A recommendation involving a disagreement between neighborhood associations and financial reports for two area fire districts were among the many items brought before the Jessamine County Fiscal Court last week.
A proposal calling for the county to take over a portion of a private road was shot down by the committee assigned to look into whether it would benefit the county.
The recommendation was spawned by a dispute between residents of Harrods Ridge and East Cambridge over the operation of the gate that separates the two developments.
The proposal, submitted by Jessamine County Fiscal Court magistrates George Dean and Terry Meckstroth, called for East Cambridge to move its back-door gate in by 90 feet and for the county to take over the 90 feet of Golf Club View Drive and build a turn-around.
The road review committee’s response to that proposal, a recommendation report dated Sept. 11, 2012 that was voted on by the court last week, states that the fiscal court “should not use public funds to intervene in an agreement between neighborhood associations.” Further, the committee found no advantages to the recommendation, and stated that such an action would prevent quick access by emergency services.
The dispute was brought to the attention of the fiscal court last July, when Lee Rutherford, director of the Harrods Ridge Homeowners Association, asked that the gate be completely deconstructed, eliminating the throughway between the two communities. Ridgeway said having the gateway has caused unsafe driving conditions, and the residents of Golf Club Drive have suffered property damage.
The fiscal court voted unanimously on Tuesday to go along with the road review committee’s recommendation to not take over any portion of Golf Club Drive.
While the road review committee looked into the proposal, however, the two developments reached an agreeable solution that calls for East Cambridge to keep the gate closed at all times except in emergency situations, Dean said.
Financial information reports for the Jessamine County Fire and the North Jessamine Fire districts for 2011-2012 were also approved by the court. The Jessamine County Fire District reports $970,739 in revenues for the year, with $914,531 coming from taxes, including real property taxes, personal property taxes and motor vehicle taxes. The remainder of its revenue came from the county government, interest earnings, reimbursements and sales. The district reports total funds of $1,555,271, including $584,532 in cash and investments. Expenditures reported total $954,890, with a little more than $300,000 going toward salaries and other employee costs, a little more than $100,000 used for contracted services, and the rest spread out for materials and supplies, administrative costs such as travel and training, equipment, and debt payments.
The North Jessamine Fire District lists $330,226 in revenues, with all but $544 in interest payments coming from taxes. Its listed expenditures for the year total $253,538.
The reports are required to be sent to the Department of Local Government, said Kelley Woolums, administrative assistant to Jessamine County Judge-Executive Neal Cassity.
In other business, the court:
• approved a new official zoning map for the county that includes two zoning changes, including a change for the Tabernacle Baptist Church. The church was rezoned B-3 in November, 2011, to allow for a new atrium and the use of a softball field.
• voted to allow BCT, Inc. of Lexington to perform HVAC work on the Cassity Building at 117 S. Main St. which houses the county attorney’s office. The proposal submitted by BCT, Inc. lists the cost for the work at $6,900, with any additional work not included to be billed at $50 per hour.
• approved the creation of a telecommunicator communication training officer position in the E-911 center. The position will be filled internally, with the person selected receiving a 50 cent per hour raise, according to a report submitted to the court.
• voted to allow a road in the Estates at Indian Falls to be named for 911 location purposes. In a letter to the board, GIS coordinator Chris Bowman stated that the naming of the road would be to maintain the county addressing system and comply with the National Emergency Number Association’s standards. The road is now named Indian Falls Way.
