By Derek Aaron
Times Journal Reporter

The Lake Cumberland Community Action Agency's request to the Russell Springs City Commission for monetary help to cover the costs of salary and benefits for the director of the Senior Citizens Center was met with no support at last week's monthly commission meeting.
LCCAA had asked both city governments and the county for $3,200 a year to help cover the director's costs. If not covered the director's hours will be cut from eight to six and will have no benefits.
"The city of Russell Springs, under the leadership of Mayor Brian Walters, applied for and received a grant to help build the Senior Citizen's Center," said Mayor Hollis DeHart. "The city bought the land upon which the center sits."
He also said the city pays a monthly fee of $2,500 toward a $300,000 loan from South Ky. RECC to help build the center.
The mayor said the $1,300 a month rent being paid by the agency does not offset the city's monthly payment for the center's loans.
"It doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out that we take a loss on that building and that property a minimum of $14,400 a year," the mayor said.
DeHart said the agency provides meals on a daily basis to seniors in the 10-county Lake Cumberland area even though other governments are not paying toward the costs of the services or for the center's operation.
The mayor said the city built the Senior Citizen's Center with "little or no help from any other governmental entity within the county" and that the city will be making payments on the center for many years.
DeHart did say that he believed the director deserves an eight-hour day with insurance benefits but that the director is an employee of Lake Cumberland Community Action Agency and not the city of Russell Springs.
The mayor said he hoped other governmental entities in the county would take this issue up as well as to not place any more burden on the citizen's of Russell Springs.
Last week, the Russell County Fiscal Court voted unanimously to give $3,200 toward the request from LCCAA, given that both Russell Springs and Jamestown contribute as well.
The Jamestown City Council will most likely take up the issue at their regular monthly meeting on Thursday
In other happenings at the meeting:
o The commission heard the first reading of ordinance 2008-08, an ordinance provided for the levying and collection of an ad valorem tax for Russell Springs for 2008.
Mayor DeHart then spoke about the city's property tax rate, which is figured according to a state formula.
"This coming year will be set at 17.4 cents per $100 of assessed evaluation," he said. "This rate is based on the revenue of the increase or decrease of taxable real property assessments from the year 2007 to the year 2008."
DeHart said if the increase in revenue is more than 4 percent after the exclusion of new property in the current year, then the prior year's rate must be reduced.
"Because there was a slight decrease in revenue from property tax in Russell Springs, there will be a tax rate this year of 17.4," he said.
The mayor said last year's tax rate was 17.2 percent.
"That means we will have a two-tenths of one cent rise in property taxes, which is in essence, negligible," he said. "People won't even know the difference."
o Upon the recommendation of Commissioner Richard Wooldridge, the commission voted to name the road on which he lives in Russell Springs, Amy Wooldridge Lane, after his wife.
Wooldridge said his family moved to that part of Russell Springs in 2002 and since then his wife, Amy,  had been instrumental in keeping the neighborhood in order, from mowing vacant lots to cleaning up the area.
o According to Mayor DeHart, the city has been approached on behalf of the "Doughboy" fund in hopes that the city could donate to that fund.
The commission urged the mayor to talk with both the Russell County Fiscal Court and the Jamestown City Council before any contribution is made.
"I think we're talking about something that's countywide (when talking about the Doughboy)," DeHart said.
o Commissioner Wayne Gaskins said the city had received 25-30 applications for the vacant police officer's position and could possibly be ready to hire someone by the October meeting.