Whitley County Judge Executive Pat White, Jr. recently took the time to offer updates on topics discussed at the July 15 Whitley County Fiscal Court meeting, as well as some other special projects that are on the to-do list for the near future.
One of the top orders of business at the last meeting of the fiscal court was to approve the first reading of an ordinance relating to street-legal special purpose vehicles. This stems from legislation that came out of this year’s meeting of the Kentucky General Assembly that allows for the legal licensing of special purpose vehicles, as long as they adhere to all required safety regulations.
White provided some clarification, saying, “Our ordinance is just an ‘opt-in,’ meaning that we will be opting in to the extent that the law provides.”
“It will not affect four-wheelers,” White clarified. “Some of the magistrates had questions as we were trying to read through the statute and waiting for the regulations to come out in order to see exactly what we were passing. It appears that the vehicles have to have a roll cage, so there was a lot of questions about that. I think it is more of a UTV statute, but we are opting in to the extent that they will allow.”
By way of comparison, an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) typically features a straddle seating position, handlebar steering, and the ability to travel through a variety of terrain types, whereas a utility terrain vehicle (UTV) is typically larger, more powerful, and often able to seat passengers side-by-side.
“You’re not required to go and register every UTV,” White continued. “It’s just if you want to use it for street-legal purposes. [In that case,] you have to register it, license it, and insure it. You also have to have some equipment added to it so that it complies with every other street-legal vehicle – brake lights, turn signals, head lights, things like that.”
White said that the second reading of the adoption ordinance should take place at the August fiscal court meeting. He said that Whitley County Clerk Carolyn Willis has already received several inquiries concerning the new law, and he expects that it will ultimately improve circumstances as it pertains to people driving special purpose vehicles on roadways, as the required safety equipment and insurance coverage will provide added protections that aren’t always in place currently.
Also, at the last fiscal court meeting, the annual report for the Whitley County Detention Center was reviewed and approved. White said that nothing specific jumped out at him as it pertains to the contents of the report, but he did mention that all permits have been obtained for the upcoming multi-million-dollar expansion project at the jail that will add up to 100 beds at the facility once complete.
“We are moving forward to bid on the construction of the addition, so that should be coming soon,” White said, adding that he hopes to break ground on the project sometime near the end of September.
Other updates that White provided included the planned addition of a second bath house facility at the Whitley County Fairgrounds. He said this project would be completely funded through various grants.
White also commented that the county plans to invest in a new garbage truck to help accommodate the growing demand for waste removal among local citizens. He said that the county is currently servicing over 5,000 customers with its waste removal service.
Finally, White wanted to inform all local residents that Whitley County does have an active REACH Alert notification system in place that will send out alerts to mobile devices and via e-mail that contain pertinent information regarding important notices and/or emergency situations. To sign up, go online to www.reachalert.com, search for “Whitley County,” and select “Join.” You will then be asked to provide your preferred method(s) of contact.
