Lancaster City Council awards grant allocations to 10 organizations

LANCASTER — Ten organizations were awarded a portion of the grant allocations available from the city of Lancaster for the 2012-2013 fiscal year. Lancaster City Councilwoman Maggie Mick presented to the council an explanation of the decisions and amounts.

The Central Kentucky Regional Humane Society, Garrard County Adult Day, Garrard County Arts Council and Garrard County Rural Heritage Tobacco Festival, all received $750 per organization. The Garrard County Senior Citizens Center and Garrard County Partners for Progress were granted $1,000 each, and the Town Square Beautification received $500. Both of the food pantries in the community, Garrard County Cooperative Parish and Garrard County Food Pantry, were granted the largest amounts at $1,500 each.

Mick explained the rationale behind this decision, saying the Food Pantry has been unable to remain open the full year due to lack of funds. “We wanted to give them a shot in the arm,” Mick said.

She said they felt the Cooperative Parish needed that amount as well because it had been dealing with the overflow from the Food Pantry. “We thought they could use the extra support.”

Mick also said, thanks in large part to an idea from City Clerk Shari Lane, the committee had decided to grant $1,500 directly to vendors at the Garrard County Recreational Park.

“This was, I think, a pretty fair but significant handslap,” Mick said.

No report was submitted from the park, despite Mick reminding the president it needed to be turned in for review. The money given to the park is meant to help it through the end of the council’s fiscal year, at which point the new council members can re-evaluate.

In other news:

The City Council had second reading and passage of the wage scales as figured by Paul Combs with Combs and Associates, who was hired by the council to restructure the personnel policies and wage scales.
Having reviewed the information, members pointed out one employee who was incorrectly listed in the information, increasing the salary originally anticipated, and therefore, the cost.
Overall, Combs anticipated, with the adjustment, there could be a $3,000 a year increase in salaries. He explained that current vacant positions should help offset the costs between Jan. 1, when the rates go into effect, and the time that the budget is created. He also anticipated the city should have no problems recruiting quality employees with the new scale, however, keeping them is entirely separate. Combs worked on the personnel policies as well.
Lancaster Police Chief Rodney Kidd expressed the need for people to volunteer to work with Red Cross in the case of an emergency. He explained if something happened in Madison County, Garrard would be one of the evacuation counties.
“We have great facilities, great equipment, but no volunteers,” Kidd said. If individuals were to volunteer, they would need training through the Red Cross, which equips them to travel anywhere that an evacuation center is opened. He stressed that no one would be required to leave the county, but they could go help elsewhere if the situation arose.
The old Garrard County High School has been prepped for an emergent situation. Kidd is also in the process of creating a plan for the city officials to continue working, if disaster were to force the buildings to close, specifically something that could be sustainable for a long-term.
Council members approved a one time pay adjustment for city employees.
Council went into executive session to discuss an item of pending litigation. No action was taken.