Good afternoon, everyone.

We'll call the meeting to order and welcome everyone to Elizabeth Town City Council work session for January 12th, 2026.

And I'd like to ask Councilmember Tony Bishop if he'd lead us in the invitation, please.

And if you would join me in the Pledge of Allegiance, I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

And to the Republic for which it says one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

Madam Clerk, if you would please call roll.

Yes, sir.

Councilmember Bishop.

Here.

Walkerson.

Here.

Isaac's here.

Springsteen.

Here.

Tyler.

Here.

We have a quorum mayor.

Thank you, ma'am.

And Councilmember Jones is out of town today, so he sends his regrets.

And so we will start our meeting with a wastewater department update.

Corey Bond is our director, and Corey, you get the pleasure of being the first person to present in our new chambers.

Yes, this is very exciting.

It is an honor to be the first one in the new chamber.

It's very nice.

Hopefully everything goes well.

All right, so just a little introduction.

We've done this each year, but just a little bit more about me.

Um I'm a University of Louisville graduate from the engineering program there, bachelor's and masters from chemical engineering.

Uh started with the city in 2016, so this will be my tenth year with the city.

Looking forward to at least 10 more.

Last year I reported that we were uh at eleven and we had one vacancy for chief operator, and we promoted from within, Jesse Arnold.

He uh passed his class four wastewater certification license last year and has moved up into that role and has been doing great for the past year.

We also hired two new employees last year with some people moving out of the department, and they started roughly in March.

And then also uh more of a happy note to report also.

We have now passed ten years of the wastewater plant with no lost time accidents.

So we're today marks day 3,715.

So knock on wood, hopefully there's ten more of those as well.

Um little bit of an operational update on the department.

Uh we treated uh 2.9 billion gallons of water last year, up from the previous year.

Our average is around 8 million gallons a day this past year, whereas the previous year it was seven.

We are at 62% of our capacity.

Um some of that can be attributed to the amount of rain we had last year.

We had very large amounts.

I think we were at 62 inches roughly, whereas the previous year we're around 50.

Um let's see, we're currently rated at 13 million gallons a day with our peak capacity at 29, and as I mentioned with those storms, uh, we also stayed at for three full days last year at our peak capacity.

We were maxed out during those April storms, and also during that storm we had a uh incident where our berm was uh broken.

We had a hole in the berm where the creek was flooding into the plant, and luckily with the help of public works and some other departments, we were able to stop that, and we are looking to repair that hopefully in the coming months.

Uh one of the things I have for you in looking forward in our department.

Uh, here in the next few weeks to a month, we will hopefully have an ad municipal order before you to do those repairs.

It wasn't particularly budgeted because I was right during the time we were doing the budget and that incident happened, so it wasn't prepared for, but we will hopefully be able to have room and it would potentially carry over into next time, but hopefully we have it fixed before then.

Uh much larger note, the expansion.

As you all know, we have uh been contracted with JTL to do our facility plan, and we had that completed late last year in November, and we have submitted that to the state for their review, hoping to have that review in the next few months and approved.

We look to go into the design phase here in the next few months again with JTL to start looking to see how we can go about our design.

The current anticipation is to expand from 13 to roughly 19, so a six million gallon per day expansion.

I know with a lot of the uh uncertainty and things we've heard from the community, not sure how much we really need to do, but the goal and plan is to do this in phases.

So the first phase of the expansion will be a new admin building and a few new equipment that we need in order to meet new regulations that are put forth by the state, and then we can also phase in later on the actual expansion of capacity.

So where we know we have to do some things now, we can start on that and hold off to know if we need to expand more or potentially less, depending on what happens with the industries in our area and our continued growth.

And as I mentioned, uh burn repair, we're hoping to start that here in the next few weeks, or at least the bidding of it.

And only other thing really to mention that I could think of is the uh new rates.

Of course, as you know, in 2024, we did a rate study with HDR, and we implemented that, and it was put out July 1st of last year, and the new rates have been in effect.

Unfortunately, we have not heard any bad news from it, but Water District 2 has let us know that they are the ones getting the calls because they are the ones collecting the bills.

But things have been going well, we haven't heard any really bad news from it, and of course, we did that to help pay for a lot of these new things that we're doing in the city.

