By Katia Davis
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media
Versailles has reduced its police budget proposal for
Midway, according to Midway officials at Monday’s city council meeting.
Also at the meeting, the council started a crackdown on abandoned property owners
with the first reading of a new ordinance that would punish them for not
maintaining property.
The council also discussed a community service collaboration
with Midway University, possible improvements to North Gratz Street and
Warfield Street, and the trick-or-treat schedule; and denied a controversial
permit request.
Police Contract: Council Member Bruce Southworth, chair of the Public Works
and Services Committee, reported to the council that Versailles had lowered its
proposed price for police services in Midway, to $165,325 a year, or 4.25 percent of Versailles’ current police budget.
On Sept. 21, Versailles Mayor Brian Traugott and Police
Chief James Fugate proposed a price of $173,674 a year, a 73.7 percent increase
from this year.
That figure was 4.5
percent of the budget of the Versailles police, which patrol all of Woodford
County.
Midway has 7 percent of the county’s population, but Midway
residents also pay county taxes, and that should be taken into account, Midway
Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said after the meeting. He said county officials have
not explained what Midway will get for its county taxes.
“We see less and less services all the time and the county
asking us for more and more money,” Vandegrift said.
As for the new
proposal, Vandegrift said, “I think that we can agree, I think, something close
to that, but we’re gonna have to have some increase in services to come with
it, because we were paying $16,000 four years ago, now we’re paying $100,000. I
don’t know how we can justify to our citizens that they’ve got this type of increase
without some kind of increase in services.”
Vandegrift noted that there is plenty of time to conclude negotiations. The new contract would be for four years and start July 1, 2018.
Crackdown on blight: The council heard first reading Monday of ordinances to
establish a Code Enforcement Board and amend an ordinance requiring owners to maintain their property.
The board would be made up of Midway residents and will work
to keep city properties maintained.
“If a property is not
being maintained properly, we can go and make those changes and place a lien on
the property with an 8 percent interest rate, so it’s not just a lien for our
cost, there’s also an interest rate,” Vandegrift said. “Another thing is at
some point you can look at eminent domain,” condemnation to take ownership the
property.
The ordinance would give property owners notice to remedy
the situation, give them seven days to respond, and allow for the police
department or a code enforcement officer to initiate removal of abandoned
vehicles, among other things. For a copy of the council meeting packet that includes the ordinances, click here.
“The main thing is that we are no longer going to allow the
people to take advantage of their neighbors in the sense that they keep the
property that has become blighted and deteriorated and abandoned and they’re
not fixing it up and they’re just letting it sit there,” Vandegrift said.
Vandegrift said it’s unfair to residents who take care of
their property. “We’re going to uphold that to the highest extent of the law
and we’re gonna surprise some people, because a lot of people think that it
cant be done.”
The mayor warned in May that he had asked for new ordinances to crack down on property maintenance. Under the previous mayor, Tom Bozarth, the city put pressure on owners of dilapidated property and had some success, but Vandegrift called that "a caretaker administration." He added, "That's not a bad thing."
Vandegrift said he would schedule second reading of the ordinances for Oct. 16, but the council might not vote on them until November because of possible changes.
The mayor warned in May that he had asked for new ordinances to crack down on property maintenance. Under the previous mayor, Tom Bozarth, the city put pressure on owners of dilapidated property and had some success, but Vandegrift called that "a caretaker administration." He added, "That's not a bad thing."
Vandegrift said he would schedule second reading of the ordinances for Oct. 16, but the council might not vote on them until November because of possible changes.
Businesses seek improvements: Nick Bentley and Bryan Lynch, residents and landowners in
Midway, proposed integrating North Gratz Street and Warfield Street into
downtown now that businesses have opened in the block and they plan to open
more businesses.
Bentley suggested putting in streetlights, adding sidewalks,
repaving the streets and adding a cul-de-sac on Warfield Street to facilitate
turnarounds.
“We get a tremendous amount of traffic that comes down kind
of looking and then they run into that dead-end and end up turning around in
Bryan’s parking lot,” Bentley said.
Vandegrift said, “I love the idea, it just comes down to
what it’s going to cost.”
Bentley also expressed concern over parking. “We have enough parking,” he said. “The biggest issue is how do we fit sidewalks in and not hurt parking.”
Bentley said he might put a full-time farmers' market near
the doctor’s office on North Gratz. Lynch, who owns several businesses
downtown, said he plans to put in a café on North Gratz with volleyball courts
behind it, and a banquet facility will occupy a part of the building.
“I own the building,” Lynch said in an interview. “I’d be
leasing it out to a business from Lexington that would open a new restaurant
here in town, that will be the banquet facilities as well.” Lynch owns the Eat
Drink Breathe bistro and Damselfly Gallery on Main Street.
Permit denied for street entrance: A permit that would have allowed access to East Cross Street
from a backyard at 120 S. Winter Street was denied at Monday’s meeting after
much discussion on the issue.
The council first discussed the permit Sept. 4, and tabled
the issue for 30 days to gather more information.
The property owner had spread gravel, built a fence and
gate, and connected the lot to the street, encroaching on the street, before
requesting a permit.
While the denial of the permit will force the property owner
to remove all gravel from the city’s right of way, she will still be able to
keep a gravel lot in the backyard.
Charles Logan of East Higgins Street, a neighbor to the property, expressed concern
over the runoff from the gravel at earlier meetings and Monday’s meeting. Vandegrift said the property owner can have the gravel in her
backyard, but cannot have the fence or gravel interfering with the city’s right
of way. He
said he still thinks the fence is in the right of way.
“There’s nothing that stops somebody from going into their
yard and putting gravel down,” Vandegrift said.
According to Vandegrift, if Logan has an issue with the
gravel creating runoff on his property, the matter may have to be addressed as
a civil matter.
“Had she followed the rules, then it wouldn’t be no civil
matter, I wouldn’t have to hire an attorney and so forth,” Logan said.
Midway University athletes' service: Midway University Athletic Director Rusty Kennedy and
Women’s Softball Coach Tripp Swisher spoke with the council about collaborating
with the city on a service project for student athletes.
“Part of our mandate within the organization we are governed
by,” the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, “is an emphasis on character development, something our very
school values,” Tripp said. “We try to get each of our student athletes 15
hours a year, at least, in community service, that’s what we strive for.”
The service project would consist of different tasks such as
painting, cleaning and junk removal and would be at least one day each
semester.
Vandegrift suggested soliciting requests from community
members for projects.
“We are thinking more of people who struggle to complete
those tasks, either by health or age issues,” he said. “If we get the
word out that the university is going to offer this service in conjunction with
us, we can get the word and people can basically, sort of, apply.”
According to Tripp, the service project, if permitted, would
be considered for sometime between the end of October and mid-November.
There are roughly 340 student athletes at Midway University,
according to Kennedy.
Halloween: The council set trick-or-treat hours for Oct. 31 from 6 p.m.
to 8 p.m.
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