Providence considers fireworks ordinance, sets tax rate for 2015

by STEVE SHOOTS
J-E Reporter
The Providence City Council met Monday night with all members in attendance.  Mayor Eddie Gooch opened by asking City Attorney Richard Peyton to provide the first reading of Ordinance 2015-6 which will cover the use, sale and display of fireworks within the city.  As Peyton summarized the ordinance, some of the key points identified were: 

•All provisions will be within compliance with KRS rules
•Persons may use fireworks between the hours of 10:00 A.M. and 10:00 P.M. only
•Must be used only by people aged 18 and over
•Annual fee to vendors for the sale of fireworks will be set at $300.00 per location
 

Clay city council looks to increase taxes, save money on water

by MATT HUGHES
J-E Editor
Clay council members will attempt to offset a tight budget by approving a four percent increase to city taxes for 2015. The increase, if approved at a special called meeting later this month, will move the tax rate from 2.86 cents per $100 of assessed property value to 3 cents per $100.

For a property valued at $100,000, that increase will amount to $14 a year.
With the city already struggling with a tight 2015-2016 budget, another problem the city faces is delinquent taxes. Over the last several years the council has taken steps to collect on old debts, getting city attorney Ben Leonard in the pursuit of much needed funding.
Director of Public Works Paul Stone told the council that city workers had recently discovered a leak that had troubled the city’s water department for years.
“For years we have been using 145 to 155,000 gallons a day,” Stone reported. “We’ve had a thirty percent water loss for years. That’s a little over a million gallons a month.”