Interlocal Agreement causes consternation for Williamstown City Council

EMS

A lengthy, detailed and at some points contentious discussion occurred between the councilmembers, Williamstown Fire Chief Les Whalen; Dry Ridge City Administrator Ken Little; Sara Lawson of the Emergency Department of St. Elizabeth; Grant County Judge/Executive Chuck Dills; District One Magistrate, Jacqalynn Riley; and Paul Oghia of the Williamstown Fire Department.

DRFD has shortened the length of the agreement from three years to one with the expectation of Grant County creating an ambulance district to take over EMS service.

Also, the agreement reduced Williamstown’s share of the costs from $404,424.80 to $313,887.91.

A motion was made by Kim Crupper to sign the Interlocal Agreement. There was no second and the motion died.

According to Whalen, the city could start a basic life support (BLS) EMS system for roughly $300,000 to $350,000. It would take $250,000 per year to maintain it.

However, Lawson maintained the necessity of using Advanced Life Support ambulances, which can be used for “heart attack and seizure” patients.

A special meeting will be called before the April 1 deadline to determine if the city will join the Interlocal Agreement with DRFD or create its own ambulance servicy.

Williamstown Lake

With warm weather coming, milfoil, zebra mussels and paddlefish are again topics of discussion. All three species work in concert to “clear the water” and cause problems.

You can see as much as eight feet to the bottom of the lake at some points, according to Williamstown Lake Association Board member Tom Hutchins

Paddlefish are bottom-feeders and tend to eat plankton while milfoil and zebra mussels act as water filters, eating algae. While it’s nice to have clear water, the warm, clean water if perfect for milfoil and zebrafish to thrive.

In the past, the city considered using chemicals to control the milfoil. However, the cost and potential toxicity of using chemicals in a drinking water source made it a last resort.

Hutchins said the herbicide ProcellaCOR is EPA-approved and has the “lowest” toxicological rating of applicable herbicides for use against milfoil. He said it kills milfoil in “three to four days” and dissolves “into inert materials” at the bottom of the lake.

While the city has year-old estimates of $8,000 for the pesticide and materials to spray it, it would, more than likely, be higher today. Hutchins said the Lake Association would be more than happy to help with the cost.

Councilmember John Coleman noted the city has already paid for Water Plant Superintendent Tim Beach to be certified to use the pesticides.

Mayor Mark Christopher said he does not want to “kick the can down the road” on the matter. Council decided to look into possible solutions such as “bio-sanitation stations” to decontaminate boats before they are put into the lake, signs from Fish and Wildlife, drying boats for several days before putting them in and discussing options with the Kentucky Division of Water, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, US Corp of Engineers and milfoil expert Jo Latimore

Wrap Technologies for the Police Department

Police Chief Chris Collins discussed bringing Wrap Technologies to Williamstown and Grant County. The company specializes “in advanced public safety solutions, integrating ultramodern technology, cutting-edge tools, and comprehensive services to address the complex, modern day challenges facing public safety organizations around the world,” according to a letter they provided Collins.

The proposal includes a five-year quote which, split three ways between Williamstown Police Department, Grant County Sheriff’s Department and the Grant County Detention Center, will amount to $13,000 each spread over the five year life of the agreement.

Additionally, there will be a $1,000 annual fee for any upgrades, repairs or technical assistance. The yearly amount for each of the entities will be $3750 for the first year and $3,633.40 for the successive years.

Council approved the purchase contingent on all three agencies participating.

Miscellaneous:

- The council conducted the second reading of Ordinance 2024-02 changing the zoning map and re-classifying an approximately 17.6589 acre parcel within the city limits located on Roselawn Drive from Residential-Two (R-2) to Agricultural-One (A-1). The ordinance was approved unanimously.

- The city received a bid from Adam Griesinger of Triple Cuts Lawn Care to trim the Williamstown Cemetery “bi-weekly” for the amount of $1,782.25 per trim. Council approved the bid with the contingency that bi-weekly will mean “twice per month.”

Council went into closed Session to discuss strategy, tactics, possible settlement and other matters regarding the pending litigation involving MGPI.

Announcements:

All offices in the City Building will be closed Friday, March 29 in observance of Good Friday

The city is again partnering with Patriots Landing for the veterans’ banners. Information on how to purchase the banners will be forthcoming.

The next scheduled meeting will be Tuesday, April 2 at 6 p.m. at 400 North Main Street, Williamstown. For more information, contact 859-824-3633.