After KRS research, Magistrates reconsider adjustment to pay

by Barbara Atwill

Fulton County Fiscal Court met in Regular session on Jan. 14 at the County Office Building at their new time, 6 p.m., with Magistrates Wade Adams, Jim Paitsel, Hugh Caldwell and Shaun Parks in attendance.

J.L. Atwill, Assistant Disaster Emergency Director, gave an update on where the Fiscal Court stands as to the PSAP, Public Safety Answering Point, application.

Atwill stated, “Our application will be presented to the 911 Board in Frankfort on March 12. As it stands now, no one sees any conflict with the application being approved then.”

Once the application is approved the Court will notify all the phone companies about where the revenue goes with an estimate of about three months for the county to start collecting the fee.

The application will allow a tax on cell phones to be collected by the County instead of Kentucky State Police to be used for dispatch. Landline phones currently pay a $2 fee, which goes to the 911 board. When PSAP is approved all revenue will go to Fulton County.

PSAP will bring approximately $178,000 a year for cell phones and $45,000 for land line phones and will go to Fulton County Dispatch.

Currently Dispatch is funded by Hickman paying $60,000, Fulton $60,000 and the Detention Center $160,000 per year.

Wendy Puckett, Executive Director for Fulton-Hickman Counties Economic Development Partnership, attended giving an update to the Court.

“We currently have an expansion in the works with a Hickman Project for approximately $19 million, which could bring about 15 – 20 new jobs to Hickman. We are working with Hickman-Fulton County Riverport Authority with the building across from Insteel with a prospect,” stated Puckett.

“We are continuing to work on a 40-mile loop of the Tenn-Ken Railroad spur from Cates Landing to Hickman, then to Union City, Tenn. We also have a prospect for the Dura pad next to the railroad in Fulton,” continued Puckett.

Fulton County Coroner Matt Moss presented the Fiscal Court with a bill for the purchase of a mortuary cot Magistrates approved in 2018.

Moss stated, “Hornbeak Funeral Home in Fulton purchased the cot at a lower price saving 10% and I’m asking you to reimburse Hornbeak Funeral Home for $3,826.55.”

Judge/Executive Jim Martin presented an Administrative Code for the County he has been compiling. All management regulations and administrative code must be adopted by the Fiscal Court.

Some items were already in place including a personnel policy, adopted two years ago.

Last year, after going through the FBI investigation, a procurement code, laying out exactly how to buy items and who is responsible, was adopted.

Judge Martin asked the Magistrates to take a copy home and read it and come back to adopt for the County.

Magistrate Paitsel made a motion to adjust the Magistrates pay to $1,000 a month, a decrease of about 30% a month.

Magistrate Wade Adams stated, “There is a KRS pertaining to this subject. I want to go on record I am all for lowering our salary, but I don’t want to be in violation of a KRS 64.530(4), compensation of an officer shall not be changed during their term.”

Paitsel said, “If we pass this and we go through an audit, the auditor may say you are in violation of a KRS. I know three of us ran on a platform of reducing the pay and we are now doing it. This is something we need to do. I don’t know of a voter that will criticize us for reducing our pay. It is clearly something we promised we will do.”

Magistrate Hugh Caldwell said, “Just for clarification, I don’t know what everyone else said during the campaign, but my position has always been #1 to be in accordance with the law, and #2 to reduce the fringe benefits compensation for the Magistrates and I think we did that.”

Derek Goodson asked, “If the Magistrates had taken the decrease in pay, what would the County be saving?”

Judge Martin said, “Including myself, the County would save approximately $130,000.”

Caldwell stated, “I believe it is about $40,000 a year just for the four Magistrates. It may be a little less. It depends on the health insurance plan.”

County Treasurer Leslie Woods stated, “Just on Magistrates it would be $41,411.94 on taking insurance, Febco card, and retirement, and does not include pay and incentives.

The Court approved:

• Fulton County Sheriff’s Office Quarterly Report for Oct. – Dec. 2018 – Derek Goodson

• Fulton County Clerk’s End of Year Report (2018) for – Betty Abernathy

• Fulton County Clerk Excess Fees (2018) - Betty Abernathy

• Fulton County Dispatch Center Policy and Procedures Manual for 2019 (retroactive to January 1, 2019)

• Treasurer’s and Finance Officer’s Quarterly Report (October – December 2018)

• Fulton County employees

• Transfer of bills

• Payment Jail Kitchen Bills and regular bills

Three Board appointments included:

• Hickman-Fulton County Riverport Authority – Shaun Parks

• Fulton County Wildlife and Waterfowl Conservation and Education Board County Ex-Officio Member – Wade Adams

• Fulton County Madrid Bend Levee Board – Lucas Goodman

Senior Citizens of Fulton County requested payment to help with the cost of “Meals on Wheels”, and the Court agreed to pay $950 per month through June 2019.

It was reported the Fulton County Detention Center currently has 450 inmates, with only 16 from Fulton County.

The state pays $31.35 per day for their inmates and Hickman County pays approximately $26+ per day enabling the Detention Center to have $987,000 cash in the bank and running in the black again.

The Court entered into Executive session pursuant to KRS 61.810(1)(f), returned to open session and approved one employment and denied one employee regarding per the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

Sheriff Derek Goodson stated, “The US Coast Guard is not getting paid because of the Government Shut-down. They have not received a check in a month. I’m not asking for action, just remember them and they are still working.”

Magistrate Caldwell said, “The night of the ice storm, they were here before anyone else and the night of the tornado they were again here before any one. They are a great bunch of guys.”