City Council - Regular Meeting

Good afternoon. Welcome, everyone, to Elizabethtown City Council's special meeting for July 13th, 2026. And I'd like to ask Councilmember Micah Tyler if she'd lead us in the invocation, please.

Please bow your heads. Heavenly Father, we come before you with grateful hearts, thanking you for the blessings you have bestowed upon our community and for the opportunity to serve our neighbors. As we begin this meeting, send your Holy Spirit to guide our hearts and minds. Grant us wisdom to make sound decisions, courage to do what is right, and humility to always seek the common good. Bless our city and all those who call it home. Watch over our families, those who serve our community and those who protect us. Bring comfort to all who are facing illness, hardship or loss. We pray for peace in our community, our state, our nation and throughout the world. Help us to remember those most in need and to act with compassion, fairness and integrity. May our decisions be marked by respect and charity as we work together for the good of all, always remembering the dignity of every person created in your image. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

If you'd join us in the pledge. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Madam Clerk, if you would please call roll.

Yes, sir. Council Member Bishop. Present. Fulkerson.

Present.

Isaacs.

Here.

Jones.

Here.

Springsteen. Here. Tyler. Here. You have a quorum here.

Thank you, ma'am. We'll start with approval of minutes from June 15th, 2026. If I can get a motion and a second, please. So moved.

Second.

All in favor?

Aye.

Opposed? Seeing none, motion carries. First order of business will be municipal order number 53-2026, reappointment of Titus Sublette to the Code Enforcement Board. If I can get a motion and a second to read, please.

Motion. Second.

All in favor? Aye. Opposed? Judge Howard.

At a special meeting of the City Council held on the date set out below, after first being read, a motion to adopt the following municipal order was duly made, seconded, and approved. Whereas the Mayor, pursuant to Kentucky law, wishes to reappoint Titus Sevelet to the Code Enforcement Board with a term to expire on July 7th of 2029. Be it ordered the City Council that Titus Sevelet is approved for reappointment to the Code Enforcement Board for a term to expire on July 7th, 2029. Be it further ordered that the mayor and or his designee is hereby authorized and directed to take all steps necessary to perfect this order. Read, adopted, and approved this 13th day of July.

Any discussion?

Motion to approve.

All in favor? Aye. Opposed? Seeing none, motion carries. Municipal order number 54-2026, accepting bids for concrete installation services from B.C. Concrete. If I can get a motion and a second to read, please.

I'll make a motion. Second.

All in favor? Aye. Opposed? Judge Howard.

At a special meeting of the city council held on the date set out below, after first being read, a motion to adopt the following municipal order was duly made, seconded, and approved. Whereas the city wishes to improve and repair current sidewalks throughout the city to assure that pedestrian access is safe, and whereas the city prepared bid documents and received public bids on June 24th of 2026 for the concrete installation and removal services. Now be it ordered that the city accept the bid from BC Concrete for concrete installation services for certain bid items as noted on the attached bid tabulation sheet. And the accepted bids are on the attached sheet and they're indicated by an asterisk or highlighted in yellow. It's most but not all of the bid items. Now be it ordered that the City accept those bids, and it be it further ordered that the Mayor of the City and or his designee is hereby authorized and directed to take all steps necessary to perfect this order, including but not limited to signing all agreements, contracts, documents, and obtaining the necessary permits. Read, adopted, and approved this 13th day of July.

Any discussion?

On those items, not like that poured curbs, are we going to use that other company, or are we just, is that? We got another provider for that.

On the continuous poured curbs per linear foot, I guess we didn't get a bid on that. I'm sorry, Michael?

No, we did receive bids from Sable and Construction, but those bids were higher than we could recommend us approving. I'm not saying that we wouldn't use them for other projects, but we would look at that on a project-by-project basis.

Anybody else? While the man's up here. Okay, I need a motion and a second to adopt. So moved.

Second.

All in favor? Aye. Opposed? Seeing none, motion carries. Municipal Order Number 55-2026, authorizing the transfer of property along Moore Drive to Hardin County Habitat for Humanity. If I can get a motion and a second to read, please.

I'll make a motion.

Second.

All in favor? Aye. Opposed? Judge Howard.

At a special meeting of the city council held on the date set out below, a motion to read and adopt the following municipal order was duly made, seconded, and approved. Whereas the city desires to provide affordable housing opportunities for the citizens of its community, and whereas the city has adopted policies to promote fair housing in the community. and whereas the city believes that partnerships are the best means to address issues facing the community and whereas the hardin county habitat for humanity has provided affordable housing opportunities in the community for many years in conjunction with the city and whereas the city acquired the property in the glendale hill neighborhood in the nineteen eighties in an effort to remove blighted structures and to redevelop the property for residential purposes after making public improvements and whereas the city has now installed public improvements in the glendale hill neighborhood and the city has determined that the remaining properties along moore drive in this neighborhood no longer serve a public purpose and it is in the public interest to dispose of the property to generate revenue and whereas the City followed these procedures to comply with Kentucky law and its own policy for property sales. Now, be it ordered by the City Council that the City transfer to Hardin County Habitat for Humanity property located at 605, 607, and 609 Moore Drive at no cost. so that hardin county habitat for humanity may construct affordable housing be it further ordered that all city utility connection fees which would be sanitary sewer and natural gas building plan review fees construction fees and electrical fees associated with the construction activity by hardin county habitat for humanity for these properties be waived Be it further ordered that the mayor is authorized to prepare and sign any and all agreements, contracts, settlement statements, deeds, subdivision plats, and other documents to complete this property transfer. Be it further ordered that the mayor and or his designee is authorized and directed to take all steps necessary to perfect this order read, adopted, and approved this 13th day of July.

