Road repairs and audit issues
Seated (L-R): Magistrates Ronnie Miller and Daniel Bragg, Clerk/ABC Admin. Lorrie Gilpin, Treasurer Page Edwards, J/E Larry Wilson, County Attorney Sharon Howard, Magistrates Harvey Hawkins and Kevin Crain. Photo by PJ Martin
By PJ Martin
Editor
The Herald-News
Metcalfe County Fiscal Court met on Tuesday, April 25 with everyone in attendance and a lengthy agenda.
Mike Williams of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Rural Secondary Program announced the amount of funds for FY 23-24 as $1,017,242. That total includes a carryover from the 22-23 fiscal year of $156,949. The first distribution for the routine maintenance of rural secondary roads will be $406,900. The 2nd distribution will be $249,945 for the resurfacing of 1.975 miles of KY 533, and the 3rd distribution will be $203,448 which is 20% for “flex funds”.
County Road Superintendent Chris Compton and David Branham of Gaddy Shamrock took the podium next and stated that Gaddy Shamrock would like to begin chip-sealing roads earlier this year. Branham announced that this year’s cost for single seal is $12,600 per mile and double seal is $22,500 per mile.
When asked what the life of the double seal was compared to the single, Branham answered, “3 times longer.”
Magistrates discussed it and came up with the idea of allowing each of the four magistrates to choose 6 miles of the worst road within their district for the double sealing. The less serious or better roads would then receive single sealing next year.
This would equal a cost of $540,000 leading Magistrate Daniel Bragg to ask, “Do we have enough in the road fund currently to cover it?”
Beginning the chip sealing earlier in the year means that some of the cost would fall within the 22-23 budget and some within the 23-24 budget that begins on July 1st.
The magistrates approved that chip sealing begin early and that they would choose the worst road for double sealing.
Audit Issues
Emergency Management Director Emory Kidd provided a review of the FEMA Audit findings. Kidd asked if anyone had questions about the email responses he had sent. This prompted Magistrate Bragg to ask if there was a summary of the items needing correction and if there is a plan of how to fix them.
Kidd explained, “We’ve got a plan, we’ve just gotta follow it.”
To which Magistrate Ronnie Miller asked, “Is it sorta the same plan we had in 2019?”
Kidd answered, “Yes.” to which Miller replied, “We haven’t got any money since I’ve been in [office].”
Bragg said, “My only concern is, we have the plan and you can read through it and figure out what we have to do, but it’s long…I understand it’s what we have to do…if we had a summarized one page of this is what you need to do… I think it’d be easier.”
“I’m not disagreeing with you, but when the state auditor tells us that it has to be done a certain way and quotes a regulation that supersedes anything that I can give you…if we look back through the documentation, for some reason it’s been given to KyAN and the auditor and it’s was never acted on,” answered Kidd who then referred to Gary Fancher Regional EM Director to explain the process.
“We do have some issues and they’ve been ongoing for years…it’s not plain English. We’re gonna call one of the ladies that did the audit, Sandy is her name, back here to go over it in layman’s terms,” stated Judge/Executive Larry.
Bragg, trying to simplify and understand said, “I just wanna know, if we fix the PO system will that solve our problems?”
“If you fix the PO system and any problem that’s in the audit that’s fixing to be released…you fix those and the money that’s there will be released,” answered Fancher.
Bragg trying to understand exactly what is needed stated, “We just need a PO that will follow a project from the day it starts till it’s over with a PO# and invoices that match to that PO# and we should be good.”
Other Issues
The topic of deeding the Old Randolph voting house property back to Bill Kindred, which was tabled at the last meeting, was discussed. After Magistrates Daniel Bragg and Harvey Hawkins spoke with Kindred, it was agreed that the old voting house needed to be demolished and cleaned up as the surrounding property has been. Kindred asked that the land be deeded not to him, but to his sons Russell and Grant as his property has been and the magistrate’s agreed.
The Casey Fork-Cook Road water line extension cost is estimated at $31,430.70. The water line extension will impact 6-7 families and Cumberland County has agreed to run the needed water lines as long as Metcalfe County agrees to pay half for an amount of $15,715.35. The magistrates agreed.
Resolution 23-0425 passed allowing the Judge to submit the needed application for a Homeland Security Grant. Also, the first reading of the FY23-24 budget was approved.
The monthly budget, inter-fund transfers, and claims were approved.
In addition, a specially called fiscal court meeting was held on Friday, April 28th to open bids for the property on West Stockton Street. One bid was received from Newcomb Oil LLC for the 1.06-acre lot in the amount of $92,502. The bid was accepted.
The Magistrates also approved a Resolution and Promissory Note for advancing monies to the Industrial Development Board for the cost overrun of the PS&C Project for $38,686.26. The loan is to be paid in full within 2 years from April 28, 2023.
The Metcalfe County Fiscal Court meetings can be viewed in their entirety on the Facebook page Metcalfe County Fiscal Court.
