The Elizabethtown City Council met for a regular meeting Tuesday.
The council approved on its second reading an ordinance establishing certification requirements for recovery residences that provide treatment for alcohol and other drug abuse. The ordinance follows Kentucky law to create a multi-point set of rules and regulations for said facilities and will allow for the city’s inspection officer to ensure facilities are in compliance. Facilities must be in compliance by March 15.
Elizabethtown resident Greg Carter said there are seven recovery residences on his street and several others nearby, and he is concerned with the impact having that many in one area will have on property values.
“I think there should be some way that we can regulate at least the volume that’s going on one street, or somehow get with the state and say ‘hey, you know, this is the limit that this town can support’ or something just to where this doesn’t have to happen,” Carter said.
Elizabethtown Mayor Jeff Gregory said he understood Carter’s frustration, but said the city’s options are legally limited.
“I know it’s not what you want to hear, but we are bound by federal ADA and Fair Housing laws, and we have looked at this six times every way that you can think of, and this was the only way that we could figure out a way to approach it and have any kind of leverage or any kind of enforcement ability,” Gregory said.
A public meeting for property owners explaining the ordinance will be held at the Elizabethtown Police Department at 10 a.m. on January 29.
The council also approved a municipal order awarding a Downtown Redevelopment Grant for 40 Public Square. The grant is not to exceed $3,379.
The Elizabethtown City Council will next meet for a work session on January 22.
