Woodford County's emergency management director, Joe Chandler, told the Fiscal Court on June 3 that the county continues to pay flood recovery costs while the state finalizes its public assistance request and federal funds are processed.

"As of 3:00 this afternoon ' we still are awaiting determination on the state's request for public assistance," Chandler said. "So all the recovery costs, up to this date, are still out of the local taxpayers' pocket."

Chandler said Kentucky Emergency Management (KYEM) is currently housing multiple residents and that county staff have requested a data-sharing agreement so the county can identify and reach households receiving state assistance. "We requested to execute a data sharing agreement so that we can exchange that personally identifiable information and reach out to those families," he said, noting that the state has not yet told the county which residents are being assisted.

He gave an operational update on registration and the county's disaster recovery center: the center is open Monday'Saturday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sundays 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., and the February registration deadline has passed but there remain opportunities to register for assistance. Chandler said more than $32 million has been obligated to Kentucky to date, with a large percentage tied to Woodford County damages.

Chandler also said there is continuing local interest in mitigation programs, particularly buyouts: "It seems like every day or so we add another interested household to the list that is done being flooded," he said.

The director thanked volunteer and faith-based organizations helping with response and said the county is continuing to request information from state and federal partners to ensure residents receive all eligible services.

Ending: Chandler concluded without requesting additional action from the court but asked members to note ongoing needs and the potential for future requests once state and federal determinations are complete.