Elizabethtown City Council Special Meeting – March 23, 2026

The Elizabethtown City Council held a special meeting on March 23, 2026, at 8:24 PM. The meeting included approval of prior minutes, three second‑reading ordinances regarding annexation and zoning changes, a detailed presentation from the Natural Gas Department, remarks from a community leader honoring a fallen soldier, and an overview of the city’s annual spring cleanup program. All votes were unanimous, and the council scheduled its next meeting for April 13, 2026.

Consent Calendar

• Minutes Approved: The council unanimously approved the minutes from the March 16, 2026, regular meeting.
• Ordinance 5‑2026 (Annexation – Litchfield Road): The council adopted a second‑reading ordinance annexing property at Litchfield Road, as requested by Delta Living Trust and Sharsaya LLC. The property will be zoned Regional Commercial (C‑3) upon annexation, following the Planning Commission’s recommendation. The owners provided written consent, and the required 45‑day notice was given to Hardin County. The vote was 6‑0.
• Ordinance 6‑2026 (Zoning Map Amendment – 106 East Memorial Drive): The council unanimously adopted a second‑reading ordinance changing the zoning at 106 East Memorial Drive from Neighborhood Office (C‑1) to Neighborhood Commercial (C‑2) to permit a dog grooming facility. The change was found consistent with the city’s comprehensive plan. Vote: 6‑0.
• Ordinance 7‑2026 (Zoning Map Amendment – 237 West Poplar Street): The council unanimously adopted a second‑reading ordinance changing the zoning at 237 West Poplar Street from Urban Residential General (R‑2) to Downtown Mixed Use (C‑5) to allow an event space. Council members noted the project would draw people to the outer edge of downtown. Vote: 6‑0.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Remarks from Mike Bell (Community Leader): Mike Bell, introduced as “Brother Mike Bell” and a local legend, addressed the council regarding the recent death of a local soldier, Specialist Pennington, who was injured in Operation Fury and died three weeks prior. Bell described the community’s outpouring of support during the funeral procession and memorial service, noting that the Pennington family had planned the funeral on their daughter’s 30th birthday. He also apologized for failing to recognize Mayor Jeff Gregory during the memorial service’s dignitary introductions. The mayor responded that he was not attending for recognition and commended Bell’s speech. Bell’s remarks were heartfelt and not part of a formal public comment period, but they were the only public testimony given.

Discussion Items

• Natural Gas Department Presentation (Matthew Hobbs): Matthew Hobbs, Director of the Natural Gas Department, presented a “State of the Union” on the department. Key points included:

  • Workforce: 12 full‑time employees; average age drops from 35 to 21 when including the construction crew, indicating high turnover.
  • Regulatory Burden: The department oversees three inspection areas (storage, distribution, transmission), each subject to federal or state regulations every 1–3 years. Recent enforcement of drug and alcohol testing policies required a rewrite from 3 pages to 86 pages. All departments are facing increased documentation requirements.
  • Locate Requests: Locate requests have grown from 5,400 (2022) to 8,000 (2024), then dipped to 7,600 in 2025. One full‑time employee handles them, averaging a locate every 15 minutes if working non‑stop.
  • Pre‑pay Program: The pre‑pay program approved 18 months ago now delivers an extra 1,000 MMBtu/day to the city gate and saves about $100,000 per year. Currently at about 10% of flow; could be increased to 40–50% safely.
  • Load Factor: The system is flowing at about 93% load factor on average over three years, leaving only 7% capacity for growth before additional supply is needed. The system can carry 2.2 BCF annually; average flow is 1.9 BCF.
  • Well Work: Three well remediation phases are completed; no further well work is expected until 2029. Future costs should drop from $250,000 per well to about $50,000 per well.
  • Dehydrator Project: Deferred due to inconsistent bids; will proceed by end of budget year but carefully.
  • Employee Exchange Program: A cross‑training initiative with Customer Service and Utility Office yielded efficiencies, including switching from electronic to manual devices at one‑quarter the cost and discovering new Springbrook software capabilities.
  • Inspection Results: The federal inspection of the storage field (April 2025) returned zero infractions after a year‑long review; initial three violations were explained away.
  • Upcoming Inspection: The state Public Service Commission will inspect distribution and transmission units in August 2026 for about two weeks.

• Spring Cleanup Program Presentation (Don Hill): Don Hill, Director of Public Works, announced the annual spring cleanup program:

  • Dates: March 30 – May 1, 2025 (tentatively).
  • Schedule: Collection will circulate through four city areas multiple times; brush collection runs simultaneously but on separate trucks.
  • Guidelines: Items must be separate from brush, placed within 10 feet of the street, and not block traffic or drainage. No household garbage, hazardous materials, liquids, construction debris, tires, or automobiles. Loose items in clear plastic bags (max 50 lbs) are accepted. Bags can be purchased at Public Works or Pritchard Community Center ($3/roll of 25 or $27/case of 250).
  • Appliances: Last week of April (April 27 – May 1) by appointment only (call 270‑737‑7890). Appliances containing Freon must be tagged showing proper removal.
  • E‑Scrap Recycling Event: April 25, 2026, at AGC Automotive Americas plant, sponsored by AGC, Tri‑State E‑Scrap, Altech, and Hardin County Government.
  • A map of the four collection areas is available on the city’s website and Facebook page.

Key Outcomes

• All three ordinances passed unanimously (6‑0).
• The April 6, 2026, regular city council meeting was canceled; the next meeting will be April 13, 2026.
• The council did not enter closed session and adjourned by unanimous consent.
• The community’s support for the Pennington family was recognized; an entire community showed solidarity during the funeral.