Woodford County reviews unified addressing ordinance aimed at improving emergency response

Woodford County officials reviewed a proposed unified addressing ordinance meant to standardize numbering and street addressing across the county and the two cities to support emergency dispatch and Next Generation 911 systems.

Kenneth Johns, the county’s mapping and GIS director, told the ordinance committee the current addressing rules for Woodford County, Versailles and Midway are dated and inconsistent. "I would like to replace those 3 ordinances with a single ordinance and attempt to get the court and the 2 city councils all to approve the same ordinance so that everybody's on the same page," Johns said, noting the proposed language follows current addressing standards and practices.

Committee members asked how enforcement and fines would work; Johns described a graduated approach (warnings, fines, liens) used in larger jurisdictions but said Woodford County lacks a dedicated addressing office or the manpower to conduct systematic enforcement. The county attorney cautioned the panel against excessive penalties and urged the court to decide whether violations should be treated as civil or criminal. He also recommended referencing a separate addressing guide (or adopting it by interlocal agreement) rather than embedding a long technical guide verbatim in the ordinance.

Members agreed more discussion with the two city councils would be prudent before final action and asked county staff to obtain examples of comparable jurisdictions’ fine structures and enforcement approaches.