WQXE News
The Elizabethtown City Council met for their second meeting of the month Tuesday.
Heather Cochran with RFH, PLLC presented the city’s annual audit report. Cochran said the firm made some recommendations, some of which the city has already taken steps to address, but the city is in compliance for its federal audit.
“The important thing, in my mind, is to know you all did get a ‘clean opinion’,” Cochran said. “That’s kind of as good as it gets in the auditing world. Can’t give you any better than that, so having these recommendations, I know (City finance Director) Jeff (Hawkins) and (City Treasurer) Cheryl (Buhr) and your team will make sure that they get taken care of in the future.”
The first reading was held on an ordinance to rezone 614 through 622 Pear Orchard Road from Suburban Residential (R-2) to Urban Residential (R-3). The rezoning was recommended for approval by the city’s Planning Commission.
The council approved a municipal order which approved a contract with the Elizabethtown Airport Board for a promissory note.
“The city approves the promissory note with the Elizabethtown Airport Board for a bridge loan to cover expenses for the completion of construction of a T-hangar building, to be utilized for the benefit of providing enhanced public services at the airport property off of Kitty Hawk Drive here in Elizabethtown,” said City Attorney Ken Howard, reading from the municipal order.
The loan is for $600,000 with no interest, to be repaid by January 1, 2028. After a closed session, the council also approved a municipal order which approved a contract for financing the Airport Board’s purchase of property located at 1331 Hayden School Road.
The council also approved municipal orders for a contract with Nolin RECC for the installation and maintenance of streetlights on Commerce Drive as part of the outdoor music venue project, as well as for the purchase of property at 607 Moore Drive for $12,000.
The Elizabethtown City Council will next meet January 26.
The Radcliff City Council met for their second meeting of the month Tuesday.
The council approved the remediation of the cabins at Saunders Springs Nature Preserve to address damage caused by powder post beetles, with the work valued at $13,752. The council also approved the disassembly and storage of the Stovall cabin, which has suffered more extensive damage, until more extensive restoration options are decided upon.
Council Member Jerry Brown said it was important to work to keep something that makes the city special.
“There is so much duplication amongst what towns have,” Brown said. “Everybody has a McDonald’s, everybody has a yada yada yada. These are unique to Radcliff. It brings people into Radcliff. People might have their photographs taken there. They might have events there. This is one of the few things that we have that we can smile about and all agree on, so I think this is one of those things that’s worth keeping, worth supporting, worth putting our money in.”
Beth Avey with the Central Kentucky Community Foundation’s Heels Together initiative presented to the council on the Pink Dot Project, which allows area residents to donate period products for women and girls who cannot afford them. Gathering Bakery in Radcliff served as one of the first drop off locations for the project, and a temporary drop-off bin is now located in the Colvin Community Center. Avey said the first distribution from the project is set for the end of this month.
“We don’t want it to be just a one-time thing,” Avey said. “We want to keep it going, so if you’re willing, put products in the box. You can also go online, and there’s a QR code on the box too, where you can buy products on our Amazon Wishlist, or you can donate money and we’ll go do the shopping for you.”
Visit the Heels Together Facebook page for more information.
The Radcliff City Council will next meet February 9.
Tax filing season gets under way in Kentucky next week.
The Kentucky Department of Revenue will begin accepting state individual income tax returns on Monday, January 26, the same day the IRS will begin accepting federal returns. The DOR will begin processing returns a week later on February 2. The deadline to file state and federal taxes is April 15.
According to a release from the Kentucky Finance and Administration Cabinet, electronically-filed tax returns typically take four to six weeks to process. Kentuckians can track the status of their tax refund by visiting refund.ky.gov.
The DOR is once again partnering with the IRS to operate volunteer income tax assistance sites around the state. Knowledgeable staff provide free tax filing assistance at these sites to individuals with an annual income of $67,000 or less and any Kentucky state government employee. The state also offers KY File, a no-cost option to file the simple electronic version of a paper form.
Schedule an appointment at a taxpayer service center near you, access KY File, and find additional tax resources by visiting revenue.ky.gov.