Clinton County Fiscal Court held another call meeting last Thursday morning, this in lieu of its regular scheduled meeting that would have usually been at 5 p.m. the same afternoon. The 8:30 a.m. session saw all members present with the exception of Magistrate Patty Guinn.

While in the process of paying claims and bills, Road Supervisor Jim Pennycuff told the court that the state was now requiring new road sign labeling, which would affect any new signs erected, whereas the road name would have to be written in lower case, rather than the all capital style now used.

Pennycuff, in again noting the number of signs that are stolen from county roads, said it was expensive to replace them–to the tune of approximately $75 per sign. He said there was a new “retro-reflectivity” signage machine that prints lower case lettering that would cost about $2,500 but that the county road department could do its own labeling, saving the road fund money in the long run.

Following some discussion, Magistrate Charlene King moved to purchased the signage equipment, which passed by unanimous vote. The court also voted 5-0 to pay the other claims and bills.

County Treasurer Dallas Sidwell then presented the monthly and quarterly treasurer’s reports, which passed without opposition, as well as fund transfer.

During the treasurer’s report, King again questioned why there was a shortage in the ambulance fund, noting the amount of money transferred from the Occupation Tax fund to the ambulance service, with Magistrate Larry Hatfield also noting the transfer amounts to the jail were also high.

Judge/Executive Lyle Huff again explained that for the ambulance service to break even in a county this size, it would need to make an average of 270 runs per month. The ambulance service doesn’t average near that amount of runs and last month had less than 200 total runs.

Director of Emergency Services Lonnie Scott also noted the cost of ambulance maintenance. He said that most of the ambulances now in service have an excess of 200,000 miles and repairs to those trucks are expensive.

County Attorney Michael Rains then discussed an issue that had been brought before the county at previous meetings by Travis Denney in regards to a vote the court took–and passed–in August 2010, pertaining to cost-of-living increases for county employees. At that time the amount of the increase was 2.7 percent.

Apparently no cost-of-living adjustment for county employee pay was given due to the county’s budget conditions.

Rains had researched the matter with attorneys from the Department of Local Government (DLG) as well as referring to the past Attorney General’s opinions.

The county attorney noted those opinions say that an administration is not obligated by law–even if the action of the previous court is taken by resolution or ordinance–to follow through in a new administration.

The vote taken in August 2010 came approximately three months prior to that year’s county election and although most county government seats did not change, it is apparently considered a new administration starting in January 2011. Thus it was Rains’ opinion the court was not obligated to pay the increase that passed during the previous fiscal court term.

He did add, however, that it was the responsibility of the county to look at the issue each year that a county budget is put together.

Judge Huff, in reference to the issue, said that each year after 2010, he and the county treasurer, while putting together the proposed fiscal year budget, did look at the matter but determined the county couldn’t afford both county employee health insurance and a cost-of-living increase.

He added he had presented proposals to make cuts and raise revenues in the past months but they were not received favorably.

Clarissa Hart of the Lake Cumberland Area Development District then addressed the court about the Ewing Branch bridge replacement project, presenting the court with a document that needed to be approved for the project to proceed, that pertaining to an anti-replacement and relocation clause, basically stating no one would be relocated as a result of the project. The court voted unanimously to approve that particular document.

Hart also informed the court an archeological survey of the area was required and would cost about $2,000 about the engineer’s fee.

An engineer, Arnold Engineering of Bowling Green, has already been secured for the project. Judge Huff said he would discuss that required survey with the engineers and see if they would include the survey in with their fee or at least try and get the cost of the survey down as much as possible.

After the meeting was adjourned, Magistrate Ricky Craig asked County Attorney Rains if he could check into the process of officially dedicating the upstairs courtroom to the late Circuit Judge Eddie C. Lovelace.

The next regular meeting of Clinton Fiscal Court is scheduled for Thursday, November 15 at 5 p.m. and is open to the public.