Pike County court enters executive session; ratifies hires and a SAFE agreement with state emergency management

Pike County Fiscal Court entered a brief executive session under Kentucky Revised Statutes to discuss pending litigation and specific personnel matters and, on return, acknowledged multiple hires and ratified an agreement to receive state SAFE funds.

County counsel instructed the public that under Kentucky Revised Statute 61.81 the court may hold closed sessions to discuss pending litigation (paragraph c) and specific personnel (paragraph f). The court moved into executive session and returned to open session at the chair’s call.

After the executive session the court approved a series of personnel actions: hiring Aiden Arnett as a solid-waste loader effective 07/16/2025, hiring Tanner Klein and Danny Casey in public-works/seasonal positions effective 07/31/2025, moving Bert Trivet from seasonal public works to seasonal labor on a special crew effective 08/04/2025, and moving Billy Tussey to a new rate of pay as animal-shelter manager effective 08/05/2025 (as recorded in the clerk’s summary). The motion as amended was carried by roll-call vote.

The court also ratified an agreement signed with Kentucky Emergency Management to expedite receipt of SAFE funds; the presiding judge said the contract had been signed and returned to the state to accelerate funding, and the clerk recorded approval by roll-call vote. One court member said the county had not yet received the contract back from the state but expected funds soon and would follow up if there was no timely response.

No specific litigation details or personnel performance matters were disclosed during open session; the court cited the statutory basis for executive session and limited public discussion to the items permissible under the statute.