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First reading of 2024-2025 Hardin County budget passes by 5-4 vote

94.3 The Wolf

The first reading of the 2024-2025 county budget was held during the Hardin County Fiscal Court’s first meeting of the month Tuesday.

Hardin County Judge-Executive Keith Taul is proposing a budget that totals $59,615,729. The county’s expenses in the budget total $22,294,285, which comes in higher than the county’s revenue.

“We unfortunately only have revenue of $17.5 million of recurring sustainable taxes, fees, some interest thrown in there from some money that we have,” Taul said. “So you add all those up and it only amounts to $17.5 million.”

The proposed budget balances the deficit by using $440,000 of the county’s remaining American Rescue Plan Act funds and $4,367,634 of the $8 million pilot agreement with BlueOval SK.

“This is, in case you’re not familiar with that, it’s a one-time payout in lieu of BlueOval SK construction workers’ occupational taxes, and so this was an agreement with them that instead of trying to obtain the construction workers’ occupational taxes this was a payout to take in place of that.”

Taul said cuts have been made to the original budget presented to the county’s Finance Committee, but the budget still needs to account for high inflation over the past three years that has driven up prices for equipment and materials, as well as increases to insurance and personnel costs. The budget does not account for the county’s occupational tax as the county can’t project the revenue it will produce.

Members of the fiscal court were split on their support of the budget. Magistrate Chris Yates said he was not in favor of approving a budget that operates on a deficit two years in a row.

“I voted in favor of the budget last year, but a wise man once said, ‘if you find yourself in a hole, you need to quit digging,’” Yates said. “If we don’t put the shovel down, we’re going to find ourselves in a hole that even if we wanted to, we won’t be able to tax our way out of.”

Magistrate Kenny Saltsman said he took issue with the use of the BlueOval SK funds.

“$8 million that we’re getting from the BOSK was supposed to last us around 15 years, and this first year we’re using over half of it just to balance this budget,” Saltsman said. “We can’t continue down this road. I cannot support this budget on the words of hopeful, or even gambling as I’ve heard others state, when counting on the occupational tax to be our saving grace.”

Magistrates E.G. Thompson and Fred Clem both said the county is hampered by state regulations that take revenue streams away from county governments while permitting their use by cities. Clem said he supports the budget as the county is doing the best with what it can.

“There’s not a person on this court that’s not concerned about this budget. Not one of us,” Clem said. “We all have the same concerns, but I’m confident that we can manage our way through our fiscal issues and get back to parity.”

The first reading of the budget was approved by a 5-4 vote. The budget will go up for approval on its second reading at the fiscal court’s next meeting, which will be held April 23.

Deneen says ‘common sense’ focus of 2024 legislative efforts

94.3 The Wolf

The Kentucky General Assembly is currently in its veto recess, meaning the state House of Representatives and state Senate are waiting on Governor Andy Beshear to review and take action on the more than 160 bills that passed the 2024 legislative session.

Kentucky 10th District Senator Matt Deneen sponsored four bills that passed through the general assembly. One of those, Senate Bill 18, has been signed into law. Deneen says the bill is an example of his goal for common sense legislation that benefits the commonwealth in and out of District 10.

“I’ve been able to find some things that just need to be updated and changed to avoid wasteful spending and to make sure that our school districts have the best equipment that they can for the safety of our children in the transportation realm, but at the same time we do that in a way that provides fair competition for tire manufacturers and policy alignments through the Kentucky Department of Education,” Deneen said.

Deneen says common sense was also the motivation behind Senate Bill 17, which was requested by county coroner offices in Kentucky to amend a policy requiring a five-day turnaround on the issuance of death certificates.

“With all of the different types of toxicology and ballistics tests, and all the autopsies and forensic tests that are required to truly find the cause of death, that five-day turnaround was not enough time to get those things done, to provide families with accurate information about their loved one’s passing,” Deneen said.

Another of Deneen’s bills is Senate Bill 265, which modifies Kentucky’s alternative teacher certification pathway.

