Hardin County Fiscal Court meets

The Hardin County Fiscal Court met for their second meeting of the month Tuesday.

West Point Mayor Richard Ciresi provided an update on the Kentucky Ohio River Regional Recreational Authority, which is aimed at developing and maintaining land and water trails in Kentucky counties along the river as a way of promoting economic development, tourism, and outdoor recreation. Hardin County is part of the authority by way of the 2.9 miles of Ohio River shoreline located in West Point, and Ciresi says being part of the authority gives Hardin County and West Point a “larger voice in the legislature for state funding and for recreational assets that increase tourism while conserving local resources.”

“I have to speak for West Point: we don’t have any local resources,” Ciresi said. “We have very, very little money to do this, and to be able to be a part of this larger group, thanks to you guys, is going to give us an opportunity to increase our tourism base, probably add some trails, etc., so it’s a big deal for West Point and it’s also a big deal, I think, for Hardin County. It puts us back on the map.”

The council approved a resolution approving of the renaming of a stretch of U.S. 31W to honor Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. The resolution recommends the Kentucky General Assembly pursue changing the name of the roadway from the Hardin County line north of Fort Knox south to Veterans Way.

In other meeting news, Hardin County EMS Director Mark Peterson reported that Hardin County EMS made 16,683 total runs and brought in more than $7,063,000 in collections in the 2024-2025 fiscal year. The number of calls are down from 18,045 in the previous fiscal year, but collections are up from about $6,282,000.

The Hardin County Fiscal Court will next meet August 12. The fiscal court’s next town hall forum will be held in the fiscal courtroom at 5:30 p.m. on July 29.