Meeting of July 25, 2023
Fiscal Court Meeting - July 25th, 2023 · Watch on YouTube ↗
Summary
Hardin County Fiscal Court – July 25, 2023
The Fiscal Court opened with routine business, approving minutes from the July 11th meeting, followed by department reports from E911 (Mike Leo) and the Detention Center (Josh Lindbloom), who was publicly recognized for being named Kentucky Jailer of the Year. Both departments reported increased workloads tied to growth in the county, including new dispatching duties for Radcliff and Vine Grove and record inmate work-program output around the fairgrounds.
The most significant and contentious item was the second reading of Ordinance 334, a zone change request from Stonefield Solar to rezone roughly 1,030 acres of the Buchanan farm on US 62 from rural residential/convenience commercial to heavy industrial for a solar project. This followed the Hardin County Planning Commission's denial of the request in May. Ten speakers, alternating for and against, addressed the court for up to three minutes each, raising issues including property rights, farmland preservation, comprehensive plan timing, tax revenue comparisons, education partnerships with ECTC, and climate concerns. After lengthy magistrate discussion, the ordinance passed 5-4, approving the rezoning over the objections of several magistrates who cited respect for the planning commission's process and concerns about precedent and impact on District 7.
The court also approved Ordinance 335, adopting updated magisterial district boundaries based on 2020 census data, shifting about 1,800 residents from District 8 into Districts 7 and 1. This passed unanimously with thanks extended to the reapportionment commission and County Clerk's office.
A lengthy consent agenda was approved covering financial reports, bond-related resolutions for a library expansion loan, EMS and E911 personnel changes, rejection of an ambulance remount bid, and a major $367,000 purchase of new optical scan voting equipment that will expand voting locations from about 10 to 18-19 sites. Magistrates closed with community announcements, including upcoming town halls, committee meetings, and local festivals, and the meeting was adjourned.
For residents, the key takeaway is the approval of a large-scale industrial rezoning for a solar farm on prime agricultural land near Glendale, a decision that drew significant public debate about land use, property rights, and the county's future growth amid rapid industrial expansion tied to Blue Oval SK and other developments.
Agenda (10)
- 11:32
Call to order, invocation, and pledge
The court was called to order with roll call of all magistrates present, followed by invocation by Magistrate Saltzman and pledge of allegiance led by Magistrate Muse.
- 14:05
Approval of minutes from July 11th meeting
The court approved the minutes from the previous fiscal court meeting held July 11th.
- 15:08
E911 Department Report
Director Mike Leo presented June activity data and year-to-date statistics showing major increases in calls, CAD events, and NCIC transactions, largely due to taking over dispatching duties for Radcliff and Vine Grove.
- 20:17
Detention Center Report
Jailer Josh Lindbloom presented June population, booking, and program statistics, noting record inmate work program activity at the fairgrounds and cemeteries, and was recognized as Kentucky Jailer of the Year.
- 28:56
Citizens comments on solar zone change (Ordinance 334)
Ten residents spoke alternately for and against the proposed rezoning of the Buchanan farm for a solar project, addressing property rights, farmland preservation, tax revenue, education partnerships, and climate concerns.
- 1:04:49
Second reading and vote on Ordinance 334 (solar zone change)
After extensive magistrate discussion on both sides, the ordinance rezoning approximately 1,030 acres to heavy industrial for the Stonefield Solar project passed 5-4.
- 1:39:50
Second reading of Ordinance 335 (magisterial district boundaries)
The court approved updated magisterial district boundary lines based on 2020 census data, shifting roughly 1,800 residents between districts 8, 7, and 1.
- 1:41:45
Consent agenda
The court approved a large consent agenda covering financial reports, bond resolutions for library expansion, EMS/E911 personnel changes, rejection of an ambulance remount bid, and purchase of new voting equipment.
- 1:47:32
Final comments and announcements
County officials and magistrates gave closing remarks, including reminders of upcoming committee meetings, a town hall forum, and local community events.
- 1:51:55
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned after a motion with no objections.
