Magistrate John Camp (left), Judge Executive Darryl Greenfield (center) and Treasurer Tammy Robertson (right) discuss next year's budget/photo by Adam May

Employees of Todd County government could very well see an increase in their hourly wage come July 1^st, but that will also likely mean a change in their vacation and sick time procedures.

Saying he is nearly certain many county employees have used sick time for activities such as hunting and fishing in the past, Judge Executive Darryl Greenfield proposed to give full-time employees an across the board 75 cent raise and part time employees a 50 cent raise—while weighing that against a reduction in the number of sick and vacation hours accrued each month.

Under the proposal, employees with five or less years tenure would go from 12 to six days of vacation per year; those with five to 10 years would fall to 12 days a year and those with 10 years and up would remain at 18 days annually.

Fiscal Court also used a liberal interpretation of the restricted special session agenda item titled only as “Administrative Code” to remove a major portion that previously allowed employees to sell back their sick days to the county at the end of their time with the county.

The judge said he feared there would be an influx of employees quitting and selling back their time between now and when it would go into effect if court waited to put it on the agenda for a regular meeting.

Judge Greenfield’s proposal would also reduce the number of sick days accrued by all employees to six days a year. He said the extra pay will help several employees on the low end of the pay scale with an extra 30 dollars a week, while drawing the “time off” policies closer to the civilian world.

Court was agreeable with the judge’s proposal and also found little wrong with his proposed budget for the next fiscal year of nearly 6.2 million dollars. Magistrates did request a few changes in the spending plan, but the only major differences from last year would be in the employee salary increases, assuming they pass during a regular meeting later this spring.

Listen to the 7:15am newscast on Lite 98.7 Wednesday morning for the full story.

Treasurer Tammy Robertson (left) and Magistrates Alfred Blake and Rex Johnson (center and right) listen to a proposed salary increase and administrative code change/photo by Adam May
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05/01/2012/am

Hopkinsville City Council tonight approved the first reading of an amended budget for fiscal year 2011-12, with Chief Financial Officer Robert Martin saying the city is expected to spend $27, 230,000 out of $27,239,469 that has been budgeted
In other business, council members authorized Mayor Dan Kemp to enter into and execute a $250,898 contract between the City and Community Development Services for the management and administration of the Community Development Block Grant program.
City Council also authorized Mayor Kemp to execute a memorandum of understanding with Christian County to accept $20,212 from the 2012 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program to go towards funding the Christian County Juvenile Drug Court program.
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Elkton Police are investigating a violent home invasion that left a young woman tied up and her house ransacked.

Elkton Police Chief Bruce Marklin says the incident happened between sometime between 8 and 9 this morning at 505 East Main Street. Chief Marklin says the male occupant of the home left and a suspect made his way inside through a window shortly after.

The suspect was reportedly surprised to find the man’s 19-year old wife at home when she caught him going through their possessions. The suspect, described as a white male standing between 5-10 and 6-feet tall, then tied the woman up and she remained that way for at least three hours.

Chief Marklin said the victim was not injured, but was obviously distraught over the incident. He said nothing appeared to be stolen, but that the suspect did significant damage to the residence while there.

The couple has only lived in the home for about two months, according to Chief Marklin, who believes the suspect may have been under the impression that a previous resident still lived there.

The suspect was wearing a long-sleeved blue shirt and blue jeans and anyone who may have seen him or anything suspicious in that area is asked to call Todd County Dispatch at 270-265-2501. Callers can ask to report any tips anonymously if they wish to do so.
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05/01/2012/am

A Hopkinsville middle school student was arrested today for allegedly calling in a bomb threat on Monday.
Hopkinsville Police say the 12-year old female admitted to making the phone calls after she was brought in for questioning.
Police say through the course of investigation, they were able to determine that the juvenile suspect called Hopkinsville Middle School on Saturday, April 28^th and left a message on two different phone lines and was retrieved when school was back in session on Monday.
The suspect is now charged with 1^st degree terrorist threatening.
For the second time this year, a school building had to be evacuated after a bomb threat was made at a local school.
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The Hopkinsville Police Department is reminding area residents to lock their doors and secure personal possessions in a safe location.
Hopkinsville Police responded to 124 burglaries since January and out of those 124 burglaries, 56 of those involved a residence, business or any type of building that was left unlocked.
Leaving a residence unsecured is an open invitation for a burglar and police are urging residents to get into the habit of making sure all windows and doors are locked at all times, especially when the home is not occupied.
Hopkinsville Police say it only takes a few minutes for a burglar to enter and exit a house or building when it’s unsecured and unoccupied.
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