Perry County officials approve series of financial settlements, resolutions and contracts

Perry County officials met and approved a package of financial reports, settlements, contracts and personnel actions, moving forward with recovery and local development work while noting continued disaster-related spending.

The court approved minutes and bill payments from the previous meeting, and voted to approve invoices, fund transfers and the treasurer's report. The treasurer's report noted about $1,900,000 on hand across funds including opioid, road and GRAMA accounts; the speaker said the county had spent heavily on disaster response in 2025 and 2022 but retained funds to continue recovery work. The court also approved the Sheriff's Office 2024 fourth-quarter settlement, including a settling fee account of $70,293.94, and the Perry County Clerk's fourth-quarter partial settlement of $75,044.34.

The court approved several resolutions and grant actions: a resolution identified in the record as "O3-O1-2025" authorizing purchase steps for property on Entertainment Drive (the former Fugate Cinema); "O3-O2-2025" authorizing filing for a Local Government Economic Development Fund (LGEDF) application for the "Big Kahana Car Wars" economic resiliency project in the amount of $38,857.48; and "O3-O3-2025" authorizing submission of a CMRS grant proposal to the Kentucky 911 Services Board. Each was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote.

Procurement and project approvals included rejecting two bids for a tractor trailer, awarding the engineering procurement contract for East Perry Sports Park phase 1 (tennis courts) to Precision Engineering / RMJE, and awarding a bid for a 2025 Dodge Durango to Tim Short Chrysler for $56,522 to replace a vehicle lost in flood damage. Speaker remarks clarified that certain grant dollars being pursued are restricted to tennis courts, and that full park development would take an estimated 2–3 years.

The court advanced first readings for Jerrett's Branch Road (described as a major economic development project) and Bridal Lake Lane after brief location clarification. It also approved an interlocal mutual-aid agreement with the City of Hazard to coordinate flood-response bidding and projects.

Personnel actions approved included moving Nick Alexander from seasonal to full-time status and promoting Scott Beshear to South Prairie Park director. A recycling update reported 32,000 pounds of cardboard, 2,800 pounds of plastic and 225 pounds of (transcript reads) "plumbing" recycled in February.

Votes at a glance — selected actions approved by voice vote: minutes; prior bill payments; invoices to be paid per fund; transfers (for DLG compliance); treasurer's report (approx. $1,900,000 across funds); Sheriff's Office Q4 settlement ($70,293.94); Perry County Clerk Q4 partial settlement ($75,044.34); Resolution O3-O1-2025 (Entertainment Drive property purchase authorization); Resolution O3-O2-2025 (LGEDF application, $38,857.48); Resolution O3-O3-2025 (CMRS grant submission to Kentucky 911 Services Board); rejection of tractor bids; award of engineering procurement contract to Precision Engineering / RMJE for East Perry Sports Park phase 1; award of 2025 Dodge Durango to Tim Short Chrysler ($56,522); first readings for Jerrett's Branch Road and Bridal Lake Lane; interlocal agreement with City of Hazard; approved employee list changes (Nick Alexander full-time; Scott Beshear promoted).

The meeting record provided no calendar date for the session; the transcript indicates these votes were taken and that most were adopted by unanimous voice vote (recorded as "Aye"). The court adjourned after the business items and a public project update.