Ohio County Times

Ralph, Fiscal Court square off prior to passing budget: County clerk threatens to pull out of fee pool

The Ohio County Fiscal Court voted 4-2 in favor of the 2007-2008 budget during its regular meeting Tuesday afternoon. It was a five hour meeting that involved a lengthy bid opening process, a 45-minute closed session, and a budget standoff that culminated with Ohio County Clerk Bess Ralph threatening to pull out of the fee pooling system after arguing with court members over slicing her proposed office budget. Prior to voting on the second reading of the county budget, Ralph asked the Fiscal Court to reconsider her financial request that originally had raises for her full-time employees. All of Ralph’s full-time deputies are paid on a salary scale that’s set at 35 hours per week. But as of July 1, Ralph’s deputies will be paid hourly, which she argued would decrease their pay and would not be “fair and reasonable” compared to the rest of the county’s departments. “I have an employee who has been there for 17 years and only makes $7.50 per hour,” Ralph said. “There are days when my girls don’t even get breaks.”

Hay baler ignites field fire

Ohio County’s hot and dry weather proved to cause more than just physical discomfort last Wednesday after a field caught fire on Kentucky Highway 1543. Beaver Dam and Hartford firemen responded to the call, and were able to keep it controlled, but not before causing about an acre of damage to land owned by Tony Parks. The smoke could be seen from miles away, as six emergency response vehicles and 12 firefighters were called when a hay baler malfunctioned, causing it to ignite the hay.

A Beaver Dam fire truck heads toward a field fire last Wednesday afternoon on Kentucky Highway 1543. The fire was started after a hay baler malfunctioned, igniting the hay.

PBI Bank buys Kentucky Trust

By the fall of this year, Kentucky Trust Bank (KTB) will have a new name for the second time in its history. On Monday, the Louisville-based parent Porter Bancorp Inc. (PBI Bank) announced the acquisition of the parent company of KTB. Headquartered in downtown Beaver Dam, KTB was originally established in 1890 as Beaver Dam Deposit Bank.

Rhoads promotes bill that will help turn coal into liquid fuel

DRAKESBORO – State Sen. Jerry P. Rhoads, D-Madisonville, presented a proposed economic incentive package targeted at companies which produce alternative fuels during the Special Subcommittee on Energy at the TVA Paradise Coal Power Plant in Drakesboro last Friday. “As the price of fuel has sky rocketed so has the need to develop alternative energies to lessen America’s dependence on foreign oil,” said Rhoads, who serves on the committee. “Although, the package includes incentives for ethanol and biodiesel plants, its main focus is attracting companies to Kentucky to build plants that will turn coal into liquid fuel. This fuel has the potential to be used as a substitute for gasoline.”

County under water watch

Ohio County is among 61 counties that are under a water shortage watch. The Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet declared the watch Friday due to drought conditions. Bill Caldwell, the state’s environmental control supervisor for the Division of Water, said the region’s average rainfall for the year is 17 inches, which is well-below the normal of 33 inches. “This was the second driest spring we’ve seen since 1895,” Caldwell said. “We could use six to eight inches of rain to make a difference and then another four to six inches to bring us up to normal. That’s a lot of rain.” However, local water officials aren’t near pushing the panic button just yet. Walt Beasley, who is the superintendent for the Ohio County Water District, said his intake levels in the Green River are not low enough to cause concern. “We’re not even close to being out of water,” Beasley said. “You can actually create a water shortage if people start filling everything they can with water when these advisories are announced.” Beasley estimated that the Green River would have to drop another five or six feet before he would start to get worried.

Dry weather affecting crops

Right now it’s just a watch and not an itchy finger poised on the panic button. But that condition as it equates to Ohio County’s water supply is subject to change. Ohio County, along with Muhlenberg County, was placed on the watch list for possible water problems last week and if current drought conditions continue or worsen, that classification could move up to an advisory or higher. Like much of Western Kentucky, Ohio County is far behind in annual rainfall and the forecast is anything but encouraging. That bodes negative for both the county’s water supply and farmers who are facing parched fields. According to information released last week by the Kentucky Division of Water, the Green River is lower than normal for this time of the year but increased water demands by both industrial and residential users could drop that level to a troubling stage. Meanwhile, county farmers have been keeping a wary eye on the sky in hopes of spotting some quick relief from Mother Nature. Some rainfall was forecast for this week but it was expected to be scattered at best. Darren Luttrell, operator of one of the largest farming operations in Ohio County, was one of those looking at radar screens and the heavens early Monday morning. “Right now the radar is looking pretty good as far as some rain moving in,” Luttrell said.

City of Hartford plans to open bicentennial office

The Hartford Bicentennial Committee will host a ribbon cutting and reception for its downtown office located on Main Street across the street from Citizens Bank on Saturday, June 30 at 11 a.m. There will be a small display of items connected to the history of Hartford. The committee will be giving away a limited number of special items to those in attendance and ask that all county citizens who have pictures bring them. Hartford was established on Feb. 3, 1808. Special events are being scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 3, 2008. There are plans for a week-long celebration June 30-July 4 of 2008.