Judge Gabbard Addresses Rumors Regarding Resignation and Employees

Today I want to address some rumors that have been shared with me.

First of all, I do not have any intentions of resigning from office. It is my intentions to complete the term I was elected to serve. I do not have any intentions of coming back to work in any part of County Government. I will be happy to offer any advice or information for the next Judge Executive that He or She may ask me of to make the transition easier. Anyway that I can be helpful I will be glad to do so.

Second, the State is not taking over operations of the Fiscal Court. I have been on the phone with the Kentucky Department for Local Government several times lately discussing the EMS facility that we received money to construct as well as other projects. If a local Government is in turmoil enough to be shut down, you wouldn’t be given a line-item project in the State Budget for 4 million dollars to construct a new Fairground/Park and they would be conducting this meeting today, not us.

Next, County personnel. We are not making any extended appoints within the Fiscal Court. The tenure of county employees is at the will of the county judge/executive and fiscal court. Their terms of employment end when the term of the outgoing county judge/executive ends, and the new county judge/executive has the right to hire administration employees, subject to the fiscal court’s approval. This interpretation of the Kentucky statutes has been recognized by the state attorney general and a federal Circuit Court. The US Supreme Court has established, however, that ordinary county employees may not be terminated on the basis of their political activities, because such action would violate their constitutional rights to political expression under the First Amendment. The New Fiscal Court that takes over in 2026 will have the opportunity to retain the current employees or replace them. The Judge Executive cannot hire or appoint employees without approval of the Fiscal Court.

Included in personnel is the county treasurer. The county treasurer handles routine financial transactions of receipts and disbursements and financial recordkeeping for the fiscal court. The fiscal court appoints a county treasurer during its June term every 4 years (KRS 68.010). The Fiscal Court will appoint a county treasurer in June of 2027 according to the Statue listed above. This is not the Judge Executives appointment, but He or She does have then right to vote on the appointment. This law is put in place so a change to the accounting won’t happen in the middle of a Fiscal Year.

If anyone has any concerns with daily operations or the current state of the county government, they are welcome to contact me at 287-8562. I plan to work with the Fiscal Court to make sure we keep any projects up to date so the transition in January of 2026 will be successful.

Have a blessed month and a Happy New Year!!