With Boy Scouts Plack 806 and Cub Scouts Pack 205 in attendance, Melanie Hartzel, President of the Pendleton County Tourism Council, asked the Pendleton County Fiscal Court for sponsorship of a concert that would be an anchor event for their Pendleton County Outdoorpalooza to be held on Father’s Day weekend.
According to Hartzel, the event is to promote the outdoor activities in Pendleton County from the golf courses to Thaxton’s Canoes to the hiking trails.
The event planned for Saturday, June 19 will culminate at the fairgrounds and Griffin Center with a concert by Bell-aires and a cruise-in. Honey Hill Petting Zoo has been contracted to provide a petting zoo.
She explained to the court that the cost of the concert was $2,500.
After discussion, Judge Executive David Fields recommended to the court that fiscal court donate to the tourism council the entire amount.
“There were not a lot of festivals in 2020 and we have not used any of those funds,” explained Fields about the court still being in the 2020-21 Fiscal Year and having put $6,000 in for festivals and programs.
The court agreed and donated the $2,500 to Pendleton County Tourism.
Also, Hartzel answered to Plummer’s inquiry about if they were open to alcohol sales for the county. “Yes.”
Plummer also suggested they seek out Northern Kentucky fly fishing as it is “hot on Licking River.”
The court opened up the single bid received by Mobilecom for equipment for emergency management.
Director Mike Moore explained that his department had received a Homeland Security Grant worth $200,000 but that not all the equipment was on the state approved bid list. As a result, two pieces of equipment had to be bid out. They were two sets of Aux modules microwave link equipment and two sets of repeater site frequency with expansion aux modules.
The court requested he explained what the equipment would be used.
Moore explained that right now, communications are used on four separate towers. One in Mt. Auburn, Butler, Morgan and by dispatch. The new equipment would allow simulcast broadcast of all police frequencies on all four towers coming together.
“Now, if a police officer broadcasts in Morgan, a law enforcement officer in Mt. Auburn might not pick it up. This significantly improves law enforcement communication in the county,” he explained.
In response to questions from Plummer, Moore indicated that these two items totaling around $52,000 added with the $143,405 already spend would keep the upgrades to less than the $200,000 grant amount.
He also educated the court that the present equipment has last at least 15 years or more and it is not digital like NKY upgraded to that costs millions.
District 3 Magistrate Darrin Gregg inquired if this would improve the radio system on bus stations.
Moore replied, “The school system has their own radio system. I believe they are upgrading to a digital system and they provide dispatch a radio for us to monitor their communications.”
The court approved the amendment to the nuisance ordinance, zoning changes to zoning ordinance and approved the reappointment of Brent Moore to the Pendleton County Water Board.
The court also approved a two percent CPI increase for county employees and a resolution for the NK Regional Hazard Mitigation.
In closing remarks, Gregg wanted to point out that when the court passed a resolution in 2020 about increasing the gas tax, they were in favor only if it was not at the pump.
Fields added that the resolution they passed was for the legislators to seek out more revenue for county road projects.
Both Plummer and Mineer pointed out that the gas tax bill did not make it out of committee at the state level.
The court has rescheduled their next court meeting to Monday, April 12 at 6 p.m.