Motions & votes (5)
- 14:19
passedApprove the minutes from the July 11th fiscal court meeting
unanimous roll call
- 1:04:49
passedApprove second reading of Ordinance 334-2023 approving the zone change from rural residential/convenience commercial to heavy industrial for the solar project
5-4, Squire Clem, Squire Hicks, Squire Whitehead, and Judge Tall opposed
- 1:39:57
passedApprove second reading of Ordinance 335-2023 establishing updated magisterial district boundaries
unanimous roll call
- 1:46:10
passedApprove the consent agenda including financial reports, bond resolutions, personnel changes, and voting equipment purchase
unanimous roll call
- 1:51:55
passedMotion to adjourn the meeting
no objections
Transcript (83 segments)
- 10:41
and welcome everyone I want to welcome all of the elected officials that are here today appreciate you being here department heads and a staff so thank all of you and of course all of our citizens that are interested in their County government appreciate all of you being here this evening so uh just a note again about cell phones just a reminder to turn those off so that you aren't embarrassed during this session all right so this is the July 25th 2023 Hardin County Fiscal Court regular voting meeting so let's begin and I'll call this meeting to order Squire Clem Squire Hicks hair Squire Muse here Squire Pennington Squire Saltzman here Squire Thompson here Squire Whitehead here Square Yates here judge tall here okay we'll have our invocation by magistrate Salzman and our Pledge of
- 11:54
Allegiance by magistrate Muse keep out your heads father God we thank you for this day that you've given us we thank you for the beautiful sunshine we thank you for this County that we live in we thank you for this country that we live in I prayed right now for our soldiers who are defending our freedom I pray for this court as we prepare to do the business of our County pray that you would guide us and direct us pray Lord that you would be with us as we make these decisions and everything that we say and do would glorify you father I pray for this afternoon as we finish up your business Lord and just watch over us all keep us safe and healthy as we go back home in Christ then we pray amen amen of the United States foreign all right so thanks again for joining us
- 13:09
today and participating I'll just do a quick review as as I usually have of the agenda so that we all know what we're getting into today um we'll have the approval of the minutes from the last meeting we don't have any informational items as such today and we'll have a couple of presentations to go through we'll have a time of citizens concerns and comments we have two ordinances that we will vote on today both second readings of those ordinances and then we have our consent agenda which is a fairly typical one and then some comments at the end so that's pretty much it and so let's go ahead and and get started is there a motion to approve the minutes from our jewelry um let's see this would have been from July 11th uh Fiscal Court meeting so Moog okay there's a pro there's a motion in a second any discussion hearing none uh would have a roll call
- 14:24
please Squire Clem yes Squire Hicks yes Squire Muse yes Squire Pennington yes Squire Saltzman yes Square Thompson yes Square Whitehead yes Square Yates yes just talk yes motion passes all right next will be uh some Department reports and we're going to start that with our 9-1-1 um Mike Leo director good afternoon judge saw members physical court but anyway here to present the activity report for the month of June for the number one Center then there's some year-to-date information became the wheel here number one calls answered 5609 11 637 CAD reports created answered 5645 administrative calls dispatched the ambulance service
- 15:36
1514 times dispatched seven hundred and quicks and 478 fire runs handle 2466 attempt to serve prisoner transport and traffic stop type calls and thirty seven thousand 257 ncic link transactions just a breakdown of calls with service by agency AMS at 36.3 percent Rockwood police at 29.1 percent Sheriff's Office 15.4 and then the other agencies we dispatched for you can see there are percentages there next slide fire runs by Department E-Town with 34.6 percent right clip of 17.8 percent and you can see the remainder of the fire departments there's 14 of them that we dispatched for their percentages there in the pie chart calls transferred to secondary sites these are secondary law enforcement agencies in the county total cost transferred 755 624 E-Town police and 131 to
- 16:50
Kentucky State Police that's a year-to-date uh comparison five-year comparison year-to-date from 2019 2023 these are CAD events created you can see there's been a significant increase of events we created in our software to handle calls slide total number one calls received also a five-year comparison from 2019 until now it's also show there at increase a couple thousand number one Wireless calls received five-year comparison for 2019 until now little increase there also administrative calls it's a major increase there from the year before this is has to do with the bringing on Radcliff and Vine Grove back in December handling all their administrative calls self-initiated events
- 18:03
these are calls traffic stops paper service stuff like that for law enforcement occasionally a fire and EMS they self-initiate themselves on certain things but you see a major increase there this is also has to do with traffic stops that Pine Grove and Radcliffe police do in their paper service ncic and Link transactions just a lot of new people here ncisely transactions is pretty much a database we use to run tags and enter warrant see emergency protection orders and items like that there you can see in the Years prior we have a major increase there 225 000 transactions in just the first five months of the year and a lot of this has to do with also the Radcliffe uh in brown Grove paperwork that we do for them and that is it for my presentations if I have any questions for me so taking over some of the duties then for Radcliffe and Vine Grove that's been the one of the big impacts on some of
- 19:17
those big numbers that we saw correct majority of that is uh Sheriff's Office does also maintain 90 to 95 percent of the calls for service in the county instead of ordinance the state police so that they have an uptick also but majority of that is the increase of the Radcliff in mongrel any other questions comments all right thank you guys thanks thank you all right next up is Detention Center that's Josh Lynn bloom Squires have y'all missed me if you miss us I did I did can't you tell all right June 2023 at the hard day Dance Center always busy in business as usual I think we clear to the next slide oh yeah