Some Laurel County KY Volunteer Fire Departments could go broke
Member Submission
Laurel to address debt to fire depts
By Eric Steinkopff / Staff Writer
Officials hope to hold an emergency Laurel County Fiscal Court meeting Tuesday to discuss hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid bills owed to 11 fire departments, a rescue squad and the dispatch center.
Laurel County Fire Alliance president and Keavy Volunteer Fire Department Chief Ronnie Bales said Friday that six weeks into the new fiscal year the county still owes two quarterly payments – or half a year of money from the last year amounting to roughly $15,000 per department – more than $168,000 to operate and maintain the all-volunteer firefighting force.
“We’re working on that and we’ll probably call a special meeting Tuesday night,” said Judge-Executive Lawrence Kuhl Sunday.
Kuhl declined to comment on the exact amount of money still owed to the two organizations from the last fiscal year budget that ended June 30, but confirmed that the 911 Dispatch Center is also owed a significant amount in unpaid bills from last fiscal year.
“We’ll disclose all that at the meeting,” Kuhl said. “I’ve spoken to some of the magistrates and we’re still trying to get them their money, too.”
An official notice for a special meeting had not been delivered by press time.
Contact Eric Steinkopff at esteinkopff@thetimestribune.com.
FireRescue1 encourages its members to comment on this article in the comments section below. You must be a registered member of FireRescue1 to post a comment. The comments below are member-generated and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of FireRescue1 or its staff.
