Two public commenters used Bourbon County’s Jan. 5 meeting to press the commission on separate but related property issues: Laura Holdridge, the county’s register of deeds, said she had recorded a deed the county had been awaiting for two years, and property owner Ben Hall described a dispute over an inactive gas well and an alleged Evotech contractor asserting access rights.

Laura Holdridge told the commission she completed and recorded the deed for a building adjacent to EMS that county staff had expected back from Legacy Health years earlier. "It is of record, and so we now have that West Building or East Building next to the EMS that we have been waiting for for over 2 years," she said. Holdridge also asked the board to address courthouse space allocations after saying she had been removed from Room 12 and that equipment used by her office—two large plotters worth about $11,000 each—cannot be located.

Chair Birbauer acknowledged the space concerns and said the commission would assess courthouse space, meet with elected officials and department heads, and attempt to free basement space for official use. "We'll make an assessment as a commission, and then we'll move from there," he said.

Separately, Ben Hall described negotiations with Evotech over a gas well on his property and recounted a conversation in which an Evotech contractor told county staff he had "full access" and could cut a lock. Hall said he told that contractor, "If he sets one foot on my property, I will prosecute him for trespassing. Period." Hall said title work and a 2014 affidavit show the well had no production and that an affidavit of nonproduction can in some cases cancel a lease; sheriff’s staff advised the board the dispute appeared to be civil and recommended legal counsel for Hall if litigation ensued.

What happens next: Chair Birbauer said staff will follow up on the official complaint related to Evotech and on space/equipment questions at the courthouse. Commissioners asked staff to collect documents and meet with affected elected officials and department heads.