For the second time in a week a local government talks about purchasing a building previously used by Trauth Dairy.
On Monday, the Newport City Commission approved the purchase of the company’s former maintenance facility which it will now use as a public works building.
On Wednesday, the Campbell County Fiscal Court discussed the purchase of 16 East 11th Street, described in real estate information as the company’s former yogurt plant. The discussion Wednesday in Alexandria did not go as smoothly as Newport’s unanimous vote, however.
The County has negotiated over the last several months a real estate sale contract to purchase the property for $395,000. According to real estate information, it had been listed at $495,000.
Judge-Executive Steve Pendery made a motion to move forward with the purchase but did not receive a second and his motion died. Two new commissioners take office in January and it is expected that the issue will be revisited then.
What the building would possibly be used for was not immediately known but The River City News will update this story.
Other issues from the Fiscal Court meeting:
Commissioner Ken Rechtin asked Pendery to provide county residents with lists of the top ten property value increases and decreases and other similar data within Campbell County and expressed his disappointment to the other fiscal court for not being able to produce this information.
“Prior to our execution of the tax rate, it was disclosed to us that the property valuation of the county only increased by nine tenths of a percent and in two years prior to that one half of a percent,” Rechtin said. “At that point I asked for some information. The information was fairly simple in my mind and it could be gleaned from any spreadsheet in any database. I wanted to know what properties increased and what properties decreased. I wanted to know what properties were on the county’s exempt list and wanted to know specifically what properties they were. Now, I was told at that time that this information was unattainable, or if it was attainable, it would take three weeks and tons of dollars because the software wasn’t easily accessible to do it. This disappoints me, greatly disappoints me, because this is the same software provider that we just gave $30,000 to amend something that we had paid for in the prior year.
“Anyway, set that aside. I did not discuss this until now because there was so much discussion about that whole issue during the election cycle, but I would ask you, please, the system is not working. We can’t get data that we are paying for. And remember, we and all the other taxing authorities in Campbell County are paying for this. This is something that we are owed. If we can’t get that information in a timely fashion, we’ve got a problem. I would ask you to lean on that office, because I know they don’t work for us. I know that it’s a constitutional office of the state of Kentucky, I have no problem with that, that information should be readily available to all of the taxing authorities.
“During the cycle, I heard from lots of taxing entities that are disappointed in the valuation, and because of those disappointments they had to increase rates. So, I would ask in a timely fashion that you look into that. I think this is an important piece to the taxing and the revenue for all of the taxing authorities of Campbell County.”
- –The Court accepted the resignation of Campbell County golf superintendent Steve Myers and approved advertising the job opening to prospective applicants. Mr. Myers has served the county citizens for 25 years.
- –The golf course AJ Jolly will increase its green and cart fees up one dollar for 18 holes and fifty cents for nine holes, as well as an increase on five and seven-day passes. The County has seen an increase of over 600 additional rounds played on its courses in 2013, with a corresponding concession sale total that was described as healthy by County Commissioner Brian Painter. Campbell County residents receive 25 percent off of their season passes to county courses.
“Good things are happening on the golf course,” Mr. Painter said at the meeting. “We haven’t quite gotten there yet, but it’s a good start.”
The course brings in around $20,000 a year while operating on an annual deficit between $130,000 and $150,000 per year according to County Finance Director Matt Elberfeld.
Written by Bryan Burke, associate editor