By Charles Romans
Carter County Times
Snow and cold weather were on the minds of the mayor and council members when the City of Grayson held its regularly scheduled meeting last Tuesday. During that meeting the council voted to approve the minutes from the previous meetings, including the special called meeting in December. As part of its regular business the council heard the reports from city departments. Mayor Troy Combs also pointed out for the benefit of new council members that one function of the council was to hear department reports and that council had the prerogative to require said reports be either brief or detailed, based upon informational needs and other factors.
Roger and Joanne Dunfee reported from emergency management, with Roger Dunfee informing the council that the recent extreme weather conditions have dominated their focus and efforts.
“We did set up a shelter at The First Church of Christ,” Dunfee told the council. “That was in anticipation that we would have power outages, but fortunately we had none.”
Dunfee said that they were ready, with cots set up to accommodate 30 to 53 individuals if needed, and had left them set up for a week, but not having any power outages, they were taken down on Saturday, January 11.
“I think that says a lot,” Dunfee told the council. “I believe the tree companies have done a great job keeping trees cut back from the power lines. They trimmed them back enough so that falling trees didn’t affect the power lines.”
But Dunfee also cautioned council to be on the lookout for more bad weather, and said that his department is doing everything to maintain a state of readiness.
Dunfee also thanked Councilman Dustin Burchett who helped with snow clearing using his own equipment and volunteering his time to ensure that city residents were safe during the storm and its aftermath. Burchett said that he was concerned that those county residents who were on medications would not be able to get out to get them and other necessities, and over the course of the storm he estimated clearing about 600 driveways.
Councilwoman Jennifer McGlone commented on Dunfee’s report and offered praise for the Emergency Management Department.
“It might seem like a little thing,” McGlone said. “But I took particular notice of it this time when you would post on Facebook and tell people if they were opening a shelter to post it on your website.”
McGlone said that she believed it was enormously helpful to the city and the region that people could access one sight and be able to see what emergency services were available in the area.
“I think Roger and Joanne are very humble themselves,” mayor Combs added. “And they do a lot to praise the people that are out there working during emergencies. I think you have done an amazing job, and a great job keeping people informed.”
Combs also agreed with Dunfee that those in charge of keeping city right-of-ways clear have done an amazing job this year.
The Grayson Fire Department reported 759 calls for the past year. This number went up from 707 calls the previous year, fire chief Greg Felty reported. Those numbers include 396 inside the city limits and 363 outside the city limits.
“My guys did an awesome job,” Felty told the council. “They stayed busy and handled everything well. Ands they are still helping EMS when they can’t get up driveways.”
Felty said that the fire department uses their side-by-side vehicle or 4-wheel drive trucks for those emergencies.
The police department report included the need to hire a new officer to replace an officer who is retiring soon. Currently two of Grayson’s police officers are on leave, with the remaining officers working diligently to fill the void.
“It has been a rough year,” Police chief Tony Cantrell said.
Cantrell told council that due to his injuries, one officer might not be returning to work. He also made council aware that although the cruisers are currently in acceptable shape, the 2020-year cruisers are out of warranty and would most likely need to be replaced soon.
Mayor Combs presented an overview of the mayor/council governmental form and responsibilities to the council as well.
“When I first got on the city council there was a lot to learn,” Combs told the council. “There was a lot I didn’t know, and I thought it would have been beneficial to go over this form of government. That’s one reason why the training is so important,” he continued. “And if we get training that is closer to home, I think we all should go. Even if we do know this information, it is helpful to have a review of it.”
The review of the information, based upon Kentucky Statutes that are available to the public, highlighted the mayor’s responsibilities and authority as well as those of the council. The mayor/council plan of government clearly defines the executive branch (mayor) and legislative body (council), echoing the three branches of US government, though the city itself does not have a judicial branch. Essentially, the mayor executes the city’s laws and ordinances, and the council passes or rejects those laws.
Mayor Combs said that he encourages not only the council members but all residents of the city to learn more about how their local governments operate. The first step, he said, is to attend city council meetings which are always open to the public.
Contact the writer at charles@cartercountytimes.com
