CATLETTSBURG City finance was one of the main topics of discussion and action as the City of Catlettsburg conducted its regularly scheduled council meeting on Tuesday.

The council accepted the grant from the Commonwealth of Kentucky Department of Local Government of $834,000 for the Elderly Housing Project. The item was included in the city’s budget and was for the Housing Development Corporation.

“The city is basically a conduit for the Housing Authority,” City Attorney Sonny Martin explained. The Housing Authority will use the money to build an additional housing unit.

The city also declared an emergency to facilitate the replacement of  police SUV vehicles that were deemed “totaled” due to an incident on July 11, 2021. The incident involved the pursuit of a perpetrator. The emergency declaration was considered necessary in order to maintain the safety of the road and allowed the city to purchase vehicles that were already in stock at a dealership, rather than special order vehicles and compromise the city’s safety over the course of an undetermined amount of time it would require to do so.

The council received a housing and zoning update regarding training of that committee’s members, and some of the issues the committee faces. Chief among these was clearing determining how mobile homes and modular homes were affected by current city ordinances, and what restrictions would apply should any resident of the city desire to put such homes on property they might already own or would purchase in the city limits. The committee will also address issues with lot sizes within the city and abandoned or decrepit buildings. The need for a Code Enforcement Officer was also brought before the city council.

Also discussed was the line item in the general budget which allowed for $20,000 to be granted to the Catlettsburg Main Street Committee. Mayor Faith Day said the Boyd County Fiscal Court had agreed to match those funds, to help with city renovations. After discussion, it was decided to give those funds as a block grant rather than on a “reimbursement basis,” where the Main Street Committee would provide purchase orders to the city for the funds needed.

Another agenda item was the appointment of a Mayor Pro Tempore, or Pro Tem, who would have the authority to stand in for the mayor in the event that the mayor would be absent or unable to discharge their duties. The measure is a common one, typically allowing for emergency decision making in the event that the mayor was unavailable.

Trending Video

Recommended for you