Metcalfe Health Service funds: What to do with them

By PJ Martin

Editor, The Herald-News

 

The Metcalfe County fiscal court held its regular meeting on Thursday, June 11, with the following in attendance: Judge/Executive Larry Wilson, Magistrates Ronnie Miller, Daniel Bragg, Harvey Hawkins, and Kevin Crain, County Attorney Sharon Howard, and Treasurer/Court Clerk Page Edwards.

Others in attendance were Road Superintendent Chris Compton, Emergency Management Director Adam Bennett, Solid Waste Coordinator Kim Jandt, and PJ Martin, reporting for the Herald-News.

The meeting was opened by Judge Wilson, who declared a quorum present, and the agenda was adopted.

The minutes from the May 28^th regular meeting were approved after motions by Hawkins and Crain.

The Metcalfe County Conservation District budget for FY 2026-2027 was presented to the fiscal court for acknowledgement by Conservation District board member Billy Branstetter and Lasasha Grissom, office manager. Branstetter also requested funds of $5,000 from the county for program support and dead animal removal. The request was approved.

Next, Harold Stilts addressed the court, requesting help purchasing playground equipment for Branstetter Park. He stated that a family had asked if equipment could be added to the park so that their children and other community children could visit the park instead of driving to another area.

Stilts had gotten estimates, and the best one was from Esh’s Building at Marrowbone for $2,325. There would also be a cost of 12% for shipping, assembly, and installation. The total cost would be around $2,504.

Bragg had already checked that liability was covered under the county since the park was leased by the county. The request was approved for up to $2,700, and the motion to accept was made by Bragg, seconded by Miller, and approved.

This is the 100^th year of Branstetter Park, and Stilts asked if the county could help with the roof repair of the tabernacle building. He was asked to get estimates and bring them to the next meeting.

The revised Animal Shelter Contract was next. Attorney Howard stated that she had corrected the wording and clarity and included the needed revisions. The contract is for 2-years and auto renews. The motion to accept was made by Crain, seconded by Bragg, and approved.

 

Burdette Road

The court once again discussed the condition of Burdette Road and whether it was ready for the county to accept it. Bragg stated that it had been beaten down pretty badly over the last month by log trucks. Compton said that it was pretty rough and needed grading before getting any gravel.

“Can we go ahead and start the resolution? We need to make a motion and a second to actually accept,” said Wilson. A motion was made and seconded to accept the road once it is brought up to standard. The motion was approved. It was decided that Compton would decide when it is ready.

 

Special Account Transfer

The next item was a withdrawal request from Metcalfe Health Services. The money from the sale of the nursing home is currently being held in an account by the nursing home board. That money will eventually be transferred to the fiscal court. A special account has already been set up to hold that money.

“Now, the Wells Group told me way back there if we ever needed money, we could always withdraw. So, we opened an account to put funds in if we need them,” said Wilson, who further explained, “Right now, the city and the county both are offering… We had offered $500,000, or I had. I got a call last night that a grocery says they’re coming.” The nursing home board needs the magistrate’s approval to transfer those funds into the special account. “To use as needed to get this grocery going.”

At that point, Bragg jumped into the conversation. “So, I’ve heard about this; we haven’t had any conversations here, but I’ve heard it through the grapevine that the county was being presented as the county was offering this money. I wasn’t sure about the legalities of it, so I checked into it. I got all this here (pulling out a folder and looking straight at the camera). I called Rich Hornstein and talked to him about it, about giving public funds, not necessarily county funds, but public funds to a private entity, a for-profit private entity, because per the Kentucky Constitution it isn’t legal unless certain standards are met….”

Bragg explained what he had learned, details about what needed to be done, and his in-depth plan to go about doing it. This plan explanation lasted at least ten minutes before Wilson jumped in and said, “BRADD’s already writing up all the necessary paperwork to make it work.”

Wilson then said, “I feel that’s what we pay BRADD to do. They’re hired to do that. We pay them a monthly amount… But I asked the question and then had the documentation in hours. If you don’t trust BRADD, you need to say so.”

“I’m not saying I don’t trust them. I’m saying I haven’t seen them,” answered Bragg, who was still not agreeable because he hadn’t been included in the initial discussion. “No one in this room, other than maybe you, knows that these conversations are happening with BRADD,” said Bragg.

Wilson replied that this had only happened that week with BRADD, and explained that this is only to approve moving the money into the special account. “Sharon, is there anything illegal about the nursing home board transferring that money…?”

Sharon replied, “Not as long as we have the proper thing that we’re approving.”

Wilson then asked if the magistrates would like to table the decision until the next meeting. The initial motion was made by Hawkins, seconded by Crain, and approved to table.

 

Financials

There were several budget transfers; however, they were for year-end clean-up of funds, and no actual money was being moved. The transfers were approved.

There were three interfund transfers to the jail, road, and general fund, and those were approved.

The claims consisted of election worker costs and regular bills and were approved.

“The data center stuff that’s happening in these other counties. Is that something we need to look into passing something?” asked Crain. Wilson asked Howard if she could come up with a sample resolution, and she stated that she would.

There was no other business, and the meeting was adjourned.

The next meeting is scheduled for June 25, 2026, at 9 a.m.