Annexation

Stanford Mayor Bill Miracle was pleased Wednesday morning with the results of the Stanford annexation vote, pointing out how important it is to the city. “From the standpoint of the city, this is one of the biggest issues we’ve dealt with in years; our city will grow six to seven percent over the next year.” Miracle said that the vote, which will incorporate 200 hundred acres of land in the northwest part of Stanford bodes well for growing the city with more annexation in the future.

STANFORD — The city’s annexation steamroller continued on its path Tuesday, with councilmen giving final approval to taking in the school campus to the south and starting the process to absorb the stockyards to the east. No one attended Tuesday’s called meeting to protest the move. Concerns expressed Monday by school officials and employees about having to pay the city’s occupational tax did not dissuade City Council from pushing forward. “I’m sure some people have ill feelings, but it wasn’t done with any ill intentions.

STANFORD — After approving budgets in retreat the last four years, Stanford City Council is looking at one this year that is inching its way forward. “We are turning around and going in the right direction,” Mayor Bill Miracle said Thursday at the end of a budget workshop session. The proposed $1.8-million budget for 2011-12 is healthier mainly due to some new revenue from last year’s annexation of the Food Lion area, which gives the city about $70,000 more to work with.

The Nicholasville City Commission approved a zone change request for approximately 6.03 acres of property located at the corner of East Brannon Road and Lauderdale Drive. The change moves the property from P-1 (professional district) to R-3 (multi-family residential district). The commission approved zone changes for .30 acres of land in the same area from R-1T (townhouse residential) to R-3. The commission also approved an annexation request for the Delores M. Singleton Trust Property, 18.245 acres adjoining the Central Industrial Park.

Stanford Mayor Bill Miracle said that a new City Clerk was hired at a Monday evening special-called meeting of the city council in advance of the second reading of an ordinance to annex a 296-acre piece of land into the city of Stanford. Miracle said that City Attorney Carol Hill advised that it would be better to have a clerk in place before the reading of the ordinance. Typically, the city would have advertised the position and reviewed applications for the position, but with the annexation ordinance vote pending before the end of the calendar year and a strong candidate for the job in place, the council skipped the process and hired Denise Pike to fill the position of Sandy Gooch who was terminated a month ago. Miracle said that Pike had been doing a good job filling in for Gooch for a little over four weeks and had already established a good working relationship with the council.

Danville commissioners have decided to bring the city to its manager as a way to abide by the requirement he live in the city limits. At Monday evening's City Commission meeting, City Manager Ron Scott and his wife, Janis Scott, addressed the commission “as may any citizen” to request annexation of their property. At 3245 Harrodsburg Road, the Scotts' property is just outside the city limits off U.S. 127 across from First Church of God. Scott said he thinks the voluntary annexation of their property of 20 years would be an asset to Danville.

The Nicholasville City Commission turned down a request by Grey Oaks Lane, LLC to appear before its annexation committee to discuss a housing development near Brannon Crossing. Nicholasville planning director Greg Bohnett said the group wanted to discuss the city's memorandum of agreement that specifies housing units must have at least 1,540 square feet of living space. Bohnett said the group wants to build housing units that would range from 1,137 square feet to 1,806 square feet.

Mayor Bill Miracle stepped in it early at an unusual joint meeting of the Stanford City Council and the Lincoln County Board of Education. In his initial comments to the group of educators assembled to voice concern over the economic impact the city’s annexation would have on district employees, Miracle said, “For everyone who doesn’t want to pay that tax, there is someone who would gladly take that job.” Miracle’s comment was met with derisive...

HARRODSBURG - Without alcohol sales, business at the 19th Hole restaurant at Bright Leaf Resort is drying up and it will soon close. But if the restaurant is annexed into the city, which allows sales, it likely would stay afloat and prosper. That's what Helen King, the self-described matriarch of Bright Leaf Resort, told City Commissioners on Monday night. “We've had the restaurant many years. We've tried to stay dry, but everything has become wet around us,” King said.

