Government

Fiscal Court voted to approve 2012 budgets for the county clerk and sheriff’s offices on Jan. 3.

County Clerk Julie Barr told the court projected gross income figures are 4.5 percent higher than in 2011, including increases in mortgage recordings, security agreements and power of attorney filings.

However, about 90 percent of that income is distributed to other entities, like the school board, county attorney and state government.

He started his career in emergency response as a 14-year-old.  This weekend, more than 35 years later, Crestwood resident Mark Gardner marks the end of 2011 with his retirement from the South Oldham Fire Department. 

Gardner, who most recently served as deputy chief of SOFD, retired Dec. 31.

In his many years in the fire service, Gardner has also served as a training officer and as an EMT.

Gardner said he was 14 when he and his best friend, Jeff Tanselle, walked into the Pewee Valley fire station and signed on as junior firefighters.

Ownership of Belknap Community Park, a 25-acre “green space” on Hwy. 42, officially transferred from the North Oldham Lions Club to the Oldham County Fiscal Court this week. 

Six acres will go to Oldham County Public Library, said Bob Leslie, magistrate for District 3 and chair of the county’s park committee.

“This is a win-win situation for Oldham County and our library,” Leslie said, noting that there is not a publicly-owned park in the northwest part of the county.

After three meetings, members of the Fire and EMS Task Force remain unsure of their purpose.

“We’re like a boat without a rudder,” said committee member Albert Harrison. 

Judge-Executive David Voegele formed the committee in July and tasked members with determining if the current fire and EMS models are the most effective and efficient.