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Board plans for new school year
By: Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times
Carter County parents who are anxious to know what the new school year will bring for their children can expect to start receiving phone calls the first and second weeks of July. Carter County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ronnie Dotson told the board last Thursday that parents will be asked at that time if they want their children to return to school normally, or if they want their children to participate in non-traditional instruction (NTI) options, like online classes. He said he hoped that children could return to school, but if they cannot, he hopes they can log-in to classes remotely and participate in instruction in real-time, “just as we’re doing now with two board members,” Dotson said, indicating a computer monitor and webcam setup that was being used to include board members William Bradley and Kirk Wilburn in the meeting.
Dotson said he would understand any parent concerns about a return to traditional classroom. While he said he thought it was best for students to be involved in class, whether or not all students can return to class depends on their individual situation.
“If I had a child that was asthmatic… or lived with grandparents who might be at risk,” he said, he might consider NTI options. Thursday, Superintendent of schools, Dr. Ronnie Dotson, spoke to the board of education about plans for the new school year. Possible scenarios include streaming classes online and staggered attendance for high school students. Photo by Jeremy D. Wells, Carter County Times.
“We can’t send them walking up the holler by themselves,” he said, noting that some students are dropped at bus stops that aren’t near their homes. “We can’t send a second grader (walking home).”
He said the district would likely also have a requirement for students to wear masks on the bus, because of the difficulty with maintaining six feet of distance between students. He said each child would be provided with two washable masks, which the district is currently in the process of purchasing. He said the same requirements would apply in the classroom, where students would either need to be spaced six feet apart or be masked.
He said that the school district was also preparing for new morning and lunchtime routines. Instead of congregating in the gymnasium before school started for the day, he said, students would go directly to their classroom. In some cases, he said, breakfast and lunch might be brought to students in their classroom instead of gathering in the cafeteria to eat. However, because masks have to be removed to eat, if students couldn’t maintain a distance of six feet in the classroom, they might have to stagger eating times in the cafeteria so that social distancing could be maintained at mealtime. To the extent it was possible, though, students would spend most of their time in their classrooms.
“We will do the very best we can, realizing we can’t have a society that is not educated,” Dotson said.
Board member Rachel Fankell asked how high school would be handled, since those students, more than elementary school students, had mixed schedules that required changing classes and didn’t stay with the same classmates all day.
Dotson said at the high school level students might need to stagger their attendance days, but that nothing had been determined yet, and the district was still planning.
He said teachers had until July 15 to tell the district if they planned on returning to work, but other than a situation where a teacher had legitimate medical concerns that fell under the ADA he couldn’t see a scenario where teachers could refuse to return to the classroom and expect to keep their job.
Fankell also asked how sports would be handled, wondering if students would be allowed to compete while spectators were barred from the stands, or if schools would have to forego sports where students might be in close contact with each other.
Dotson said he couldn’t answer that question, but that plans were being reassessed every two weeks. Ultimately, he said, any decisions about what sports could be played – and if fans would be allowed to fill stands – would be made by the Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA).
Board member Bryan Greenhill asked about the ability of nurses to test students for the COVID-19 virus, but Dotson told him he wasn’t able to answer that question at this time.
Wilburn, speaking via teleconference, asked about the possibility of providing internet hotspots for students without internet access. Dotson said the district had explored the possibility, but that it wasn’t cost-effective. The cost for the service available to the district was “astronomical” he said, with each device to provide the service priced at $100, plus $20 per month with a minimum one year contract. That would lead to a cost of $20,000 to $40,000 per month, which was “not financially feasible.”
In other action the board voted to approve the district financial report, and orders from the treasurer. The board also discussed the selection of the depository for fiscal year 2021 and 2022, and the bond of depository agreement, with First National Bank chosen as the depository.
The board also moved to approve plans for non-traditional instruction.
“In a normal year, I’m never in favor of trading a day of education with a day of worksheets,” Dotson said, explaining that while it may save on costs for substitute teachers and transportation, it wasn’t worth it in the loss of education. But, he noted, this was not going to be a “normal year.”
If students can participate in live, online classes, Dotson said, he felt that was also better than worksheet packets. It would also be better for the district financially because students who participate online will be allowed to be counted as “present” for attendance purposes during this pandemic period.
This, however, led to discussions about the adequacy of online access. Board member Lisa Ramey-Easterling asked if the district had an accurate count of students who had adequate internet access. Dotson said that during the week they planned to test that, by asking parents to all perform a particular online signal test at the same time, the district wasn’t able to proceed. He said the way state surveys about online access were worded also didn’t give an adequate count, because if the home had one smartphone or other devices that could access the internet, it was counted as having online access. But, he noted, that didn’t mean those homes had sufficient bandwidth to participate online or enough devices for all children in the home to connect at the same time.
Ultimately, the board noted, the district would have to be flexible.
“As we move forward to August, it’s going to be very fluid,” Ramey-Easterling said.
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com
Pet of the Week – 6/24/20
Hercules is a one-year-old male shepherd mix. He’s a very friendly boy and great with other dogs. Hercules is fully sponsored and has a FREE adoption to an approved home. Stop by the Carter County Animal Shelter and meet him or call 475-9771 for more information.
Shelter hours are Monday through Friday 9am-4pm and Saturday by appointment.
Cutting the sewage bills
Council approves new spigot meter policy
By: Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times
If you are tied into the city of Olive Hills municipal water and sewage system, you pay bills for both based on your water consumption. The assumption is that any water used by a home for washing dishes, doing laundry, taking showers or flushing toilets also ends up going through the sewage system. This isn’t always the case though. Sometimes water used for things like washing cars, filling swimming pools, or irrigating gardens goes directly into the soil instead. Beginning in 1997, according to the billing history, the city of Olive Hill began to allow citizens using water that did not pass through the city’s sewer systems to deduct that water from their sewer bill through the use of spigot meters. The way the spigot meters work is by connecting them to the outside water source, such as a garden hose, and keeping track of the water used by that source. When the spigot meters are read, any water that has gone through that meter is deducted from the home’s sewage bill.
It seems simple enough, and it’s never been a huge program – only 200 were recorded in the system, and of those only 70 were active last year and only 50 were currently in use. But with a switch to a new metering system that includes the electronic reading of meters, there are some issues that need to be addressed. Council took up those issues during their regular meeting last Tuesday and set out new policies for the use of the spigot meters.