And last thing I have to mention, and this is more for outside of city, but something that I do with other departments in the city, uh, is math counts.

Math counts is a math competition for middle school children.

Um it's basically competing in math for a chance at a scholarship to uh several of the universities in the state, UK, Louisville, West Kentucky, all participate and give scholarships for that.

Um, that event will be held on February 7th, and roughly from 8 a.m.

to noon.

And uh, if any of y'all would like to come out and see some of the kids compete, it's pretty crazy.

A lot of it is uh written in there in their own thing, but when they do the quick recall, it's impressive to see those kids in action.

And I like I said, I do that with uh several other department heads that help out and help me do that and put on that event for the community.

So, with that, that concludes my report for you all.

Is there any questions you all have for me?

I would just say, Corey, don't worry about things not in the budget.

Chief Thompson wouldn't.

Okay.

Corey, can we revisit uh the expansion just for a second?

There's a couple things particular that I want people to be aware of.

You talked about we're at 13 million capacity right now, and we're trying to expand to 19 million, and so to get that extra six million every million gallons that you expand, and correct me if I'm wrong, is about 15 million dollars.

Yes, sir.

That's what they've been doing.

So to expand our plan from 13 to 19 would be six million gallons times 15 would be 90 million dollars.

Yes, and they're anticipating a little bit more.

I think the current estimate is 120 because prices have been going up considerably over the last few years.

That's a conservative estimate we're hoping to be lower, but as of right now, the estimate stands at around 120.

There you go.

So when people say, My gosh, where's our taxpayer money going?

They get an idea of what things cost for us when we're trying to run a city.

So I just wanted to put that out there so people would understand.

Yes, sir.

Well, thank you all.

Great job.

Thank you.

Our city administrator Ed Pope is going to give us a project update, and there are quite a few.

I don't know which list he has, but there's plenty to talk about.

There's plenty on the list.

Uh I think uh Jessica sent a memo out to you all earlier today, just listing the number of uh projects that we have under construction currently.

Um I'm not gonna go over the memo word for word, just want to highlight a couple things.

Uh as the mayor pointed out, there's some projects that get a little more public interest, so I'll talk about those a little bit.

Uh the first being the Commerce Drive project.

Uh that's in conjunction with the outdoor music venue.

Uh that contract was awarded to Dirtworks.

Just a quick reminder, the project upgrades, Commerce Drive from Executive Drive close to US 62 East all the way over to Springfield Road.

It borders the music venue and actually has two entrance or three entrances along the roadway to give access into the music venue.

When it's completed, it will be a three-lane cross section that is a lane in each direction and then a center turn lane.

Some of the thought is that that center turn lane may be used at different times when the venue is in operation to either release traffic or move traffic into the venue as it may be necessary.

But but Dirtworks has done a just a wonderful job for us so far.

We just got word today that from the Division of Water that they have approved the waterline upgrade along Commerce Drive.

The city's doing that in conjunction with Water District Number Two.

They actually are going to do all the contract work under our long-standing agreement with them.

The city pays for the materials for a project, and then the water district does it in-house and uses their own uh labor and equipment to do the installation.

So that project should uh begin shortly as they have known about it.

We've just been waiting for division of water approval.

Another project is in conjunction with Commerce Drive that you'll see activity on shortly will be the installation of street lights and uh electrical conduit.

Part of the conduit installation is being done by Dirtworks as part of that contract, and then uh No Lynn is going to partner with us to do street lighting throughout the area.

Commerce Drive is actually one of those areas in our community that's served by both No Lynn and Kentucky utilities, um, but no Lynn is going to take the lead on doing all the uh street light installation, and we are actually going to enter into a contract with them to uh do maintenance on those lights because they are decorative lights, and there's a little more involved in maintenance and upkeep of those, especially in KU service area.

So we're working with no lyn on that aspect too.

I will tell you all you all approved a couple months ago uh the ability for us to work with a few property owners on some right-of-way acquisition and utility easements that we needed.

Uh the folks out in the neighborhood have been uh just wonderful to work with uh cooperative in uh signing those documents and working with us on the project.

Um we've been able to adjust a couple of the things in the design to better serve some of those property owners with their interests and access into their property, but uh that has gone very well to date.

