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Fiscal court authorizes first-and-final offers on 14 flood-affected properties under USDA buyout program
Summary
After a closed-session review of appraisals, the Woodford County fiscal court authorized the judge executive and emergency-management director to proceed with first-and-final offers on 14 properties in the USDA Emergency Watershed Protection buyout program and discussed demolition sequencing and grant coverage for acquisition and reclamation.
The fiscal court authorized staff to proceed with first-and-final offers on a group of properties identified for buyouts under the USDA Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program after completion of due diligence, appraisals and environmental assessments.
"We applied for and received the USDA EWP grant that is specifically for property acquisitions," Director Drew Chandler told the court, describing the due-diligence work: property-owner acknowledgements of voluntary participation, a 60-year title opinion, certified appraisals reviewed by an out-of-state third party, and environmental assessments to guard against legacy contamination. Chandler said all due-diligence documentation was with USDA staff and the agency would notify the county when to proceed with offers.
The court entered executive session to discuss confidential appraisal values under KRS provisions allowing closed discussion of acquisition appraisals, then returned to open session and recorded a motion (moved by Squire Gentry, seconded by Squire Varner) authorizing the judge executive and emergency-management director to make the offers; the motion carried unanimously. Committee members asked about demolition sequencing and funding; Chandler recommended coordinating with the road department, using county equipment if feasible or soliciting bids for demolition, and confirmed the USDA grant covers prework, acquisition, demolition and reclamation costs.
County staff said they will notify affected property owners as the acquisition phase proceeds.
