GLASGOW – To ensure the group can remain functional, Barren Fiscal Court put a plan in place Tuesday to change the three-member Special Ambulance Service Taxing District Board to a five-member body.

Judge-Executive Micheal Hale said the change is needed because the board requires the presence of at least three members to hold a meeting.

With only three members, the absence of even one member can prevent the board from doing its job, Hale said, noting that this has been a persistent issue.

“We had one (member) that just wasn’t showing up,” he said, referring to James Isenberg, a nurse practitioner who resigned from the board in January. “We had one to resign, we replaced that person with (Isenberg), he just didn’t show up. He was the treasurer, which he’s bonded to write the checks and he just wasn’t showing up to do business.”

The motion called for the reappointment of Martin Peterson and Sydney Knicely to terms that begin Thursday and end Jan. 17, 2021, and the appointment of Ann Christie, Jackie Brown and Phillip Roper to terms that begin Thursday and last until Jan. 17, 2020.

After the motion was unanimously approved, Hale declared an emergency “due to an immediate need for board representation” to hold a second reading of the ordinance, which again passed unanimously.

Fiscal court also voted to put $30,000 toward the hiring of a professional to revamp the county’s web presence and develop apps to be used by county officials and employees for county business. The county had donated the $30,000 to Barren County Schools to fund a computer science learning program, but it went unused and was returned by the district.

“We’re looking to rebuild the county’s website,” Hale said. “We need something that grabs people’s attention.”

The Interapt Skills program teaches the district’s students and adults in the community to code iPhone apps.

Hale said the plan is to hire one of the Interapt Skills program’s graduates to redesign the county’s website with the goal of marketing the county nationwide and developing apps that county workers could use to collaborate more effectively.

In another matter, Magistrate Trent Riddle proposed requesting bids for installing safety nets over the baseball seating in Jackie Browning Park for up to $7,000.

County parks Director Charles Kerney said five people were struck by foul balls in Barren County parks in 2018.

“We know that there’s no way to eliminate this,” Riddle said. “It’s not ever going to be eliminated in the park, but we believe that we can help by putting up some safety nets.”

Kerney said the parks department acquired $4,000 to address the problem from two donors and will receive $3,000 when another donation that’s been promised is made.

Kerney said he wants to have the safety nets installed by the end of March, adding that baseball season in Barren County begins in April and that he hopes to have safety nets installed more widely in the near future.

“That’s just a start,” he said. “We’re going to see what we can do with it, then maybe finish the rest of it when we get more donations or more funding becomes available.”

Riddle also mentioned that the department was looking at the possibility of organizing a fall concert.

Kerney said nothing about the potential concert has been determined yet.

“We’re still exploring what artists we can get. We do want bigger name artists,” he said.

Kerney said he wanted to provide a large local event, adding that other parks departments throughout the state have had success in hosting similar events.

“If you look all around … the counties now, all the parks and rec departments are dipping into something different. Even Glasgow Parks and Recreation, they have the Hops & Horses and stuff like that and it brings more in,” he said, referencing the Hops & Horses events that brought the Budweiser Clydesdales to Glasgow twice in the last two years.

In another matter, fiscal court went into closed session to discuss proposed litigation on behalf of a public agency.

When fiscal court resumed open session, Hale made a motion to hold a public hearing after the fiscal court meeting March 19 to determine Barren County’s newspaper of record.

County attorney Kathryn Thomas said the hearing is intended to gain information needed to determine whether the Glasgow Daily Times or the Barren County Progress would be designated as the county’s newspaper of record.

“You’ve got two newspapers in Barren County that would meet the qualifications under KRS 424 section 120 and with both of them meeting those qualifications, then the question becomes which paper has the highest bonafide paid circulation?” she said.

“Any time there’s a sale or any action the county government takes where public notice is required … then county government utilizes the paper of record to advertise those so that we can meet the advertising requirements that are prescribed there through statute with county government,” she said.

The Daily News previously reported that fiscal court currently does all its advertising required by state law with the Daily Times, though the Progress has argued that it should be considered the county’s newspaper of record.