Franklin County fiscal court approves amended humane‑society contract, presses for broadband plan as grants advance

Frankfort — The Franklin County Fiscal Court on Sept. 25 approved an amended agreement with the county humane society, debated options to address growing senior‑meal and other social‑service shortfalls, and pushed for faster broadband planning as several grant and investment decisions moved forward.

The court voted to adopt the revised humane‑society contract after a staff and agency review corrected math errors in the organization’s earlier submission. Gary Lowry, who identified himself at the meeting as the executive director who refiled the corrected contract, told magistrates the annual contract fee is $92,000 retroactive to July 1 and that the county had already paid $18,500. "The balance of $73,500 divided by three yields $24,500," Lowry said, explaining the revised quarterly payment schedule the court approved. The judge was asked to sign and deliver the amended agreement the same day to meet looming certification deadlines.

The approval followed an extended discussion in which several magistrates stressed the need to protect other locally funded services while responding to the humane society’s request. Magistrate Sebastian said he could not support last‑minute requests that were not shared earlier in budget deliberations; others said the county’s obligation to provide mandated services and the higher cost to run its own program justified the allocation. The motion passed and the judge announced the measure approved after the roll call.

Broadband prequalification and a tight timeline

Court members pressed the judge to speed up outreach to providers after learning this week that the Frankfort plant board and at least two other firms have moved through parts of the state prequalification process for federal broadband funding. Several magistrates said constituents are calling about availability in unserved areas and urged the court to get formal proposals in hand quickly because federal and state windows allow only limited time to file applications and match commitments.

"The clock is ticking," one magistrate said. The judge said calls from prospective providers came in the prior 24 hours and pledged to schedule presentations from the plant board and other prequalified vendors at the next available court meeting or a special session so the court can evaluate partnerships and the size of any local match.

Grants, stormwater and infrastructure updates

Tammy, the county’s grants lead, told the court the Farmdale Sanitation District was awarded an additional $250,000 in CDBG funds and $1.25 million from the Kentucky Economic Development Cabinet, raising committed funding for the sewer project to $10.75 million. She said KIA loan paperwork is under review and that EPA environmental clearance is expected in the middle of next month, steps the court said will position the project to move into design and construction phases.

Tammy also sought authorization to apply for a $250,000 local‑match LIDAR grant through the Department for Local Government to update high‑resolution elevation data used for flood planning and damage assessment. She said the county would draw down payments and transfer funds directly to the Commonwealth Office of Technology and that no local dollars would be encumbered for the project itself.

Planning staff presented Amendment No. 3 to the Stantec professional‑services agreement for MS4 stormwater tasks including dry‑weather screening, public outreach and an update to the county’s stormwater manual (last updated in 2017). Members asked whether the contractor’s two‑week turnaround for deliverables allows adequate time for staff review; planning said the firm has been flexible in prior amendments.

Treasurer’s report and short‑term investments

Treasurer Amy reported she had reinvested a recently maturing three‑month CD that earned roughly $76,856 and proposed opening short‑term certificates of deposit to capture higher rates while matching planned expenditures. The court approved short‑term CD placements including a 30‑day instrument for $6.9 million and a six‑month CD for $1.5 million to hold funds that will be needed for ARPA and other commitments.

Other business

The court reviewed jail claims and noted continuing medical overages in the county jail contract, with members exploring whether additional in‑house medical staff or contract changes could reduce outside costs, particularly those tied to extended psychiatric stays. The court also moved through routine business: approving minutes, some zoning changes, subleases for court offices, and several personnel promotions and reappointments.

What’s next

Court members asked the judge to schedule broadband providers and plant‑board representatives for the next meeting so the court can evaluate proposals and potential matches before state and federal application deadlines. The county will also return for final details and signature on the humane‑society agreement and follow up on the Farmdale and LIDAR grant application steps.

(Reporting based only on Franklin County Fiscal Court work session transcript of Sept. 25, 2024.)