Marshall County Fiscal Court on Tuesday approved an independent survey on the county’s radio systems for police and 911 services, in assessing exactly what those services need before tackling how to fund 911 moving forward.
The survey, conducted by the Modular Communications of Mason, N.H., will cost about $6,625 and include two analyses of both existing and potential radio structures within the county, as well as surrounding counties to determine the best course of action as it relates to radio system infrastructure. The company will draft designs outlining the best overall coverage and where to re-use existing infrastructure. E-911 Director LaDonna Coriell feels it’s a necessary step in determining the county’s legitimate needs.
“So this is an independent survey that I am requesting be done so that we can know exactly what is needed for the county, not what someone wants us to have,” Coriell said. “… This is about officer safety. We have a couple of dead spots in the county, and so we want to know exactly what we need to fix that problem.”
Coriell said the company would schedule the survey about six weeks in advance and then take about two days to map out; a report would be provided to the county thereafter.
The court addressed other issues out of 911 on Tuesday, as well. Commissioners voted to approve a policy change for E-911 that would allow part-time dispatchers working shifts on county-recognized holiday be paid time and a half for hours worked on that day. The vote went into effect retroactively, to include wages due to those part time employees who worked on Thanksgiving this year.
Full-time employees were already compensated time and a half for hours worked on holidays.
“If they’re there, I believe that they deserve time and a half just like a full-time dispatcher would,” Coriell said. “… I had part-time workers that got straight rate working the same hours that (full-time) did.”
The court also approved another full-time hire and potentially a part-time hire in the department, to allow Coriell the ability to shift her tack officer to day shift to correspond with the duties associated with the position. Coriell also said the department was limited in its pool of dispatchers to pull from in the event of an unexpected situation or emergency, and another dispatcher would alleviate that issue.
The court also heard an update on a loan from Kentucky Rural Water Association toward the ongoing sanitation district infrastructure improvements. The county had a hearing Dec. 12 with the Department of Local Government concerning a loan on a principal amount up to $625,000. Correspondence from a DLG debt officer found that the county had met its statutory requirements to take the loan, should be able to support financing without difficulty and recommended approval.
In addition, the court discussed appointing an interim coroner to replace longtime coroner Mitchell Lee, who submitted to Judge-Executive Kevin Neal a letter of intent to retire at the end of the year.
“I want to thank all the past and present fiscal courts for their support of the coroner’s office,” Lee wrote in a letter to the court. “It has been my honor to serve the great citizens of Marshall County since 1992. I believe beyond a shadow of doubt, the emergency service responders of Marshall County are the best in Kentucky and I would like to personally thank them for all the assistance they have given me on many death scenes throughout the years. Lastly, I want to thank the citizens of Marshall County for allowing me to serve them as coroner for all these years, it truly has been an honor.”
The coroner’s office is an elected position, scheduled for election this year. Neal said he did not want to fill the position with anyone seeking election to the office to avoid swaying voter opinion. Initially, Neal intended to appoint Emergency Management Director and Deputy Coroner Curt Curtner as interim coroner.
“The benefit of that is that Curt already has the ability to write and sign off on death certificates, and there wouldn’t be any training needed,” Neal said. “He’s already doing the duties as the assistant coroner. So, to me, it just made a simple fit to put him in there to carry over those duties until the election next year.”
However, District 3 Commissioner Rick Cocke questioned if Curtner could hold both positions at once and asked County Attorney Jeff Edwards to look into the matter. Edwards advised that state law would not allow Curtner to hold serve as coroner while on the county payroll.
Cocke recommended Deputy Coroner Barry Taylor be appointed to serve as the interim, despite having filed intent to run for the position. As of Tuesday, Taylor was unopposed on the ballot.
“Even though he is a candidate … I would think that would make a much smoother transition,” Cocke said. “And obviously he’s very qualified and apparently the only person that plans to, at this time, has shown any interest in doing so.”
Neal disagreed, however.
“With a filing deadline being Jan. 30, we don’t have till Jan. 30,” Neal said. “And I think being fair and consistent to the voters in this community, if there is somebody else that wants to step up and run as coroner, once this announcement is made there may be somebody that will. … I think it’s fair that we get somebody that’s not going to challenge that position because it’s the service that needs to be dealt with. We need a coroner to carry out the duties till November.”
Neal later appointed former Benton Police Chief Tracy Watwood to serve until the November General Election.
The court also discussed potential options on where to house the coroner’s office after Lee’s retirement. Lee, who operates Collier Funeral Home had previously housed equipment and performed duties on site at the funeral home. Neal said Lee had agreed to work with the county in the transition; the county, Neal said, was looking at facilities and options of where to house the coroner’s office.
In other business, the court:
- Approved replacement of the generator at the Marshall County Judicial Building as part of a joint maintenance plan with the Administrative Office of the Courts; total cost of replacement $1,997.94, of which $381.61 will come from the county;
- approved the $8,788.99 sale of a 1 ½ ton road department vehicle online;
- approved a draw down request for $9,427.50 from Delta Regional Authority grant funds to go toward Sanitation District infrastructure improvements;
- approved the County Clerk’s budget proposal for 2018, at $9.6 million in revenues, $9.4 million in disbursements and $200,000 in excess fees;
- approved the County Clerk’s budget for deputy hire expenses at $565,000 for 2018, from which salaries, overtime and vacation and sick leave for deputy clerks; and
- rescheduled the Jan. 2 meeting to 9:30 a.m. Friday, Jan. 5.