Mayor Jerry Callihan told the council that he had temporarily suspended the distribution of spigot meters to new customers because of these needs. These included trouble with finding the location of the spigot meters, which some customers were moving from location to location on their property. The main reason, however, was because the city was currently operating at a loss on the distribution of the meters. Due to the age of the statute, Callihan explained, the city was currently stuck selling the meters to customers at a cost of $80. While that may have covered the cost of the meters when the policy was started over 20 years ago, today those meters cost the city in excess of $100 each.
“We’re already honoring (existing connections)… just not selling anymore,” Callihan explained. “We don’t want to charge someone $80 for something that costs the city $150.”
His proposal to council was to change the policy to reflect the cost of the meters for the city and to set policies that require the spigot meters to stay in one location so that meter readers could find them easily.
Council discussed the possibility of adding an electronic remote component to the spigot meters, so they could be read electronically like other water meters no matter where they were on the property. Callihan however, said adding a remote reader to these spigot meters wasn’t practical or cost-effective. In addition to the cost of the electronic reader that would have to be included, he explained, because these meters are removable he worried that the electronic components getting run over by vehicles or otherwise damaged. Because of the small number of spigot meters in use, he said, it wasn’t a problem to have them manually read. But, he said, the city did need them to stay in a consistent location during their seasonal use, usually early spring through later summer or early autumn, so that city employees didn’t spend time wandering around a property looking for them.
The new spigot meter policy approved by council changes the costs so that, instead of $80, customers will pay whatever the costs to the city are for the spigot meter, plus a $10 service fee. It also requires customers to register where the meter will be placed on the property and to keep it in that location for ease of reading.
Council approved the new policy unanimously.
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com
Property Transfers 6/1-6/18/2020
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Exercising her rights
Vera Anna, of Soldier, stands on the corner of Carol Malone Boulevard and Main Street in downtown Grayson last Wednesday wearing a sandwich board urging primary voters to “Vote No” on Patrick Flannery for the job of State Representative. Anna, who supports Flannery’s opponent in the Republican primary, Rita Yates, said she was unhappy with Flannery’s performance when he was Carter County Attorney.
“He didn’t do his job as Carter County Attorney,” Anna said, adding that Kentucky, “doesn’t need someone like that in Frankfort.”
“He doesn’t have a servant’s heart,” she continued.
Anna, a naturalized citizen who fled Warsaw Pact era Czechoslavakia with her young son, said she appreciated that America allowed her the freedom to openly support and oppose candidates of her choice and to exercise her First Amendment rights.
“It feels good to exercise your rights,” she said.
Primary voting closed yesterday, but Carter County Clerk Mike Johnston’s office said results of the election may not be available until June 30 because of the high number of absentee ballots being cast due to COVID-19 related concerns about traditional voting. The winner of the Flannery – Yates contest will face incumbent Democrat Kathy Hinkle for the 96th District State Representative seat in November’s general election.
Photo by Jeremy D. Wells, Carter County Times.
Floyd Herbert Brickles
1933-2020
Floyd Herbert Brickles, 86, of Olive Hill, passed away Saturday morning, June 20, 2020 at the Ridgeway Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Owingsville after an extended illness.
He was born at Emerson, Kentucky on December 23, 1933, to the late Joseph Brickles and Ida Sammons Brickles Scott.
Floyd was a retired farmer and sawmill worker and enjoyed fishing, hunting, playing cards and raising a garden. He was of the Baptist faith.
Besides his parents, he was preceded in death by his brothers, Donald Brickles, Charles Brickles and Arthur Lee Brickles, his half-brothers, Wilbur Brickles, Franzo Brickles and Virgil Brickles, four sisters, Roberta Stevens, Lydia Littleton, Jewell Lowe and Ruth Brickles and his half-sisters, Eunice Mullins, Carmie Price Borders, Audrey Clemons, Maxine Brickles and Lydia Walters Douglas.
He is survived by his sister, Betty Smith of Salt Lick, Kentucky and a special friend and caregiver, Danyale Ball. Also, several nieces, nephews and other relatives and friends.
Funeral services were conducted at 1:00 P.M. Tuesday, June 23, 2020 in the chapel of the Michael R. Gray Funeral Home in Morehead with Rev. Eddie Dennison officiating.
Burial was in the Stamper Cemetery at Emerson in Carter County.
Visitation was from 6:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. Monday.
Pallbearers were Bobby Littleton, Kenneth Littleton, Ralph Littleton, Jessie Nolan, Jeff Wells and Donnie Gilliam.
Honorary pallbearers were David Smith, Avery Littleton, Richard Littleton and Jeff Parzell.
The Michael R. Gray Funeral Home in Morehead cared for all arrangements.
To view the online memorial and sign the guest book, click here.
Growing Olive Hill
City council approve corridor annexation along Rt. 2
By: Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times
The city limits of Olive Hill took steps to grow a little bit bigger last Tuesday, when council moved to approve an intent to annex ordinance that expands the city through what is known as corridor annexation along KY Route 2. The move could allow businesses along Route 2 to have their property taken into the city limits. This would allow them to enjoy certain benefits of being inside the city limits, such as the ability to apply for a liquor sales license. This isn’t the first time the city has grown through corridor annexation. Last year the city made a similar move, annexing a narrow corridor down US 60, that took the John Clark Oil property into city limits. That move allowed the property to apply for a license to sell beer and alcohol while keeping other homes and properties in the Pleasant Valley area untouched and outside of city limits. While the corridor annexation doesn’t force those living along the corridor to join the city, it does leave the option open. City utility lines for water and gas already extend along the Route 2 corridor. However, while property owners along the corridor can tie into those utilities, they do not otherwise have to abide by city statues or pay city property and occupational taxes unless they request to have their property taken into the city.
While the move to annex along the US 60 corridor and take the John Clark Oil property into the city was controversial, with some Pleasant Valley residents – who initially worried they would be forced to join the city – protesting the plan, the move to annex along Route 2 saw no such protests.
In other action the city moved to pass an ordinance repealing an ordinance dating to 1949 relating to license fees for businesses. Ordinance 2020-02 repealed ordinance 1949-46, which was found to be in conflict with the Kentucky Revised Statutes and other city ordinances related to business licensing.
The city also moved to pass an ordinance that repealed the ordinance empowering the city’s Historic District and Architectural Review Board. That ordinance, created in 2004, was meant to help preserve historical buildings and preserve the architectural feel of the city’s downtown area. However, with the large number of buildings needing rehabilitation or renovation following the 2010 floods, council found the restrictions of the board “unduly burdensome” to property owners and prospective businesses looking to locate downtown. The ordinance repealing the board also noted that the city has other zoning laws “sufficient to protect the safety” of citizens.
