AGAIN !

LOUISA, Ky. -- A specially called city council meeting to make up for the regular meeting on April 9, did not materialize last night because of the lack of a quorum of city council members. The Lazer received word at 3:00 p.m. yesterday by a council member that there would be no meeting last night because at least half the council had prior commitments and could not attend.

The city council has missed two of the last three regular meetings, held on the second Tuesday of each month, because of sudden illnesses that struck mayor Teddy Preston on the day of the meetings. Preston called a meeting for last night but designated it as a "special" meeting. In a special meeting, only items listed on the agenda prepared by the administration can have action taken on them.

City government in Lawrence County is becoming ridiculous as the Louisa Council cannot get together enough to even have a regular meeting this year and the Blaine city government has a mayor with no commissioners thus no meeting has been held this year at all.

County attorney Mike Hogan did not return phone calls during the past two weeks concerning the Blaine situation that saw no candidates register to run for the commission positions in last November's election. Blaine area magistrate Earl Boggs said Monday that the city government is "about gone" and the county is currently providing services that have traditionally been done by the city.

It is not known if mayor Geneva Wheeler is receiving a salary or if citizens in the contested city limits are being sent tax bills.

Some redisents are calling for the combining of the city governments with the county to form a metro-government which would reduce costs and coordinate services such as the water system, trash collection, police protection, and other essential items governments are supposed to offer.

(Some parts of this story are comments by Lazer Editor Mark Grayson)

Louisa City Council
 

Special Meeting
 

Agenda

April 18, 2013--7:00 PM

Louisa City Hall

1.    Call to order.
2.    Pledge of allegiance and prayer.
3.    Approve appointment for Water & Sewer Board.
4.    Approve minutes for 03-12-13.
5.    Holly Nicholas-discuss water & sewer –public service commission.
6.    Lawrence County Animal Shelter.
7.    Second reading Ordinance 2012-09, “An Ordinance Relating to the Regulation of the Parking of Motor Vehicles within the City of Louisa”.
8.    Discuss penalty for violating the garbage ordinance.             
9.    Louisa Police Department.
10.    Louisa Fire Department.
11.    Louisa Water and Sewer Departments.
12.    Louisa Street and Sanitation Departments.
13.    Audience comments.
14.    Executive session.
15.    Adjourn.

Accident sends couple over hill at Yellow Creek

No serious injuries were reported after a couple, formerly from Stambaugh, Ky. wrecked in their SUV on Yellow Creek Road around noon Tuesday. David Thompson, 48 and Mary Thompson, 33, were traveling North on Yellow Creek Road. Mr. Thompson reported hearing a pop and then lost control going off the roadway, striking a tree and rolling over an embankment coming to rest on it's wheels. Responding to the scene was the Lawrence County Sheriff's Office, Cherryville Vol Fire Dept, Netcare ambulance and a Martin County Rescue unit.

Osborne appoints Colleen Stone to Housing Authority; PRIDE Cleanup successful, judge says...

From left, magistrate Earl Boggs, Judge/Executive John Osborne and magistrate John J. Lemaster

LOUISA, Ky. --  Monday's Lawrence County Fiscal Court regular meeting was not one for the ages as the group took less than 20 minutes to tackle a 14 item agenda.

Perhaps the most interesting item was the appointment of activist Colleen Stone to the Lawrence Co. Housing Authority Board by Osborne. Ms. Stone was not present as she usually is at court meetings. Osborne has also appointed her to the Solid Waste Board, where she is chairperson.

The court also voted to approve a resolution and contract with the state for the first 60% of the 2013-14 state road funding amounting to $854,223.

Funds from this source are used for resurfacing county roads as well as pulling ditch-lines and other road services. County Treasurer Sabrina Cantrell told the court that another $427,111 would be coming from the state in late January, 2014 and $142,705 at the end of next July for a total of $1,423,705The court also voted to accept the Lawrence Co. Soil Conservation District FYI budget as a routine matter and to appoint Denver Chaffin and James Wilkerson to view a portion of Aspen Drive to see if it meets the criteria for removal from the county roads list.

Voting was unanimous on each issue.

Also the court voted unanimously to take the high bid on several surplus items such as older model trucks and a bulldozer. Bidders included Big Sandy Stone and Lynn Spillman for the most part. Both won the bid on some of the items. The most the county got was $19,051 from Randy Hinkle for a DC bulldozer. Big Sandy Stone was next with a $1,005 bid for a 1996 GMC 8500 truck. The rest were less than $500.

Osborne said there were over 300 bags of trash cleaned up by more than 100 volunteers in this year's PRIDE Cleanup campaign last Saturday and good partipation in the free dumping at the county garage, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. He said the county is pleased with the effort and wants to thank all the churches and other groups and individuals who participated.

PRIDE will have an official announcement at a later date, he said.

In a related matter Osborne said there is currently no place in Lawrence County to recycle trash since the Wal-Mart station was closed due to a nationwide company policy. A new facility has been bid out that will include a large metal building along with recycling bins that Osborne said he hopes to have complete by this fall. He said until then there is no recycling in Lawrence County.