“We want to make sure that those folks have bachelor’s and master’s degrees and are certified in those areas or working towards a certification in those areas, so Senate Bill 265 basically provides that framework and those guardrails to ensure that our students get the very best by those that have the experiences needed that may not have started in education,” Deneen said.

More information on the bills can be found through the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission.

Hodgenville Police Department invites area residents to sexual assault awareness event

94.3 The Wolf

Hodgenville Police Chief James Richardson says he was disappointed with the low turnout for a presentation on sextortion the department hosted via Zoom, so after getting community feedback on how to improve the idea and reach more people the police department is hosting an in-person event on sexual assault and related issues on April 15.

“We’re going to give a presentation,” Richardson said. “It’s going to start at 6 p.m. at the Extension Office here in Larue County up on Old Elizabethtown Road, and what we will do is we’ll start out with basically what are the issues that we’re seeing here in our community and then we will talk about how HPD investigates those.”

Richardson said the event ties into April being Child Abuse Awareness Month and Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The event is an opportunity to hear from the HPD as well as the organizations that assist them.

“We are going to start out with just basically ‘this is what we’re seeing’ and then we’re going to introduce our community partners,” Richardson said. “We have some folks from Silverleaf, I’ve invited CommuniCare, Lincoln Trail BHH is coming, so we’ll have folks there to explain to the community this is what their role is in our investigations and what services they offer for the community.”

The ultimate goal of the event is to share information and connect residents with resources.

“If anybody wants to come, we encourage in-person, that way you can actually meet and see everybody,” Richardson said. “You’ll get to see some of the sexual assault investigators from the police department. You’ll get to ask questions. Any questions that we have from the community, they can email me questions. They can go on our Facebook page and message me questions that they want answered, and we’ll try to address those there in the presentation.”

The event will be recorded and made available for viewing for anybody unable to attend in person.

Early voting under way for May 21 primary election

94.3 The Wolf

Absentee mail-in voting is now available ahead of the May 21 primary election.

Voters that are eligible may request a mail-in absentee ballot now through May 7. Those requests can be made at govote.ky.gov.

In Hardin County, in-person excused absentee voting will take place May 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, and 15 in the Hardin County Clerk’s office. Early voting will take place at the clerk’s office as well as at the Colvin Community Center on May 16, 17, and 18.

Hardin County Clerk Brian D. Smith said voters heading to the polls on May 21 will have more options this year.

“Last year we had 12 locations. This year we’ll have 15 locations,” Smith said. “The largest of those locations will also have additional check-in stations, so not only are we having more locations, but we also should be able to get people through the line faster. That was based on the feedback we got directly from the public.”

The deadline to register for the May 21 primary election is at 4 p.m. on April 22. Election information is available at govote.ky.gov or contact your county clerk’s office for assistance.

Hardin County Public Library celebrating National Library Week

94.3 The Wolf

April 7 through 13 is National Library Week, and the staff at the Hardin County Public Library are excited to participate.

Hardin County Public Library Head of Adult Services Rebecca Akers says visitors to the library during each day of National Library Week will have the chance to come home with a prize by answering the daily question.

“Any patron that comes in and answers the little question, they get entered into a daily raffle, and that’s Money to Friday, and so each day we’re going to have a raffle drawing,” Akers said. “We have gift cards for Barnes and Noble, we have library totes, t-shirts, small reading posters, all kinds of fun prizes for patrons.”

Multiple libraries across Kentucky are hosting job fairs as part of National Library Week. While the Hardin County Public Library is unable to host a job fair due to ongoing construction, the library is partnering with the Kentucky Career Center to still connect with job seekers.

“We are providing take-home job fair packets, and so the Kentucky Career Center has helped us by compiling a very exhaustive list of community resources for job seekers, and we’re putting that in a library bag along with lots of little goodies and giveaways from some area businesses as well some library giveaways,” Akers said.

Career advisers will also be at the library Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Akers says the library has lots to offer, and the best way to find out is to stop by.

“Even though we’re undergoing construction, our stacks are open,” Akers said. “We have lots of stuff for patrons to look at. We have a library of things, and full programming for children and adults.”