Council also entered into the first reading of an ordinance repealing council as the code enforcement board. Council will now need to create new board and appoint board members to oversee code enforcement issues.
Council also moved to approve the treasurer’s report for May and approve a request from the treasurer to cash in a certificate of deposit with Commercial Bank that has matured, and to move the $204,000 the city will receive from that cd into the utility fund. The cd was part of a requirement for a water bond issued in 1981, which has now been paid off in full.
“With utility bills not being paid, this will certainly not hurt us in the utility fund,” city clerk and treasurer Chimila Hargett told council.
Council also discussed the use of spigot meters (see “Cutting the sewage bills” in this issue) and moved to approve changes to how customers are charged for spigot meters; discussed requests to place “children at play” signs and speedbumps or other traffic control measures along Parker Memorial Drive; answered questions about the rental of the senior citizens center, discussed insurance needs for the fire department and employee insurance rates, and set the first date for a special meeting to discuss the 2020-2021 budget, before entering into executive session to discuss pending litigation.
On the Parker Memorial Drive question, mayor Jerry Callihan said that speed bumps present many problems for the city. In addition to needing surveying and approval of neighbors impacted by the placement of speed bumps, Callihan noted that salt trucks often have issues with the raised areas when salting roads in winter. One proposed compromise was the placement of grooves in the road which would force traffic to slow down without impeding the utilization of salt trucks. Signs noting that children were at play were “not an issue” Callihan said, and could be placed along the road. Senior Center Rentals will not be allowed for the foreseeable future, because, as Hargett noted, the city is “still under a state of emergency,” and they were unable to “police for social distancing” and numbers of people inside if the facility was rented out. Council agreed that while the facility is currently closed to senior citizens as well, once it reopens the health and well being of seniors who use the facility are their main priorities. Council also moved to approve a new insurance agreement with IEPIS for fire insurance which would allow the department to maintain flood and equipment insurance that they were going to lose under their old policy.
Council set a July 14 date for a special meeting to discuss the budget, noting that after July 1 they would be able to accommodate public meetings of 50 people or fewer.
They also approved a new touchless time clock system that allows employees to clock in remotely through smart devices while noting where they are when they clock in. Hargett told council the system is one of several items that may be eligible for reimbursement due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Other items the city might qualify for financial assistance on included the hiring of temporary staff to complete tasks formerly completed with inmate labor and other COVID-19 related costs.
After returning from executive session the council moved to approve receipt of the health department building in exchange for $30,000 to resolve a pending civil action in Carter County Circuit Court.
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com
Justin Stapleton
1987-2020
Mr. Justin Stapleton, age 32, of Olive Hill, Kentucky, passed away Tuesday afternoon, June 16, 2020, from injuries sustained in an accident.
He was born September 25, 1987, in Boyd County, Kentucky, a son of Donnie and Deborah Waugh Stapleton.
Justin was owner and operator of Grahn Tie Lumber and he enjoyed being outdoors, hunting and having cookouts for people. He was known as the “jack of all trades” and loved spending time with his little girl and family and friends.
He was preceded in death by his maternal grandfather, Roy Waugh, and his paternal grandparents, Carl “Bud” and Joyce Davis Stapleton.
In addition to his parents, Justin is survived by his wife of 12 years, Megan Thornsberry Stapleton; one daughter, Willow Rynn Stapleton of Olive Hill, Kentucky; his sister and brother-in-law, Whitney Brooke and Shane Salley of Olive Hill, Kentucky; his maternal grandmother, Phyllis McCoy Waugh of Olive Hill, Kentucky; his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Vaughn and Joyce Smith Thornsberry of Morehead, Kentucky; and his nieces and nephews, Hannah Salley of Olive Hill, Kentucky, Xander Thornsberry, Autumn Thornsberry, and Meadow Thornsberry, all of Morehead, Kentucky. He also leaves many other family members and friends who will sadly miss him.
Funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, June 23, 2020, at Globe Funeral Chapel in Olive Hill, Kentucky, with Brother Ray Simmons officiating. Burial will follow in the McFarren Cemetery in Olive Hill, Kentucky.
Friends may visit from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday, June 22, 2020, and after 9 a.m. on Tuesday at Globe Funeral Chapel, 17277 West Highway US 60, Olive Hill, Kentucky 41164.
Bryce Waugh, Reece Waugh, Trace Waugh, Derrick Stevens, Todd Minor and Zeb Brown will serve as pallbearers. Todd Humphries, Jason Carroll, Wes Hedge and Craig Utley will serve as honorary pallbearers.
Condolences may be sent to the family at Globe Funeral Chapel.
Two birds with one stone
Face mask program keeps people safe and feeds the hungry
By: Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times
When the COVID-19 crisis caused schools to close early last year, Mary Jane Suttles, a teacher’s aide at Prichard Elementary, lost one of her main fundraisers for supporting a program near and dear to her heart, Love the Hungry. But while the pandemic might have closed one door to fundraising, it has opened another. Suttles is now giving away face masks to anyone who contributes to the charity program, which helps feed hungry people here at home and abroad.
“I started making the masks when the church (First Baptist Church of Grayson) asked anyone with sewing skills to make them for area nursing homes, essential workers, etc.,” Suttles explained. “I donated the first 50 or so. Then a coworker asked if she could purchase one. I told her I wasn’t selling them but I’d make her one. She refused unless she could pay me. She was the one that suggested doing it for a fundraiser.”
It helped fill a vital need for her charity work with Love the Hungry. While she had already made her donations for the previous year, fundraising for the program – which feeds hungry and malnourished children and families at home and abroad – is a year-round endeavor.
“Our biggest fundraiser at Prichard is selling snacks in the teachers’ lounge and since school was dismissed, that cut out the money,” Suttles said. “We had just had our annual pack two days before school was closed so we are starting on funds for next year.”
So far the mask program has been a resounding success.
“So far, I’ve sewn just over 400 masks with donations around $1,300. That means over 5,000 meals for the hungry,” she said.
Each meal distributed through Love the Hungry costs about twenty-five cents, but that quarter can make a huge difference in the lives of hungry children and their parents. Suttles first saw that impact, and became involved with the Louisville based charity, during a mission trip to Haiti after the devastating 2010 earthquake that hit the island nation.
