Clinton Fiscal Court held its regular meeting on Thursday, February 19, with five of six magistrates present for the just over 20 minute session.
Judge/Executive Ricky Craig and the fiscal court first presented a $1,000 donation from the Kentucky County Judge/Executives Association to officers of the Seventy-Six Falls Country Club. (A brief article and photo appears elsewhere this week.)
The court then began regular business items, approving previous meeting minutes, receiving the treasurer’s report, voting to approve the monthly report, and, on a motion by Magistrate Mickey Riddle, approved payment of claims and bills.
A trio of transfers were approved on separate votes, totaling $112,000, and all being made from the Occupational Tax Fund. Transfers approved included:
* $50,000 to the jail checking account on a motion by Magistrate Keith Dalton;
* $60,000 to the ambulance checking account on a motion by Magistrate Jason Pitman;
* $2,000 to the DES checking account on a motion by Magistrate Gary Ferguson.
Judge Craig noted the transfer totals also included the most recent payrolls.
An agreement to house Clinton County Jail inmates, when necessary, was approved with Pulaski County, following a motion by Magistrate Terry Buster.
It was noted the agreement could be ceased by either party by giving 30 day notice, and the agreement calls for the amount of $34 per day, per prisoner, which is comparable to other facilities in which Clinton inmates are housed.
Clinton County Jailer Bruce Stearns said Pulaski Detention Center offers 24/7 medical service to inmates, and their facility will be used on a ‘as-needed’ basis. He continued that three local inmates were housed in Pulaski County as of last week.
Judge Craig then told the court that Dishman Towing had requested to be added to the on-call list rotation and said other towing companies locally had agreed with it.
Magistrate Riddle made a motion to add Dishman Towing to the list, which passed unanimously. However, later in the meeting, some towing company representatives disagreed, primarily due to Dishman not being a local business.
Austin Rains, one of the towing company representatives, noted he had not been contacted yet, and another person, Bobby Jones, said he felt some were against Dishman being allowed to be a part of the rotation.
During the discussion, a court case of some type was mentioned pertaining to the towing situation, and it was said that Dishman did not live in the county.
Judge Craig said that the county has a policy in place pertaining to who can tow vehicles at the request of law enforcement, etc. and from this point, no one outside the county would be permitted on the rotation list.
In other regular business at the meeting, Ocie Marcum, with the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office, presented the 2025 Tax Settlement and tendered a check to the county in the amount of $797.23. A motion to accept the settlement was made by Magistrate Pitman and passed by unanimous vote.
County Clerk Nathan Collins also presented his tax settlement for the past year, turning over excess fees of $23,770.13. The motion to accept the county clerk’s settlement was made by Magistrate Buster and passed unanimously.
Some department head reports were then given, including by jailer Bruce Stearns, who said the jail housed 26 inmates last month and currently local inmates incarcerated at other facilities included seven in Russell; five in Wayne; and three in Pulaski County.
The jailer also reported inmates had picked up 38 bags of trash along county roadways during the past month.
Clinton County Sheriff Ricky Marcum gave his monthly report, noting his department had received 431 dispatch calls, issued 39 citations and made 30 arrests.
County Clerk Nathan Collins gave a monthly rundown on work conducted through his office during the past month, including numbers related to licenses transferred, and several other duties conducted by his office.
One spectator then questioned the status of the proposed “safe houses” or storm shelters for which the county has long been approved for funding.
Judge Craig said all they are doing now is filling out paperwork about every quarter to forward to FEMA, and the county is waiting on that agency to release the funding.
The safe house, or storm shelter project, has been ongoing for several years, and has actually been approved for full funding by FEMA. However, that agency was yet to release those funds.
The project calls for four storm shelters in different parts of the county that can hold up to 100 people each during severe weather.
Site locations for the shelters, if and when funds are received, are already chosen.
The judge also noted that the tornado sirens will be tested Wednesday, March 4.
On that note, Severe Weather Awareness Week in Kentucky begins this Sunday and more information, including safety tips and the date/time for outdoor sirens to be tested is included in that article this week.
The next regular meeting of Clinton Fiscal Court is scheduled for March 19, at 5 p.m. in the upstairs courtroom of the courthouse and is open to the public.