Knott County fiscal court approves hire of regional trail authority employee amid local concerns

The Knott County Fiscal Court on May 6 approved moving Dylan McWherther to a full-time position with the regional trail authority, with a $37,000 annual salary and full benefits, the court chair said.

The chair told the court the authority uses county payroll as a pass-through: the authority submits monthly reimbursement requests and writes the county a check covering salaries and fringe, so the position would not cost the county net funds. "They're state funded," the chair said, adding the authority has multi-year state funding and reimburses the county for pay and benefits.

Members pressed about how the vacancy was advertised and who conducted interviews. The chair said the authority's hiring board — which the chair described as including representatives from the Department of Justice, state parks, Fish and Wildlife and authority board members — ran the process and selected the candidate.

One member objected to the hire and said the county should have chosen a Knott County resident. "I oppose. I think they should have chose someone from Knox County," the member said during the vote (quotation as spoken in the transcript). Other members responded that the authority is regional and hires by its board.

The motion to move McWherther to full-time employment passed after the discussion.

The court did not record a roll-call tally in the transcript beyond verbal ayes and a voiced opposition; the chair declared the motion adopted. The court packet shows the position is administered by the regional trail authority with county payroll as a pass-through.

Next steps: the court did not identify further action items tied to the hire during the meeting.