” The earthquake is how I got started going,” she said. “My youngest daughter was at Morehead in nursing and the students went for a medical mission in August after the earthquake in January. I went to a packing event in Stanton, Ky that Children’s Lifeline was putting on. I was hooked. It costs 25 cents a meal, which doesn’t seem like a lot of money, but when you’re talking about doing 40,000 meals each year it takes some doing to raise funds.”
Since then she’s worked with Love the Hungry (formerly Kids Against Hunger – Louisville) to distribute meals through Children’s Lifeline and has gone on six mission trips to Haiti to help distribute the meals.
“We did our first packing event at First Baptist in November 2012,” she explained. “Prichard started in October 2015. To date, we have packed 524,706 meals. My first trip to Haiti in 2012 was through a mission called Children’s Lifeline. Dale Oelker with Love The Hungry, formerly called Kids Against Hunger, supplies them with meals.”
Children’s Lifeline also supplies meals to needy children here at home, feeding “2,700 kids a day at school,” she noted. They have other suppliers as well, and supplement their meals from Love the Hungry and other sources with beans and rice, but Love the Hungry still makes a huge impact for the people they feed.
“Love the Hungry supplies meals for many different organizations around the world,” Suttles said.
That has included, “over 50,000 meals for Kentucky and surrounding areas during this pandemic,” she explained in a Facebook post about the program.
Anyone interested in donating for a face mask can contact her through her Facebook post in the Carter County Citizens for a Better Way Facebook group, or send a check payable to First Baptist Church at P.O. Box 577, Grayson, KY, 41143. She asks that anyone sending checks to the church put Love the Hungry, or LTH, in the memo line of their check.
For more information on Love the Hungry, check them out online at lovethehungry.org.
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com
After 40+ years of home grilling, the cruel truth comes out
By: Keith Kappes
Columnist
Carter County Times
Are fathers supposed to get their feelings hurt on Father’s Day? Well, it happened to me again this year.
I waited patiently for any of our eight kids to suggest coming to our house and letting me prepare another feast on my portable, flat top grill or my upright grill.
On the way home from our Father’s Day event at someone else’s house, I mentioned my injured feelings to my loving wife of 49 years.
To my surprise, she offered to poll our children about my outdoor cooking skills. I hesitantly agreed, never imagining the rejection I would feel when she reported two days later.
First, good grill cooks don’t burn the meat and punish their guests with greasy, overcooked burgers and charred hot dogs in an atmosphere of choking thick smoke.
Secondly, real outdoor chefs know how to skillfully grill vegetables instead of turning them into ashes.
At that point, she recalled that the first cookout we had at home seemed more like a cremation than dinner.
As I tried to catch my breath for a nifty response, she said one of the kids suggested I wear firefighting “rollout” gear instead of my “Papaw” apron.
Another of the ingrates claimed that I used so much water to put out grease fires on the old grill that it spiked the water bill.
To add insult to injury, she admitted that she seldom lets me grill steaks because my cooking is so bad it somehow seems like cruelty to animals.
And then she had the audacity to recall my grill-buying history of the last few years.
My upright gas grill with a cast iron grate is too hard to clean. The stainless-steel griddle I bought to sit on top of the cast iron takes forever to get hot.
As for my fancy flat top grill. I’ve cooked about four meals on it. All were delicious but I’ll never get used to eating alone.
(Keith can be reached at keithkappes@gmail.com)
Improving care and saving cash
New jail medical contract already paying dividends
Carter County Jailer RW Boggs has worked tirelessly to not only save money for the county, but to make the Carter County Detention Center profitable since taking office. He’s renegotiated phone contracts, taken on prisoner transports and inmate housing contracts for I.C.E. and other federal inmates, and worked to use commissary funds to provide services that benefit inmates.
His latest move, a new medical contract with Quality Correctional Health Care (QCHC), is improving on-site health care for inmates while also saving the jail funds spent on overtime, transport, and other off-site hospital visit costs, Boggs explained.
Under the jail’s previous health care contract they had on-site medical personnel for eight hours a day. The jail does two medical passes in that eight hour period, which includes checking on inmates’ vitals and handing out medication. Because of end-of-shift work that nurses must do, other jail staff usually ended up doing the second pass. The staff, Boggs said, have had the training required to hand out medication, but it’s better for the inmates if nurses hand it out because they can address other issues that inmates might have at that time too.
With the new QCHC contract, the jail has medical staff for 12 hours a day, soon to be 16 hours a day. Therefore, nurses can handle both medical passes and provide better care for the inmates. Under the old system, if an inmate had other medical complaints they would often end up having to take them off-site to visit a doctor or nurse practitioner because the other jail staff weren’t trained medical professionals despite being certified to hand out medication. With this new system, Boggs explained, off-site visits are already down by 80 percent. Previously, he said, they would have “from four to five (off-site visits) per week.” With the new system, they’ve dropped that number to two off-site visits since May 1.
“It’s safer for everyone – staff, inmates, and the community,” Boggs said. It’s safer for the community, he explained, because there is less chance of an inmate escaping since they aren’t outside the facility. It’s safer for staff because they aren’t at risk when transporting. And it’s safer for inmates, he said, because there is more staff present in the facility to help keep order.
It’s also better for the inmates because they now have more on-site equipment to serve them, such as EKG monitors to check heart rates. That one piece of machinery, Boggs noted, has already helped them rule out whether some issues are actual heart attacks, panic attacks, or an exaggeration of symptoms by inmates that want a short trip outside the facility just to break the boredom of incarceration.
While QCHC will also provide refund checks to the jail once the initial costs of equipment and start-up are covered, Boggs said the major costs savings come from cuts in deputy overtime and in fuel and time costs for transports.
One of the other improvements offered with QCHC is access to electronic medical records (EMR), which Boggs said is a “safer” and “more seamless” way of getting records to providers when they do have to transport inmates off-site for medical services.
The start-up didn’t cost the county anything either, he explained, as the initial funding came from commissary funds. By state statute, commissary funds can only be used for programs that benefit inmates. But, he said, “nothing in my mind is better for them than more health care.”
“We wanted to provide the best services we can at no cost to the county,” Boggs continued, explaining that he feels the QCHC contract helps the jail do just that.
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com
Indictments – February and March 2020
The attached indictments were returned by the Carter Circuit Court on February 21 and March 5, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the grand jury has not met since that last date and no new indictments have been released.
An indictment is not a determination of guilt or innocence. It is simply a charge that an offense has been committed and indicates that a case is pending on the charges listed. All defendants have the presumption of innocence until found guilty in a court of law.
Though it may be a part of the public record, the Carter County Times does not make a habit of printing the names of minor children or the victims of alleged crimes, except under exceptional circumstances.
