Communication and taxes lead Council concerns

The Jackson City Council covered many topics during its ninety-minute meeting on Thursday, March 20, including the need for better communication, taxes, and various other topics.   

With all members present, except Debbie Henson Miller, the Council approved the minutes and reports that the department heads had submitted with little discussion.  

The majority of the meeting centered on several issues and comments made by Council members during the council comments section of the agenda, a request for a vote of support for a third mural project in the city, and a conflict of interest statement.

Early in the meeting, the Council limited its comments and questions because the members could not utilize the new sound system due to dead batteries in the microphones.  The mechanical issues prevented those who watched the meeting online from hearing some of the discussed items.  A few minutes into the meeting, the only microphone that still worked lost power, and Chief Brian Haddix was able to replace the batteries and restore the sound.

Mayor Thomas discussed the FEMA Regional Meeting hosted at the Jackson Fire Department. She gave some information about the efforts of public officials in eastern Kentucky to recover from the floods.  She discussed the cooperation between county judges and city officials and several updates from Federal administrators.

The Mayor and Council discussed the coming mowing season, and council members asked how the city would keep the FEMA-purchased lots mowed.  Mayor Thomas said the departments would “try to pick up the slack on mowing” some of the new “flood purchase lots.”  She discussed the process of advertising for help from local lawn care businesses and said that the city would “spread the mowing out.”  Councilperson Renee Haddix encouraged the Mayor to “set expectations for the mowing contracts” and put in writing the exact requirements for the contracts.

Mayor Thomas updated the Council on the delinquent taxes for the city and walked them through the process of collecting tax bills that are still outstanding.  “We encourage you, if you have a tax bill that is not paid, to come in and pay it,” she said and reminded taxpayers that penalties and fees added up the longer the bill went unpaid.  

Charles Herald, Jackson City Clerk, read a letter from a part-time city employee alerting the Council of a possible conflict of interest.  The letter from Janet Deaton Linkous announced that the city was interested in purchasing her family homeplace on Shack’s Branch (the former home of J.P. and Barabra Deaton) for the new sewer plant.  The letter, written on March 19, 2025, emphasized that Linkous had “no decision-making responsibility” and was not part of the effort to purchase the property.  Mayor Thomas said that Linkous disclosed the association to ensure that everything was “very transparent” and, therefore, gave the appropriate notice should the city determine to purchase the property.

In other action, the Mayor announced that the city planned to use “funds left over from the Siegman Road and Beverly Heights water project to purchase 360 new Citco water meters to be installed in the city system.  

The Council also approved a pay request Number 12 for $76,625.53 for continued work on the Jackson Water Treatment Improvements Project.  Thomas said that the project was “winding down” and that repairs and upgrades were “getting to the end.”

Brandon Gross approached the Council and asked them to support a third mural project for the city.  Gross said he had been working with an artist who wanted to paint a mural in every small town in Kentucky.  After some discussion and debate on what the mural should be and where it should be painted, the Council settled, at the request of the Mayor, on a simple resolution of support for the project, with the details to be determined later.  The resolution passed with the full approval of the Council.

The largest portion of the meeting was devoted to comments and the concerns of the Council.  Steve McIntosh discussed guard rails on Panbowl Road and at the Wolverine Underpass.  He stressed the need for cooperation between the city and county on projects like the guardrails.  He again mentioned the safety concerns with the advertising “flags at Wendy’s” and issues with garbage pickup at Brewer’s Trailers Court.

Councilman Tommy Noble praised the Planning and Zoning Board but stressed the need for an updated map of the exact confines of the city.  “We need to know who is in the city and who is not,” Noble said.  “If they are in the city, they need to pay their taxes.”

Noble discussed the need to clean out all of the ditch lines in the city.  He closed his observation with the admonition that he wanted “to see some action done instead of just talking about it.”

Renee Haddix used her time to discuss issues with communication by the city.  “It needs to be improved,” Haddix said.  The Council discussed the current methods to communicate water issues and emergencies to the public.  She stressed that “not everyone is on Facebook” and that the city needed other channels to get information out to the public.   

Haddix discussed concerns with Lake Point and Lake View sewer issues.  She told the council that the city sewer system did not serve that area of the city.  “They feel like they are being forgotten,” Haddix said.  She urged the Council to make the extension of the line to that area a priority.

She raised the issue of possibly adding paramedics and an ambulance at the Jackson Fire Department and commented on the current wait time and problems with the current service.  “Everybody has had issues with the quality of the service,” she said. 

Tommy Noble asked about the city’s recycling program, and Jason Hall thanked the Mayor for reading to students on Dr. Seuss Day.