WQXE NEWS

The City of Elizabethtown is gearing up for a full day of fall fun at the annual Heartland Harvest Festival, taking place in Downtown E-Town this Saturday, September 26.

“We will kick off the morning at 10 o’clock downtown with around 100 vendors,” said City of Elizabethtown Events Manager Beth Pyles. “Crafts, commercial, anything that you can think of, bring your pocketbook, and we’ll have lots and lots of food vendors. We’ll have a free petting zoo for anyone that wants to come out, and a free kid zone in the parking lot of the Cecilian Bank and the State Theater.”

Other events being held in conjunction with the Heartland Harvest Festival are the Women’s Club of Elizabethtown Breakfast, the Ron Thomas Memorial Fishing Tournament and Derby, the Classic Corvettes of Kentucky Cruise-In, David May’s Pumpkin Patch, and the Quicksie Great Pumpkin Challenge. The festival will also feature live music.

“Starting at about 2 o’clock, we’ll open the gates,” Pyles said. “Kevin Jaggers will take the stage at 3, then at 5 o’clock we’ll have the Louisville Crashers, and they always bring a big crowd, so get down there early, and then wrapping up the night we’ll have country artists Little Texas from the 90s, so those of you that were around then, they have some really great songs and will put on a great show.”

The festival and the concerts are free to attend. Visit www.etownevents.com for more information.

The Hardin County Fiscal Court met for their second meeting of the month Tuesday.

The first reading was held on an ordinance which would impose a temporary moratorium on rezoning and conditional use permits relating to data centers in the county for 180 days. Hardin County Judge/Executive Keith Taul said there are no pending applications related to data centers in the county, but the moratorium allows the county’s Planning Commission to review and issue recommendations on more permanent action from the fiscal court. 

Sixth District Magistrate E.G. Thompson said the moratorium protects county citizens while allowing the county to perform due diligence on the issue.

“I do urge the court that we move with deliberateness as we develop our plans for an ordinance that addresses this, that provides for the safety of our citizens and considers the possibilities for positive economic impact, including the reduction of taxes and changes or reduction in cost of living in the local community,” Thompson said.

The first reading was also held on an ordinance related to the sale of dogs and cats.

“This ordinance will ensure that pets are sold only by reputable breeders while encouraging citizens to consider adopting dogs from local shelters and rescues,” said First District Magistrate Chris Yates.

In other meeting news, as part of the court’s consent agenda, the court approved a resolution related to the purchase of bridge maintenance services for the KY 84 bridge in White Mills. Taul said the county previously approved the use of a state 80/20 split cost program to pay for the approximately $90,000 project, while this resolution approves paying the contractor for the work.

“The repairs aren’t extensive,” Taul said. “This is why it’s under $100,000, and so hopefully this can happen fairly quickly and get the bridge back open again in White Mills.”

Hardin County E-911 Director Mike Leo said dispatch answered 4,412 911 calls in August. Hardin County EMS Director Mike Peterson said crews made 1,453 runs in August. Peterson noted that crews have begun making runs to the new Baptist Health Hardin ER facility in Radcliff.

“So far, we have made 25 transports to their facility,” Peterson said. “Everybody from that area. Radcliff, Vine Grove, that area.”

The next Hardin County Town Hall Forum will be held in the fiscal courtroom on September 29. The Hardin County Fiscal Court will next meet October 13.

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

The second reading was held on ordinances setting 2026 city tax rates, all of which were approved. The tax rate for motor vehicle and watercraft is 11.6 cents per $100 assessed value, the franchise tax rate is 0.025 percent on all eligible deposits, and the tax rate for real and personal property is 10.5 cents per $100 assessed value. Elizabethtown Mayor Jeff Gregory said any increases property owners see are because of increasing property values, not increasing taxes.

“We’ve had a lot of success here in Elizabethtown here in the last several years, and that property is worth more now, and so when they get another assessment in place and your property valuation goes up, you’re going to pay more taxes, but that doesn’t mean that it’s because this legislative body raised your tax rate, because they’ve lowered it the last two years,” Gregory said.

The council also approved on second reading an ordinance rezoning 1010 and 1020 Prospect Point Drive from Neighborhood Commercial (C-2) to Regional Commercial (C-3). The zoning change came with a recommendation of approval from the Elizabethtown Planning Commission.

The council approved a municipal order approving a $70,000 professional services contract with Strand Associates Inc. for road improvement designs for Pear Orchard Road, along with an order approving a $365,000 professional services contract with Palmer Engineering for design services regarding the city’s Safe Streets for All grant funding.

“The project work will include assessment of design level needs for the East Dixie Avenue corridor and the intersection of KY 3005 and U.S. 62 West; environmental assessment; corridor improvement design to include streetscape, sidewalks, and evaluation of access management; and the development of a preliminary opinion of project costs,” said City Attorney Ken Howard, reading from the municipal order.

The council also approved a municipal order accepting a lease agreement with Warm Blessings Community Kitchen for use of city-owned property located in the former Signature HealthCARE facility on Woodland Drive, which the city is converting into a hub for area non-profits. Warm Blessings Executive Director Josh Miller thanked the city for their commitment to the organization’s mission.

“The lease and the purchase of this building is about much more than a building,” Miller said. “It’s about belief. It’s about the City of Elizabethtown believing in the mission of Warm Blessings, believing in the people that we serve, and trusting us to continue to do that work well.”

The Elizabethtown City Council will next meet September 28.