Danville Ky. spends nearly $117,000 on vice-presidential debate

Danville spent about $117,000 on October’s vice-presidential debate at Centre College.

At Tuesday’s City Commission meeting, City Manager Ron Scott along with financial analyst Michele Gosser reported that in their best estimates the city spent $116,878 on the vice-presidential debate.

The expenses were as follows:

Overtime pay, including applicable taxes and retirement costs: $35,785.
Food and drinks, primarily for out-of-town law enforcement officials: $1,697.
Beautification of the city, $31,803.
Signs, new markings and lights: $33,100.
Supplies and decorations: $1,731.
Repairs and maintenance: $3,554.
Equipment, primarily for the fire department: $9,208.

The figures do not include staff planning time or about $180,000 of street paving projects completed before the debate, Scott said.

“We basically would be doing (street paving) anyway,” the city manager said.

In other business, the commission also:

Unanimously accepted “with regrets” the resignation of Assistant City Engineer Josh Morgan, who has worked for Danville since 2006. Morgan will be taking a position with the state.
Unanimously accepted City Engineer Earl Coffey’s recommendation to hire the Lexington architectural firm Brandstetter Carroll. The city will pay the company $29,000 to draft renovation plans for the former BISCO building.
Voted 4-0 to approve payment of bills in the amount of $660,880.93. Commissioner Ryan Montgomery recused himself from the vote because one of the checks will go to M&M Electric, a business owned by his father Mike Montgomery. The $2,034 payment was for “routine maintenance work” that M&M Electric has performed for Danville for years, Ryan Montgomery said.