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Warren County tables $377,095 property purchase for flood mitigation; closed session planned
Summary
The fiscal court introduced a $377,095.01 purchase of 145 Hearthstone Circle for flood mitigation but tabled Items 9 and 10 after members raised questions about insurance payouts and long-term county liability; the court entered a closed session to discuss real-property strategy under KRS 61.810(1)(b).
The Warren County Fiscal Court on Tuesday considered buying 145 Hearthstone Circle from Jerry and Shirley Wheat for $377,095.01 as part of a multi-property flood-mitigation project, but the court tabled the item and said it would discuss strategy in closed session.
Court staff described the purchase price as the appraised value plus closing costs and said the properties were selected not only for the houses themselves but because of their locations in subdivisions where historic flooding has repeatedly occurred. "This house particularly had 7 feet of water in it the last flood," the judge said during the discussion.
A magistrate asked whether homeowners who already received insurance settlements should have those payments deducted from the county purchase so residents would not be paid twice. County staff said the maximum the county can pay is appraised value, and that staff could contact homeowners' insurers to determine any offsets. The judge said the court would proceed cautiously and that the purchases were intended to address area-wide stormwater problems rather than to create a pattern of buying any flooded home.
The judge also stated that the funds for the purchases would come from county reserves because the items were not in the current budget. After discussion the court agreed to table Items 9 and 10 and to move to a closed session "pursuant to KRS 61.810(1)(b) for deliberations on the future acquisition or sale of real property by Warren County," noting no action would be taken in closed session. The court later returned to open session and reported no action had been taken on the tabled items.
Why it matters: The proposed purchase is part of a multi-subdivision effort to mitigate recurrent flooding in Warren County after recent storms. The tabled vote and closed-session discussion mean the county has not yet committed reserves to the acquisition and that staff will work to clarify insurance and valuation questions.
Next steps: The court tabled the purchases and said staff would seek additional information and discuss real-property strategy in closed session; no purchase was authorized at the meeting.