The Nicholasville City Commission approved a zone change request for approximately 6.03 acres of property located at the corner of East Brannon Road and Lauderdale Drive. The change moves the property from P-1 (professional district) to R-3 (multi-family residential district). The commission approved zone changes for .30 acres of land in the same area from R-1T (townhouse residential) to R-3. The commission also approved an annexation request for the Delores M. Singleton Trust Property, 18.245 acres adjoining the Central Industrial Park.

Danville commissioners have decided to bring the city to its manager as a way to abide by the requirement he live in the city limits. At Monday evening's City Commission meeting, City Manager Ron Scott and his wife, Janis Scott, addressed the commission “as may any citizen” to request annexation of their property. At 3245 Harrodsburg Road, the Scotts' property is just outside the city limits off U.S. 127 across from First Church of God. Scott said he thinks the voluntary annexation of their property of 20 years would be an asset to Danville.

The budget just got a bit tighter for the Clark County Fiscal Court. Clark County Judge-Executive Henry Branham alerted the court to a loss of $68,876 during its regular meeting this week. The loss comes because of a change in the bond reimbursement for the county's judicial center. The county originally expected to receive $138,335 for the bond reimbursement for the purchase of the judicial center in 1989. The Administrative Office of the Courts claims it paid off its share of the $2,535,000 of the capital construction cost in fiscal year 2012.

The Nicholasville City Commission turned down a request by Grey Oaks Lane, LLC to appear before its annexation committee to discuss a housing development near Brannon Crossing. Nicholasville planning director Greg Bohnett said the group wanted to discuss the city's memorandum of agreement that specifies housing units must have at least 1,540 square feet of living space. Bohnett said the group wants to build housing units that would range from 1,137 square feet to 1,806 square feet.

HARRODSBURG - Without alcohol sales, business at the 19th Hole restaurant at Bright Leaf Resort is drying up and it will soon close. But if the restaurant is annexed into the city, which allows sales, it likely would stay afloat and prosper. That's what Helen King, the self-described matriarch of Bright Leaf Resort, told City Commissioners on Monday night. “We've had the restaurant many years. We've tried to stay dry, but everything has become wet around us,” King said.

STANFORD — After approving budgets in retreat the last four years, Stanford City Council is looking at one this year that is inching its way forward. “We are turning around and going in the right direction,” Mayor Bill Miracle said Thursday at the end of a budget workshop session. The proposed $1.8-million budget for 2011-12 is healthier mainly due to some new revenue from last year’s annexation of the Food Lion area, which gives the city about $70,000 more to work with.

Mayor Bill Miracle stepped in it early at an unusual joint meeting of the Stanford City Council and the Lincoln County Board of Education. In his initial comments to the group of educators assembled to voice concern over the economic impact the city’s annexation would have on district employees, Miracle said, “For everyone who doesn’t want to pay that tax, there is someone who would gladly take that job.” Miracle’s comment was met with derisive...

STANFORD — The city’s annexation steamroller continued on its path Tuesday, with councilmen giving final approval to taking in the school campus to the south and starting the process to absorb the stockyards to the east. No one attended Tuesday’s called meeting to protest the move. Concerns expressed Monday by school officials and employees about having to pay the city’s occupational tax did not dissuade City Council from pushing forward. “I’m sure some people have ill feelings, but it wasn’t done with any ill intentions.

STANFORD — After being taken by surprise last week with Stanford’s plans to annex three of its schools, rumblings of discontent are beginning to arise within the Lincoln County school system. In a statement issued Saturday, Superintendent Karen Hatter expressed concern about how being absorbed into the city might impact the schools, notably the city occupational tax employees will be subjected to.  “With the times as they are, we have all been called to tighten our belts.

STANFORD — It appears that Mayor Bill Miracle has come down with a serious case of annexation-itis, complicated by gerrymander fever. Flush from a successful annexation effort in November, Miracle is now pursuing three new targets to expand Stanford’s geographic boundaries and revenue stream without adding a single new resident — leaving no one to vote against the moves. On Monday, Stanford City Commission will hold a called meeting to have a second reading of an ordinance to annex about 70 acres that includes Wal-Mart and surrounding businesses.