Meeting of May 5, 2025
5-5-25 Ohio County Fiscal Court Special-Called Meeting · Watch on YouTube ↗
Summary
Ohio County Fiscal Court – Special-Called Meeting, May 5, 2025
The court held a short special-called session primarily to finalize the resolution authorizing Grabhorn Law to pursue claims against additional defendants in the opioid settlement litigation, and to walk through the first reading of the county's proposed 2025-26 budget.
The opioid settlement resolution was passed unanimously on a motion by Magistrate Dale, seconded by Magistrate Bo, clarifying that Grabhorn Law is paid only a percentage of any settlement recovered, not a flat fee, similar to arrangements in other Kentucky counties like Louisville and Cincinnati.
Much of the meeting was devoted to a page-by-page review of the draft budget, which dropped from roughly $24 million to a lower figure mainly because of one-time USDA grant funds received last year that won't recur. Officials discussed adjustments for a roughly 8% increase in basic health insurance costs and about 12% for the enhanced plan, along with offsetting changes in workers' comp and general liability premiums. Magistrates also discussed road department administrative cost transfers, community contribution funding, golf course revenue growth, and the ongoing cost and progress of building HVAC/boiler upgrades.
The court voted to approve the first reading of the budget, with an understanding that if surplus or unanticipated revenue (such as needs-assessment money) becomes available, roughly $75,000 would be added back for magistrates' discretionary funds, community dumpsters, community contributions, and the honor guard. The vote was unanimous among magistrates Bennett, Johnston, Bivens, McKenna, and Bullock, with Bullock noting he would support it this time but wanted the money restored before a future vote.
Finally, the Judge/Executive proposed shifting roughly half of the ARCH program's payroll costs from the ARCH fund to the opioid settlement fund, in order to demonstrate active use of opioid settlement dollars and extend the life of ARCH program funding; no formal roll-call vote was recorded on this item. The meeting closed with brief remarks and adjournment.
Agenda (5)
- 0:01
Call to order, prayer, and pledge
The special-called meeting was opened with prayer and the pledge of allegiance before proceeding to agenda items.
- 1:20
Grabhorn Law opioid settlement resolution
The court discussed a cleanup resolution needed because Grabhorn Law continued additional work identifying defendants after being retained for the opioid settlement litigation; the firm is paid only a percentage of any recovery.
- 2:50
First reading of the 2025-26 county budget
Magistrates reviewed the draft budget page by page, discussing changes in health insurance, workers comp, general liability, road department administrative costs, tourism/museum funding, golf course revenue, and community contributions.
- 43:49
ARCH program funding from opioid settlement fund
The judge proposed splitting ARCH program payroll costs between the ARCH fund and the opioid settlement fund to demonstrate active use of opioid money and extend ARCH funding longevity.
- 48:37
Adjournment
After finishing budget and ARCH fund discussion, the court closed the special-called meeting.
Motions & votes (4)
- 2:35
passedAdopt a resolution authorizing Grabhorn Law to pursue claims against additional defendants in the opioid settlement litigation
Moved by Dale · seconded by Bo · unanimous, all in favor
- 37:51
passedApprove the first reading of the 2025-26 county budget, with an understanding that discretionary funds, community dumpsters, community contributions, and honor guard funding (~$75,000 total) would be restored if surplus/needs-assessment money becomes available
Bennett yes, Johnston yes, Bivens yes, McKenna yes, Bullock yes
- 43:40
unclearMotion to adjourn the special-called meeting
- 44:26
unclearShift half of the ARCH program's payroll expenses from the ARCH fund to the opioid settlement fund to demonstrate use of opioid funds and extend ARCH program funding duration
Transcript (40 segments)
- 0:01
[Music] Call this meeting fiscal court to order. Special call meeting on this 5th day of May 2025 at 400 pm. Time's wrong there. 4 p.m. And uh let's see. Uh, how about uh just in prayer, please? Oh, yeah, [Applause] sure. We bow our heads. Lord, first off, we thank you for all the blessings that we've received. Whether we realize all of them or not, we know that you have blessed us. And as always, we thank you for your never- ending grace and endless love. We ask that you come to these magistrates with wisdom uh in the decisions that they make in the benefit of our county. And it's in your name we pray. Amen. Amen. Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, liberty and justice for all. [Applause] [Music]
- 1:20
Um, as you seen on your agenda, Justin called last week and uh um just it's just something we need to clean up on the uh uh Grab Horn Law where we hired them to do the opioid settlement. We need this other resolution for where they continued and done more work after we recently uh contracted. Yeah, this is just on some uh making sure you know all the defendants we we we asked them to to file suit with regard to or make claims against any defendants that were appropriate and we just want to make sure that it's accurately reflected uh at the request of Mr. Grabmore and a motion and second if the court would entertain it. Do we have to pay them or they get a commission? They get they get they get a portion of whatever we receive percentage payment from the old. Yes. Then we don't have to pay them anything. Do we have any idea what percentage I get? I'd have to look at the contract. It looked to be a standard saying that did and some other counties Louisville if I remember right. I think so. Don't don't quote me on that but I'm almost positive Louisville Cincinnati. Do I have a motion?
