Nicholasville adopts utility and general budgets, approves hires, audit engagement and tax refunds

The City of Nicholasville Commission on June 9 adopted annual utility and general government budgets for fiscal year 2025–26 and approved a series of personnel, administrative and finance items, including an employee-handbook correction, temporary and permanent hires, an audit engagement and tax-refund approvals.

Ordinance 186-2025 adopted the utility operating budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, and Ordinance 189-2025 adopted the general government budget for the same period. The commission also approved budget amendments for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 (Ordinances 185-2025 and 188-2025).

Commissioners discussed salary-scale presentation details for police and fire, noting that a 1.4% component was included in budget totals even though the published scale in the packet had not been updated. A commissioner asked staff to confirm that the raise was incorporated into the budget numbers; staff indicated the totals did include the adjustment even if the printed scale did not.

Human Resources presented Municipal Order 2025-008 to amend the city employee handbook’s PTO language to ensure that if an employee leaves during the year “the employee must repay to the city the amount of PTO leave used in excess of the leave that has actually accrued up to the date of termination,” and that, if possible, the value of excess leave would be deducted from the final paycheck. The commission approved the municipal order.

Personnel actions approved by the commission included hiring Ben Snyder as a temporary full-time police officer under KRS 95.022; rehiring Paige Hill as a police department intern at $10 per hour through Aug. 31, 2025; hiring Andrew Boyston as a police officer recruit at $24.16 per hour and accepting a lateral hire Nathan Brown (hourly rates and classifications reported in packet); progression of Charles Strange to plant operator (wage increase of $1 per hour) after his Class I wastewater certification; and a 5% hourly increase for Nathan Hall in the water-treatment plant for completion of Class II operator certification effective May 20, 2025.

Administrative hires included authorization, pending required background checks and joint-tourism commission approval, to hire Olivia Katie Puckett as part-time tourism office manager at $20 per hour for 20 hours per week, effective June 10, 2025, and hiring Maurice Rutherford as a seasonal maintenance worker at $16.08 per hour, effective June 23, 2025.

Finance staff requested and the commission approved an engagement letter with Baldwin CPAs for the fiscal year 2025 audit. The finance director reported that the city had used Baldwin for the previous two audits and recommended re-engagement.

The commission also approved refunds of payroll and net-profit taxes that exceeded $1,500 for several payees after staff reported the payments had been made in error or were overpayments. Staff identified John Gill and Michael Heniff as individuals whose payroll taxes were mistakenly paid to the city while they do not work within city limits. The commission approved a refund to Walgreen Company for a carried-forward credit and overpayment of estimated net-profit taxes, and a refund to HomeGoods Inc. for overpaid estimated taxes. The meeting packet showed accounts payable of $4,062,241.06 covering bills from May 7 through June 4; commissioners authorized payment by roll call.

Motions for the budget ordinances, municipal order, hires, audit engagement and refunds passed on roll-call votes recorded in the meeting. Specific effective dates and hourly rates noted above were taken from staff presentations and the meeting packet.

No public comments were offered during the meeting. The commission adjourned after routine commissioner reports.