The future of Bonnieville will be determined at the ballot box

Mary Beth Sallee

Managing Editor

Hart Co. News Herald

 

Nearly 150 years after its original incorporation, the fate of the City of Bonnieville now lies in the hands of its citizens.

According to the Hart County Tourism website, Bonnieville was established in 1849 as Bacon Creek Station, with its official name change to Bonnieville occurring on March 18, 1880 and its original incorporation on May 5, 1880. Seventy-five years later, Bonnieville was officially incorporated on December 12, 1955 as a sixth-class city.

Earlier this year, however, citizens began to voice concerns regarding what they considered a lack of leadership among Bonnieville Mayor Marie Whitlow and members of Bonnieville City Council, as well as concerns regarding the lack of growth seen within the city limits.

As a result, a petition was submitted to the Hart County Clerk’s Office to have the following question placed on the ballot for the General Election on November 5: “Are you in favor of dissolving the City of Bonnieville? Yes or No.”

Dissolution, or the dissolving of a city, refers only to the termination of the city being an incorporated municipality. If the city dissolves, it reverts to dependence on the county government.

According to KRS 81.094, “…If a majority of those voting in the election favor the dissolution of the city, the city shall cease to be an incorporated city within thirty (30) days of the certification of the election results. The terms of all elected and appointed officers shall terminate at such time and all assets of the city shall become the property of the fiscal court of the county in which the city is located.”

In a previous email received earlier this year, Bonnieville City Clerk Jayla Durham explained that dissolving the city would mean that Bonnieville would no longer be an LLC or incorporated city.

“City Hall would be closed down and sold off and all assets would be transferred to Hart County,” Durham said. “…Hart County will proceed in collecting (tax) payments. If the city was to be dissolved, the streetlights would be turned off. I did verify that with KU (Kentucky Utilities). Crime would increase with no streetlights. Property values would decrease. Street banners would be taken down. We would no longer receive funds from the government. We would lose funds from CSX, SCRTC, KU, etc. All the money we collect to work on the roads in town would no longer be. We wouldn’t be able to help out the fire department. The cemetery would be left for Hart County to maintain.”

Most recently, Durham once again expressed the importance for the city to remain incorporated for various reasons, including allocated funds. Durham shared that making a city the best it can be takes time and must also include a collective effort between elected officials and Bonnieville’s citizens.

“The city of Bonnieville has nine and a half miles of city streets that are currently maintained by the city,” Durham explained. “In 2011, the city completely resurfaced all the streets for the first time. The funds were provided by the Governor’s Discretionary Fund, with no cost to the city. This year, the city has widened a section of Campground Road with no cost to the city. The funds used for that came from the government’s American Rescue Plan Act, also known as ARPA. Morgan Raider Avenue was also paved, and potholes were fixed with no cost to the city by using ARPA funds. We have also used ARPA funds to help the fire department with a new fire hose.”

”Street and traffic signs are also the responsibility of the city within city limits,” Durham continued. “Funds provided by the government’s road fund we receive quarterly are allocated to road funding. The City of Bonnieville has also received funding for the emergency generator that is located at City Hall. It will serve as a community shelter for the city in the act of a catastrophic event.”

“The city has applied for numerous grants, and from 2009 to 2022 the city has received approximately one million dollars in funding,” Durham concluded. “You can see how important grants are to a small city.”

One Bonnieville citizen in favor of dissolving the city is Melody Shanaberger.

“The City of Bonnieville cannot continue to survive on grants from federal, state, or any other entities, franchise fees, business and property taxes even if all those taxes are paid,” Shanaberger said. “Property and business taxes will need to be raised. There could be implementation of a restaurant tax, inventory tax, tourist tax, and any/or other means of revenue as in a pot shop or liquor sales if a petition passed. Annexation voluntary or involuntary is another tool. There is a saying in Bonnieville that if the city lights are on, the City Clerk is paid and utilities for City Hall is paid, then there is no money left; so in essence, we are paying just to keep a building going. In reality, the city is already running at a deficit each month that is depleting the windfall from the sale of the water company.”

“Various administrations over the years have promised many things and not delivered, such as city park/playground, sidewalks, community building, storm shelter, and periodic pick up of hazardous waste and large items. The city does not have any land to build anything on because it was all sold and the money went to something else. What happened to the laptop computers the city bought with the Covid money? As far as the street lights go, some will go out. Privately owned lights and those at the Dollar Store, fire department, school, and Mini Mart will not. As a citizen in the city limits of Bonnieville, you pay a 4% franchise fee to KU that goes to the city even if you do not have a light on or near your property. The more electric you use for heating and air conditioning, the more the fee increases. The fee will stop, but you can contract with KU to turn the light on or have them install one for $7-$10 dollars a month that includes maintenance on any KU light.”

Shanaberger concluded by stating, “The Bonnieville Cemetery will continue to run as its own entity with its Articles of Incorporation having been completed. We will not lose the fire department, the elementary school nor the post office.

It seems that the financial benefits of dissolution, to the residents of Bonnieville, outweigh the current benefits of being an incorporated city.”

It should be noted that the Hart County News-Herald could not confirm the accuracy or validity of Ms. Shanaberger’s statements and information prior to press time.

Durham also stated to the Hart County News-Herald that a post circulating on Facebook is promoting incorrect information about taxes being raised. Durham stated that she felt this post was made to look as though it originated from City Hall, but that it did not. This is not correct information, Durham said.

In regards to concerns about street lights being turned off if the city dissolves, LG&E and KU Spokesperson Drew Gardner released the following statement to the News-Herald: “We’re aware of the proposal on the ballot to dissolve the city of Bonnieville, and as the city’s electric provider, we’ve been working with city leaders on potential outcomes for the outdoor lighting. We’ll continue working on this matter with city leaders following the voters’ decision.”

Bonnieville Mayor Marie Whitlow did not release a statement to the press.

Current Bonnieville City Council Member, Colby Smith, stated that he believes the issue at hand really comes down to pride.

“Do you have pride in your city? Would you like to see growth, jobs, and businesses? Or are you convinced we’ll never be any more than we are?” Smith said. “We are about to see opportunities we’ve never had before. Maybe some good, maybe some bad, but without a government, we won’t have a choice about our future. I won’t be on the Council after this year, but I’m still interested in being involved. It takes more than the Mayor and Council. It takes participation by our citizens, too. If we lose our city, we’ll never have a chance to be anything again. If you want change, if you have ideas, contribute and be a positive voice. You don’t throw out the whole system.”

Early voting is October 31, November 1, and November 2 from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the Hart County Clerk’s Office in Munfordville. The General Election date is November 5, with voting locations including all Hart County schools, as well as Horse Cave Fire Department and Linwood Fire Department. Registered voters can vote at any of those locations on November 5, between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. In regards to the Bonnieville question – “Are you in favor of dissolving the City of Bonnieville? Yes or No.” – Only those living within the city limits of Bonnieville will have this question on their ballot to determine the future of the city.