COUNCIL APPROVES ‘FORGIVENESS’ OF LATE CHARGES ON GARBAGE BILLS FOR LOUISA BUSINESSES

LOUISA CITY COUNCIL MEETING – MAY 12, 2020

MAY 14, 2020 – written by WADE QUEEN

VIDEO OF THE ENTIRE LOUISA CITY COUNCIL MEETING
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGEM7W8s_pI

A special meeting of the Louisa City Council was held on Tuesday evening, May 12, which covered several agenda items during the 40 minute meeting.

For the second month in a row, the council meeting was over the internet via the Zoom app, land also live streamed and recorded on YouTube, due to the ongoing COVID-19 virus pandemic. The meeting was done with all council members, and city attorney live from their homes, with Mayor Harold Slone and Louisa city clerk Kathy Compton live from city hall, with the city recorder operating as the central control of the multi- level window broadcasting tasks.

Among actions taken during the council meeting:

• Mayor Harold Slone declared a proclamation May 10-16 as National Police Week in Louisa, as part of of the recognized observance across the country for this weeklong yearly event. The mayor stated that 900,000 police are serving across the country currently, with more than 20,000 killed in the line of duty since the recorded death in the country in 1791. These  include four officers from the Louisa Police Department, all of whom have their names engraved in the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington D.C.which includes 72 names added for 2019, 61 male officers and 11 female officers. Mayor Slone read the names of the four Louisa officers who have died in the line of duty and Louisa Police Chief Greg Fugitt provided information as to where online that people can go to read about the cause of the four fatal incidents.
• The city council passed the minutes of the March 10 city council meeting and the April 21 special city council meeting.
• The first reading for an ordinance of the fiscal city budget for Louisa for July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021. It gave a specific amount for each category, with 3 changes from last month’s meeting for a total of $2,232,220 revenue with the same amount expenditures, thus a balanced budget for the upcoming fiscal year, with excess or surplus money in the contingency account. The first reading was passed on a unanimous vote by the council.
• The first reading for an ordinance of the fiscal city budget for the Louisa Utilities Board for July 2020 to June 2021. The revenues for the utilities board was $3,159,029, and the total expenses were $2,307,543. The water side had a debt of $859,143 leaving $92,342 for surplus. The first reading was passed on an unanimous vote by the council.

* The first reading for an ordinance pertaining to the KRS statue for cities and county having an pay and classification plan for positions showing the minimum to maximum pay range for each city or county position. City Attorney Eldred “Bud” Adams stated that Louisa has two separate plans, one for city side, and one the water and sewer side, as well as the CPI for city and county employees, which is 2.3% for 2020. The first reading was passed on a unanimous vote by the council.

• The reading of a new ordinance stating that KY Department of Transportation set new rules on the emergency rainy day road repair fund controlled by state from all the 3% city and county governments’ contributions. Due to the the drop in oil prices and people traveling less due to the pandemic, has led to lower tax revenues from gasoline sales; before the state signed officially for all in all, sent a new balance for Louisa that was available, going from $51,000, down to $44,843. The mayor said while it was bad for Louisa and the city governments across the state, it was worse for county governments. “They lose way more, as they generally get the lion’s share of the emergency road repair fund,” Slone said.  The first reading was passed on an unanimous vote by the council.

* New business for approved advertising for bids for blacktop four city roads. Mayor Slone said they used to partner with the county on blacktop with city not doing any bidding for projects, but one year the state gave the city extra money for some blacktopping which led to the county telling the city to do their own bidding for blacktopping from then on. The reading to make advertising bidding for blacktopping was passed on a unanimous vote by the council.

* The mayor proposed that after being contacted by numerous small businesses who had never been late on their water, sewer, and trash bills, but had been closed ongoing for 70 days and were barely surviving; that the council approve waiving the late fees on the trash service for them for their March, April, and May bills for the small businesses who were closed for the pandemic whose bills would not affect the city budget. The agreement was passed on an unanimous vote by the council.

* The mayor revealed that in order for the council members to run again for their positions or anyone else to run, the new deadline to register is June 2. “All candidates will have to get a packet via the county clerk’s office (whose office is still closed, but might be open by May 18), that will explain where to go to register an online account with the Kentucky Election Board, and when that is done, fill out the e-file on how you plan to run your campaign,” Slone said.

After asking by Mayor Harold Slone for any comments from the city council members. Council member Tom Parsons spoke about road issues on Adams Street, and also a major property nuisance issue in the area Mr. Parsons represents. Along with general banter back and forth with everyone online on the video feed for the council meeting.

The city council meeting was then adjourned.