A dozen farmers are petitioning the state Kentucky Soil Erosion and Water Quality Commission to create an official agricultural district on 5,802.5 acres they own in extreme western Warren County. Farmer Maurice Heard came before Warren County Fiscal Court to explain the idea Friday morning, where the petition was read into the record. Theres no need to vote on this, but several of you have asked me what this was, Warren County Judge-Executive Mike Buchanon told magistrates. The petition has already been approved by the Warren County Conservation District, according to an attached letter by Garnett Owens, that bodys chairman. Heard, who said his family has farmed the western part of the county for 98 years, said he and his neighbors just want the agricultural character of the area recognized and maintained. More than 41 percent of the included acreage is prime farmland, according to the groups application. Forage crops, corn, wheat, soybeans, tobacco, cattle and pigs are raised there, according to Owens letter. Were not asking you for money, or anything we just want you to designate us as an agricultural district, Heard told magistrates. We just want to be left alone, doing what we have been doing for the last hundred years. The state law creating agricultural districts forbids annexation of such an area. A district must consist of at least 250 contiguous acres and must have the owners consent. Any member of the district may withdraw at any time by notifying the conservation district in writing. Designation as an agricultural district wouldnt prevent any sort of development, Buchanon said but it would serve notice to potential developers that there are large farms in the area, with all the attendant sights, sounds and smells. The proposed district lies near the Logan County line, with most of it north of Browning Road and west of Galloways Mill Road. Jail changesMagistrates approved requests by Warren County Jailer Jackie Strode to reclassify the Warren County Regional Jails vacant head nurse position as a part-time, on-call job, and add a clerical deputy to be paid $7.99 per hour. The clerical deputy would do filing, faxing, ordering supplies and data entry, Strode wrote to the court. This would allow the licensed medical staff to concentrate on the medical needs of our inmates. The previous head nurse resigned in mid-March, and her job has been open since then, according to a letter by Strode to the court. The on-call position would be used to fill in during vacation and sick time. I would like to have a minimum of two on-call nurses, Strode wrote. They would be paid up to $13,899 per year. The court also approved a draft agreement with LifeSkills to provide mental health services at the jail at a cost of $20 per personal inmate evaluation, with another $10 for additional individual or group services. Inmate psychiatric visits to LifeSkills, with joint approval from LifeSkills and jail staff, will cost $20 per session. The county has sought savings at the jail all this year in reaction to the state budget crunch. Fiscal court hired consultants to look for ways to cut costs, and they suggested privatizing the jail canteen, medical services and food service. Strode said jail medical staff urged the change in the nursing positions. At a recent conference of Kentucky jailers, Strode talked with two food service vendors, and may have a recommendation for bids next week, he said. Strode also discussed service with three possible canteen vendors, but wants more details on the ideas hes heard for medical service, he told magistrates. Hazardous wastePeople in about 450 cars and trucks dropped off hazardous chemicals May 31 at Warren Countys sixth annual Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day, county Environmental Planning and Assistance coordinator Stan Reagan told the court. Thats about 50 percent more than last year. The event at the Economic Development Center, Western Kentucky University South Campus on Nashville Road, was open to private residents of Warren County. Clean Harbors Environmental Services provided the expertise to deal with boxes and buckets of strange chemicals, which this year included 4,000 gallons of paint and 109 pounds of mercury (mostly from old thermometers), Reagan said. The larger-than-ever event cost the county $19,000, just $1,000 less than the countys budget cap for it, he said. Western, Hildreth-Hopper Oil, Holderfield Battery, Batteries Plus, Rental Service Corp., Scott Waste Management and Millers Bottled Gas contributed to the event. Reagan thanked District 3 Magistrate Eddie Beck, who came to drop off some items and stayed to help, then brought lunch for the event workers. Warren County Jailer Jackie Strode provided six inmates from the work program, and the Warren County Sheriffs Department loaned a van, Reagan said. Reagan surveyed about 200 arriving residents on garbage collection, for which the county contracts with private garbage haulers. More than three-quarters of those asked were content with their garbage service, and even more agreed that garbage collection rates are reasonable, he said. One such hauler, Scott Waste Management, has been inundated with calls from the south end of the county to pick up yard waste after the storms of the past two weeks, Reagan said. Responding to his departments inquiries, Scott said they should be largely caught up within a week, he said.