Clinton County Fiscal Court, in lieu of its regular monthly meeting that was cancelled, held a special call meeting last Friday morning, November 13 with five of six members present.

The court dealt with budget amendments and the hiring of a new Solid Waste Coordinator, among other items of business that was on the agenda for the approximate 25-minute session.

Late in the meeting, Judge Armstrong recommended that Ricky Stearns be hired in a dual role as Solid Waste Coordinator and an employee on the road department. He noted Stearns would replace Lyle Norris, who recently resigned as Solid Waste Coordinator and would bring the number of county workers on the road department to nine people.

The Solid Waste Coordinator position pays a set amount of $4,000 per year and road department employees start out at $8.50 per hour. Armstrong also said Stearns could assist at the recycling center in his capacity as Solid Waste Coordinator.

All magistrates agreed that when it came to solid waste, jail inmates should be utilized to pick up trash along county roads whenever possible to help out with the county’s new recycling program, which has already received a lot of positive input from county residents. (A separate article on the recyling program appears in a separate article this week.)

Following a brief discussion, Magistrate Key voted to hire Stearns as new Solid Waste Coordinator and county road crew employee. The motion passed on a 3-2 vote with Magistrates Buster and Johnny Russell also voting yes and Magistrates Craig and Riddle voting no.

Craig said he felt the positions of Solid Waste Coordinator and Recycling Coordinator should correspond and Riddle questioned the cost for both positions, saying the county currently owed the road fund back $150,000 in funds borrowed from it to use in other places.

Judge Armstrong, however, said the road department was in very good condition, with County Treasurer Sidwell saying the road fund currently showed a balance of around $500,000.00.

In other business . . .

After approving the monthly treasurer’s report, the court approved second reading of a budget amendment, reflecting $100,000 in unanticipated funds in the form of a grant and Occupational Tax revenue which will be used in the purchase of new vehicles for the sheriff’s office.

The court also voted to approve claims and bills, which included election officers’ pay and a pickup truck purchased recently for the road department, which judge Richard Armstrong noted was fully accessorized with the exception of caution lights. Magistrates Ricky Craig and Terry Buster abstained on the vote to pay claims and bills, citing a conflict of interest on some of the items.

During the treasurer’s report by County Treasurer Dallas Sidwell, they also approved several fund transfers and cash expenditures.

Assistant County Attorney Gary Little then gave second and final reading of an amendment to the county’s Solid Waste Franchise agreement, reflecting that effective March 21, 2016, there will be three near equally divided trash collection areas in the county, as opposed to the current four listed in the current ordinance.

The change was necessitated when one of the four haulers ceased operations several months ago and the three remaining haulers divided up the area among themselves to provide continuing trash pickup in the county and city for residential, commercial and industrial business.

A copy of the full text of the amended ordinance is available for public inspection in the judge/executive’s office during normal business hours.

The court then approved an award letter for Scott and Murphy Construction Company for the replacement work done on the Ewing Bridge project. That company was the only bidder.

Judge Armstrong explained that the original bid from the company was $216,000, more than the $183,000 funds available to complete the project. He asked the company to re-negotiate and a change order was approved by the state and Lake Cumberland Area Development District, with the company lowering the construction costs to $176,400.

The only cost to the county after construction would be adding asphalt to each end of the bridge.

Armstrong noted, however, that although four easements had been obtained, there were two property owners involved at the location where the bridge project would be taking place and the county would need their permission to do the work. He asked the court if they would approve the construction contingent upon the property owners’ approval.

Magistrate Hershell Key made a motion to approve the revised bid and award letter to Scott and Murphy Construction, contingent upon the approval of the property owners.

The next regular meeting of Clinton Fiscal Court is scheduled for Thursday, December 17 at 5 p.m. and is open to the general public.