In Last Meeting Of 2022, Commissioners Discuss Challenges Of 2023
Robert Moore
Herald Staff
rmoore@harrodsburgherald.com
The Harrodsburg City Commission held their last meeting of 2022 last week. In a special-called meeting, the commissioners handled a few last pieces of business for 2022. They also laid out some of the challenges that the new city commission will face in 2023.
First, the commission voted unanimously to approve a revision to the Lions Park Community Center rental agreement, which covers rental fees and rules to rent the facility for an event. This led to a discussion on whether to make Olde Town Park in downtown Harrodsburg available for rental.
Commissioner Jennifer Kazimer said people have asked to rent the park, which is used for events including the Friday Nights on Main live entertainment series and Oktoberfest, for weddings and other events. Kazimer said they may want to institute a rental fee, but the motion failed.
The commission also gave second reading to ordinance 2022-21, repealing the city’s personnel policy and all subsequent amendments.
Officials explained that going forward, the commission won’t have to have first and second readings to amend personnel policy. The motion passed unanimously.
The commission voted unanimously to adopt municipal order 12-19-2022, the new personnel policy.
The commissioners then discussed the noon meeting time. Saying meeting during the day discourages public attendance, some members of the community, including some of the incoming city commissioners, have called for meetings to moved back to the evening.
“If you put it all in the evening, you’re doing the same time,” said Kazimer, who suggested alternative meeting times—in the evening and afternoon.
Commissioner Kerry Anness, who won reelection, noted employees who had to attend the meetings in the evenings versus would be meeting after hours, leading to possible overtime.
It was also noted that since meetings were moved to noon, more people attended compared to when they held in the evening.
Commissioner Marvin “Bubby” Isham also objected to people coming to commission meetings to complain about matters which could have been taken care of by calling city hall.
“We’re not here to listen to everybody bitch, we’re here to conduct city business,” Isham said. Isham, who also won reelection, said most complaints could be handled during regular business hours. No action was taken on moving the meeting time.
The commission also discussed the pay scale for city employees. Commissioner Adam Johnson, who, with Kazimer, will not be returning to the city commission in 2023, said the pay scale hasn’t been updated, but it was on the outgoing commission’s agenda.
“We just ran out of time because the policy took a hell of a lot longer than we thought,” Johnson said. He said the bottom and top of pay scale needs to be increased. Johnson recommended a 10 percent increase, which he called “more appropriate pay.”
Mayor Billy Whitenack, who won reelection but announced his resignation in December, said some department supervisors are making less than their employees. Whitenack called starting wages “embarrassing.”
It was said that a lot of things people of the community brought up could have been token care of over the phone. Well mybe it would have been token care of if people would actually answer the phone and listen and take care of the issue im sure people have called it obviously wasn’t taken care of so they had to come in person witch no one wants to do