February 21 Indictments
- James P. Costigan, 38, of Morehead, assault in the second degree with a dangerous instrument causing physical injury, a Class C felony; wanton endangerment, first degree, under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference for the value of human life, creating a substantial danger of death or serious physical injury, a Class D felony; criminal mischief, first degree, by intentionally damaging a tow truck causing pecuniary loss of $1,000 or more, a Class D felony. On or about December 25, 2019.
- Elwood C. Eldridge, 20, of Grayson, incest – victim under 12 years of age by having sexual intercourse or deviant sexual intercourse with his (relative) a child less than 12 years of age, offenses occurring between 2013 and 2019, a Class A felony; sodomy, first degree by having deviant sexual intercourse with a child less than 12 years of age, a Class B felony; sexual abuse, first degree by having sexual contact with a female less than 12 years of age, a Class C felony. On or about September 1, 2013 through April 20, 2019.
- Jason Lee Goodan, 42, of Olive Hill, trafficking in a controlled substance, first degree, first offense, over or equal to 2 grams of meth by knowingly and unlawfully trafficking in a schedule I narcotic, by selling, or possessing with intent to sell, more than 2 grams of methamphetamine, a Class C felony; operating a motor vehicle under the influence, aggravating circumstances, by operating a motor vehicle on a public roadway while intoxicated under aggravating circumstances, a Class B misdemeanor; unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to use for the purpose of introducing into the body illegal or controlled substances, a Class A misdemeanor; trafficking in marijuana, less thnan 8 ounces, first offense, a Class A misdemeanor; fleeing and evading police, first degree, by operating a motor vehicle in an attempt to flee from a Kentucky State Trooper which created a substantial danger of death or serious physical injury to the officer, a Class D felony; two counts of wanton endangerment – police officer, first degree, Class D felonies; resisting arrest by using physical force against a peace officer, a Class A misdemeanor. On or about February 16, 2020.
- Gary Jamal Howard, 30, of Essex, Maryland, operating a motor vehicle under the influence, first offense, aggravating circumstances, by operating a motor vehicle on a public roadway, while intoxicated and speeding in excess of 30 mph over speed limit, a Class B misdemeanor; wanton endangerment, first degree, under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life, by driving a vehicle in a wanton manner endangering other motorists including a Kentucky State Trooper, all of which created a substantial danger of death or serious physical injury to the other motorists and trooper, a Class D felony; driving with a suspended license, a Class B misdemeanor; possession of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor; disorderly conduct, second degree, when in a public place and with intent to cause public annoyance, he made unreasonable noise and his action which caused others to be alarmed, a Class B misdemeanor. On or about January 31, 2020.
- April D. Knipp, 31, of Grayson, operating a motor vehicle under the influence, first offense, a Class B misdemeanor; possession of a controlled substance, first degree, first offense, when she unlawfully possessed a schedule I controlled substance, heroin, a Class D felony; possession of drug paraphernalia, a Class A misdemeanor. On or about January 1, 2020.
- Phillip Michael Roar, 42, of Olive Hill, possession of a controlled substance, first degree, first offense, for unlawful possession of a schedule I controlled substance, heroin, a Class D felony. On or about January 1, 2020.
- Eric Sprouse, 34, of Grayson, promoting contraband in the first degree by knowingly introducing danger contraband into the Carter County Detention Center, being drugs, a Class D felony; possession of a controlled substance, first degree, first offense, unlawful possession of a schedule I controlled substance, heroin, a Class D felony. On or about January 20, 2020.
March 5 Indictments
- James Coburn, 48, of Piqua, Ohio, public intoxication while appearing in public manifestly under the influence of a controlled substance, not therapeutically administered, to the degree that he may endanger himself of other persons, a Class B misdemeanor; possession of a controlled substance, first degree, first offense, unlawful possession of a schedule I controlled substance, methamphetamine, a Class D felony. On or about December 29, 2020.
- Anna Gillispie, 30, of Grayson, public intoxication, while appearing in public manifestly under the influence of a controlled substance, not therapeutically administered, to the degree that she may endanger herself of other persons, a Class B misdemeanor; possession of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor; possession of a controlled substance, first degree, first offense, unlawful possession of schedule I controlled substance, methamphetamine, a Class D felony; possession of drug paraphernalia, a Class A misdemeanor. On or about February 10, 2020.
- Matthew Moore, 43, of Olive Hill, flagrant non-support by failing to support his minor children, accumulating an arrearage of $16,477.55, a Class D felony. On or about May 1, 2015 through January 31, 2020.
- Ronnie Moore, 64, of Grayson, operating a motor vehicle under the influence, first offense, by operating a motor vehicle on a public roadway while intoxicated, a Class B misdemeanor; driving with a suspended license, a Class B misdemeanor; failure to maintain required insurance, first offense, a Class B misdemeanor; possession of a schedule I controlled substance, first degree, first offense, methamphetamine, a Class D felony. On or about February 7, 2020.
- Carl Radford, 41, of Ashland, flagrant non-support by failing to support his minor child, accumulating an arrearage of $3,471.04, a Class D felony. On or about January 1, 2017 through January 31, 2020.
- Ronnie Rice, 72, of Grayson, sexual abuse, first degree, by having sexual contact with a child less than 12 years of age, a Class C felony; sodomy, first degree, by having deviant sexual intercourse with a child less than 12 years of age, a Class A felony; incest by having deviant sexual intercourse with his (relative) a child less than 12 years of age, a Class A felony. On or about January 21, 2020.
- Hannah Scott, 37, of Olive Hill, flagrant non-support by failing to support her minor children, accumulating an arrearage of $7,126.00, a Class D felony. On or about May 1, 2010 through December 31, 2019.
- Charles E. Smith, 38, of Grayson, burglary second degree, by unlawfully entering a dwelling with intent to commit a crime, a Class C felony. On or about February 17, 2020.
- Sandra Stoll, 41, of Bowling Green, flagrant non-support by failing to support her minor children, accumulating an arrearage of $5,442.40, a Class D felony. On or about February 1, 2018 through January 31, 2020.
- David Stringfellow, 49, of Ashland, the offense of bigamy, by purporting to marry another person knowing he has a wife, a Class D felony. On or about June 6, 2017.
- Melissa Wilburn, 43, of Rush, theft by unlawful taking over $500/under $10,000 by unlawfully taking monies/credit belonging to MIG Refractory Products Inc. with a value over $500, with intent to permanently deprive MIG of its property, a Class D felony. On or about August 1, 2019 through December 31, 2019.
