In what was a special-called session of the Christian County Fiscal Court Thursday morning, magistrates unanimously approved the purchase of five vehicles for the five new SROs now on the campus of Christian County Public Schools.
Christian County Sheriff Tyler DeArmond noted they’d be procuring the automobiles slightly cheaper than state-contract pricing, but that the state contract holder doesn’t have these vehicles on their lot.
These cars are ready to go.
DeArmond also stated that these five vehicles will likely be outfitted appropriately through funds created in the most recent county surplus sale.
CCPS moved from eight to 13 SROs earlier this summer, in pursuit of compliance with House Bill 63 — a law that required SROs on all school campuses by August 1 of this year.
Now, all eight of Christian County’s elementary schools are staffed with a full-time SRO.
Magistrates also unanimously approved the financing required for these vehicles, which will come through a Kentucky Association of Counties lease agreement at 48 months with a 4.29% fixed interest.
Christian County Treasurer Walter Cummings said payments for these vehicles will begin January 2023, while Judge-Executive Steve Tribble added that the county will come into full ownership of the vehicles following the completed term.
A sixth vehicle purchase was also approved for the Christian County Coroner’s office. Cummings said more than $29,000 has arrived following an insurance claim on the office’s 2014 pickup truck, which was totaled in the December tornado that rumbled through Pembroke.
Cummings added that the new coroner’s vehicle will be financed through this claim, paid cash, for a Dodge crew-cab pickup, and is a piggyback bid on the SRO vehicles.
Magistrate Jerry Gilliam and Tribble exchanged a witty point about all the new vehicles.
Magistrates also approved a property acquisition near the Davis Road extension, as that project continues.
Tribble said they’ve been trying to complete this project for the last 15 to 16 months.
Cummings said their engineering firm has moved the alignment of the entrance to the road was next to the railroad and the US 41-N intersect, but state officials weren’t pleased with this choice because they sought “line of sight” to be moved north toward Nortonville.
Fiscal court has already procured three rights of way for this project. This is the fourth.
