Clinton County Fiscal Court held another early morning special call meeting on Monday morning of this week, October 1 with all members present with the exception of Magistrate Mickey Riddle. Only two items of business were dealt with for the approximate 10-minute session.

Travis Denney first briefly addressed the court pertaining to the court’s previous motion over two years ago to grant a 2.7 percent cost-of-living increase.

The August 2010 motion in the court minutes was made by Magistrate Ricky Craig and stated a continuing annual cost-of-living increase.

Denney said that county employees had not received the increase in wages since January 2011 to present and asked the court if they were going to pay employees for the cost-of-living wages as was provided under motion.

County Attorney Michael Rains said he was currently looking into the matter and is conferring with the Department of Local Government in Frankfort about the issue. He did note that recent Attorney General opinions have questioned whether or not a new fiscal court is obligated to carry through with what a past court voted on.

The motion granting the increase for the cost-of-living was made just months prior to the next local election year and although there was only one change in the makeup of the fiscal court in the 2012 election, it is apparently still considered a different fiscal court administration.

Denney further asked the court if there were any “check and balances” pertaining to the issue and whether or not county employees should be notified one way or another as to whether or not they would receive the cost-of-living increase as previously voted on.

Attorney Rains noted the matter was something that had to be looked into and would hopefully have a definite legal answer in the coming weeks.

Judge/Executive Lyle Huff told Denney that when the county had an answer to the questions, a meeting would be called and he would be notified of the answers. Denney then added that all county employees needed to be notified one way or the other.

The court, on a motion by Magistrate Larry Hatfield, approved the county’s five-year Solid Waste Plan.

The plan is the same as the past five-year plan except changes in some funding areas. Judge Huff noted it concentrated a lot on cleaning up open illegal dumps in the county. He also commended the county attorney and his office for his work on helping control illegal dumping in the county.

One item of business, the continuity of government issue, was put on hold until the court’s next meeting later this month.

The continuity of government, required by the states Emergency Management, lays out the order of who would be in charge in the county in case of an emergency declaration or natural disaster.

The next regular meeting of Clinton Fiscal Court is scheduled for Thursday, October 18 at 5 p.m. and is open to the general public.