Council Approved First Reading of Budget

The Jackson City Council approved the budget for the next fiscal year during a two-hour meeting on Thursday, June 20.

On a motion by Jason Hall, seconded by Kenneth Patrick, the Council unanimously approved the first reading of an amended budget.  The members approved the reworked iteration of the city’s spending plan without public discussion or comment.  A special meeting was set for June 26 to finalize the city’s spending plan. 

More than an hour into the meeting, the Council voted to go into an executive session to discuss the possible acquisition of property by eminent domain.  The executive session lasted thirty minutes, and no action was discussed or details given when the council returned to regular session. 

The questions and a discussion of the proposed new sewer plant sparked controversy as Council Member Tommy Noble grew animated in his pursuit of information.  Noble asked Mayor Thomas several questions about where the new sewer plant will be located, how the sewage will be rerouted to the proposed new plant, and where the treated water will be discharged.

“Why would you pump it down there (Shack’s Branch), the sewage, and then pump the clean water back to the old sewer plant?” Noble asked.

Mayor Thomas suggested that the Council wait until the July meeting when an engineer could attend to present information and answer their questions.  She expressed a concern that public discussions without solid facts could lead to misinformation and the circulation of inaccuracies in the community.

The Council agreed to wait until July for more information on the specifics.  Still, the members approved a contract for the Kentucky River Action District to act as the city's administrative agent in the sewer plant relocation effort.

Cory Goff addressed the Council and asked about the city’s policies on non-discrimination.  He stated that he had reviewed the city’s website and ordinances related to discrimination against persons with disability.  Mayor Thomas discussed the city’s employee handbook, including policies Goff could not locate on the city’s website.  She told the meeting she would add the employee handbook to the website.

Matt Hudson approached the Council to discuss a new youth sports organization for the county.  He noted that the Jackson Parks Department has a great program but a limited season.  He asked the Council about becoming affiliated with a national Little League-sanctioned program.  Hudson asked about partnering with the city to provide more opportunities for the community.

Mayor Thomas also reported that the city and county are working together to help eliminate the dog issues in South Jackson.  She reported that the Breathitt County Animal Control Officer had captured six or seven dogs in live traps and taken them to the shelter in Perry County.  She noted that their efforts were continuing to eliminate any threats to the community.

All council members attended the meeting, which lasted more than two hours.