Any discussion? It's always a good day when we can give habitat the opportunity to build houses. Need a motion in a second to adopt please. So moved.

Second.

All in favor?

Aye.

Opposed? Seeing none, motion carries. And then finally municipal order number 56, 2026, authorizing grant agreement with the department of local government for the Elizabethtown nature park. If I can get a motion and a second to read, please.

Motion. Second.

All in favor? Opposed? Judge Howard.

At a special meeting of the City Council held on the date set out below, after first being read, a motion to adopt the following municipal order was duly made, seconded, and approved. whereas the Commonwealth of Kentucky has made funding available under House Bill 900 through the Department of Local Government, and whereas the city desires to promote and carry out community development efforts on behalf of the residents of the city by supporting the House Bill 900 project, and whereas it is recognized that House Bill 900 monies are available to the city for the purposes stated herein, pursuant to the 2026 Kentucky General Assembly, impose certain obligations and responsibilities upon the city, and will require, among other things, one, approval of a satisfactory application transmitted to the Department for Local Government for approval, two registration with finance and administration cabinet to do business with the commonwealth and three other obligations of the city in connection with receiving the house bill nine hundred grant of moneys for the purposes stated now be it ordered the city authorizes and directs the mayor and or is designated to file a grant application with the Department for Local Government for the Elizabethtown Parks and Trails Conservatory Project in the Elizabethtown Nature Park in a grand amount of $2 million and shall provide additional information and furnish such documentation as may be required. Be it further ordered, the mayor shall act as the authorized correspondent for this grant project. be it further order that the mayor and or his designee is authorized and directed to take all steps necessary to perfect this order, including but not limited to preparing and submitting the grant application, developing a project scope of work, preparing project plans, executing the project memorandum of agreement, providing additional information, and furnishing such documentation as may be required in agreeing to all of the assurances and certifications of the grant program, including compliance with all state laws, rules, and regulations. Red adopted and approved the 13th day of July.

Any discussion? Need a motion and a second to adopt, please.

Second.

All in favor? Aye. Opposed? Seeing none, motion carries. Thank you all. That was pretty quick. Now we will go to public comments. Ms. Macy, come on up. If you don't mind, state your name and your address.

Good evening mayor and city council members. My name is Karen Macy and I live at 1028 Pony drive. I'm here tonight to follow up on a formal request. My neighbors and I submitted 3 months ago regarding the installation of a tree buffer between Pony drive and 3027 ring road. We originally requested this to help with noise pollution, lack of privacy, erosion, aesthetic concerns, and environmental benefits. Could you please tell me where we stand on approving the funding for this project and when we can expect installation to be scheduled? Thank you for your time and continued service to our community.

Thank you, ma'am. You want an answer? So that's something that we've looked at and to give you a A complete answer would probably be hard for me to do at this time. But one of the things that we're going to do is see what kind of development happens behind you completely, especially that lot that Mr. Owens owns directly behind your property. And then through planning and development, One of the things that we can possibly request is that they install a buffer if they end up developing that property. So we're looking at some different things. I don't have an answer for you tonight, but it's something that we'll keep working on and we'll address as soon as we can.

Okay, because that property could sit there forever and not be developed, and then we're going to have this issue six months out of the year with no buffer.

I agree with you, but I also will tell you that's not anything that we've ever done before anywhere else. So that's why it's... it's something that we need to really look at.

I was just thinking that, you know, maybe you could get, you know, recoup your money once they do develop it.

All possibilities for sure. Yes, ma'am.

Okay.

All right.

Thank you.

Anyone else?

Okay. We will move on to city council information items. At this time, Coach Trevor Dineen and Coach Richard Jones, if you all would bring your team up and come up front here to the podium, I would appreciate it.

Mayor, I can say with firsthand experience, it was a really good season. And by the way, cross-country starts tomorrow.

All right, back on the mic. The next meeting will be a joint meeting with the Planning Commission tomorrow, July 14th, 2026 at 5 p.m. And then, is Mr. Hawkins here? Jeff Hawkins, if you don't mind, our CFO Jeff Hawkins is gonna come up and talk about natural gas utility bills so we can get that on camera anyway for the public to see if there's been any issues.

