LOUISA COUNCIL GETS NEW MEMBER ON SPLIT VOTE ; BUDGET IS ‘BEST IT HAS BEEN FOR MANY YEARS’

AUDITOR SAYS LOUISA FINANCES IN BEST SHAPE IN MANY YEARS; NEW CITY COUNCIL MEMBER APPROVED BY SPLIT VOTE

EVEN WITH $12.5 MILLION IN LIABILITIES, CITY BUDGETS ARE NOW RUNNING IN PRETTY GOOD HEALTH, AUDITOR SAYS; EVEN WITH NON AGENDA STATEMENTS BY MAYOR,MEETING WENT QUICKLY BY BUD ADAMS MIA (BUT ARRIVES LESS THAN A MINUTE AFTER CITY COUNCIL MEETING ADJOURNS)

FEBRUARY 27, 2020 – STORY AND VIDEO by WADE QUEEN

Louisa City Council
Special Meeting
February 25, 2020–7:00pm
Louisa City Hall

Call to order.
Pledge of allegiance and Prayer.
Fill Council seat.
Mayor comments.
Old Business
Approve minutes for January 14, 2020.
New Business
Jim Bryant, 2018-2019 audit.
Resolution 2019-05, Muni Road Aid FY 2021.
Agreement, Muni Road Aid FY 2021.
Council comments.
Audience comments.
Executive session.
Adjourn.

The Louisa City Council held a special meeting Tuesday evening, February 25, after the regular council meeting that was to be held on February 11, was postponed due to various council members having scheduling conflicts.

The meeting went quickly, going just a few mutes over a half an hour, and was shortened slightly after Louisa Mayor Harold Slone told everyone in attendance that Louisa’s attorney Eldred “Bud” Adams had been delayed by a court hearing he was at in Carter County. Slone stated that he was on his way and expected Adams would arrived during the meeting (unfortunately he did not, arriving running into the council room, only to have big look of surprise a second later on his face that council had been adjourned.)

See Video HERE

The actions and statements taken by the Mayor and city council were:

* Mayor Slone proclaimed March 1-7 as Storm Awareness Week for Louisa (which is also state proclamation by the governor, and said the statewide tornado drill was to be on March 4, at 10:07 A.M., to coincide with week anniversary of the destructive tornadoes in the local region March 2, 2012. As a connection Mayor Slone introduced to the council the new Lawrence County Emergency Management Agency Director, Chris Cox.

New Louisa City Council Member Ashley Caudill being sworn in my ‘just in time’ Louisa Attorney Bus Adams.

• Mayor Slone announced that Louisa City Police Chief Greg Fugitt and a few other city personnel went to the funeral of former Louisa police chief and city official Tim Southern, which was held ‘way up in West Virginia’. Mayor Slone said he was unable to attend due to being out of town for a conference down state. Mayor Slone stated that he would declare a dedication proclamation for the late Mr. Southern that will be given to Southern’s daughter.
• The council held vote for council seat abdicated by John Nolan, who moved to outside the city. The mayor asked council members for anyone they wished to nominate. Council member Gary Robertson nominated James Barker; Council member Matt Brown nominated Ashley Caudill. Council member Tom nominated nominated James Barker who had already been nominated by councilman Robertson. In the vote by the council, Barker was 2 yes, 3 no. Caudill was 3 yes 2 no. Mayor Slone congratulated Ashley Caudill on getting the open seat, and invited her to sit with the council to get her feet wet so to speak; but due to the unexpected absence of city attorney Adams, she could be sworn in at that moment and legally cast a vote on issues at the meeting.
•  After approving the minutes of the January 14 meeting, the council went into the main part of the meeting agenda, the annual audit of the city’s finances. Jim Bryant present a 15 minute multi page assessment of the city finances, assets, and budget flows. Mr Bryant stated that the budgets for the city water and sewer, and other city programs were in very good shape, claiming further the city finances were in the best shape in the seven years he has audited the city Louisa, which in the first couple of years he had to to do two audits in one year twice due to the financial messes the city was in. Mr. Bryant reported the only negative budget loss was on the city pool, which was not too bad, and was covered by the city’s emergency fund account. Bryant did mention to the council that Louisa had $12.5 million in liabilities, which Mayor Harold Slone made a physical response by mimicking a heart attack, but Bryant clarified to the council city was in no danger as has been making great strides in reducing that and most likely have taken cared of it in the next several years. (FOR THOSE PUZZLED BY THE MATHEMATICS OF THE AUDIT PRESENTATION TO THE LOUISA CITY COUNCIL; CAN WATCHED THE ENTIRE CITY COUNCIL MEETING HERE.
• After the conclusion of auditor Jim Bryant’s presentation, the city council was explained by Mayor Slone to vote for again for MUNI road aid fund, to which he explained that when the state hands out each year the road funds raised by the state road tax gasoline sales, cities governments and county governments in the state have two choices on how they received their road funds: get their funds handed to them monthly during the fiscal year; or put 3% of their road funds into the MUNI – a joint emergency account paid by city governments and county governments who participate, they get 75% of their road funds up front, and the other 22% percent in August; while the vast gathering of funds accumulate from participating cities and counties from across the state, to which any municipality has a major road emergency and does not have funds to pay for the fixes, they can accesses the MUNI account system through an emergency application to the state road department. The city voted to continue to be part of the MUNI road program.

Finally, after the mayor took comments from some of the council members about city citizens asking or needing help neighbors where council members lived, with no comments from the audience, and with no city attorney present, no need to go to the private executive session meeting; Mayor Slone with the council’s blessing adjourned the meeting.

Under a minute later, Louisa city attorney Elfred “Bud” Adams barreled in, and after his his split second action look of disbelief after hurrying to arrive but was too late, moments later Louisa city clerk Kathy Compton had Adams swear in Ashley Caudill as the new city council member. That can be seen separately HERE.