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Radcliff City Council meets

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The Radcliff City Council met for their second meeting of the month Tuesday.

The council approved two ordinances on their second readings that annexed about 2 acres at 5800 South Wilson Road and rezoned it from Hardin County R-1 to Radcliff Commercial Zone. The council also approved several amendments to the city’s Zoning Ordinance and Development Regulations that match local statutes on recovery residences to recently-updated state statutes. Meanwhile, the first reading was held on the rezoning of 3941 South Wilson Road from R-3 to R-4.

Radcliff Mayor JJ Duvall recognized Willie Saltsman and his family for the 45th anniversary of Willie’s Upholstery. Kenny Saltsman said his father is proud to have started a business that became part of the local community.

“His motto was always ‘we’re not out to make money, we’re out to make friends,’ so I think he’s done quite a good job at that because we don’t have a whole lot of money, but we feel like we have a lot of friends,” Saltsman said

Duvall and council members also recognized the hard work of city street crews with their response to the recent winter weather.

“We worked over 300 man hours,” Duvall said. “We put out over 500 tons of salt during the last few weeks. We covered about 130 miles of roads.”

The Radcliff City Council will next meet February 10.

Elizabethtown council changes zoning proposal for College Street application

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The Elizabethtown City Council met for their second meeting of the month Tuesday.

The first reading was held on an ordinance that would amend the zoning of 310 College Street. The original ordinance changed the zoning from Urban Residential (R-4) to Neighborhood Commercial (C-2), but prior to the reading Council Member Marty Fulkerson motioned to change the intended zoning from C-2 to Neighborhood Office (C-1) in order to limit potential uses for the property. 

“The C-1 zone restricts buildings adjacent to residential areas to no more than 5,000 square feet in size, and it allows only 13 permitted commercial uses, which again I believe is more compatible with the adjacent neighborhood,” Fulkerson said.

Fulkerson said he understood how citizens were frustrated with the zoning process, but the city’s zoning staff and the city’s Planning Commission have worked within established state statutes.

“The process we want, and each and every one of us want, is as fair as it can be,” Fulkerson said. “It’s not always perfect, and we understand that, but we need to be fair.”

Elizabethtown resident Brad Luebbert said he and other college street residents presented the council with a petition asking them to still vote no on the zoning change.

“We do not want commercial,” Luebbert said. “The main reason we’re worried about encroachment is there’s a house next to Brown Funeral Home currently that was voted for residential/commercial. He’s already making complaints and that’s not a good idea, and he came and spoke the other day. We’re worried about what’s going to happen for the next business and then the next business.”

The council approved a motion from Fulkerson directing city staff to review the city’s historic preservation regulations, including potentially extending the Downtown Historic District to include College Street, and to publish a detailed listing of the steps in the zoning change process. The council also approved a motion from Council Member Julia Springsteen requesting the city review extending the radius for addresses notified of zoning changes.

In other meeting news, the council approved a municipal order that extended industrial development incentives for Kentucky Whiskey House Venture LLC following the completion of construction on their facility and the creation of 50 new jobs.

The Elizabethtown City Council will next meet January 27.

ECTC receives grant to support veteran students

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Elizabethtown Community and Technical College will look to support veterans pursuing education after a recent grant award. 

ECTC received a $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education that the college says will allow it to “extend support to soldiers transitioning from military service to new careers and enhance an array of services for veteran, military, and military-dependent students.” The funding will be awarded over a three-year period.

ECTC says the grant will help the college recruit transitioning soldiers for the college’s Advanced Manufacturing Army Career Skills Program. Comprehensive services for veterans completing academic programs will include academic advising, tutoring, mental health counseling assistance, and career planning.

The college is currently hiring a career skills program coordinator who will focus on the Army Career Skills Program, which the college says provides a pathway for transitioning soldiers to pursue highly-skilled, in-demand civilian careers.

ECTC had nearly 500 students who used VA education benefits attend classes during the Fall 2024 semester. The college says it has earned multiple recognitions for military student services.

Contact the ECTC admissions office at 270-769-2371 or visit elizabethtown.kctcs.edu for more information.

EHCIF accepting preservation proposals for Hazel Hill House

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The Elizabethtown Hardin County Industrial Foundation is looking to the future, but as it does so it is exploring part of the past.

The foundation is asking for proposals for the restoration of the historic Hazel Hill House, which came under foundation ownership as part of its acquisition of 140 acres along Gaither Station Road.

EHCIF President and COO Andy Games said the foundation’s goal for the overall property is expanding industrial development.

“We’ve got two lots left over here at the T.J. Patterson/West Park Road, so that piece of property, along with property that we purchased about two years ago, has given us about 150 acres there at Ring Road/Western Kentucky Parkway,” Games said. “That’s our next area of industrial development, if we find somebody to locate.”

Games said the foundation isn’t itself in the preservation business, but recognizing the history of the property they want to hear from an entity that is.

“Our release of this RFP is to just see what is out there and forms of proposals, if it’s something that we would consider,” Games said. “We may proceed a little further down the road with something.”

The foundation says the home was originally built in 1832, one of the first brick homes in Hardin County.

Proposals will be accepted until March 15. Email Games at andy@ehcif.org or contact the foundation for more information.

Kentucky taxpayers advised of upcoming delay as tax-filing season begins

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The Kentucky Department of Revenue will begin accepting and processing state individual income tax returns on Monday, January 27, and the DOR encourages Kentuckians to file early to avoid delays.

The deadline to file Kentucky and federal tax returns for 2024 is Tuesday, April 15, but Kentuckians are being advised of an upcoming delay.

The DOR is transitioning to a new integrated tax system as well as launching a new business tax portal called MyTaxes. The launch of the new system will require a temporary pause in operations from February 26 to March 14. DOR staff will be able to answer phone calls during that period, but returns and refund payments will not be processed. The DOR says electronically-filed individual income tax returns typically take four to six weeks to process, so the sooner you file the better.

Individuals with incomes of $67,000 or less and any state government employee is welcome to seek tax help at any of the state’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Sites. Available from February 4 through April 15, knowledgeable staff provide free tax filing assistance to qualifying individuals. Find locations and schedule an appointment on the DOR website.

Taxpayers with questions can go to the DOR website or contact the DOR Taxpayer Assistance Phone Line at 502-564-4581.