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Fiscal court deadlocks on appointment of deputy jailer after statutory questions
Summary
A motion to hire Richard Morris as deputy jailer failed on a 3–3 tie after members raised statutory questions about appointment and compensation in counties without a jail. Sheriff Darrell Herndon said Morris had been transporting inmates and needed pay; some members sought the jailer to appear and explain.
The Spencer County Fiscal Court considered a request from the elected jailer to hire Richard Morris as a deputy jailer. Esquire (Esq.) Stump cited Kentucky statutes that restrict appointment authority and payment for Special Deputies in counties without jails, and he said he wanted the elected jailer to appear to justify the appointment.
Sheriff Darrell Herndon said Morris had already performed about 10 prisoner transports as a Special Deputy and argued he should be paid retroactively for that work. "Richard Morris is getting paid one way or another," the sheriff said, describing operational needs for two-person transports and officer safety. Esq. Stump countered that the KRS states Special Deputies cannot be paid in certain circumstances and that paying a Special Deputy could be unlawful without proper authority.
The court moved to approve the hiring; the recorded vote was three in favor (Judge Travis, Esq. Cotton, Esq. Eldridge) and three opposed (Esq. Travis, Esq. Stump, Esq. Pharris), producing a tie and causing the motion to fail. Members discussed that the jailer was not present to explain the recommendation and several said they wanted the jailer to appear before approving the appointment or any retroactive pay.
No formal appointment or retroactive payment was approved. The court did not take further action on the matter during the session.
