Martin County district to be split for garbage service
By Lilly Adkins
BSN Associate Editor
INEZ —The Martin County Fiscal Court held its regular meeting May 19 and decided to split the District 4 area for garbage hauling.
The court also decided to rebid the service instead of accepting the three bids it had received.
The court also voted to cover the cost until a hauler has been selected. The fiscal court received bids from Country Boy I LLC, Bill Vanover and James W. McCoy, but McCoy had no proof of insurance and no quote for insurance included in his packet.
Magistrate Jared Goforth made a motion to accept Vanover’s bid, but nobody seconded the motion.
The other magistrates were torn with what to do because Vanover already picks up garbage in District 5.
Magistrate Derrick Stepp made a motion to split the district and to rebid it, which was seconded by Magistrate Mark Blackburn with Magistrate Junior Hunt and Magistrate Roger Preece in favor. Goforth voted nay.
Prior to opening the bids, former District 4 garbage hauler Joe Robinson of Joe’s Garbage addressed the court complaining about his termination and various things Judge-Executive Colby Kirk had said during a previous special meeting regarding the steps the judge’s office had taken to get him into compliance and to ensure the residents of District 4 had reliable garbage service.
The fiscal court began picking up District 4 garbage the day after Robinson’s contract was terminated.
“Every house on Route 292, you hadn’t picked up,” Hunt said to Robinson. “It’s over. We picked up 10 truck loads of garbage the day after you were fired.”
In other action, the court voted to take action on bids for historic courthouse improvements and agreed to go with Howell’s Heating and Cooling because the company offered a 20-ton system and it was cheaper.
The motion to accept Howell’s Heating and Cooling was made by Stepp, seconded by Blackburn, with all in favor.
Kirk was authorized to apply for the Land and Water Conservation Fund Grant Program, which he said is a grant to revitalize the swimming pool as a splash pad and he added that the matching funds can come from LGED funds if they are approved for the grant.
The motion approving authorization was made by Goforth, seconded by Preece, with all in favor.
The fiscal court unanimously approved the fiscal year 2023 County Road Aid Cooperative Program agreement between the county and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet in the amount of $886,851.47.
The fiscal court also had the first reading of the 2022-2023 fiscal year budget for which no vote was necessary and the second reading of budget amendment #4. The second reading of budget amendment #4 was approved with a motion from Goforth, a second by Stepp and all in favor.
During the meeting, Blackburn also asked about roadside mowing and when it was to start.
Kirk explained that the first mowing would begin the first of June.
In other business, the court approved the minutes from the April 21 meeting and the special meeting on April 26, as well as the financials before adjourning.