By: Charles Romans
Carter County Times
The Carter County Fiscal Court began its regularly scheduled meeting on Monday night with comments from the public. Local resident Kenny Smith brought to the court’s attention that he had seen numerous instances in different areas where trash had been thrown out on the roadside. Smith specifically mentioned Route 986 near Airport Road, as an area where trash was prevalent.
Smith said the conditions at the sides of all the roadways were ’horrible,’ and asked if something could be done, maybe using inmate work crews from the detention center. Jailer RW Boggs said that there were certain restrictions for inmates to qualify for road crews, and currently only two such crews were available. The fiscal court decided to look into a resolution, possibly enlisting volunteers.
In other public comments, Pam Lewis, President of Fostering Possibilities and Mary Ann Johnson from the same organization addressed the court about the needs of foster children and how their organization was working to remedy those needs.
“We serve foster kids in seven counties,” Lewis told the court.
Boyd, Carter, Elliot, Greenup, Lewis, Lawrence, and Morgan are served by the organization, Lewis said.
Lewis said that when a child is taken by a caseworker, that caseworker reaches out to Fostering Possibilities. Many children only have what is on their person at the time, Lewis said, and Fostering Possibilities can help with clothing needs. Their immediate needs are met first, then children can shop for five outfits of new clothes, she told the court.
“We have had 714 shopping appointments since September of 2022,” Mary Ann Johnson told the court. “We serve from newborns to age 18.”
The Grayson based nonprofit organization’s clothing budget last year alone was close to $30,000, and the majority of those funds come from grants, fundraising, churches, and independent donations.
Carter County Judge Executive Brandon Burton thanked Lewis and Johnson for speaking to the court about how they serve an at-risk population in the county. Burton also told them that the Kentucky Judges Association had set aside funding for nonprofits.
“As Carter County Fiscal Court, we submitted you for $1,000,” Burton said. “We were drawn, and we would like to present you with a check for $1,000 to help with your organization.”
In other public comments, Emergency Director Jason Gillum addressed the court, not in that capacity, but in the capacity of Assistant Fire Chief of Norton Branch Fire Department.
“Over the last year we have been updating and buying equipment for water rescue,” Gillum told the court. “But there is one more piece of equipment we would like to get.”
The equipment in question is a 155 rescue boat, which Gillum said is referred to as a banana boat.
“It’s a raft with no engines,” Gillum said.
The craft is open ended and designed for shallow water rescues but has multiple uses such as ice rescue emergencies. Gillum told the court that the cost of the craft was $3,097 dollars, and Norton Branch Fire Department requested a portion of that expense from the court if possible. The new boat would be available county wide, not just for Norton Branch Fire Department.
In other business, the court voted to continue support of the Carter County Conservation District in the amount of $60,000. The court also voted to appoint Kelly Cordle to the Carter County Health Department Board.
A public hearing was set for McGuire Lane for April 13, 2026, at 5:30 pm.
A motion made to approve the purchase of three transport vans for the detention center at the court’s February 2026 meeting was rescinded due to an error in pricing. The Court voted to approve the purchase of the three transport vans in question at the updated price of $44,400 per vehicle from Mark Porter Dealership in Ashland.
Contact the writer at charles@cartercountytimes.com