Visit the Hardin County Public Library’s website or Facebook page for more information.

Hodgenville Police Department details recent cases

94.3 The Wolf

The Hodgenville Police Department has released details on several cases their officers investigated last week.

On April 1, HPD officers conducted several controlled buy attempts of vapes to underage informants. In these investigations, underage informants go into a store and attempt to purchase vapes or vape products. Jennifer Timmer, a clerk at the Hometown Mini Mart on Lincoln Farm Road, was charged with Unlawful Transaction with a Minor.

Hodgenville Police Chief James Richardson said it was worth noting that the store in this case has taken actions to prevent underage sales.

“The store went back and put in a fail-safe in the computer where the register will not let you make that purchase without scanning their driver’s license, and something the store did on their own, they were not mandated to do that,” Richardson said. “That’s just what they did, and in this instance the clerk actually scanned her own driver’s license to bypass that fail-safe to sell that product to the child.”

Later, on April 3, the HPD’s search for a fugitive led to two arrests.

Officers had been searching for Jeremy Butler for about a week as he was wanted on warrants for several drug-related charges. The investigation led officers to an address on Joe Brown Road

“We got a tip to where he was at,” Richardson said. “We went to that address, knocked on the door. The young man that rented that residence allowed us in and Mr. Butler was located inside that home, and then there was another female that was on scene and when we checked her she also came back with a child support warrant for a $2,000 warrant out of Hardin County for being behind on her child support, so she was located and arrested as well.”

The woman arrested is Savannah Moreland of Maryland. Both Moreland and Butler were transported to the LaRue County Detention Center at the time of their arrests.

Friends honoring late friend with fundraiser to benefit cat cafe

94.3 The Wolf

Sarah Windmuller said her friend Kimmie Albrecht, who was killed in a car accident in October 2023, was loving, giving, and passionate, qualities that shined brightly in her efforts to care for animals in need.

“She did animal rescue on her own, and alongside her husband,” Windmuller said. “She would take care of animals that were vulnerable that most people would be like ‘Ah, that’s kind of too hard of a case for me. I’m not going to do it.’ She gave every animal all the love and every chance and every, every little thing that she could to help them.”

In Albrecht’s memory, Windmuller and the team at Hard Knox Games and Hobbies are organizing a charity event from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on April 13 that will benefit the Lucky Cat Cafe and Lounge in Louisville, the only non-profit cat cafe in Kentucky.

“There’s a couple of tournaments going on. and then there’s going to be a swap meet,” Windmuller said. “So we’re going to be there with our booth, and we’re going to have baked goods that people can just donate some money, whatever they want. I have a team of ladies who make the absolute best baked goods you can imagine.”

The event will also feature raffles and silent auction items.

Windmuller said the event is a way for Albrechts friends and loved ones to celebrate the things that made her who she was.

“Kimmy’s passing was such a huge impact on the whole D&D community, so this is all of us coming together and celebrating her at one of her favorite places,” Windmuller said. “So we’ve also got dragon bracelets and I’ve also got paw print bracelets for, so it’s like combining all of her favorite things.”

Contact Hard Knox Games and Hobbies for more information.

Brandenburg attempting to scare off vultures

94.3 The Wolf

The City of Brandenburg is dealing with some unwanted guests.

Brandenburg City Hall is advising residents of their efforts to chase off a flock of vultures that have taken up residence in the city recently, with the city concerned with the potential damage the birds can cause to homes, vehicles, and city facilities.

According to a post on the Brandenburg City Hall Facebook page, the vultures were originally roosting in City Park, but have since moved to Lafayette Street.

In order to scare the vultures off, the city has set up a bird cannon at the city’s water treatment plant. The cannon omits loud noises approximately every 15 minutes meant to sound like shots. The city apologizes for the noise disturbance.

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife says the state has long dealt with turkey vultures, while black vultures have become more widespread within the last 50 years. Both species are federally protected and cannot be killed without a federal permit. Landowners concerned with potential vulture roosts can contact USDA Wildlife Services for more information on the permit process.