bids for the annual garbage pickup contract for the county. Republic Sanitation bid $224.29 per month, and Green River Waste bid $235.00 per month. Republic's bid specified pickup of up to 16 cubic-yards of material per week, with Green River Waste specifying pickup of 8 cubic-yards per week. After a motion was made to accept Green River Waste's bid, Magistrate Chad Tyree asked if GRW could provide 16 cubic-yard service for their bid price. Lewis White and Shirley Flener said they would pickup four cubic-yards of material three times weekly for the bid price. They added that the county currently probably doesn't fill a 16 cubic-yard dumpster because of the difficulty involved with putting material in a dumpster that size. The Court moved to accept the bid from Green River Waste by a 4-0 vote.

Magistrate David Whittinghill addressed the Court briefly concerning the need for a recycling center for the county. The City of Morgantown and the county currently have six total recycling trailers, with delivery of nine more trailers in the near future. Disposal of the recycled material has become problematic for the county. Lewis White pointed out earlier in the meeting that much of the material isn't recyclable and that the persons handling the material need proper training.

Whittinghill proposes using a building owned by the county near the County Road Department as a recycling center. According to Fields and Whittinghill the building needs minor repairs. County Road Supervisor Timmy West told the Court that the Road Department uses the building for storage, and would need to build a shed into the county barn if the building is converted to a recycling center. No action was taken on the matter.

In other business the Court approved a franchise renewal for Mediacom, approved bills and transfers, approved the treasurers monthly report, and approved making payroll for county employees on December 31st, excluding elected officials.

After thanking the Woodbury Museum for hosting the meeting an adjournment was called. The group then enjoyed a meal provided by the museum.

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Story by Joe K. Morris, Beech Tree News.