A proposed county fireworks ordinance sizzled out Tuesday when the Jessamine County Fiscal Court failed to make a motion for its approval.
The proposed ordinance, which was presented to the court last month by Jessamine County Fire Chief Mike Rupard, would have restricted the sale and use of Class C fireworks, which basically are fireworks that shoot up in the air, Rupard said.
After a lengthy discussion that dominated a special-called meeting last week, the court voted 5-1 to have county attorney Brian Goettl prepare the proposed ordinance, which would have mirrored the city of Nicholasville’s, and bring it back to the next meeting.
When Goettl presented the prepared ordinance Tuesday, a couple court members said they still had the concerns they had expressed at that prior meeting.
Magistrate Bobby Day Wilson said he believes the part of the ordinance that deals with the use of those fireworks would not be enforceable. Wilson said Jessamine County Sheriff Kevin Corman has said he could not enforce the ordinance.
Magistrate George Dean said he worried that the ordinance would interfere with churches and other groups selling fireworks to raise funds.
After Wilson said he preferred to not vote on the ordinance Tuesday, Judge-Executive Neal Cassity asked if any of the magistrates were in favor of the ordinance. Several shook their heads no.
Goettl said if the court did not wish to enact it, they could simply take no action.
No one made a motion to approve it.
“OK. It’s history,” Cassity said.
In other business, the court:
• approved a resolution presented by the Nicholasville/Jessamine County Parks and Recreation asking the court to pay 25 percent of the cost of an extension to the trail at Riney B Park. A $100,000 federal grant would pay 50 percent of the cost, and the city of Nicholasville will pay the remaining 25 percent, Duane McCuddy, director of parks and recreation, told the court. The department began building the trail, which will be more than 2 miles long when completed, last year. About a mile of trail has been completed, McCuddy said.
• approved a contract with NaturChem, Inc. Under the contract, the Tennessee-based company will provide vegetation management services for the county through the end of this year, including treating 100 miles of roadside right-of-way to control weeds, and to suppress growth of grasses. According to the contract, the spraying reduces the county’s mowing needs to one mowing per year. The contract includes two mandatory treatments at a total cost of $13,500, and an additional optional treatment at a cost of $3,500.
• approved a statement of receipts, disbursements and excess fees report from Jessamine County Sheriff Kevin Corman. According to the report, the sheriff’s office brought in $2,585,083.22 in fees and disbursed $2,479,442.09 in allowable expenses. A check for the remaining fees in the amount of $105,641.13 was presented to the court.
• voted to approve first reading of a budget amendment in the amount of $404,266. The amendment is necessary because the court received funds it had not budgeted for, Cassity said. More than $89,000 of the funds came from state grants for recycling trailers and fall-haul cleanup expenses, according to the amendment ordinance. The remaining $315,000 was in additional funding for county road aid.
• approved the transfer of funds from the general fund to cover payroll expenses, including more than $27,000 to the EMS fund and $40,000 to the jail fund.
The next fiscal court meeting is scheduled for March 19 at 4 p.m. in the Jessamine County Courthouse.
