By: Charles Romans
Carter County Times
The Carter County Fiscal Court held a special meeting on June 30. Items on the agenda included a change to the county administrative code. The changes included adding the Juneteenth holiday as an official day off for county employees and officially increasing the amount of money the judge executive can spend without a vote from the court or a bid process. The original ordinance called for up to $30,000, but the fiscal court had previously set that number at $20,000. The court voted to raise that figure back to the maximum amount of $30,000.
Judge Executive Brandon Burton acknowledged the raise of discretionary funds, but told the court he would always feel more comfortable bringing any potential expense to the court for discussion before it was spent.
The fiscal court also had the second reading of Ordinance 862, which deals with street legal special purpose vehicles. Carter County Attorney Brian Bayes told the court that the new ordinance was based on a template used by other counties in the commonwealth and could be amended at a future date if necessary.
Residents of Carter County who own special purpose vehicles can call the courthouse for specific requirements which will include inspection at the Sheriff’s Office and the purchase of tags, which would require proof of insurance. Some vehicles, such as ‘side by sides,’ might not have an official title at the time of purchase, and owners would be required to go through a process to have a title created if none exists.
The fiscal court also discussed and voted to approve a reimbursement contract with the FIVCO Area Development District. FIVCO is the agency that provides data collection assistance, stakeholder guidance, and public involvement to assist in meeting the needs of safe streets and roads for grant projects, among other services. The agreement will ensure reimbursement for county employees when they are needed to assist FIVCO for that purpose.
The court also voted to increase pay for county employees by five percent. This increase was made possible due to a decrease in retirement costs, the first such decrease in a considerable period of time. The pay increase will affect all full-time employees.
The court also voted to accept all bids for gravel for the county. This will allow the county to secure necessary gravel from alternate sources in the event that the current source might have shortages in supply at the time it is needed. It will also allow the county to secure gravel from the nearest location to where repairs are being done.
Another item on the agenda was an amendment to the East Park Agreement. Judge Burton told the court that East Park was asking for a tangible tax to be amended into their contract. Magistrates were provided with a copy of the existing agreement to look over, and discussion was scheduled for the next fiscal court meeting.
Contact the writer at charles@cartercountytimes.com
