Elizabethtown City Council Work Session - February 9, 2026
Elizabethtown City Council Work Session - February 9, 2026
The Elizabethtown City Council held a work session on February 9, 2026, opening with an invocation and pledge. The meeting featured recognition of city employees earning certifications, a detailed stormwater department update, and public comments regarding noise and odor complaints from a nearby industrial facility. No formal votes were taken, but next steps were outlined for addressing citizen concerns.
Recognition of Certifications
- ABC Officer Certifications: Nineteen police officers and staff were recognized for completing additional alcohol beverage control (ABC) certifications, described as a supplement to the department's enforcement capabilities. Certificates were awarded in alphabetical order.
- Playground Safety Inspector Certifications: Parks and Recreation Director Seth Breitner highlighted that Sean Pope and Colin Miller earned Certified Playground Safety Inspector credentials, noting that less than 70% of first-time test-takers pass the exam. The certification helps mitigate liability given over 200,000 playground-related injuries annually.
Stormwater Department Update (Rita Davis)
- Completed Projects: Replaced two failing corrugated metal pipes (under Westport and Michelle Drive); completed Keeneland Drive ditch stabilization with live stakes; conducted spring survivability survey for plantings.
- Ongoing Studies: Drainage studies at Hawkins Drive and Freeman Creek Estates following severe flooding in 2025; FEMA floodplain remapping for the Upper Green River watershed expected within two years.
- Permitting & Compliance: 153 new erosion control permits issued; 25 private water quality unit inspections; 12 illicit discharge investigations; 38 plan reviews; 176 stormwater requests in 2025; received a 100% score on MS4 audit from Kentucky Division of Water.
- Public Education: Conducted macroinvertebrate sessions with summer/fall camps; partnered with local schools; distributed 54,000 pet waste bags (70% increase since 2023); deployed Storm Squatch mascot.
- Upcoming Projects: Valley Creek Lake and Trooper Lake restorations (construction); Henry Street Phase II (fall 2026); Peterson Drive Bridge (pending grant); Clifford Drive Basin (90% design); studies for Deepwood Drive, St. John Estates, French Street; budget requests for additional inspector and replacement of vehicle "Kevin."
- Staffing: Six staff in stormwater management section; one inspector in training for environmental science degree (anticipated August 2026).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Caitlin (near Elizabethtown Community College, train tracks area): Complained about constant buzzing noise 24/7 for two weeks from a facility (suspected recycling center) and a chemical smell that made breathing difficult during pregnancy. Expressed concern for her infant. Mayor stated this was the first report received and promised to investigate.
- Stuts Smith (Sandy Circle, near same area): Disputed the mayor's claim, asserting he had previously raised complaints about off-gassing, noise, and house-shaking from the "Maltulsa 2 plant" with city officials. He noted a required sound wall from the building permit was never erected. He stated the issue was not new and appreciated the timing with the stormwater presentation on environmental topics.
Council Information Items
- Next meeting scheduled for February 17, 2026.
- Councilmember Tony Bishop thanked colleagues and community for support during a recent hospitalization.
- Motion to adjourn closed meeting pursuant to KRS 61.810 section one; motion carried unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- No formal votes or decisions were recorded.
- Mayor committed to investigating the noise and odor complaints from the Maltulsa 2 plant and following up with the residents.
- The stormwater department will present budget requests for additional inspector, vehicle replacement, and capital projects in the upcoming budget season.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon and welcome everyone to Elizabethtown City Council Work Session for February 9th, 2026, and I'd like to ask Councilmember Tony Bishop if he lead us in the invocation, please. Father, we thank you for another wonderful day. We thank you for the sunshine and and the and the warmth. We just thank you for watching over our community as a whole, and we especially want to thank you for our employees and the dedication that they they do each and every day. We ask that you be with us this day, watch over us, lead us, guide us, and direct us in the way that you would help us to go. In your son's name we pray. Amen. If you would please join us in the pledge. Yes, sir. Councilmember Bishop. Here, Folkerson. Here. Isaacs. Here. Jones. Here. Springsteen. Here. You have a quorum mayor. Thank you, ma'am. And at this time, we are going to do something that we have not done before that I am proud to say that we're going to start doing throughout the year and the many years that I've been here and the years that uh will follow. We have plenty of our teammates in multiple different departments that often during the year get certifications to improve their abilities to do their job. And so we're going to recognize some of those folks today. And uh I'm gonna ask uh Mrs. Graham, who is our city clerk and also our alcohol beverage control officer, or director or manager, or whatever title she likes the best, administrator, if she would explain a little bit about who we're gonna recognize today. Thank you, Mayor. And I'd like to thank you for these additional appointments to ABC. Um, this is really uh supplemental for our department, especially to our dedicated officer Jones back here, who does a phenomenal job with investigations and with um reporting um case reports. So really we wanted this to be um just supplemental and another tool in the toolbox is what I'd like to say for them. And we want to be good partners with our businesses and continue to keep our citizens safe, and we feel this is another way to do this. Very good. So do we want to go around front? Yes, yes. So we're in alphabetical order because there are several. If you'd please come up. Mrs. Graham's gonna give you your certificate, and if you would stay up here and line up because Mrs. Emman wants to take a picture. Lieutenant Pete Chitla. Major Matt Kugel. Sergeant Dietrich Cooper. Sergeant Andrew Eckert. Sergeant Andrea Hare. You did right, Andrew. Officer Jared Hatfield, Officer Cooper Jones, Officer Richard Jones, Lieutenant Madison Kaklinski, Sergeant Gary Mark, Sergeant Chase McCown, Sergeant Michael Mertz. Sergeant Gary Mark. Sergeant Chase McCown. Sergeant Michael Mertz. Detective Eric Ryman. Officer Steve Richards.
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