- Danny Withrow, 33, of Grayson, flagrant non-support by failing to support his minor child, accumulating an arrearage of $4,336.50, a Class D felony. On or about May 1, 2018 through January 31, 2020.
Hitting zero: Emergency ambulance board pleased with Loperfido’s work
By: Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times
If the reaction of the ambulance board is any indication, Rick Loperfido is doing a bang up job in his role as the executive director of the Carter County Emergency Ambulance Service. Loperfido and Valerie Nolan presented the board with their budget for the service, showing that they are hitting their goals and saving money for the service, and turning in a balanced budget.
“I do believe we are reaching a zero situation, and could begin going (positive),” board president John Brooks said in the last regular meeting of the ambulance board. “This is the first time I’ve had a true zero budget.”
Loperfido has helped curb unscheduled overtime for the department, with his report showing that in March unscheduled overtime was at 3.49%, which was decreased to 2.69% for April and down to 0.89% for May. This may be due in part to a decrease in the number of calls received during the covid-19 self isolation period, where fewer folks on the road and sticking closer to home led to a reduction in calls, Loperfido explained, noting that as self-isolation restrictions ease the call volume is beginning to return to pre-covid levels. He reported that the service ended May with 427 calls, compared to 322 in April, and 490 in May of the previous year.
Loperfido also reported that they have completed the month with no known employee exposures to covid-19 requiring isolation or quarantine. He also noted the service is “holding at good levels for our personal protective equipment (PPE)” for staff utilization on calls. This was due, in part, to a $2,500 grant from Marathon the service received for the purchase of PPE and supplies.
In addition to grants, Loperfido explained, he’s also cut costs to vehicle repair and maintenance thanks to assistance from Daniel Barker with the Carter County Garage. Barker has assisted the service with repairs to older ambulances and vehicles, including wiring and electrical work.
“Daniel’s assistance over the past couple of months has dramatically saved the service several hundred dollars in repair costs by providing the labor,” Loperfido reported, explaining that the only cost out of pocket for those repairs and maintenance was in materials. “This partnership has been a definite plus for the ambulance service in cost savings for truck repairs,” he added.
In addition to the reductions in repair costs, Nolan’s budget showed that the service has reduced equipment costs by around $60,000.Loperfido reported that the service did receive one complaint, about a wrapper from a medical device used on a call that was inadvertently left behind on a lawn, but he rectified the situation by sending the crew back out to pick up the wrapper. Otherwise, he noted, the ambulance staff has had positive feedback from the community.
“People are being nice (to us),” he said, adding that one person came into the office just to drop off a large bag of chocolate and candy bars for staff to snack on.
While his report also noted he received news from the federal government that the service would not be receiving further funding through the second round of CARES fund distribution, this was because the service had not lost enough revenue to “meet the threshold for more money at this time.”
Loperfido also reported they have had progress with having miscellaneous “junk” cleaned up on an adjacent property, which has improved the appearance around their offices.
Loperfido and Nolan also noted there had been a slight increase in overdose calls in the previous month, as a “bad batch of heroin” hit Carter County.
Looking past quarantine
Carter County Tourism Board discusses events after COVID-19
It’s been a strange summer for the Carter County Tourism Board and the businesses and events they support. Most of the county’s events, including the planned Fourth of July fireworks displays, have been cancelled. Only Tres Hermanos restaurant in Grayson is planning a fireworks display this year, according to the board. Hotel tax collections are also down as fewer people travel. Chris Perry at Carter Caves State Resort Park, for example, said accomodations at the lodge have been cut in half as they have to leave rooms vacant for a day before cleaning them and getting them ready for another guest to occupy to meet new park guidelines for cutting covid-19 risks.
But, despite all this, the park is ramping up for some summer activities. Bath facilities in the campground are being allowed to reopen, and the lodge will be allowed to return to 100 percent capacity after June 26. While the pool will likely remain closed a while longer, and equipment for the mini-golf course is not being rented, as the course isn’t technically “open”, mini-golf is still available for those who have their own golf clubs to bring along.
Perry said they are also hoping to get back in the caves after July 4, though with a different style of tour. What that will likely look like, he told tourism, is smaller groups and tour guides stationed throughout the caves to provide information, rather than large group tours. Instead of sending a large group every hour, he said the smaller groups will likely be staggered, and may be sent one every 15 minutes or so, so they can accommodate demand while still practicing social-distancing protocols.
At the other end of the county, Market 474 in Grayson is up and running, the outdoor setting being conducive to social-distancing. The organizers of the monthly event, on the second Saturday of each month, said with many festivals and events cancelled, participants in Market 474 have expressed gratitude they have somewhere to sell their goods. The next event in the series is set for July 11, but they are also looking at the possibility of organizing a second Market 474 event, to take place in the evening instead of the morning, perhaps with musical entertainment.
The tourism board also discussed the cancellation of county fairs, and how it might impact 4-H and livestock sales, and agreed to allow the fair board to use the tourism board’s movie screen if the fair board votes to use the fair ground property to organize a drive-in style movie event. While the drive-in movie experience hasn’t been approved yet, the tourism board has thrown their support behind it and agreed to help if the fair board moves forward.
Why a print newspaper?
By: Jeremy D. Wells
Editor
Carter County Times
That’s a question my partner and I have asked ourselves repeatedly since we started this whole endeavor. We’re already raising a toddler, a full time job in and of itself. She is working a full time job in the telemedicine field that has turned up to 11 since the covid-19 crisis struck. Working as a one-person reporting team was already a full time job, even with a corporate organization and layout team behind me. She and I are doing this all alone. When you add to all this the fact that newspapers aren’t nearly as profitable as they once were, and we’re more likely to lose money in the first year than to make any, it seems completely crazy.
So why do it? For me, it’s a simple two word answer.
It’s important.
More and more of our news is coming from corporate owned news outlets these days. The owners don’t live in your communities. They don’t care about what happens in your communities; beyond how much money they can take out. And when the money falls below a certain threshold, they’re gone.
That’s not going to happen with us. We live here. We care about here. We think it’s important you know what’s happening here. And we’re going to do our best to make sure you can find out. Because you’re important to us.
Are we crazy? Maybe. But we’re going to do our best to make this work, for all of us. Because local news is important.
God loves all the little children
“All Lives Matter,” chanted KCU student Dee Garrett while leading a peaceful rally against racial prejudice and police brutality in Grayson over the past two weekends, “but black lives are the ones being killed.”
