Justin Green from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet presented this year’s plans from the state for the Rural and Secondary Road Program in Bell County during last week’s Fiscal Court meeting.

The county’s total allotment from the state for fiscal year 2025-26 is $1,310,903 with a balance of $148,299 left over from last year. $524,400 is set aside for general maintenance such as snow and ice removal leaving $930,927 for projects. $131,090 of that went to the county’s flex fund for projects leaving $799,837 available for the state to use on the county’s rural and secondary roads.

The total amount allocated as well as the amount for the flex fund are both less than last year.

“They did not change the formula on that, however someone in Frankfort changed the percentage allotted to you all,” Green explained to the court. “That’s why that number was reduced and that was changed for all counties, not just for you.”

For fiscal year 2025-26 funds have been allocated for two projects: asphalt resurfacing on KY 217 from mile point 0.00 to mile point 2.000 at an estimated cost of $231,093.08; and asphalt resurfacing on KY 1534 from mile point 1.140 to mile point 5.840 at an estimated cost of $500,536.40. Green said those two projects are not yet under contract but are expected to be by either later this year or early next year.

If the estimates hold true there will be a balance carried over to the following year of $68,207.52.

Green also shared that the FD05 program for Bell County has funds approved for two projects totalling over $2 million.

Those are a preventative maintenance project to chip seal with microsurface on U.S. 25E from the Pineville’s northern flood gate to the Knox County line, a distance of 4.231 miles at a cost of $1,262,757.17; and asphalt resurfacing on KY 221 from mile point 7.183 to mile point 12.633 (the county line to the railroad tracks), a distance of 5.450 miles at a cost of $857,355.87. Both of those projects are under contract and should be completed this summer.

“There are a couple other projects in our FD05 program that are not under contract yet. I don’t want to try and name them off because I’m sure I’ll miss some, but there are several coming that we should see this year,” Green said.

There are four asphalt resurfacing projects from the fiscal year 2024-25 Rural and Secondary Road program in Bell County that are now under contract and will be completed this year.

Those include: KY 188 from mile point 0.000 to 2.111; KY 1344 from mile point 3.742 to 5.634; KY 1599 from mile point 0.000 to 0.871 and KY 3483 from mile point 0.000 to 0.800. The total cost of those four projects is $827,263.49.

Green said roads are chosen to be resurfaced based on how much they have deteriorated and how long it’s been since they were resurfaced.

“We keep a pretty good track of the last time things were paved, we’ve got a spreadsheet that keeps track of all of that. We evaluate them based off that list first and then we go and actually assess the route in person and the decisions are made that way,” he said.

In other business, the court:

• gave Judge permission to advertise for bids for concrete, stone, tires, culverts, diesel, and asphalt;
• approved payment to Friends of the Bell County Animal Shelter for the amount of $2,292.00 for the grant funding received;
• approved payment to Midsouth Power Services for the amount of $3,300.00 for Invoice #1142025 and U S Professional Solutions for the amount of $2,200.00 for Invoice #4365 on the Flash Steelworks project (to be paid when funds are available);
• hired Rickie Jay Jeffries as full-time janitor at $10.75 per hour effective April 10;
• hired Joel Quillen as part-time dispatcher at $11.25 per hour effective April 10;
• hired April Sturgill and DeWayne Rice as part-time deputy jailers at $9.00 per hour effective April 10;
• hired Kaylee Dodd and Ethan Kinder as part-time EMTs at $11.50 per hour effective April 10;
• changed the rate of pay for dispatcher Jacob Bower from $11.25 per hour to $12.25 per hour for completion of training effective April 10;
• changed Katy Cox from lieutenant to chief deputy jailer at $15.25 per hour effective April 10;
• accepted checks in the amount of $114,998.47 from Sheriff Mitch Williams and in the amount of $40,585.07 from County Clerk Debbie Gambrel.