Getting ready for the census
By PJ Martin
Office/Reporter, Metcalfe Division
The August 13th meeting was a busy one with several items on the agenda. Guest speaker US Department of Commerce, US Census Bureau Representative Ron Shumard discussed the need to establish a Complete Count Committee in Metcalfe County in preparation for the 2020 Census.
“It’s [census] the biggest peacetime initiative that the federal government takes. It’s everyone that is in the United States. If they lay their head down in Metcalfe County, we want to count them,” stated Shumard, adding that getting an accurate count is, “easy, safe, and it’s important to Kentucky. We need to county everybody. We need to count the migrant farmworkers. The information is protected by law and cannot be used in any type of deformation or pertaining to their status as a citizen.”
Shumard explained why the census is so important, “The data is used as a basis of distributing more than 675 billion dollars of federal money across the country. So the more people, the more information, we can get from Metcalfe, the more beneficial it will become to the community.”
The information is used to fund education, transportation, employment, free lunch programs in the schools, Medicaid, Medicare, housing programs, and for redistricting state legislative lines. “We want your community to get its fair share,” commented Shumard.
The census will hire people from Metcalfe County to help do the canvassing. If you are interested apply at www.usajobs.gov. The pay rate is $14 per hour and 58 cents per mile.
The 2020 Census will be mailed to each address in March of 2020 and begin data collection on April 1, 2020. There will be multiple ways to fill-out the census: mail, online, or phone. The last means involves census workers knocking on doors.
A Proclamation was signed declaring August 13, 2019, as Census 2020 Awareness Day and the establishment of a “Complete Count Committee.” The committee will assist with notifying the community and assisting the public in any way needed.
Other Items
The next item discussed was the purchase of a new 2019 Mack Truck through the Kentucky Association of Counties Leasing Trust Program. The interest for the purchase will run around $500 a month through KACo Leasing. The truck will be used to help supplement gravel hauling for the county. Under the Leasing Program, the truck could be auctioned after one year with a guarantee of 85 percent return. The motion was approved with only one no vote, by Kevin Crain whose vote was prompted by the fact that a rock hauling bid was granted to a supplier and he felt that shouldn’t have to be supplemented.
Jailer Randall Shive addressed the court to discuss applying for reimbursement for the transporting of federal prisoners. “The state will reimburse 42 cents a mile for any felony charged prisoners that you transport. They consider them a higher risk than misdemeanors. I see it as an opportunity for me and my deputy to make some extra wages by doing this and it not cost the county anything because the states gonna pay for it.”
The court approved allowing Shive to enter into the reimbursement agreement. Shive will be submitting the necessary paperwork.
A vote was held to renew the rental agreement with Howard & Howard for the storage of historical records and voting machines. The monthly rental has increased to $350. Magistrate Donnie Smith asked why the items couldn’t be stored in the old sheriffs building which was already owned by the court to save money. Judge/Executive Harold Stilts replied that they “needed to put somebody in it instead of using it for storage.” The motion passed to accept the rental agreement increase with one no vote cast by Donnie Smith.
The Metcalfe County Sheriff 2018 Franchise Tax Settlement data was presented by Lynn Lunz and approved.
County Treasurer Vickie Stephens presented the Monthly Financial Statement with a cash balance of all funds ending July 31st as $2,959,978.11.
A resolution was passed to designate the Edmonton-Metcalfe County Industrial Development Authority to receive TVA funds through the FY 2019/20 Regional Development Agency Assistance Program in the amount of $100,002. Last year’s funds were half that amount.
