SEPTEMBER 23, 2015
SEE CORRECTION AT END OF STORY…
FORMER SUPT. ALSO SAYS LAWRENCE NOT NEAR TOP IN COUNTY LAND AREA, 29th
SEPTEMBER 17, 2015
COUNTY GARAGE UNDER FIRE OVER ROADS (VIDEO)
CLICK ON JOHN TO SEE LAZER VIDEO
LOUISA, Ky. — Three Lawrence county residents from separate areas appeared at Tuesday morning’s September 2015 Regular Fiscal Court meeting complaining of road problems and most of the three plus magistrate Morris Howard blamed were upset with the County Road Dept.
Judge/Executive John Osborne defended the road department for the most part but Howard did not.
“We need to priortize roads at the county garage so they all get worked on,” Howard said. “We (magistrates) can’t get anything done we ask for.” County Road Supervisor Mike Compton was not in attendance nor was county road dept. road manager Homer Fannin, who Osborne has said is in charge of which road is being worked on.
Nicole Billiter, one of the residents who complained, said the county garage manager has not been responsive to her calls for help either, even though a blacktopping project that, she says, will crumble because of lack of drainige, is about to begin this week.
“They (road dept.) are not doing their jobs and the judge is letting them get by with it,” Ms. Billiter who lives on Schoolhouse Rd, said. “Also, it seems to me they are working on the same properties all the time and others not at all.” She added that she has called and visited the judge’s office several times and is told the problem will get fixed “but it never does”.
Lawrence County, the state’s third largest in area has hundreds of roadways most of them county roads.
The two other complaining residents were also upset with the county road work. See their comments on our LAZER VIDEO at top of this page or CLICK HERE.
Besides the road discussions the court was all business accepting bids for steel and materials on four road and bridge projects including:
- Steel for projects only one bid – E&E Construction- $48, 120.
- Diamond Ridge (blacktop – low bid E&E Construction
- Donathan– blacktopping) -King Drilling $15,589
- Twin Lick – E&E Construction- $24, 940
- Fork of Laurel – King Drilling – $12, 591
Osborne appointed Roger Jordan (“Old Roger” he said) to the Housing Board replacing Steven Wilburn who can no longer serve because of his job.
And the judge also appointed a new Zoning Administrator to a new Lawrence County Zoning Commission that apparently has never had.
Don Thompson, a Republican who is well respected and has run for magistrate, was appointed by Democrat Osborne as the county’s first ever Zoning Administrator. No salary (except expenses for travel if needed) goes with the position but along with the changing the name to Commissions instead of ‘Boards’ there is a reason.
“We found out that we’ve never had a Zoning Commission or an administrator like we are supposed to,” Osborne said. So we decided to change it to the way it supposed to do.”
Osborne did not say what Thompson’s responsibilities will be nor why the zoning question is coming up at this time with the new Columbia Gas line crew moving in and an expected oil boom coming.
In other business the court…
All motions were unanimous
- Approved minutes of the August 18, 2015 Regular Meeting
- Approved 1st reading of Budget Amendment # 1
- Approved Bills
- Accepted Treasurer’s Report
- Accepted Lawrence County Conservation District Annual Financial Report
- Accepted Sheriff’s Tax Settlement – no $$ figure given.
- Approved payment of Sheriff’s tax settlement- pay deputy Sherry Burchett $1,500 for preparing
- Took member off the Lawrence County Housing Board- Steven Wilburn
- Appointed member to Lawrence County Housing Board- Roger Jordan, Sr.
- Appointed Don Thompson as Zoning Administrator
- Change Planning and Zoning Board to Planning and Zoning Commission
- Awarded bids on Bridges (See above)
- Award bids on Steel jobs (See above)
- Accepted Lawrence County Public Library tax rate (Carlie Hillman)- The library took the compensating rate.
- Approveed 2016 Motor Vehicle & Watercraft Property Tax rate – No change from previous year’s rates.
- Discussion on the Riverfront plan (mayor Harold Slone) Did not appear
- Economic Development update (Catrina Vargo) Was not present due to illness)
- Public Comments (See above and video)
- Adjourn
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CORRECTION:
Mark – greetings from “Capital City.” Hope this finds you and all there in Louisa/Lawrence County well.
I had a phone call from someone there at home asking me about the recent LL article relative to the zoning administrator.
Please know that during the administration of Roger Jordan (as County Judge Executive) I did serve as the county zoning administrator and we functioned with a zoning board.
Also, please note the attachment of “Kentucky Land Area County Rank.” On that chart, you will note that Lawrence County is actually ranked 29th in land area. This was a topic that on a couple of occasions I shared with folks during my tenure as school superintendent.
I share such not asking or expecting any acknowledgment…
Given that my work has me here in Frankfort, I do enjoy reading the LL to keep me “up” on the local news. Keep up the good work!!!
Again, my best to you and all there “at home.”
Respectfully…
Mike Armstrong, Executive Director
Kentucky School Boards Association
260 Democrat Drive
Frankfort, Kentucky 40601
Office: 502-695-4630 ext. 1212
Office: 1-800-372-2962
mike.armstrong@ksba.org
EDITOR – We sincerely appreciate the lesson in Lawrence County political history from Mike. Remember, the judge executive was the one who asked if this was the first and he said ‘he thought it was but wasn’t sure’. it’s great to have people interested enough to reply, especially those with such esteemed backgrounds here in Lawrence County. I was shocked at the land area figures he provides because I always heard, even from legislators and other politicians that it was one of the top five in area.
