Fiscal Court conducts meeting without public session By JOE REDMON Judge Executive William Haynes convened a full Fiscal Court Oct. 10 without benefit of a public session. Judge Haynes decided prior to the meeting to forego public session by eliminating it from the agenda. When asked for comment after the meeting as to why there was no public session, he responded it wasn’t on the agenda. When further asked why it wasn’t on the agenda, he remarked there had been a full agenda and there wasn’t time. When this reporter commented that this was the shortest regular meeting of Fiscal Court in recent memory, less then 90 minutes, Judge Haynes replied that the new Animal Control Ordinance (ACO) wasn’t debated or read, and declined further comment. The meeting began with the approval of minutes from past meetings and Magistrate Padgett proposed forming a committee to write policy and procedures in conjuction with EMS director Pam Weber. The motion was about to die for a lack of a second when a “public session” of sorts started as Randy Kelly, a citizen from Ekron, insisted upon being heard. The judge executive agreed to hear his complaint that the EMS should be able to provide better emergency response by being able to assist in addressing medical emergencies over the phone, while EMS personnel are enroute. Mr. Kelly had recently called 911 for his son during a medical emergency and while careful not to blame the county EMS or technicians, he emotionally called upon the Fiscal Court to act to improve emergency services within the county. Motions flew as magistrates jockeyed to be heard. At one point, the Fiscal Court clerk, when asked if she knew which motion was to be voted upon, simply replied, “No.” Magistrate Davidson had made a motion to include Kelly on a committee to review medical dispatching procedures. This committee will consist of two magistrates, the judge executive, the EMS director, and Kelly. Returning to the agenda, Fiscal Court approved the Planning & Zoning administrator’s report; preapproved County Clerk Katrina Fitgerald’s plan to pay election workers; and Quicksilver Mines’ plan to lease the gas rights under county roads in the Paradise Bottom area of the county. Questions by Magistrates Allen and Davidson clarified that roads and right-of-ways would be unaffected, that drilling would begin in November, and that the road superintendent must approve all entrances onto county roads. The motion passed unanimously with Allen abstaining, due to his having a gas lease with Quicksilver. After approving the county’s holiday work schedule, approving road and street name changes, and continuing to table a motion regarding Medley Farm, Fiscal Court took up an issue regarding a resolution passed last month. Simply put, the resolution required EMS personnel to man their stations when not on a dispatched run. Fiscal Court voted 6-1 (Magistrate Callecod objecting) to suspend last month’s resolution for 30 days, pending the outcome of the EMS committee meeting to write Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for EMS. When asked after the meeting if Fiscal Court backed down in the face of a large contingent of EMS workers for political reasons, Davidson stated EMS needed a more “permanent policy addressing its operations.” Magistrate Padgett echoed those sentiments, pointing out that almost none of the county’s operations have SOPs and this needed to be fixed as soon as possible. Though the first reading of the new ACO appeared on the agenda, Fiscal Court declined to hear it. There exists a disagreement between the judge executive and Fiscal Court whether the judge executive can legally transfer his authority over the animal control officer and assistant to the sheriff’s office. The committee formed by Fiscal Court, including magistrates, proposed this transfer to improve the security of the ACO and protect the ACO during his various operations throughout the county. Judge Haynes quotes from KRS 67, which he contends prevents such a transfer of authority. Others disagree. Fiscal Court quickly approved claims and transfers and adjourned.
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