Martin County Fiscal Court approved 10 percent hike for garbage haulers
The Martin County Fiscal Court Thursday approved a raise of 10 percent for garbage haulers to offset the cost of rising gas prices.
By Lilly Adkins
BSN Associate Editor
INEZ — Martin County Fiscal Court Thursday approved a raise of 10 percent for garbage haulers to offset the cost of rising gas prices, but the vote wasn’t unanimous.
Kenneth Howell originally requested an increase of a 20 percent surcharge added to the bill until the cost of fuel goes down below $3 per gallon.
“It’s hard to do that, just as you’re suffering, the individual citizens are suffering,” Magistrate Mark Blackburn said. “As a board, we can’t, in good confidence, raise that bill.”
“Times are tough,” Martin County Judge-Executive Colby Kirk said.
Howell said he was asking for everybody.
“If we do it for one, we do it for everybody,” Kirk said.
“We can’t raise it 20 percent, maybe 10 percent,” Magistrate Junior Hunt said.
“I make a motion that we raise it 15 percent, to be revisited if fuel goes below $3 a gallon,” Magistrate Roger Preece said.
Hunt said “10 percent.”
Magistrate Jared Goforth made a motion for a 10 percent increase, that would be revisited if gas went below $3 a gallon, which was seconded by Magistrate Derek Stepp, with both Hunt and Preece in favor. Blackburn voted against an increase.
Billy Maynard told the court that he had really high electric bills and that he wanted to hook onto gas, but with all the gas wells around him, he wasn’t able to hook up and he asked the court to take steps to help him and others to hook up on gas.
Kirk said that was something they could look into.
The fiscal court accepted the Martin County Public Library Budget, with a motion from Blackburn a second by Goforth and all in favor.
The court also accepted the Martin County Health Department’s Budget, with a motion from Goforth and a second by Stepp, with all in favor.
The court approved for John Kirk to apply for a 2022 State advancement with a motion from Stepp, a second by Goforth and all in favor.
The court unanimously approved the sheriff’s advancement bond, and the amended budget to include the state advancement.
The fiscal court heard the first reading of the Flood Plain Ordinance as required by the Kentucky Division of Water, but no action was taken.
The court approved a resolution to apply for a Kentucky Office of Homeland Security grant, which Kirk explained was through Big Sandy Area Development District to update radios for the 911 network.
The motion to approve the resolution was made by Goforth and seconded by Preece with all in favor.
The fiscal court opened bids for District 4 Division 1 and Division 2 garbage hauling and had three bidders for each division, James McCoy, Country Boy One Pickup LLC and Vanover Sanitation LLC.
Hunt told the court that he had told McCoy that he would try to help him, but after talking to all of the people in District 4, he found that about 85 percent of the people wanted Bill Vanover as their hauler.
In Division 1, Hunt made a motion to use Vanover Sanitation, which was seconded by Goforth, with all in favor. In Division 2, Hunt made a motion to use Vanover Sanitation and it was seconded by Blackburn, with all in favor.
The court received one proposal for operation of the campground on the former Caney Shaft mine site, from Clifford Smith, of New Hampshire and Kirk asked the court to table it till next month to allow him time to review the lengthy proposal and to also speak with Smith.
A motion to table it was made by Hunt, seconded by Goforth, with all in favor.
The fiscal court unanimously approved the second reading of the FY 23 budget and to approve hourly wages as proposed by the Administrative Code Committee, which included raises for employees.
The motion to approve the raises was made by Blackburn, seconded by Preece, with all in favor.
The court also approved the FY 23 standing orders to pay recurring expenses such as payroll and utilities, with a motion from Stepp, a second by Preece and all in favor.
The court also removed former County Judge Executive Victor Slone as an authorized signer for Martin County Fiscal Court accounts and to add newly appointed Deputy Judge Executive Eric Phelps as an authorized signer for the Martin County fiscal court accounts.
Executive Session was on the agenda for Personnel, however Kirk said it wouldn’t be necessary because he had received notice of resignation from 911 Director Jordan Wheeler and last week from the Judge’s Office Assistant Jennifer Horn.
“We will be advertising for the two positions,” Kirk said.
In other business, the court approved the minutes from May 19, and handled the financials.