Fiscal Court approves workplace medical-marijuana restriction, rehiring list and multiple appointments

GREENUP COUNTY, Ky. — The Greenup County Fiscal Court on Jan. 14 approved a package of administrative orders that included a resolution restricting medical marijuana use by county employees while on duty, approval of a rehiring list, several board appointments and acceptance of federal and state grant funds for county projects.

County Attorney Matthew Warren told the court he researched state law and prepared a resolution to adopt the cited medical-marijuana provision for county employees. “I have prepared, based on Keiko's recommendations and guidance, a resolution that would adopt the provisions of KRS 218B.040 that would prohibit the usage of medical marijuana while employed as a Greenup County employee,” Warren said. The court voted to adopt the resolution and members indicated they would later add the policy to the county’s administrative code.

The court also approved a rehiring list for county employees following an executive session to discuss employment. A motion to approve the presented rehiring list was made and seconded and the court recorded the motion as approved.

Other formal actions at the meeting included: the appointment of Greg Rice to the board of Sanitation District No. 1 of Boyd and Greenup counties; the appointment of Eric Patton as a nonvoting member of the Greenup County Wildlife Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Authority for a three-year term effective January 2025; and two appointments to the Lloyd Volunteer Fire Department (Daniel Maynard and Bobby Sinners) for two-year terms through Dec. 31, 2026.

The court adopted resolution R-2024-113, described in the meeting as the 5-CO Area Development District Title VI implementation plan, and named the county human-resources director as the plan coordinator. The resolution cites compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and related U.S. Department of Transportation implementing regulations as required by the county’s recipient status for U.S. DOT funds.

Eric Patton, identified in the meeting as the county manager, reported that Greenup County secured the first half of an allocation under the Kentucky Pathways Riverport construction and maintenance program and described planned purchases of heavy equipment through the state master agreement. Patton said the package includes a material handler, skid steer, backhoe-loader and attachments; he told the court there is a roughly 4% administrative fee and that the county will pay an initial administrative installment of about $32,500. The court moved to accept the riverport report and the related actions.

Solid-waste staff reported the county received a 2025 litter-abatement grant of $51,578.08. The court approved a request to designate Greenup County solid waste for purposes of recovering certain fees and noted the county is pursuing litigation related to out-of-county disposal under state statute.

Separately, the court accepted the recommendation to enter negotiations with HMB Engineering for a nonmonetary on-call consulting-engineer contract; HMB was described as the top-ranked firm in the county’s procurement scoring. The court authorized staff to begin contract negotiations.

Other administrative items approved with little or no discussion included annual bidding notice for correctional-grade electronic cigarettes for the detention center, acceptance of multiple departmental reports, approval of longevity-pay ordinance No. 71 and routine motions to pay bills and to cover expenses for workshops and seminars.

The court frequently recorded motions as “seconded” and “all in favor,” and the meeting minutes show each listed item was moved, seconded and recorded as approved by the court.

• Votes at a glance (formal motions mentioned in the meeting): approve Dec. 2024 minutes; enter/exit executive session on employment; approve rehiring list; adopt resolution to prohibit medical marijuana use while on duty (citing KRS 218B.040 as presented); adopt R-2024-113 Title VI program plan for the 5-CO Area Development District; appoint Greg Rice to Sanitation District No. 1; appoint Eric Patton (nonvoting) to Wildlife Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Authority; appoint Daniel Maynard and Bobby Sinners to Lloyd Volunteer Fire Department; authorize negotiations with HMB Engineering; accept riverport grant equipment report and related actions; accept 2025 litter-abatement grant and solid-waste designation; approve e-cigarette bid notice for the detention center; adopt longevity-pay ordinance No. 71; pay bills and approve routine departmental reports.

The court placed several items on future administrative steps: the newly adopted medical-marijuana resolution will be incorporated into the county’s administrative code at a later date, and the HMB consulting contract will be finalized through negotiated terms.

Details for most motions — including individual vote tallies and the names of all makers/seconders for each motion — were not recorded verbatim in the meeting transcript; the court repeatedly used the form call “All in favor? Aye.”