Clinton Fiscal Court held a lengthy regular meeting last Thursday evening, March 15 with all court members present.

After acknowledging the monthly treasurer’s report, the court voted to pay claims and bills and approved fund transfers.

Magistrate Johnny Russell discussed a discrepancy in the amount paid to Gaddie Shamrock and Albany Quarry, the two local companies the county purchases rock from, over the last period, saying Gaddie had received around $1,600 to Albany Quarry’s only $300 and Clinton County Judge/Executive Richard Armstrong and Clinton County Road Foreman Michael Craig made a note of Russell’s concerns.

The court also was presented a draft version of the 2018-19 jail budget, which will be included in the county’s overall fiscal year budget later this year.

They also agreed to extend the county’s contract with Amedysss to continue collecting ambulance service bills for a four year period, contingent on the court members reviewing the contract.

Mark Foster with the Kentucky Department of Transportation and another department representative presented the court with the state’s Rural Secondary Funding list for Clinton County this year, and asked magistrates to prioritize roads in their districts that needed the most work.

The county will receive just under $500,000 in total Rural Road Aid, with the state to work on three roads, including Ky. 968, the Bald Rock Road and two portions of Hwy. 350, the Old Monticello Road.

The 2018 year FLEX fund allotment for Clinton County this year is only $112,428, down substantially from a year ago. However, Foster noted that state road FLEX funds were down all across the state.

Some magistrates also questioned the Transportation Cabinet representatives about the need for guardrails in several areas of the county, some areas, Foster noted, are already marked as “high priority,” yet rails have yet to be installed.

Magistrate Terry Buster noted several different areas on Hwy. 558 leading through Piney Woods to Rowena Landing could use guardrails, especially now with the increased traffic flow expected when the Marina at Rowena is completed later this year.

Magistrate Patty Guinn also noted the need for a guard rail on Poplar Mountain, another area which Foster said was on the priority list.

Holly Hopkins, with NG-KIH Design Build, LLC out of Lexington, a contractor with Kentucky Wired, a state government project to supply high speed fiber optic cable internet service through the state, gave the court an update on the Kentucky Wired project.

The fiscal court and Albany City Council recently granted DUO County Telecom the use of lines and appurtenances on city and county rights-of-way to install lines for the service.

Hopkins said the Kentucky Wired project began in 2015 under the Beshear administration and was extended the next year under the current state administration and is aimed at bringing the most state-of-the art broadband fiber optic cable service to all the state.

Hopkins explained how the fiber optic broadband wires work and noted the initial phase of the state project would be to see the broadband service in government offices, schools, libraries, et. and eventually become available for commercial customers who choose to use it.

Hopkins noted the project called for a 30-year time period for completion, to be upgraded and added onto each 10 year cycle, adding it was a “major project” that contained over 3,400 miles of optic lines to be run across the Commonwealth.

The court then heard a presentation from the Lake Cumberland District Health Department pertaining to a request the county approve a “syringe (needle) exchange” program for drug users that health officials claim limits the amount of deaths from diseases caused by used needles.

(A separate article on the needle exchange program and court vote can be found in a separate article beginning on page 1.)