- 2:34
All right. Motion. Motion by Dale. Second by Bo. Is there any discussion or more questions for Justin? Being none, all in favor say I. I. Post like sign. The resolution is passed. Do all of you have a copy of the budget? I see you brought some new copies in. All of you have one. Nothing's changed since we Well, the only thing I have changed is, let me mention three things. We had our health insurance rates before we did the budget. So, everything's correct in there. After we did that, the one you all have, we got our workers comp and general liability. The general liability went up and the workers comp went down and they pretty much evened each other out. And I just tweaked the numbers in each department to reflect that. So, you put about $500 difference. Yeah, it didn't change the overall picture of the budget, but I did get those numbers set in there. [Applause] Well, any questions about anything in there?
- 3:46
[Applause] Can you just give us a brief about the the major changes that was in there? Um, we did incorporate the CPI increase. the health insurance went up I think I announced that the basic went up 8% and the um the add-on the um better the buy the buy plan the better plan it went up about 12%. So, all of those were adjustments were made. Uh, there were a couple of utilities, not very many. Uh, there wasn't really much change. Um, other than I know y'all the discretionary money. Um, and then I think your community dumpsters. That was about it. Well, discretionary money is usually not in the budget. We usually do that from our first round of uh of needs assessment money. How much was last year's budget and this ballpark? Do you know? Uh it was about 20 almost 24 million. The reason it has
- 4:59
reduced is we had over 4 million in USDA grants that we won't be having this year. We also had I think some of the railroad stuff built in. One of the things you want to do is to try to keep your budget as close to reality as you can because you pay general liability insurance based on your budget. So we don't want every anything overstated. Um so we don't have those federal grants. You see those are sort of roll over. You you spend what you get in kind of comes through. But what you're saying that's reflected in the budget and if we get some we can sure kind of mento. Yeah. But we don't want to put them in there before we know we're getting them. What page is our community contributions on judge? I know it would jointly. I'm sorry. I know it would take time, but we've got two completely new. We started front kind of like go. I know it'll take time, but they're new with the budget. [Applause]
- 6:13
It's in there though. Yeah, I saw it. But it's in the front. [Applause] Well, we can on the front first page one of one and two is the revenue and we if we have what it is we're going to put into that we don't get all over over another one. Uh we probably sort of crunch for time to get it to Frank. Um we we probably used the whole 10,000 by the end of the year. So um I just wonder uh on page if this was on page one and two is the revenue things and that's pretty almost based on last year's unless we know for sure there's going to be a difference. [Applause] And then on pa uh and then to go on through you got to I'm gonna thumb through like Larry said if you have question on any page well go ahead but that page one with all the the
- 7:27
taxes and the uh revenue from the CRA and all that when you're looking at pay to and then uh [Applause] Uh, unless you all have notes on this, I have made copies of all those little changes I made. And these pages are numbered. It might be easier for y'all to look [Applause] at. Those pages are numbered. Okay, that makes a good [Applause] Oh, got the big banked up on top there. Yeah, this does reflect um the updates I made to the general [Applause] liability. It's standard. [Applause]
- 8:44
You see some things it's got a letter and zero and and some of them because they run out but they still print out on there like uh on page one you come down to mainly local revenue there is none but there was in past times that's why it's noted that that's why there is such a line [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] there bank franchises there. That's why they do not pay work. They do not pay any um net profits tax. is because they uh they pay that. We're most likely getting a bad deal there. [Applause] [Applause] So, of course, the 3 million something