Osborne wants council to create local jobs

Leslie Moore

Taylor Circuit Court Judge Allan Bertram swears in new Campbellsville City Council member Paul Osborne at Monday night's meeting. Eleven returning members were also sworn in.

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One new and 11 returning members were sworn in on Monday night to serve for the next two years on the Campbellsville City Council.

Taylor Circuit Court Judge Allan Bertram, who led the swearing-in ceremony during the council’s regular meeting, congratulated the members and thanked them for their service to the community.  New councilman Paul Osborne said working hard to create and find jobs for local residents will be his first priority as he serves on the council.

“It’s very important that we get the people who want to work and can work working, and to me that’s priority No. 1,” Osborne said. “There are other things that are very important, most everything they do here is important, but I think this should be our first priority.”

Osborne is clear about his reasons for seeking a position on the council.

“It’s been about 10 years since I’ve been in city government, but I want to be a part of the discussion of how we tax people, how we spend our money and what we do down here affects everybody,” Osborne said. “I just want to be part of that debate.” Returning council members Dr. Jimmy Ewing, Vangie Ford, Mike Hall Jr., Randy Herron,

Sharon Hoskins-Sanders, Terry Keltner, Stan McKinney, Vicki Mullins, David Nunery and Patti Phillips attended.

Campbellsville Mayor Tony Young recognized councilman Richard Jeter, who did not file for re-election, for his service in city government from 1966 to 2012.

Also at the Meeting:
• The council had final reading of an ordinance approving the annexation of property located on Garden Way.

• The council had final reading of an ordinance issuing the sale of about $1.7 million of Campbellsville Water and Sewer revenue bonds. This will finance the cost of construction of extensions, additions and improvements to the existing combined and consolidated water and sewer system.

• Several appointments were approved. The council approved the re-appointment of Ken Fisher to Planning & Zoning, Roger Sabo and Brandon Dillard to Zoning Adjustment and Greg Johnson to Property Maintenance Code Enforcement Board, all of which are three-year terms. New appointments were Ken Phelps to the County Board of Assessment and Rochelle Atkinson Brady to Housing Commissioners. Both will serve three-year terms.

• The purchase of a new ambulance for Campbellsville/Taylor County EMS was approved at a cost of $120,552. OshKosh Capital won the bid with an offer of a 2.75 percent interest rate on a two-year payment plan. EMS Director Gary Magers said that because of the purchase of new vehicles, maintenance costs have dropped by half. McKinney asked if the price of ambulances has increased since the last vehicle the city bought in 2010. Young said the price is the same.

• The council declared several items from Campbellsville Fire & Rescue as surplus. The items are three halogen vehicle light bars, three rechargeable boxlight flashlights, an enclosed tent, nine Scott 4.5 self-contained breathing apparatus which include cylinders and masks, a 1998 Dodge truck and a 2004 Ford Crown Victoria. The items will be opened for bids.

• The council declared four vehicles from Campbellsville Water and Sewer as surplus. They are a 1992 Ford Ranger, a 2001 Ford F-350, a 2006 Ford Ranger and a 2008 Ford Ranger. The vehicles will be opened for bids.

• The council accepted a bid from the USDA for the purchase of $1.65 million in revenue bonds for the South Campbellsville Water Tower Project.

• The South Campbellsville Water Tank Project’s floodplain was approved, stating that the city will deny water service to future customers who build structures in a designated floodplain or the customer must provide evidence that there are no other alternatives to construction within the plain.

• Young announced there will be a reception at Forcht Bank for Hoskins-Sanders on Dec. 20 from 4 to 6 p.m. in honor of her upcoming retirement.

• The council met in closed session for about 10 minutes to discuss the possible purchase of property. No action was taken.