On the outdoor music venue itself, um unfortunately we have uh found the topography in Kentucky and our area to be very true to that site.

Uh as many of you all know because you heard through uh Aaron and discussions at planning issues and Michael and Rita when they talk about uh their projects, uh we're in a cars topography, so we have a lot of underground caves and sinkholes, and we have found several of those on that site.

Um I'm happy to report that remediation work has been done, projects moving along.

So Congleton Hacker and our design team have worked uh very well with our special inspectors and like I said have done a uh a really good job of staying on top of that from a timing standpoint.

Um unfortunately it is more expense to the project, but if you all will recall, we've got uh some buffer in there based on the bond issue that you all did in our contract with um CH.

So uh unfortunately we were taking that money out of the contingency funds that we have set aside, which may not allow us to do some other improvements that we value engineered uh as part of it.

Couple other notable construction projects that I wanted to mention.

Um fire station project is nearing completion.

Uh we had a meeting uh last week to talk about some uh on-site scheduling and issues that we still need to address.

Uh Jenkins Essex is scheduled to be completed uh with that project at the end of the month.

So we hope that weather will cooperate and allow them to meet that schedule.

Um down at the police station, similar to uh the outdoor music venue.

We found some bad soils down there, so that slowed that project um a little bit while we worked through and excavated uh some material, and but they're now uh again underway.

We're very fortunate that um the weather in the last couple of weeks, once they got the the bad soils uh remediated has allowed them to move forward.

The uh structural steels up, the roof is on the uh the building, and like I said, again, they're they're making good good progress.

Um one good note uh Michael has finished the project where we extended uh and upgraded our sewer lines on uh Litchfield Road and South Ring Road.

Again, you all may recall that we received uh in two phases uh about two million dollars in grant funds to complete those projects.

Uh now that they are complete, uh we're making the final uh request from the uh Kentucky Infrastructure Authority to draw down our our final um I think it's a couple hundred thousand dollars from them to to close out that that grant as as that has moved forward.

The parks department has uh several projects uh that they just completed down at University Drive, and we've got American Legion Park and the restrooms at the north end of Freeman Lake under construction now.

Uh we will be shortly bidding uh the full parking lot at the north end, and again a reminder to the council that we received uh a million dollar grant from the state uh for that project.

So uh at this point uh we're using somebody else's money.

Um that may not be the full story that we tell you as we finish the bids and and some other things, but right now we haven't spent any city money on on that project.

Two projects that are uh starting this week, uh Village Drive they mobilize with materials over the last couple weeks, and they were to start uh work today, and the Foxboro Estates drainage project was supposed to start uh work today.

I'll be honest with you, Rita may be able to give you an update.

I did not get out of the office and go to either of those sites today, but I know they were scheduled to start.

Um my final comments uh to you all are that we've got uh two other projects still that weren't on the list that hopefully will begin uh in the next year construction-wise.

One is the Pear Orchard Road Northwest project.

Michael and his staff have been working uh very diligently on obtaining all the final easements.

Um we ran into some issues again when you do plans four or five years ahead of time, and then you get down to final acquisition of easements and stuff.

We've had to make some adjustments and update some survey work, so that's added a little bit of time uh to the project.

We actually closed on one of the properties, the purchase on that today, uh, that it will allow us to again finalize plans and get bring that before you offer for bids shortly.

Um and our safe streets for all grants.

Uh we have been successful in the first two rounds of that uh federal program.

Uh one project will be on the East Stixie corridor, the other will be College Street.

Uh we just found out um three weeks ago, right before Christmas, that we were funded on the College Street project.

So that's good news to report that we've been told we've got the money, but two years ago when we were told about the East Dixie project, we still don't have a grant agreement with the federal government.

We've been going back and forth with them, but we hope to have an agreement soon.

And once we do, uh, we've got five years to complete the project.

So it's not five years from the announcement, um, but it's five years when the agreement is signed, and like I said, I I think we um satisfied them uh again right before Christmas with some information.

I don't know if that had any effect on them giving us money for phase two, but uh I'm glad we are at least over that hurdle.

Um my final comment to you all was we've got a lot of projects uh and you know, like I said, I did not go over every one of them that we listed uh in the memo to you all.