Garrett wasn’t alone, this past Sunday or the previous weekend. He was joined by other KCU students, faculty, and staff as well as citizens of Grayson who wanted to show their support and solidarity. While Grayson and Carter County have thankfully experienced neither police related deaths of black citizens, nor the kind of rioting and looting that have accompanied protests in larger cities, Kentucky, as a state, can’t say the same. The death of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, shot in her bed while police were serving a no-knock warrant, is one of several recent high profile cases that have reignited protests across the nation as black citizens, and their white allies, demand justice and police accountability. Taylor was not the subject of the warrant – who was later found to already be in police custody – and had no illegal drugs in her home. Demonstrations in Louisville have led to clashes between protestor and police, with journalists and others caught in the crossfire.
While arguments rage about whether other recent police related deaths may not have occurred if subjects had simply obeyed officers, or if they hadn’t potentially broken the law in the first place (in some cases they did, and in others it’s unclear), that cannot be said of Taylor. The 26-year-old EMT had broken no laws. While a judge had issued a warrant for her residence, because she had a previous association with one of the subjects of the drug warrant who may have received packages at her residence, Taylor and her boyfriend had no way of knowing who was breaking down their front door because police did not identify themselves.
Her death is an undeniable tragedy, and points to a need for reform. And while that need may be news for some of us, it isn’t for African Americans, who will tell you they have lived under the microscope of police and social scrutiny for generations.
We can disagree about whether or not the rioting and looting are justified. But focusing on the rioting misses the point. In the same way that police who have been videoed using excessive force are now being brought to task, we should be able to trust that video of looters will help bring them to justice as well. The rioting isn’t the point. What prompted the rioting is. And it’s something that all Americans need to do some serious soul searching about.
That’s one reason that demonstrations like Garrett’s faith-inspired gatherings are so powerful, and so necessary. It’s bringing black and white residents of Grayson together, to get to know each other as people first. And it’s helping white Americans understand the anxieties that our black neighbors live with every day.
Faith has always been an important part of Appalachia’s cultural identity. We begin our public meetings with prayers. We begin our family meals with grace. Now, we need to get ourselves into our prayer closets and ask ourselves, truly, how we should handle these issues. We all came up singing the refrains of that familiar childhood song that reminds us, “red and yellow, black and white, they’re all precious in his sight.” Now we need to take those lyrics to heart.
We can disagree about lots of things. We can disagree about the justification of rioters. We can disagree about the best way to address racial inequality. But we can’t deny that it has left an ugly scar on our nation that needs to be healed, and it’s going to take all of us, black and white, to heal it.
We think Garrett’s approach of Christian love and dialogue is a good starting point, and we thank him for bringing it to Carter County.
Sheriff releases property tax numbers
Counties share of more than $7 million is $808,468
Carter County Sheriff Jeff May released the numbers for property tax settlements and unmined coal settlements during Carter County Fiscal Court’s regular meeting last week. Out of a total of $7,286,403.90, the county’s share from property tax charges came to $808,468.14. Schools took the lion’s share of the funds, at $4,534,353.84. The health department’s total charges came in at $565,333.22, ambulance was second to schools, with $905,093.39, extension was a $469,058.03, and forestry was the lowest at $4,097.28.
Broken down by category, real estate for the county was at $545,042.12; tangibles, $41,810.72; new bills $1,901.45; limestone, sand, gravel, and clay, $380.57; omitted limestone, sand, gravel, and clay, $986.05; omitted real estate, $2,346.84; executive court orders – real estate, $221.93; executive court orders – tangible $0; franchise bank deposits, $80,571.34; franchise tangible, $118,065.68; franchise real estate, $13,076.53; and penalties, $4,064.91; for the total of $808,468.14.
Real estate funds for the schools was at $3,495,425.13; tangibles, $232,835.93; new bills $10,887.37; limestone, sand, gravel, and clay, $2,440.72; omitted limestone, sand, gravel, and clay, $6,323.88; omitted real estate, $14,990.52; executive court orders – real estate, $1,423.28; executive court orders – tangible $0; franchise bank deposits, $0; franchise tangible, $660,343.67; franchise real estate, $83,864.03; and penalties, $25,819.31; for the total of $4,534,353.84.
Real estate funds for the health department was at $436,018.43; tangibles, $29,170.43; new bills $1,358.11; limestone, sand, gravel, and clay, $304.46; omitted limestone, sand, gravel, and clay, $788.84; omitted real estate, $1,526.40; executive court orders – real estate, $177.54; executive court orders – tangible $0; franchise bank deposits, $0; franchise tangible, $82,371.00; franchise real estate, $10,460.67; and penalties, $3,157.48; for the total of $565,333.22.
Real estate funds for the ambulance board was at $697,624.97; tangibles, $46,672.46; new bills $2,172.94; limestone, sand, gravel, and clay, $487.13; omitted limestone, sand, gravel, and clay, $1,262.15; omitted real estate, $2,925.60; executive court orders – real estate, $284.06; executive court orders – tangible $0; franchise bank deposits, $0; franchise tangible, $131,794.21; franchise real estate, $16,738.01; and penalties, $5,131.86; for the total of $905,093.39.
Real estate funds for the extension agency was at $348,017.06; tangibles, $23,282.78; new bills $1,083.99; limestone, sand, gravel, and clay, $243.01; omitted limestone, sand, gravel, and clay, $629.63; omitted real estate, $1,461.21; executive court orders – real estate, $141.71; executive court orders – tangible $0; franchise bank deposits, $0; franchise tangible, $83,262.04; franchise real estate, $8,372.41; and penalties, $2,564.19; for the total of $469,058.03.
Forestry only had funds from real estate, $4,073.58, and penalties, $23.70, for their total of $4,097.28. In tax credits the county had a total of $34,985.12, schools $212,108.41, health $26,460.93, ambulance $42,337.42, extension $21,120.24, and forestry $175.92. These numbers included delinquent real estate, delinquent tangibles, executive orders – real estate, executive orders – tangibles, and discounts.
Less commissions and refunds, the net due, and less payments previously submitted, the balance due to the sheriff for the county was 0.74, for the school 0.64, 0 for the health department, 0.01 for ambulance, 0.16 for the extension, and 0 for forestry.
Carter County is not particularly rich in coal, and the unmined coal property tax settlement numbers reflected that. The total charges and taxes due for the county were $42, less $1.79 in commissions leading to a net due and payments of $40.21. For schools those numbers were $269.36, less commissions of $10.56, for a net due and payments of $258.80. For health it was $33.60, less commissions of $1.43 for a net due and payments of $32.17; for ambulance $53.76, less commissions of $2.15, for net due and payments of $51.61; and for the extension $26.82, less a commission of $1.14, for net due and payments of $25.68.
