Madison County holds first reading to repeal 2024 9-1-1 funding ordinance after Richmond adopts alternate plan

MADISON COUNTY, Ky. — At a special called fiscal court meeting July 29, Madison County held the first reading of Ordinance 20-25-009, a bill that would repeal Ordinance 20-24-07 (the 2024 9-1-1 funding ordinance) and reinstate the prior ordinance 07-11. County staff presented the timeline, call-data and funding models that led to the 2024 ordinance and to an interlocal agreement the three governments signed in January 2025; the court did not vote on the ordinance at the first reading and directed staff to develop funding scenarios for follow-up consideration.

The move matters because local officials say the county will lose federal CSEP/CSIP funding in 2025 and must identify a sustainable local funding source for the Madison County Emergency Communications Center (MCECC). County staff and the task force presented call-volume data and budget figures they said underlie the funding choices and described Richmond's recent decision to adopt an alternate, city-specific funding approach as the immediate reason to reconsider the earlier, joint funding ordinance.

Judge Taylor, the county judge executive, opened the meeting by reviewing the multi-year task-force process that produced the 2024 ordinance and the interlocal agreement signed by Berea, Madison County and Richmond in January 2025. "I'm huge on facts. I'm huge on documentation, not speculation," Judge Taylor said, explaining why the court asked staff and the task force to present the record before the body decided whether to repeal the county's ordinance. Jill (county staff) led a slide presentation that summarized the task force charter, membership and the public meetings that informed the recommendation.

Task…