The Butler County Fiscal Court met Monday, January 29, for their regular scheduled bi-monthly meeting at the Butler County Courthouse. All magistrates were in attendance.

After approving the minutes, the court rescinded the letter of resignation of Karen Martin from the 911 dispatch.

The item that generated most of the discussion on Monday night was removing a tractor/mower from the county's insurance policy.

After trying to locate the mower at the county barn, they discovered it had been given to David Whittinghill, the Fourth District magistrate. The county has been paying the insurance on the mower since 2009 (the approximate cost of $20 per year). KACO has advised Judge Flener to remove the mower from the insurance.

After reviewing minutes and talking to different individuals, Judge Tim Flener stated the following:

The 1998 minutes shows that the county appropriated $6,200 to the Green River Museum, in addition to the annual $2,500 donation. The minutes, however, did not state the purpose of the $6,200.

 It appears the Board purchased the mower to be used by the caretaker of the grounds

In 2009, the mower was placed on the county's insurance, and the county took over the mowing of the Green River Museum and Park. The Board (which is a private, non-governmental board) gave the mower to Whittinghill around 2017.

There is no proof that the county purchased the mower and, according to County Attorney Dick Deye, a private board and give anything they own to an individual.

Timmy Givens, Third District Magistrate, made a motion to table the mower's removal from the county insurance until ownership of the mower could be determined. The motion died from the lack of a second.

Second District magistrate Kevin Phelps motioned to remove the mower from the insurance, First District Magistrate Stevie Givens seconded the motion. Magistrate Whittinghill excused himself from voting. Stevie Givens and Phelps voted in favor, and Timmy Givens and Dillon Bryant voted nay. Judge Tim Flener broke the tie with a yes vote.

 The next item on the agenda was County Clean-up Days. Kevin Phelps talked about setting up days for the clean-up in the spring and fall. Judge Flener said the clean-ups cost the county somewhere between $7,000-$8,000 per clean-up. The court decided that Judge Flener would consult with Mayor Phelps about the city's participation.

The court considered a bid of $4,500 from Kinser Heating, Air Conditioning, and Sheet Metal to install a Mitsubishi 2-ton mini-split heat and air system in the PVA's and County Attorney's office. Timmy Givens asked if they had placed the installation out for bids. Stevie Givens asked with they had a contract with Kinser for HVAC services. According to Judge Flener, they are on contract with Kinser to change the filters. Kinser has completed several installations and a new air cleaning system for the county. Dillion Bryant made a motion to table the installation until the court could compare the price. The motion passed by a 4-1 vote, with David Whittinghill voting nay.

Dillion Bryant motioned for the County Road Department to tear down the house at the County Barn after the records are removed. The motion passed 5-0

Timmy Givens said there were about 25 gallons of rubber roofing paint in the house, which came out of the old mall building. He asked the court to declare it surplus and give it to the Morgantown Mission to give away. County Attorney Dick Deye suggested they first check to see if the paint was still good, then assess its value before declaring it surplus. Stevie Givens asked for five gallons of the paint could be given to the Morgantown Fire Department. The court agreed.

Timmy Givens asked what they, the court, would do about a $15 minimum wage proposed by President Biden.

Judge Flener said they needed to start working on the budget, and magistrates need to talk to their legislators about the cost of running County Jails. With COVID-19, they are receiving fewer state inmates, and the costs continue to climb.

Judge Flener stated he had talked with Representative Steve Sheldon and Joe Plunk with the Department of Transportation about the lack of lighting on Exit 27. Flener hopes to get the lighting (approx. cost $98,000-100,000) covered by the State, BRADD, and a SHIFT Grant.

 The court approved the following:

• Reverting the Threlkel voting house to its original owners
• Bills and transfers
• Payout Transient/Tourism tax collected $1,487.15 to Butler County Tourism
• Issue a check for $2,500 to Friends of Butler County Animals for the 2021 spay/neuter grant
• Advertise to accept bids for painting and or wrapping the columns and boards on the front of the courthouse
• Advertise to accept bids on the painting of the upstairs and courtroom at the courthouse
• 2nd reading and adoption of Paradise View and Doe Run Road into the County Road system