These numbers, the sheriff’s report noted, are subject to audit.
Smoothing out the rough spots
County borrows money to meet road repair needs
Carter County Judge Executive Mike Malone told the fiscal court last week that, at least when it comes to the money available from the state, he wishes every year was an election year. Malone told the court that while the county claimed a windfall $800,000 for paving projects from the state last year, this year they are back to a more standard funding rate. Malone said he expected to see $150,000 to $160,000 awarded to paving projects in the county this year. These numbers are more in-line with what the county typically receives, he said, noting that the only time in recent memory the county has received more than $240,000 was last year, which was an election year.
“I wish it was that way every year,” he told the court. “We’d get a whole lot done.”
Even with those projected funds, though, the county is facing a budget shortfall at least through August, Malone told magistrates, when they expect more money to be released . If county road crews plan to get any road work done before cool weather slows their ability to pave, he said, they would have to do it with borrowed money. Fiscal court approved Malone’s request to extend a $500,000 line of credit with the Kentucky Association of Counties (KACo) to get over their budget shortfall. Malone noted the county is still waiting for reimbursement on over $200,000 from projects that were covered by FEMA. He also said unanticipated repair costs for the courthouse, including repairs from termite damage and plans to improve insulation to cut down on heating and cooling costs, had cut into the county’s budget.
The court also discussed removing roads from, and taking roads into, the county system. Because the county must hold a public hearing before completing the process of removing or adding a road to the county system, no action has been taken on roads since COVID-19 related social isolation measures led to the closure of the courthouse. However, as public places begin planning to reopen, the county is again discussing road vacations and taking roads into the system, with the first public hearing scheduled for June 29, when the state will allow public meetings of 50 people or fewer to begin again.
At 5:30 p.m. on Monday, June 29, the court will hold public hearings on the vacation of sections of Bailey Cemetery Road and Campbell Road, which were in discussion prior to the closure of public meetings by Governor Andy Beshear. County attorney Brian Bayes reminded magistrates that, before a road can be taken into or removed from the county system, the magistrates responsible for examining the road must present a written report of their observations. In addition to the observations of two disinterested magistrates – or magistrates who do not represent the district the road is in – the report must include comments from the head of the road department on what steps, if any, are necessary to bring the road into compliance with the county road ordinance and measurements from the head of the E911 department for purposes of public safety.
In other road news District 3 magistrate Jack Steele asked the court to consider a request to vacate a portion of Vincent Road, past the intersection with Jackson Road, which dead ends on private property. Steele also asked the county to consider a request from his constituents to take a section of Mandolin Drive that is currently private into the county road system. The court moved to begin the process of removing the section of Vincent Road from, and taking the section of Mandolin Drive into, the county road system.
Giving it Teeth
Grayson considers revision to nuisance ordinance
Grayson city council began their regular June meeting by swearing in new councilman Jerry Yates, but then it was straight down to business. Yates, who has been a regular fixture at Grayson City Council meetings, works as a senior representative with the local carpenter’s union, the Indiana Kentucky Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters and Millwrights (IKORCC). He’s also responsible for introducing a fair bidder’s ordinance to city council that – in addition to giving preference to local contractors to help keep dollars circulating in the local economy – requires all contractors working on city projects to ensure that their employees and subcontractors are paying city payroll taxes and maintaining worker’s compensation insurance on their employees. Yates filled the seat vacated by long time city councilman and firefighter Duane Suttles, who accepted a position with the city as code enforcement officer. Yates will also take Suttles place as the city council representative on the Park Board.
After Yates was sworn in Mayor George Steele presented council with a preliminary budget for the 2020-2021 fiscal year. While Steele said the budget was “not as bad” as they initially thought it was going to be, finances in the city were “going to be tight for a while.” Steele asked council to study those numbers before a special meeting on June 23 to consider approving the budget.
“All the numbers are in order for you, so you can see where we’re at,” Steele told council.
The main item of discussion on the agenda, however, was suggested revisions to the city’s nuisance ordinance. Suttles, in his new role as code enforcement officer, said that in addition to “some language that needs cleaned up” in the ordinance, he was looking at ways to “add teeth” to the ordinance.
While he noted the city has “had a lot of luck collecting” on mowing fees for out of compliance properties, more needs to be done on enforcement to ensure property owners stay in compliance.
Yates asked Suttles why the $100 per day fine on unmowed grass wasn’t a sufficient deterrent and Suttles explained that while it could help spur some action, the city couldn’t leave those lots unmowed. But, he noted, the city can only charge when the property owners are out of compliance. Once the city took action to mow the grass that wasn’t being maintained by the property owners, those properties were no longer out of compliance, and the city could only charge the property owners for previous days that they were out of compliance. When the property owners lived outside the city, as many of those with unkempt properties do, he explained, it made it even more difficult for the city to collect on those properties.
Suttles said the city is tracking those instances though. He said they are also looking at the possibility of tying penalties for commercial properties that are out of compliance with their utilities. That way, he explained, the city could suspend utilities if the property was not in compliance as a means of “giving teeth” to the ordinance.
In other action council approved a motion to place speed bumps on Wildcat Drive, off of Midland Trail, after residents along that street requested them as a speed deterrent for vehicles and collected the appropriate number of signatures.
Steele also discussed the extension of water lines outside of the city toward Grayson Lake and considering other sources of water for the city.
“Right now we have an adequate source of water,” Steele said, but “down the road” the city might need additional water.
“Probably not in my lifetime,” he said, but the city needs to look to the future. “There might be a need for a better source of water in 10 or 15 years.”
He told council that the city was in the process of a study, with the Corps of Engineers, “that will tell us if that’s the right thing to do or not.”
“While I’m comfortable with what we have right now, I’m not comfortable with what we may need 20 years from now,” he added.
“It’s a long, drawn out process,” to make those plans for future needs, he told council, but it was important for the city to consider.
Steele also addressed recent social unrest in other communities related to racial strife and police brutality, and said that he was happy to see students from KCU and Grayson citizens discussing these issues and raising awareness in a peaceful manner. He said that he wanted Grayson’s minority population to feel secure in the city, noting that Grayson has been “blessed” by the contributions of their black and minority citizens, and recalling the legacy of folks like Dr. Rodney T. Gross and their positive impact on the community.
