Christian Fiscal Court approves Asian Carp resolution

Meeting for the final time in July, Christian Fiscal Court worked through a busy agenda Tuesday morning and urged the federal government to address the Asian Carp problem in Barkley and Kentucky lakes.

Magistrates gave unanimous approval to a resolution similar to one recently approved by Lyon and other counties in the region that urges the government to take steps to reduce the Asian Carp population.

Magistrate Darrell Gustafson says the non-indigenous species is hurting fishing and tourism in the lakes region.

The large fish that leap high out of the water are also a safety concern and Gustafson says the problem is only going to get worse.

Congressman James Comer will hold an Oversight and Government Reform Committee Field Briefing Friday afternoon at 2 at the Lyon County Convention Center to address the Asian Carp issue. It’s open to the public and will feature testimony from witnesses representing the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife, local fishing and tourism industries, and federal agencies involved in Asian carp programs and initiatives.

Meanwhile, Randy Thompson of WCA Waste says that company has purchased Freedom Waste and has taken over its franchise agreements in western Kentucky.

The company will continue to operate as Freedom Waste locally.

In other action, magistrates approved a two-year contract with Telecom Audit Group to examine the county’s phone bills and to find savings. Representatives said most counties have saved several thousand dollars by disconnecting lines that no longer exist or that are no longer needed and finding other costs the county shouldn’t be paying. The company will receive half of any savings it creates for a period of time, but won’t receive any compensation if they fail to find savings.

Emergency Management Director Randy Graham announced the appointments of Lucas Stagner and Michael Velez as volunteer deputy emergency management directors and of Stagner as the deputy search and rescue coordinator.