Webster County magistrates made quick work of a short agenda Monday morning during regular session of Fiscal Court.

Judge Executive Jim Townsend informed magistrates that officials had been reached concerning the on-going problem with the deterioration of the Blackford Memorial Bridge. He noted that Webster County Attorney Clint Prow had issued letters to Intech Construction of Lexington, the original contractor of the bridge, as well as others involved in the federally-funded grant project, stating that the county is ready to pursue legal avenues for proper repair of the structure.

“We finally got in touch with them this morning and we’re going to set an appointment for them to come down and work out arrangements to come and repair the bridge,” Townsend stated. “We don’t want to take legal action and they assured me they don’t want that either. But that’s what we’re prepared to do to get this settled. It’s gone on way to long.”

Townsend also told court members that the Kentucky Dept. of Fish and Wildlife had been contacted about the damaged done to the Sebree boat ramp located on the Green River. Officials were scheduled to inspect the damage last week but no report had been issued to the judge’s office.

He also noted that heating and air conditioning work was near completion at the EMA office on Hwy. 41-A in Dixon. A water line to the facility was also in the process of being installed.

In personnel matters, magistrates gave approval to the hiring of Teresa Cole and Jacqueline McMillen as part-time deputies at the county jail. Jacob Bumpus and Randy Norman were moved from part-time to full-time in the road and solid waste departments.

Magistrate Tony Felker told court members he had received a complaint from a Diamond resident about speeding on the Diamond-Green Grove Road.

“She was very concerned about the speeding now that the railroad tracks had been repaired,” Felker noted.

Webster Sheriff Frankie Springfield stated he would provide a deputy to help patrol the area.

Blackford resident Tom Oldham asked the court for some help concerning ‘over-hanging’ trees on state highways in the Blackford area.

“These trees were damaged during the ice storms and they’ve been trimmed back just a little. But they still hang over the road and are very dangerous,” Oldham explained.

Magistrate Chad Townsend agreed to contact state highway officials and ask for their assistance in the matter.

Magistrates accepted tax rates from several taxing districts including :

• Webster Extension District, 6.9 cents (per $100 value) for real estate, and 9.8 cents for personal property.

• Webster Ambulance District, 7.1 cents for real estate, 5.52 for personal property and 6.0 cents for motor vehicle.

• Webster County Board of Education, 45.8 cents for real estate, 45.8 cents for personal property and 48 cents for motor vehicle. It was noted that the school board’s rate was lower from that of 2007.

“We simply accept these rate, we don’t have to approve or like the rates but we must accept them,” Judge Townsend stated. “Each taxing district sets their own rates.”

Townsend, along with County Finance Officer Paula Guinn, expressed their displeasure with new legislation that will cut into the county’s road funds. Due to the change of structure in truck licensing, Webster County will lose $65,000 in the upcoming year in road funds used for paving projects.

“This bill was passed in 2006 and is just now taking affect. I don’t know how it slipped through because none of the state representatives I’ve talked to knew anything about it,” Judge Townsend explained. “I’ve talked to a number of judge executives and none of them were aware of the change. KACO (Kentucky Association of Counties) knew nothing about it as well. We had no warning of the reduction.”

Townsend said the county might be forced to implement a bond issue “in order to get some roads done (paved) that we desperately need.”

“We’ve gone from $220,000 in state road funds to $160,000 without any warning or notice,” he stated.

Webster County Clerk Valerie Franklin also expressed her concern of a growing trend that could hit delinquent taxpayers with double to triple the amount of taxes they owe.

“Companies are coming in and buying these delinquent tax bills and then charge the land owner outrageous fees and interest rates,” she explained. “This has been happening for several years and it won’t be long before they start foreclosing on these properties if people don’t pay up.

“I’ve seen instances where a land owner might owe a $300 bill and after one of these ‘third-party’ companies buys the bill, they’ll charge the owner nearly $1,200. People need to play their tax bills in a timely manner because these companies are very aggressive,” Franklin continued.

Magistrates did vote 3-0 to maintain the current policy of not printing a tax bill that’s $5 or less.

“The cost of printing and keeping these accounts on the books are basically off-setting,” Franklin added.

In other business, magistrates approved a request from Petersburg Coal, LLC, of Sebree for permission to “disturb land within 100 feet of a county road” in order to construct an entrance to a new mining facility on Watkins-Sebree Road. It was noted that Petersburg had applied for underground and surface mining permits with the Dept. of Mining Permits.

After adjourning the meeting, fiscal court members attended a presentation on a new road surfacing product called E-Krete. Jack Wilson, Sr., president of PolyCon Manufacturing in Madison, MS, gave a presentation about the cement-based, polymer concrete micro-overlay product that could replace asphalt.

The product claims to add 25 years to a existing road surface and carries a 10-year warranty. The prime feature of the product, according to Wilson, it is not oil-based which means there would be no fluctuation of price as determined by the volatile oil business. He noted that the product is currently being used in eight states and on numerous airport runways.