Residents press county on health-inspection access and warn about coal-slurry impoundment; commissioners promise follow-up

Two residents used the public-comment portion of the Nov. 10 Warrick County commissioners meeting to raise transparency and safety concerns.

Melinda Mitchell (101 Yorkshire Drive, Newberg) said health-inspection reports and food-service inspection results were previously easily available online and on social media but now require a formal public-records request and in-person sign-off. Mitchell said she runs a community page of about 13,000 members and that community members rely on timely access to inspection results. "There hasn't been any that have been easily accessible," she said, requesting the county republish inspection reports online.

County counsel and health-department staff responded that inspections are still being performed, that staff turnover and a pending software vendor transition have delayed automatic publishing, and that legal-compliant APRA request forms remain an avenue for access. Counsel said the county will seek a timeline for public posting and committed to follow-up by email.

Separately, Jim Shields raised concern about a privately owned coal-slurry impoundment that a former county surveyor reported as a potential safety risk. Shields recounted that the surveyor described the situation as an "impending catastrophe" and asked whether the state and county insurers had weighed in. Commissioners said the state and property owner are involved in an investigative process and that measurements are being taken; they did not accept that the state had dismissed the concern. The board said it would continue to push for state and federal engagement if needed.

Commissioners and counsel emphasized that the county has not been told to 'ignore' the issue and said they rely on data and state coordination; they asked staff to follow up on timelines for public-health posting and to continue working with state agencies on the slurry pit.