Adair County Judge-Executive Larry Russell Bryant began Tuesday’s fiscal court meeting with two announcements that were not on the agenda, including news of a $2.9 million lawsuit settlement and repairs made to county equipment by a jail inmate.
Before officially calling the meeting to order, Bryant praised the mechanical abilities of a Class D inmate who had repaired a generator at the county jail. Class D inmates are eligible for work release and regularly perform work for the county and other government entities.
Bryant said the state had given the county a deadline to have a working generator in place at the jail. A new generator would have cost approximately $32,000, but the inmate was able to repair the existing generator for about $230.
Impressed with the inmate’s abilities, Bryant said he then had the inmate work on a backhoe at the county road department. The equipment was believed to need a head gasket after it began pushing antifreeze into the radiator. The inmate repaired the backhoe, saving the county an estimated $7,500, according to Bryant.
Bryant then announced that the county’s insurance provider, the Kentucky Association of Counties, had settled a lawsuit involving the family of Anthony Robinson for $2.9 million.
It was the second time Bryant had publicly announced a lawsuit settlement before the agreement appeared in civil court proceedings.
At this point, County Attorney Jennifer Hutchison-Corbin told Bryant, “We need to start the meeting.”
“This is important,” Bryant snapped back before proceeding to call the meeting to order.
The lawsuit was filed in 2024 after Robinson died on April 3, 2023. The suit claims Robinson needed emergency care while being incarcerated at the Adair County Regional Jail but was denied the care. The case was filed on behalf of Robinson’s wife, Brittney, and David Hammond, conservator for five minor children.
Once the meeting was called to order, the court took care of general business with little of the squabbling that often goes on each month.
The court took care of paperwork needed following a fire at the transfer station. The county will take bids for the repairs and report back to the insurance company before approving the project.
The court approved first reading on bus turnarounds for Austin Trace and Taylor Ford roads. A request to put a part of Burton Garmon Road back to county maintenance was put on hold at the request of magistrate Billy Coffey. Coffey said the road was not in good shape, which conflicts with a county ordinance that recommends certain standards before taking in private drives. Coffey said it would not be fair to incoming magistrate Chad Brown and the future court to make this decision now.
The court approved paying off a bond that was created to help keep the former Westlake hospital operations afloat. Money turned into the county from the hospital taxing district will be used to pay off the $292,322. The court also agreed to open an account to store digital records from the hospital taxing district of records that are supposed to be kept indefinitely.
The court accepted more than $289,000 in Flex funds for road maintenance for the current fiscal year.
Members approved writing a letter to encourage federal legislation that would allow counties to be given ownership of some Corps of Engineers property at the request of U.S. Sen. Rand Paul. It could result in the county taking ownership of Arnolds Landing and Butler Creek Branch, property currently owned by the Corps but maintained by the county.
A discussion was held about buildings the county owns that were used for polling locations. They approved moving two buildings to county property where they can be used. There are questions remaining about a third building that may not be stable enough to be moved, and no decision was made regarding its future.
The court approved payroll for the ABC director through the end of the year. It also approved two grant applications for the 911 center, one for a recorder and one for a radio console.
All members of the court were in attendance. Magistrates are Chris Reeder, Sammy Baker, Todd Davenport, Tony Denton, Billy Coffey, Mark Humphress and Terry Hadley.
By Sharon Burton
snburton@adairvoice.com