Good afternoon. You may have heard some things from your constituents out there about, I didn't get my gas bill recently or what's going on with that. We send our gas bills out. Most of them go out three times a month. So we have cycles one, two, and three, along with industrial ones and small ones. We became aware, I guess a few weeks ago, of people calling in saying, I haven't gotten my gas bill yet. What are you going to do about it? Do I get another one? Am I going to get late fees or anything like that? We found out through talking with the post office that it's not the E-Town post office. It's the one in Lowell. If you know anything, we drop off in E-Town, get sent to Lowell just to come back here. THROUGH STAFFING SHORTAGES OR OTHER ISSUES UP THERE IN LOUISVILLE, ONE CYCLE WAS SENT COMPLETELY BACK TO E-TOWN TO SAY BASICALLY YOU HANDLE IT. OUR POST OFFICE SENT IT BACK THERE SAYING NO, YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO DO IT. SO IT'S JUST TAKEN A LOT LONGER. WE MADE DECISIONS FOR CYCLES ONE AND TWO WHICH ARE DUE ON THE FIRST OF THE MONTH AND ON THE TENTH OF THE MONTH WE'RE SUSPENDING LATE FEES AND PENALTIES BECAUSE YOU CAN'T REALLY PENALIZE SOMEBODY FOR PAYING A BILL AND THEY NEVER GOT THE BILL. We have found out they are coming in now and cycle three was okay. So we're not doing anything with cycle three right now So if you hear anything, I know the mayor's gotten a letter I've got a letter it's gotten emails and whatnot. I'm saying what's going on with my bill? For cycles one and two and they should know what cycle they're in based on when their due date is We are not charging penalties and late fees for those customers And we'll keep an eye on it. We're trying to see what can we do to monitor the trays that we send out and Once they leave our hands, there's not a whole lot we can do. There's barcodes on them, things like that. But if they get sent back to E-Town or if they sit in a warehouse somewhere in Louisville, it's kind of out of our hands at that point. We can deal with it on the penalty side and late fee side, but we can't do anything about the actual bill. So just in case y'all get any questions, any phone calls, neighbors or whatever, that's our plan going forward right now.

Jeff, is there not an option to take that tray in there and say, I want this canceled here, therefore it does not go to Louisville? And yeah, that's a lot for them to cancel, have to hand stamp. But that's their organizational problem.

Right, and they're all, I agree with you, they're all a post office, whether they're E-Town, Louisville, they're all federal government. We take things in there, we ask them to. Depends on their staffing and whatnot. Whoever's in charge that day, whether they can do it or not. I've hand-delivered a letter to the person saying, can you leave it in E-Town? Some people do it, some people won't. I don't think we can demand to do it, but we can always request it.

So if you don't mind, tell everybody what their best option is.

You can sign up for email bills, which I do it. I love it. I don't get anything in the mail anymore. You can also sign up. We ask people to sign up for like an ACH payment to where on that due date, your payment automatically comes out. You don't have to worry about it. That's my personal preference. There's no charge on that. You can pay with a credit card online. You can always sign up for the account online. You can see your bills. You can see your history, everything. We do have a small charge with a credit card, but with the ACH bank draft, there is no charge.

So to sign up for that automatic draft, do they have to come into the office to do it, or can they do it all online?

On our website, there should be a link to the utility account. Thank you. You'll need a copy of your bill to know your account number. Pretty simple and fabulous.

Thank you, sir.

Questions? Thank you.

Anybody else have anything? I would like to just put something out there. This Saturday, a section of Highway 222 is going to be dedicated to Staff Sergeant Ben Pennington. The ceremony will be down at the Glendale Christian Church at 10 a.m. Saturday morning. Very good. Thank you.

I'll add something to kind of give a shout out to Councilman Fulkerson. Last week, the Hardin County Fair, great job, Marty. I mean, you all, your entire fair board are very committed to that. And it really, it's about the community and you can tell. So I appreciate your hard work.

Thank you. I have a wonderful team to work with and it takes a ton. It takes a ton of volunteers as well as yourself. We pulled off that farm to table, which was a great event. We were able to give the Beds for Kids program through Helping Hand of Hope, $5,000. And then we auctioned off a quilt that Micah's aunt made in memory of her grandmother, who was the first female member on the Grayson County Fair Board. And I grew up, first fair I ever went to, county fair, was Grayson County, because my grandmother Fulkerson lived one block over. And so that raised another $2,000. So we were able to give $7,000 to them for that project.

I thought Micah said she made that.

I did not take any credit for that, no.

I couldn't tell the difference. It was good.

But thanks again. I mean, bringing up Grayson County, when I was young, we didn't go to the fair as much. And I can tell you, my kids, I think, went every single night last week that we would allow them. So thanks.

How many years is that, Marty?

33rd year on the board for me.

I never guessed it. You don't look old enough.

It's this highlight I put in my hair.

Anybody else? We will go close meeting pursuant to KRS 6 1.810 section one to discuss the general nature of existing impossible litigation by the city and to discuss specific economic development proposals. If I can get a motion in a second, please.

Motion. Second.

All in favor? Opposed? Seeing none, motion carries and we will not have any action coming out.