The Fiscal Court Had a Full Agenda at their Regular Meeting

The Jackson County Fiscal Court held its regular monthly meeting on June 11, 2026. The meeting was moved from the old courthouse to the AOC building because the air conditioning is broken in the old courthouse. Magistrate Dale Vaughn intended to attend via ZOOM but the internet connection wasn’t working. The other two Magistrates were in attendance and a quorum was met. County Clerk, Donald “Duck” Moore read a number of meeting minutes into the record and all were approved by the Magistrates.

Margaret Rader represented the Daughters of the American Revolution and gave a presentation on the U.S. Flag Code. Given that this is the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Rader felt like the topic was especially pertinent. The U.S. Flag Code (4 U.S. Code §§ 5-10) is a set of federal guidelines for the proper display, handling, and respect of the American flag. While it serves as a guide for civilians and carries no civil or criminal penalties, it establishes protocol for displaying, storing, and disposing of the flag. Rader gave a copy of the code to each of the elected officials on the fiscal court and encouraged them to educate the county employees and be diligent in abiding by the guidelines set forth in the code.

Tal Jones (FOCUS) provided an update on the Old Jail (Jackson County Business Incubator) Project. The latest action was the issuance of a public notice requesting companies/entities to submit qualifications for the project. Jones indicated that he had received three (3) responses. However, It wasn’t known how many the previous Judge (Judge Gabbard) had received via email. Since it wasn’t known how many responded the court decided it was best to readvertise the public notice and get responses one more time.

Judge Paul Hays discussed the issues surrounding collection of unpaid garbage fees. There is currently approximately $200,000 outstanding in unpaid fees. County Attorney Ross Murray presented options to address the issue to the court. Murray did not recommend criminal prosecution. Viable options included: 1) hiring a collection agency to collect the fees (the agency would get a commission), 2) the Judge Executive could issue an Executive Debt Collection Notice that would be distributed, 3) the debtor could be sued, and upon judgement, a lien could be placed on the property. One strategy discussed was to require payment in advance for each upcoming month. If the advance isn’t paid, then the trash isn’t picked up. If the trash accumulates to a critical level then the county trash ordinance could be enforced. Judge Hays iterated that the objective is to get the trash picked up and not run the county trash service in the red.

The court heard from Brian Murray, Jackson County Fair Board Chairman, regarding the sale of the Old McKee (Marks) property. The property was purchased with federal American Plan Rescue Act funds to provide the Fair Board with a home. However, since there is a new Fair Grounds being developed at a different location than Water Street, the property is no longer needed. The property will be auctioned. However, the issue involves whether the old bulding will be torn down by the county first or if a condition of the sale will be that the new owner must tear the building down. The property is also complicated due to an adjacent property owner whose property line is expected to include part of the building. The item was tabled by the court while they research the details.

The court approved hiring Sturgeon Construction for $5,848.23 to repair the Senior Citizens Center/Ambulance Service Building.
The court approved using $200,000 of Opioid Abatement money to hire a new law enforcement officer to be stationed in the schools. The primary purpose of the officer will be to educate the students in the issues surrounding drug awareness and abuse.

The court heard the results of a Public Hearing that solicited input on the County Road Fund and the LGEA fund. There were only two items of input including issues surrounding Salt Rock Road and the purchase of a new ambulance for EMS.
Judge Hays discussed the need to obtain assistance to repair the roof at the AOC. Three estimates are being obtained. AOC Mark Bannister will assist the fiscal court with repairs. Senator Stivers was thanked for his assistance in the matter.
An appraisal is being obtained for the Regional Kitchen and property in Annville. The sale of this property will provide much needed revenue for the county.

Robbie Belt, Magistrate District 3 – Elect, submitted his resignation as County Road Supervisor, effective June 22, 2026. The court approved Adam Madden to fill the position until January 01, 2017 when a new administration takes office. The policy of the current interim administration is “No Additional Employees will be hired.” So they filled the position from within.
The court approved relocating the nine employees of the county road department and their supervisor to the McKee location. Prior these employees were distributed over three different locations. The court consolidated these separate work crews into a single work crew that will work together.

Jessica Hays, representing Jackson Energy, informed the court of the Beautify Bluegrass Team’s (includes Jackson Energy, PRTC, Praxel, and others) intent to renovate improvements to Worthington Park. The court had approved financial assistance in past meeting but was told their assistance is no longer needed. The court simply had to approve allowing the renovation to occur on a county park by these private entities.

The magistrates reviewed the bills and transfers, approved reimbursing the city for half of the expenses needed to repair the Splash Pad, signed the county road aid agreement and resolution, and approved purchase and use of Annville Ministries large rosck disposal/storage for future road use.

Judge Hays informed the court that Tony Boggs had been selected to serve as Deputy Judge Executive by written Executive Order. Boggs will not chair or vote at any Fiscal Court meetings. He will serve as proxy for the Judge Executive with no salary attached.
Kendra Ward was approved as Finance Officer. Judge Hays informed the court that the water heater at the Jackson County Detention Center exploded and required replacement. The estimate on the replacement was $68,000.

A special Fiscal Court Meeting was scheduled for June 26, 2026 to close out the current fiscal year. After considerable input from those in attendance, the court scheduled the next fiscal court meeting for July 09, 2026 at 1:00. Judge Hays indicated that the meetings would continue to be held at 1>00 PM for the remainder of the calendar year. However, once a new administration takes over on January 01, 2027, the public would have a voice regarding the meeting time.