Your Hometown Newspaper since 1949 Albany, KY 42602 - Single Copy 50¢ Thursday, January 26, 2012 Phone: 606-387-5144 - Email: [email protected] - USPS 118-480 One Section • 14 pages Between Lake Cumberland & Dale Hollow Lake Volume 62 • Number 15 Big budget problems have fi scal court discussing options to boost revenues There’s an old saying to the effect, “things are Judge/Executive Lyle Huff began the discussion were to lapse, it isn’t renewable. were those who had been (state) mandated, such as tough all over” and although the national economy by telling court members, all of whom were pres- There was a suggestion made about possibly re- jail employees. is showing small signs of improving, many states ent, that the cost of county employee health insur- bidding the policy, but also concerns that no other This exchange led to questions about jail staff- and local governments are still suffering fi nancial- ance was increasing annually and would be around company may pick it up. ing requirements and recent Kentucky Statute ly and trying to come up with ways to balance their $41,000 more this year. “We can’t sustain (budget) Magistrate Mickey Riddle said that “We knew budgets. Clinton County is no exception and the without a revenue infl ux,” he said. this (budget problems) over a year ago,” but never See FUNDS, page 5 adverse fi nancial condition of the county, as well County Treasurer Dallas Sidwell basically con- made cuts and hired other people, referring to one as looking at ways of trying to “make ends meet” curred, saying the county had to either increase employee in particular who was given a raise in took up most of last week’s regular meeting of the revenue or make cuts and inferred by the end of relation to additional duties. Clinton County Fiscal Court. March (about three months prior to the end of the Judge Huff said they had the money at that time Court deals A long discussion, sometimes a bit heated, some current fi scal budget year), the county would be and it came from a separate 911 account. debate and some suggestions were all voiced when about out of revenue. Magistrate Charlotte Bernard then mentioned the meeting agenda got to the health insurance is- The county had just made the monthly insur- an issue (addressing Magistrate Riddle) about a with ‘regular’ sue, but in the short-term, no offi cial actions were ance premium payment and Judge Huff said it was motion to award a higher bid to an out-of-town taken. to his understanding that if the (insurance) policy fi rm and said the only hiring the county had done business also Clinton County Fiscal Court met for the fi rst time this year last Thursday, January 19 for its Corps begins application process for regular session with all court members present. A major portion of the meeting pertained to em- ployee health insurance and the county’s fi nancial condition in general. (A separate article on those new commercial marina at Rowena issues can be found beginning on page 1.) The court also took action on several other Nearly a year and a half after the U.S. Army items of business, including using leftover grant Corps of Engineers announced it was consider- funds to make repairs and additions on two proj- ing a new site for a commercial marina on Lake ects--the Community Center and Twin Lakes Fam- Cumberland near Rowena, that same agency is an- ily Wellness Center. nouncing that it is ready to accept applications for The court fi rst voted to pay claims and bills, the proposed new facility. including a back log of commodity shipping bills In a press release from the Nashville Corps of of around $3,000 which had not been submitted to Engineers offi ce put out last Thursday, the agency the court through the years of 2003-06. They also explains that the lease area would include approxi- approved the monthly and quarterly treasurer’s re- mately 162 acres of land and water. ports and fund transfers. That press release states, in part, that the U.S. Judge/Executive Lyle Huff then presented the Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District is court members and County Clerk Jim Elmore with soliciting proposals for development and opera- a list of all county employees to be “read into re- tion of a new commercial concession marina with cord” as recommended by state auditors. related facilities and services at Rowena Landing The court then took action which may lead to South on Lake Cumberland in Russell County, just fi nalization of a major tourism project for the coun- north of Albany, Ky. ty. They voted to accept the Rockhouse Trace Road The site is accessible from State Highway 90 at Wells Bottom into the county road system. via State Road 558, an asphalt road that ends at the The deed to the road had been prepared and abandoned Rowena Ferry site where a large boat granted the county by the Winfrey Company and launching ramp is located. will allow for the construction of a county road at “There has been local interest in having a new Wells Bottom to an island on Lake Cumberland marina at this location,” said Mike Abernathy, chief that will be utilized by the Kentucky Department of the Nashville District Real Estate Offi ce. “The of Fish and Wildlife to complete a tourism project lake is expected to return to its normal levels while they began in that area almost a year ago. this new site is under development, and we believe The project will allow another tourism access business from increased tourism and additional of developing the property, he added. new commercial marina. from the Wells Bottom area in Clinton County to boaters will be supportive of a new marina.” Plans to investigate the possibility of locating The area where the new marina would be lo- Lake Cumberland and will likely be a combined Abernathy said the application process is exten- a new commercial marina on Lake Cumberland cated is in Russell County at what is commonly tourism and economic boost. sive and requires all proposals to include a market at the Rowena site were offi cially announced in referred to as Rowena Landing. Magistrate Ricky Craig, who serves that area analysis and feasibility study justifying any pro- August, 2010, when the Corps of Engineers said posed development. Lease terms are tied to costs it was considering allowing the development of a See MARINA, page 5 See FISCAL, page 5 Sen. Rand Paul fi elds questions, gives answers at roundtable event One of Kentucky’s two Unit- manufacturing, banking, educa- took up a considerable amount of source, and the affect of the corn LLC. ton County that employs nearly ed States Senators made a stop in tion and local government. discussion early on in Thursday’s growing subsidy program had in Dr. Robert Williams, General 1,500, told Paul that soaring corn Albany last Thursday afternoon Paul, a republican from Bowl- session, including the production regards to Clinton County’s larg- Manager of Keystone Foods, a to speak briefl y to local offi cials, ing Green who won the seat pre- of ethanol as an alternative fuel est employer, Keystone Foods, poultry processing plant in Clin- See PAUL, page 5 business leaders, educators and viously held by republican Jim general public constituents. Bunning, began with opening re- About 50 individuals, includ- marks that stressed the economic ing the 20 or so who were chosen problems America is facing with to sit at the discussion table, the huge national defi cit. were on hand Thursday to listen “I’d like to report to you that to what U.S. Senator Rand Paul we’ve fi xed all of the problems in had to report on the state of our the country and you can rest easy country as he sees in during his and that the economy is going to fi rst term in offi ce. recover and everything is going “He’ll be the fi rst to admit to be okay, before adding that it that he doesn’t have all of the just simply isn’t true,” Paul said. answers, but at least he is up “We’re borrowing $40,000 a sec- there asking the questions, and ond, every minute we borrow $ 2 that hasn’t been done for a long million.” time,” local Republican leader Paul said he was not having and attorney David Cross told much luck in getting bills sup- those attending about Sen. Paul ported that he felt offered poten- during his introduction of the tial “fi xes” to the problems our Senator prior to the discussion country faces, but he added he session. was intent on continuing to try. The session lasted for about “We expect the roads to be an hour and included panel mem- paved, the bridges to be repaired, bers from a wide cross-section of to have schools and to have a Albany and Clinton County. national defense , but we just Those addressing the senator can’t keep borrowing $40,000 a during the meeting represented second,” Paul said. U.S. Senator Rand Paul, left, participated in a roundtable discussion at the Welcome Center last week, discussing issues and local agriculture, health care, Agriculture related issues answering concerns from selected community leaders. About 50 local and area residents attended. Sports Inside Inside Weather Last Year Cooler as the week con- Headlines from the Dawgs drop Circuit court Feather front page one year ago: tinueds, with a chance out of has busy Flakes for rain Thursday and a Clinton man arrested after high speed chase Top 25, pick session, possibility of snow Readers fl urries or frozen mix Tina Langford is newest up win over grand jury Write: Friday and Friday night.