Judge tells library officials to lower tax rate

By Lilly Adkins

BSN Associate Editor

LOUISA — The Lawrence County Fiscal Court has scheduled a special meeting for Monday, Sept. 21, at 9 a.m. to accept tax rates so that the bills can be printed on time and collections can begin.Lawrence County Public Library director Carlie Pelfrey presented her tax rates to the fiscal court Tuesday, but court members did not accept them as they were, with Judge-Executive Phillip Carter saying the rates had to be reduced.Carter asked Pelfrey how the new construction was coming along on the library and also asked whether it had come in under budget, on budget or over budget.Pelfrey said it had come in above budget and that a grand opening is scheduled Oct. 1.“ Last night, the board discussed paying off the loan from 2008,” Pelfrey said.“With this COVID virus, the county is hurting and taxpayers are getting upset, so I’m going to put it out there to the taxpayers and let them contact you,” Carter said. “The rates are too high. They are almost the same as what ours are, and they spent 3.5 million on a building. The roads need fixed, and it’s not fair to the taxpayers. You don’t need six million in the bank to run the library. That rate is going to have to be lowered.”Carter told Pelfrey she could sit down, and she asked whether anyone had any questions before he told her again that she could sit down. She then took a seat.County Attorney Mike Hogan said he thought that legislation had changed recently that would allow the court to not be obligated to accept the rate, but that he would have to look into it to be sure.Lawrence County Clerk Chris Jobe said that he would like to get the rates approved so that the tax bills could go out and revenue could start coming in. He added that all the rates could be accepted at the same time.Hogan is expected to have the information regarding whether the court must accept the tax rate as presented by the Lawrence County Public Library during the special meeting on Monday.In other business, the court approved an increase to Lawrence County Sheriff Chuck Jackson’s bond to $3 million to cover tax collections, with a motion from Magistrate Dave Pinson, a second by Magistrate Rick Blackburn and all in favor.The court unanimously approved the acceptance of the sheriff’s 2019 gas and oil settlement, 2019 unmined coal settlement and the amended 2019 franchise settlement.The court also approved the Lawrence County Soil and Conservation District’s financial report, with a motion from Blackburn, a second by Magistrate Mike Holcomb and all in favor.The court approved a resolution and agreement between the court and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s Department of Highways for $250,650 in discretionary funds, with a motion from Pinson, a second by Halcomb and all in favor.In other action, the court unanimously approved the minutes of the Aug. 18 regular meeting, the bills, the treasurer’s report, the treasurer’s request and a resolution to extend grant for signage.