The Barren River Area Development District executive council set the table for its future Friday by ending a long-standing dispute with the state of Kentucky, saying goodbye to its executive director of nine years – Rodney Kirtley – and turning to a man they have leaned on before to serve as interim executive director.

Gene Becker, associate director for Planning and Development Services at BRADD, served as interim director nine years ago and will now assume that role again. Becker has been with BRADD in various capacities for 39 years, he said after a Friday meeting.

The BRADD executive council met for about 30 minutes in closed session before naming Becker. The board voted to compensate Becker an additional $2,500 a month for his additional duties as interim. There is a plan to seek a new BRADD executive director, but Becker said that process hasn’t been worked out yet.

Becker said Friday he is pleased to help with the transition and likes being on staff and not running the entire show.

“I have never thought of being executive director,” he said. Asked what some of his first priorities would be, he said “we need to mend some fences.”

Kirtley announced his retirement Wednesday after a disagreement arose over the BRADD council authorizing payment of $82,976.14 on Tuesday to the Kentucky Department of Aging and Independent Living. DAIL disputed salary bonuses awarded by BRADD to employees from 2009-14 and Kirtley still insisted Friday that DAIL Commissioner Deborah Anderson cannot cite for him specifically where in the Kentucky Constitution it says BRADD couldn’t pay what he called “salary enhancements.” Despite that, the BRADD executive board went against Kirtley’s position and paid the money.

The payment will come from annual dues paid by the 10 counties in the BRADD region. Simpson and Warren counties, plus the city of Bowling Green, have not paid dues and the executive council made a rule last year that if county or city dues were not paid, that entity could not serve on the executive council. The council essentially runs the quasi-governmental entity that serves – in addition to Simpson and Warren counties – Hart, Barren, Butler, Edmonson, Logan, Allen, Monroe and Metcalfe counties.

The BRADD draws down about $7 million annually from state and federal sources to conduct more than 62 programs, Becker said. About half of that money simply passes through the BRADD’s ledgers as it acts as fiscal agent for city and county governments throughout the region. 

“We’re the linkage with federal, state and local,” Becker said.

BRADD ended the practice of paying the bonuses a couple of years ago. The dispute with the state has been going on for several years, surfacing publicly last year through several back-and-forth letters between DAIL and the BRADD.

Metcalfe County Judge-Executive Greg Wilson said a letter from the BRADD board will be included in the check to the DAIL.

The executive council Friday also accepted Kirtley’s resignation. His last day in the office was Friday and with vacation time, his official final day will be July 31. The BRADD executive director currently is paid $106,896 out of a total payroll of $1,743,915.53 annually and supervises 51 full- and part-time employees, although that number actually increased to 68 employees through July 15 this year.

Kirtley will be paid to the end of July through two pay periods and then receive a lump sum payment for August, Wilson said. 

“We did reach out to the DOG (state Department of Local Government) and Bobby Russell and the retirement package is not excessive,” Wilson said.

The Daily News on Friday asked Wilson for a copy of the letter to DAIL in connection with the payment and also the details of Kirtley’s retirement package. The information was not immediately available Friday.

In another matter, the BRADD council agreed to keep Independence Bank, its bank for the past three years. Also bidding was South Central Bank.

“It’s close,” said council member Steve Thurmond of Franklin of the two proposals. “No question it is close.” 

BRADD has not been charged any transaction fees by Independence Bank in those three years.

— Follow business reporter Charles A. Mason on Twitter @BGDNbusiness or visit bgdailynews.com.