But those projects are all being done by the department heads who are responsible for um that project in their area with the help of Jason, and Jason has been fantastic in the last six months to help folks with their projects and staying on top of things and being a support to them when they they needed to be, but um I I can't say enough for the team effort that all the departments do.

Uh even though, like I said, a project Rita may be the lead on something, and she's dealing dealing with that, and she has the primary responsibility, but there are probably four or five other departments that that project touches that they're all working together and supporting each other.

Um, and it really is, I think uh uh strong statement to them and the way they work so well together that we are able to accomplish so many projects.

I mean, we've got a lot going on.

Appreciate the support that you all give us by funding these projects to be able to serve the the community, but uh we've got a lot on our plate.

Uh we'll probably bring a pretty good list to you in the next budget cycle too.

But uh at this point, like I said, it's it's good to report that we're finishing things and getting things done, and um because they're needed projects, so we'll keep doing doing that.

Like I said, I know I did not touch on every project in the memo.

If you all have any questions, happy to entertain that.

I've got like I said, Jason and Rita and Michael and Don and folks here.

If you all have specific questions about some of their projects, they may be better to answer those than I, but we'll do the best we can.

Can I have you clarify something on the outdoor music venue?

Yes, sir.

Because we're live and I know people are watching, and they're probably wondering why we didn't know that there were sinkholes there.

Well, we did do core drillings.

We did, and they're hit and miss in a car's topography, and a lot of times you hit them, sometimes you don't.

And yeah, we did we did geotech work before we uh started the project, and you're right, Mayor.

I mean, we we looked at locations of the buildings and did some general borings in those areas.

Um I wish I could remember off the top of my head the number, but I mean it was um probably 20 plus, so it's like you said, it's not that we didn't try to find some of these things, but uh unfortunately, like I said, just the the part of the country that we live in, once you start excavating and go five or ten feet deeper, uh you find openings and the wet weather that we've had back in the spring, too.

I'm sure probably um contributed to some of those areas opening up.

Um but yes, we we did a lot of work ahead of time.

Um thought that was thorough enough.

Um, but like I said, we found two or three other locations and we've addressed them very quickly.

Anyone else?

Thank you, sir.

Up next is my friend Carl Swope, who is the airport board chairman.

He's gonna give us an update on the airport board.

And I would like to introduce uh his team members that are sitting in the audience to you.

Don Cox, if you would throw your hand up.

Don't a retired pilot.

Uh Willie Wood is a retired city councilman and fireman, and then the birthday boy, Eddie Burgess is a retired pilot as well.

So uh everybody clapping wish Mr.

Virgess a happy birthday.

Now it's all yours.

All right, thank you because I do have an excellent board, and they they are uniquely qualified as individuals to uh lead your airport.

And I'm also pleased to be here today and give you just a brief update on some other projects that are going on in your city uh with uh with your your uh airport and I'll try to be as brief as I can.

But it I do want to say that when I walked in, I remembered that about 57 years ago I was standing right here as an usher in my brother's wedding, and nobody told the ushers that they could sit down during the ceremony, and I made the mistake, and this is the only time I've made it in my life of locking my knees, which I learned that if you do that and you stand long enough, you're going to pass out.

Which I did in the middle of his wedding, right here in this.

So anyway, uh some memories, and he can tell you more about it than I can because I wasn't I was uh passed out.

Anyway, uh first of all, a lot of things going on at your airport.

Uh I think you're well aware that uh this board has a strategic plan for that airport that will make it not only viable but very, very effective for the next 50 years.

And the city of Elizabethtown absolutely put the wheels on that uh recently with your acquisition of the uh the uh Hayden property.

We appreciate that very much.

And uh you also know that uh uh a very strong team of local leaders went to Washington and and advocating for all kinds of things around here, but the airport was one of those, led obviously by our mayor and and folks from Lincoln Trail and KRDA and so forth.

I've gotten a lot of very, very good feedback, uh, both directly but also indirectly about how effective that was.

So we're very excited about the potential on that.

But I want to talk to you about some of the projects that are actually happening right now.

Um we have just finished, we didn't finish it, but uh uh the the completion of a privately funded corporate hangar.

