By Abigail Roberts
The Lincoln County Fiscal Court met Tues., Aug. 12 for a regular monthly meeting. First on the agenda was the appointment of Magistrate Dan Gutenson to the Stanford/Lincoln County Industrial Development Authority board to serve a four-year term. Gutenson will fill the expired term of R. W. Buckwheat Gilbert.
• Magistrates also approved a resolution to work on pieces of five different county roads using Rural 2026 Flex program funds from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. The roads approved include Black Pike, Blue Lick, Pond School, old U.S. 127 North and Frank Hoeck.
• Magistrates also voted to set the 2025 property tax rates. The 2024 property tax rate was 9.4 cents per $100 of assessed value. Magistrates voted to approve the 4-percent revenue increase which will lower the tax rate to 9 cents per $100 of assessed property value. Magistrates David Faulkner, Bobby King and Dan Gutenson voted in favor of the 4-percent revenue increase, while Magistrate Joe Stanley voted against it. Stanley said he believes the county is in a financially secure place to take the compensating rate, which would be 8.7 cents per $100 of assessed value.Â
• Magistrates voted to allow the Sheriff’s Office to surplus a 2023 Durango that has had several issues and is in need of over $10,000 in repairs. Chief Deputy Michael Mullins told magistrates the Durangos have been nothing but trouble and the sheriff’s office would like to phase them out. Magistrates approved the surplus of the vehicle which will be traded in for a value of $11,500. They also approved the purchase of a 2022 Tahoe for $34,500 for the Sheriff’s Office as well as a diesel plow truck for the Road Department for $21,500.
• Magistrates approved a $1,000 donation to the Lincoln County farmer’s market and $2,000 donation to the heritage hospice veterans event.
• Magistrates discussed at length a new state law for street legal ATVs. The state law requires counties to either opt-in and adopt an ordinance regulating street legal atvs, or opt-out and prohibit them.
Magistrate Joseph Stanley had concerns with the ordinance saying he believes it to be unnecessary government overreach. A Lincoln County farmer attended the meeting and expressed his concern. Magistrates assured him and others that ATVs used for agricultural purposes are exempt. Others argued the law makes it safer for everyone by requiring a side-by-side to be inspected by the sheriff’s office for working turning signals, windshields and other safety requirements. The motion passed to adopt the ordinance with Joe Stanley voting against it. You can find the KRS statute on street legal ATVs here: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=56304
Magistrates also:
• Heard a report from Lincoln County Attorney Daryl Day who said there have been two nuisance lawsuits filed – one for a property on Hwy. 39 south and one in Waynesburg. Day said this is a first test case for the county to see how much it will cost to contract out the clean-up work or keep it in house. Day said gas pipeline easements are finished. He also said another round of opioid litigation payments will be coming in, totaling $80,000.
• Heard a monthly activity report from LCSO Chief Deputy Michael Mullins. Mullins said there were about 1,500 calls in the month of July and 146 arrests were made. Welfare checks were up for the month of July, he said.
Mullins was asked by magistrates about how well body cams are working for deputies. Mullins said they have been beneficial, but they are having issues with keeping them charged for an entire shift. Deputies are having to dock and charge them between calls. County Attorney Daryl Day said the body cams have been beneficial to deputies as well as his office and to citizens.
• Lincoln County Sheriff Shawn Hines commended Mullins and others who were involved with the recent murder trial in Lincoln County. Hines said Mullins was lead detective on the case and thanks to his and others’ hard work the jury returned a guilty verdict. Hines also said in the past, this would be a case that Kentucky State Police would have handled but now the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office is in much better shape to take on bigger cases.
• Heard an update from Jane Vanhook on historical properties across the county. Vanhook said there is a new fence around the playground at Logan-Hubble Park, paid for by Garrard County, and the William Whitley House playground is being upgraded and dead trees are being removed. Vanhook reminded everyone that Sept. 18-20 is the 250th anniversary celebration of Stanford and the Wilderness Road.
• Lincoln County Clerk Nancy Jackson told magistrate the clerk’s office is currently applying for a grant to help restore and preserve some very old record books dating as far back as 1779 – one of the oldest books in the state. Jackson said she is confident they will receive the grant funding. Jackson also said the Clerk’s Office has signed an agreement with Familysearch.org who will be digitizing records on library microfilms, which the public will have access to. Jackson also reminded everyone that the tax sale is Aug. 20 so delinquent bills must be paid by close of business on Aug. 19.
• Lincoln County Public Library Director Jamie Helle thanked magistrates for their ongoing support of the local library. Magistrates commended her work and said the local library always has something fun planned.Â
The Lincoln County Fiscal Court meets again on Tues., Aug. 26 at 9 a.m. at the Wellness Center in Veteran’s Park. The meeting is open to the public.
