SALYERSVILLE – The Magoffin County Fiscal Court met in regular session on Tuesday, February 15, updating the county’s administrative code and approving the purchase of a truck for the sheriff’s office.
In the February 15 meeting, the court approved the fund transfers of $40,000 from the general fund to the jail fund and $85,500 from the general fund to the LGEA fund. Magoffin County Judge/Executive Matt Wireman explained the large amount going into the LGEA fund was to pay for the new rescue squad truck, which will be reimbursed by coal severance funding.
Under department reports, Deputy Judge Kevin Howard updated the court on the Battlefield Park project, with electricity and security cameras installed at the park. The facility upgrades for the community center are completed, with the upgrades at the Renaissance Center nearly completed, and upgrades at the courthouse and justice center scheduled next.
For the industrial park water line project, Howard said the majority of the water lines have been installed and crews working on the other tie-ins to the lines and the construction of the new water tank coming up, with the completion date of that project tentatively set for March 30.
A new sign has been installed at the horse park, with lettering coming soon, Howard said.
For the fiscal courtroom, he said they are waiting on the vendor, which has been affected by COVID-related shutdowns and delays, regarding furniture.
Howard said the Marian Hale bridge will be delivered Friday this week, with the installation to be scheduled soon.
The court accepted County Clerk Renee Shepherd’s 2021 excess fees, with $51,278.35 turned over to the fiscal court. Wireman said they will be able to purchase new election equipment with this money, in combination with reimbursements from the state, in order to update the system. The court also approved to purchase the election equipment from ESS – Election Systems and Software in the amount of $115,290. Wireman explained the purchase would not affect the general fund and will provide the equipment for all the precincts (not just a super center).
The fiscal court also approved revisions to the Magoffin County Administrative Code. Wireman explained one of the problems they’ve been dealing with the last few years are regarding school bus turnarounds. He said after having his staff check into the issue and talking with Frankfort, one of the things they can do is get an irrevocable easement from the landowners at these locations. They approved to update their administrative code in order to continue with that process, streamlining their ability to fix the areas where buses need to turn around.
They also approved to purchase another vehicle for the sheriff’s office, using their excess fees to buy a 2014 Ford F-150 for $24,000.
The court also agreed to reappoint Terry Lovely to the health department board for another two years. For the water board, they reappointed Jerry Borders and Jerry Howard and appointed Jeffrey Isaac to the expired position previously held by Randall Hardin, all for four-year terms.
They also agreed to hire Lynville Howard as a part-time Class A truck driver for the county road department.
Wireman said they will be opening the community center at least one day a week for people to play basketball, charging $2 per person and hoping to open the gym more days as staffing allows.
He explained the charge will help to keep the community center staffed and clean, especially since coal severance funding is at a stand-still with no coal being produced in the county.
In his judge’s report, Wireman said the county had quite a bit of bad weather, affecting the roads, and with COVID-19 illnesses and quarantines of some of the road crew workers, some roadwork had been delayed.
“When you have 900 roads that go 300 miles, four or five guys can’t take care of all that,” Wireman explained. “We’re out there doing the best we can do. We’re coming. Call and make sure we’re getting you on the list, and just because we haven’t been there the next day or four or five days later, doesn’t mean we’ve forgotten you. We’re coming.”
Wireman said they will have the spring cleanup days to announce by the next fiscal court meeting.
He also reminded the public it is fire season, with several forest fires out in the county at the time of the meeting.
The next fiscal court meeting is tentatively slated for March 15 at 6 p.m. at the Magoffin County Courthouse Albert Patrick Building.