Um you know, hangers are not pretty, but this one's very handsome, and I will tell you that the the uh the developer and also the contractor Sean Goff did a beautiful job on a uh corporate hangar that is going to bring at least one managed corporate jet uh to be based here in Elizabethtown and probably two.

And uh so anyway, we're just very pleased to see that one complete and uh our terminal project.

Again, I know you're familiar with it.

Uh many of you were there for the groundbreaking some time ago, but I want to remind you that that project uh was primarily a state funded project.

Uh the state uh gave us a two million dollar grant to build a terminal building, which is what it took to build terminal buildings about 10 years ago.

So we went off and got a federal grant for 400,000.

Uh that project is uh on track uh on time on budget, and uh we should be having a a ribbon cutting on that probably late spring, not before Derby, I was told in the last update, but um maybe just a little after Derby.

So we're very excited about what's going to be a uh uh beautiful new gateway for Elizabethtown and the region for those that that come here by private aircraft.

But I want to talk to you mainly today about another project that we're very excited about.

This is a tea hanger project, and uh it's important to note that uh tea hangers and hangers in general are a revenue source for the airport.

It's how we fund ourselves outside of the stipend, which we're very pleased to get from the city of Elizabeth Town each quarter.

Uh this is this is the revenue that we use to pay pay the bills.

And so uh this project uh has been several years in the making, and just without getting in too much into the weeds, you've heard a lot about federal government granting and so forth.

But we tried for a year to two years to put together a combination of grants to get this project fully funded, and every time we put it off, the the uh cost for construction went up and we would be behind the eight ball again.

So we finally, a little over a year ago took a leap of faith, and the board approved going ahead with phase one of this tea hanger project, even though we knew that we were going to be underfunded, but we thought that by the time we finished, we would be very close to the next round of federal grants, which happened annually for airports.

Um two things occurred.

First of all, I was glad to hear we've got a few problems with site because we did our core drilling as well.

We did all those things, and lo and behold, we came up uh needing to do some site mitigation before before we got really started building these hangars.

That was about 200,000 of unanticipated uh cost.

The other thing that, and this never happens is we got done sooner than we thought we would.

So uh we are not as close to the next round of funding as we thought we would be.

And even then, I was probably gonna have to be here anyway.

But I'm here today asking if it is possible to do some bridge funding, some gap funding, not paying for for the rest of these, because we will be going into more grant funding sometime this spring, which will be uh awarded uh shortly thereafter, and then probably uh a year from then, and we should be able to pay this back.

And what I'm asking is if there was a a way that uh the city could give us some bridge uh funding, about six hundred thousand for for just this next 18 months.

Does that get you complete?

Well that that'll complete everything.

Uh I hate to do that.

I hate to do that.

To the best of your knowledge.

Yeah, I got you.

Right.

Kind of to add in on this, and um, as most of you know, I said on the airport board and um first when it comes to airport funding, that is a whole science.

I think you need a doctorate.

It's quite interesting anyways.

But Carl and his and the board, they do a great job.

Um really in the past year, because I guess today would have been the one year anniversary since I've been attending those meetings and the progress that they've made as you know, from a organization standpoint and and even reviewing hangar space, looking at increasing rental, those types of things.

Um it's it's been a big and not that they were in a bad place before, but big improvements in the right direction.

So I might mention one other thing that I I didn't want to get too deep in the weeds, but uh I have learned, and again, I've been on the airboard uh what 10 I don't know exactly, but been chair just the last several years.

The way this funding generally works, and I think you all know this better than I do, but the FAA comes up with uh a million and a half in grant funding.

Uh that's 90 percent of the project.

The other 10 percent is supposedly shared between state and city.

Um the reason I'm unfamiliar with that is prior to this tea hanger project, which again we've been trying to piece together with with grant funding.

Prior to that, the largest capital campaign or ca capital project we had was a fencing project that occurred back during the pandemic.

And what I learned today is that uh and again this was before I was chairman.

No one uh we actually did come to the city and say, okay, that's a what a million six project.

Somebody remind me what that was.

About a million six in the city of Elizabeth Town was to put up five percent of that.

The project I'm talking about today, uh the the Tea Hanger Project is a 2.5 million dollar project, again with a combination of grants, but the sharing on that one is 6.9 local, they call it local, and uh the rest being state.

