Story - The Meade County Messenger


Vol. 114, No. 17	April 23, 2008

Meade County Planning and Zoning – dead in the water?

By SANDRA STONE
Messenger Staff

“After the first of the month, we’re dead in the water,” said Allen Flaherty, vice chair of the Meade County Planning and Zoning Commission, near the conclusion of the April 17 regular meeting.

Flaherty’s remarks were sparked by the resignation of Administrator Barbara Campbell, her assistant, Dianna Fackler, and Commissioner Faye Basham. These resignations followed shortly after Fiscal Court fired code enforcement officer C.H. Schaffner late last year.

Flaherty conducted the meeting as commission chair Cheryl Gibson had become ill and was not able to attend. He announced Basham had resigned, and Gibson had expressed her intention to resign.

“We’re getting nowhere. After Faye and Cheryl and I have put in 12 years, we’ve backed up 12 years. I’m blaming this administration, and I’m blaming the last administration,” said Flaherty.

“It kills me to think that all we’ve ever wanted from Fiscal Court was to try to make Meade County a cleaner, safer place for our kids, for our grandchildren,” continued Flaherty. “No one seems to want to work with us. Here we are, trying to tell these people at Fort Knox how we’re going to work with them, and we won’t even take care of each other.”

Magistrate Tom Goddard was the only member of Meade County Fiscal Court present. Flaherty expressed his disappointment that more members weren’t at the meeting, and he apologized for directing all of his ire at Goddard before continuing.

“What do we have to do to get Fiscal Court to support us?” asked Flaherty.

“Be more specific,” was Goddard’s reply.

“We could be more specific,” said Sonja Redmon, “but that would be name-calling.”

Goddard replied the recommendation from Planning and Zoning for hiring a code enforcement officer was a “poorly filled-out application with erroneous information.” He added it was an insufficient application on which to make a decision. “We should have been told that, instead of sweeping it under the rug and not telling us one single thing,” retorted Basham.

“We expect our magistrates to communicate with us,” added Redmon.

Goddard said the judge executive was to have set up a meeting with the judge executive’s office, the county attorney’s office and the sheriff’s office. “Can we ask Fiscal Court to tell that man (Judge Executive Harry Craycroft) to do his job?” asked Redmon of Goddard. “He has to be told.”

“I can do that,” replied Goddard.

“I feel like you’re blowing smoke,” said Flaherty. “I’ve seen no positive actions regarding Planning and Zoning.”

“I am totally mad as hell,” Flaherty continued. “People tell me to be nice. I’ve been nice for 12 years. I’ve had people practically spit on me for trying to clean this county up.”

“If we want a clean, attractive, well-groomed county, we have to start at home,” said Redmon.

“We’re not the one making the issue,” said Goddard.

Redmon recommended adjourning the commission until a new administration as they have no staff support. “And they’d better not pay us our $69 a month,” she said. “That would be fraud.”

“Where do we go from here?” asked Flaherty. “We don’t have a code enforcement officer. We don’t have an administrator or secretary. We do not exist anymore.” Then to Goddard, he said, “Maybe that’s your plan.”

“I have no intention of doing away with Planning and Zoning,” said Goddard. “I can’t speak for six other people.”

One final comment came from Mildred Brown, who had remained quiet for the majority of the discussion. “I think those ‘Certified Clean County’ signs need to come down,” Brown said. “Our roads are filthy. We’re not a clean county.”

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