Wayne County Outlook

Fiscal Court will question state on moving of roads
Melodie Phelps
News Editor

The fiscal court has directed County Attorney Lee Tobbe to check with

the State Attorney General regarding a recent change that would move nearly

74 miles of Wayne County roads into the Rural Secondary Road System.

County Judge-Executive Bruce Ramsey brought up the subject during the

regular monthly meeting of Wayne County Fiscal Court on Thursday, December

9. Ramsey said that his office had been notified this month of the change,

which would move these roads out of the Primary Road System, which means the

state maintains the roadways, to the Rural Secondary Road System.

³This is just another way for the state to shift responsibility from

them to us,² stated Ramsey, as he discussed the issue.

For example, Ramsey noted that KY 92 West from the intersection with the

Bypass to Beaver Creek Resort would be shifted into the Rural Secondary Road

System. Ramsey said he could not understand why a main thoroughfare used by

tourists, as well as residents, would not be considered a primary road by

the state.

Other magistrates also questioned how this would affect the snow removal

priority set by the state during winter weather. Normally, snow removal

occurs first on primary roads around the county.

Ramsey noted that statewide about 800 miles of roads were removed from

the Primary Road System. Wayne County¹s portion represents about nine

percent of that.

Ramsey indicated that he did not think this action was legal, according

to the state statute that he has read. The court joined Ramsey in his

statement and requested that Tobbe do more research on this decision.

Tobbe was also directed to look into three bills submitted to the court

for psychiatric evaluations. Ramsey said the three examinations cost $650,

and he did not understand why the county was responsible for the bill.

All three were apparently court-ordered in regard to guardianships and

Ramsey indicted that the county should see if there was any way to have

family members who are involved in the action be financially responsible for

the bills. The court paid all the other bills except the three for the

evaluations.

The court agreed to adopt 1,500 feet of the Mountain Acres Road into the

county road system. In other related action, the court agreed to advertise

to include three-tenths of a mile of Foxwood Estates, which is in District

Two, and seven-tenths of a mile of an extension to the Spann Hill Road, into

the county road system.

Later in the meeting, District Four Magistrate Wade Upchurch made a

motion that each magistrate appoint a road viewer that resided in their

district. This road viewer would travel to look at any roads that are

proposed for adoption into the county system, regardless of the district.

Upchurch¹s motion included $25 in compensation for these viewers, each

time they travel out to look at a road. The motion died for lack of a

second.

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