The reason it it it kind of went over top of me is back during the pandemic, instead of that fence project being a local match, the FAA just said I don't even know why they did this, but it had everything to do with the pandemic, they said now we'll pay for the whole thing.

So the city did not participate in that one.

Uh if the city so to me it was always well, the the the air board has overcome this local match with some other things that typically happen in the state of Kentucky sends us some money every year, but all of that money has been used to make this project come to get I'm sorry.

Am I it's complicated, it's complicated.

So it's a bridge loan.

It's a bridge.

Can you all tell Mr.

Swopes been in sales in the past?

I I was pleased to hear that the chief doesn't uh doesn't pay attention to the budget.

So you need 600,000, you think it's gonna be for 18 months.

Yes.

I don't have a problem with that.

I would encourage maybe Ken to develop the agreement between the two organizations, spelling out so everybody knows what's gonna happen.

Yes.

I appreciate what you all are doing.

Uh and not to say we were horrible, but we're a whole lot better.

And I think it's more representation of the quality of life that we have here uh in our community when you come to that e town airport now.

And I appreciate all your all's hard work.

It's gonna be gorgeous.

Because I know you all get so much money as members, you get zero serving, so we appreciate that.

Do you all figure that at about 20% interest?

I'm I'm asking for Jeff Hawkins.

Well, we currently there's a part of the and it's like two percent.

Well, we currently there's a part of the and it's like two percent, so I think that was his statement about the local match.

I think everybody's pretty comfortable with that.

Thank you.

So we'll get Ken to get with you later on and get that worked out and I think we can make that happen.

Thank you.

All right, appreciate it.

Thank you, Mr.

Swope, for all you do and your great team.

I tell people all the time our airport board is probably as experienced and talented as any that I could find anywhere.

So appreciate all the time that you all take because I know the salary's not great, Don.

There you go.

Okay, that brings us to our public comment section.

Yes, ma'am.

If you don't care, just state your name and your address.

My name is Judy Elliott and I live on Harvard Drive.

Um back in July, I was in here talking.

Um the last update that I have received was on 917 that said I was gonna receive progress reports in reference to the St.

John Estate stormwater infrastructure that's filling in my neighborhood.

Um I have not received a response from my last inquiry back in October.

So since it's been at least four months, I'm would like an update.

We're doing updates tonight.

So I can give you one because I talked to Rita this morning a little bit when we met and we talked about your situation and a project there, and they are currently working with uh a group to come in and do an analysis on your neighborhood.

Sometimes those take a little longer than we would like, but uh we're going to have an analysis done and see an engineering group and see what uh the way forward would be that that makes the most sense to find you some relief and it's best for the city.

Do you know when that study is gonna be initiated?

Because I was told back in July it was gonna be initiated.

Actually, June it was gonna be initiated.

So Ed, did she give us a date or do you remember?

Or when it's gonna be initiated or progress, how long it should normally take for those kind of reports?

Well, sometimes it takes a while, but I'll tell you what I'll do.

I will have her call you tomorrow.

I'm sure she's got your information and she can answer those questions for you.

I appreciate that.

Thank you.

Yes, ma'am.

Anyone else?

Okay, then we have City Council information items and sex since next Monday is Martin Luther King Jr.

Day.

We will not have a city council meeting, but the next meeting will be the next day, January 20th, 2026, here at the chambers at 4 30.

And uh before we go anywhere, I want to address uh the rough weekend that we had.

I'm sure most of you have read in the paper or read on social media uh the accidents that we've dealt with and some of the things that our police department had to deal with this weekend as well as our fire department and EMS, and it was a it was a tough weekend.

We lost a couple citizens and uh they had to uh our public our uh law enforcement and our fire department had to go through some things that uh weren't pleasant.

So please keep everyone in your prayers and your thoughts and those families that are going through those things and the people that had to respond to it, and uh let's pray that we don't have any more of those in 2026.

Anyone else have anything they want to add?

With that, we will go close meeting pursuant to KRS 61.810 section one as designated by motion to conduct uh deliberation on future acquisition or sale of real property by the city and to discuss specific economic development proposals.

If I can get a motion in a second, so moved.

All in favor?

Opposed?

Seeing none, motion carries.

We will not have any action coming out.