Woodford County commends crews after ice storm, adopts emergency paid-leave policy

Woodford County's Fiscal Court on Tuesday publicly thanked road crews, emergency management and volunteers for their response to a severe ice storm and adopted a policy granting paid leave to affected county employees.

Judge opened the meeting by recognizing interim road supervisor Scott Dean, members of the county road department and a long list of contractors and volunteers who worked through extreme cold and icing to keep roads and essential services running. "Our crews and contractors literally dug out subdivisions," the Judge said, praising efforts that helped return county schools to in-person instruction sooner than neighboring jurisdictions.

Emergency Management Director Drew Chandler told the court the county's emergency declaration — coordinated with city partners — allowed state and federal assistance to be mobilized, and said the state is assembling damage and response costs for a potential major disaster declaration. "There is a high likelihood that this event will end up in a major disaster for Kentucky," Chandler said.

The budget and finance committee reviewed overtime and contracting related to storm response and reported the court contracted roughly $127,627.50 in services directly related to snow and ice removal; additional costs included warming centers and increased staffing for EMS and the sheriff's office. The Judge said those totals are still being finalized but do not appear likely to push the county over overall appropriation limits.

The court ratified routine administrative items tied to the emergency response, including email approvals and contract actions, and unanimously adopted Resolution 2026-2, "establishing the emergency ice storm 2026 paid leave policy," to provide paid leave and compensatory time to employees who could not work because of the storm. The resolution, as described to the court, is intended to compensate county employees for hours contributed or lost due to the emergency.

The court also approved a request from EMS leadership to amend a contract termination notice to 90 days to comply with the vendor's contract requirements. Judge and other elected officials repeatedly credited interagency cooperation — road crews, sheriff's deputies, EMS, maintenance staff, fire departments and volunteers — for limiting injuries and preventing fatalities during the event.

The meeting closed with continued thanks to personnel and volunteers and a reminder that the county will publish budget and reimbursement timelines as FEMA and state cost-collection proceed.