Beech Tree News Network

Butler County Fiscal Court met in its second regular session for November on Monday night, November 23rd. All members were in attendance.
Butler County Judge-Executive David Fields opened the meeting with an announcement about the status of the Leonard Oak boat ramps. Fields told the Court that the final agreement with other governmental agencies concerning the ramp had been received. According to the Judge, the way is now clear to finish construction on the ramps.
Next, Judge Fields issued an executive order for a special election. Fields told the Court that in July of 2015 Citizens for a Better Butler County began circulating a petition asking for a special election to decide the future of alcohol sales in Butler County. Citizens for a Better Butler County filed their petition with County Clerk Sherry Johnson on November 6th, and on November 16th Johnson reported to Judge Fields that the requisite number of valid signatures had been verified. Fields said that the petition needed 1,007 signatures and had 1,487 valid signatures.
The Judge stated that a special election will be held on Tuesday, January 26th. One item will appear on the ballot: Are you in favor of the sales of alcoholic beverages in Butler County?
Fields said that some consideration was given to having the election on Tuesday, January 19, to coincide with the Martin Luther King, Jr. national holiday. Fields said he decided against that date because of the potential liability of having voting machines unattended for the long holiday weekend. Kentucky law states that all elections must be held on Tuesday, and that special elections can't be held concurrently with other elections.
No action was needed by the Court on the order.
Sheriff Scottie Ward presented his department's 2016 budget to the Court. Ward told the Court that once again he has not increased his budget. The Sheriff said that his 2016 budget is actually $41.17 less than the 2015 budget.
The Sheriff said he balanced his budget without asking for more money by cutting the hours of his bailiff and secretary. He also said that his figures are based on gas prices staying below $2.50 per gallon. Ward warned the Court that his fleet of Dodge Charger police cruisers are now five years old, and all have around 130,000 miles on them. Ward is concerned that any major repairs will adversely affect his budget. He did report that as soon as two more payments are made from drug fund monies that all his vehicles will be paid off.
Closing his remarks, Ward said of his budget, "(the budget) gives me the ability to provide a service to this county."
Ward didn't ask for a budget increase from the Court in order to extend raises to his staff and deputies, but he did tell Beech Tree News that he has moved funds within the budget and made cuts that might allow for a 2% raise in 2016.
No action was taken by the Court and the budget will be discussed at the next Fiscal Court meeting.
Gary Smrtic, from AM Composites spoke to the Court about a possible Butler County airport. Smrtic's companies make components for the aerospace industry. He said that in the past the Beechcraft Company wanted to send two planes to Blackhawk, but were unable to because there is no local airport. He said that Butler County could benefit from an airport, and that it could attract fly-in hunters and tourists. He said it might also spawn a fly-in community where homeowners live by the airfield and commute in planes that they store at their homes.
Smrtic said that several sites on the north side of the river were suitable for an airport with up to a 4,000 foot runway. He said a runway that size could accommodate multi-engine planes. Smrtic asked for no action from the Court, but said he will be contacting the Federal Aviation Administration, the Department of Homeland Security, FEMA, and other state and federal agencies about funding and how to get an airport project started.
The magistrates revisited the courthouse maintenance concerns that were discussed at the last Fiscal Court meeting. Judge Fields said that contractors had looked at several of the areas of concern, but that stopping water damage had to be addressed first. He said officials with the Administrative Office of the Courts would inspect the courthouse again in early December.
Another area of much concern is the heating system for the courthouse. The heat is currently not working properly in the courthouse, and has been problematic for several years. Specifically, the jail stays too hot in the winter, while other areas of the courthouse are cold. Fields said the old warm water heating system needs to be replaced with an updated, modern system.
No action was taken.
First District Magistrate Stevie Givens asked the Court to reconsider adding .17-miles of Hidden Valley Road onto the County road list. Magistrates voted against adding the portion of the road in a meeting last month. Givens said that they aren't adding an entire road, just a portion, and thinks the addition is justified.
A vote was taken to start the process of adding the road to the list. Magistrates Bobby Moore and Stevie Givens voted in favor, magistrates Johnny Tuck and David Whittinghill voted against the motion, with magistrate Chad Tyree abstaining from the vote because of a potential conflict of interest. Judge Executive David Fields voted in favor of the motion to break the tie, and because abstained votes automatically are counted with the majority the motion passed by a 4-2 vote.
Judge Fields appointed Road Supervisor Jonathan Deweese, Bobby Moore, and Chad Tyree to view the road and report back to the Court. A public hearing on adding the road will be held at 9:30 a.m. on December 14th. The Fiscal Court meeting on December 14th will be held at the Green River Museum in Woodbury.
In other business the Court passed net profit refunds to ACSR, Inc. in the amount of $427.90, and to Dollar General Partners in the amount of $115.00. The Court also made litter abatement payments to: Andrea’s Mission-$600.00, Zion Harmony Church- Youth-$120.50, and Temple Hill General Baptist Church-$58.60.
The Court also agreed to a contract with Capstone Administrators, LLC for 1094C and 1095C filing and reporting services. Capstone will handle all required reporting and tracking of employee health insurance coverage as required by the IRS as part of the Affordable Health Care Act.
The magistrates entered into a closed session to hire personnel for the County Recycling Center. After returning to open session the Court decided not to hire anyone, and will instead advertise the position and take applications. The position will be part-time, 120 hours per month, and will be paid $8 per hour.
The meeting was then adjourned.