SALYERSVILLE – The Magoffin County Fiscal Court met in special session on Monday, May 23, honoring a WWII hero and approving resolutions to tie up any loose ends with only one month remaining of the fiscal year.
The court approved the following fund transfers from the general fund: $40,000 to the jail fund and $565 to the forestry fund.
The fiscal court also approved the first reading of a budget amendment for the fiscal year 2022, which adjusts estimated amounts to the exact totals received and/or spent in order for the budget to reflect the actual amounts. Fiscal year 2022 ends June 30, so Magoffin County Judge/Executive Matthew Wireman explained this kind of housekeeping actions will keep them on schedule to end the year on budget.
They also held the first reading of the budget for fiscal year 2023, remaining similar to the current year’s budget. Wireman explained there is one new fund added to the budget, called the county clerk permanent storage fees fund, which was created by the legislature this year.
Similarly, they approved the pre-approved recurring expenses for fiscal year 2023.
The Magoffin County Fiscal Court also approved a resolution honoring Corporal Morris Manuel Fletcher, naming Fletcher Branch Rd. (CR-1113), located off Kentucky State 867 in Magoffin County from mile point 0.00 to 0.578 to be forever known as Corporal Morris Manuel Fletcher Road.
Fletcher was a World War II hero, fighting in northern Africa and in the Allied invasion and capture of Sicily, where he was awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart after single-handily taking out an enemy pillbox that had pinned down and inflicted heavy casualties on his unit.
He was also involved in the Invasion of Normandy, leaving his vehicle to rescue a fellow soldier who had been shot and paralyzed. He reached the man and, and while tending to his wounds, was also heavily injured, then used his body to shield the other soldier. After the skirmish, other soldiers tried to pick him up, to which he replied to his lieutenant, “Put me down, sir. I’m a goner. Take care of the other boys.”
The lieutenant carried him out and he was evacuated to a U.S. Military hospital, where he died from his wounds on August 8, 1944. In total, he was awarded the Silver Star, two Purple Hearts, two Good Conduct medals, the American Defense Service Medal, the European/African Campaign medal with four campaign stars and two invasion arrowheads, and the WWII Victory Medal. The full resolution will run when the road dedication is held, with the date to be announced.
The fiscal court also approved a resolution in support of the Kentucky Wildlands and Eastern Kentucky PRIDE’s application to the National Park Service for a National Heritage Area Designation, citing the Pioneer Village and the Dawkins Trail as tourism-boosting attractions that feature the location and an era of time when people in this region stopped being British and started being Americans.
They approved the resolution and County Road Aid Cooperative Program agreement with the state, which they do every year to get Kentucky Rural Aid funding to fix county roads.
The court approved the Rural Secondary Budget Allotment recommendations from the state, which include improvements to KY 3333, KY 3334, and Bear Branch down to Barnett Road. The recommendation just approves what road projects the funding can be used for after regular state maintenance if the funding allows.
The fiscal court approved to keep the same insurance plan for fiscal year 2023, but Wireman noted they will have to start looking at increasing deductibles and/or decreasing coverage if the prices continue to increase.
They approved the KACo workers compensation and All Lines Fund insurance for fiscal year 2023, covering liability insurance; the Administrative Office of the Courts reimbursement form concerning the Magoffin County Justice Center, and the authorization to bid for bulk diesel fuel and gasoline, motor oil and grease, tiles and culvers, gravel and rock, blacktop/asphalt, and cold patch and chip seal oil.
The fiscal court approved the petition to adopt Randy Minix Road off of W. Lick Branch into the county road system, and the petitions to close Cecil Cemetery Road and Chalmer Gullett Road, with all landowners’ signatures included in the petitions.
As they have been continuing their efforts to update the county road list each month, the fiscal court also approved the updated county road list, which included changes made in the previous meeting.
In the first step in the Ramey Memorial Park upgrade project, the court received a bid for three batting cages, a sidewalk and a fence, totaled at $199,000. Per Judge Wireman’s recommendation, they rejected the bid, which was much higher than they expected the cost to be, and agreed to bid out the project, again. Wireman said after they follow the bid process, they can enter into the negotiation process with contractors, but he said they were hoping to have this part of the project done this summer.
The next regularly scheduled Magoffin County Fiscal Court meeting is tentatively slated for June 21 at 6 p.m. in the Magoffin County Court House Albert Patrick Building.
Mitch May
June 2, 2022 at 8:41 pm
My dad’s brother retired the navy as a admiral after 30 years of service.