Funding for coal severance projects will be cutAug 27 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Nola Sizemore Harlan Daily Enterprise, Ky.Hoping to run the county on less coal severance funds, Magistrate David Kennedy said at a recent Harlan Fiscal Court meeting that he's predicting "it's going to get worse for the county, because that is what everybody is telling him in Frankfort." "Every meeting you and I (Harlan County Judge-Executive Joe Grieshop) have attended, they say it's going to get worse and just get used to it," said Kennedy. "What I wanted to do was each magistrate have a few projects which would be covered with coal severance money. I feel each of us ought to have the opportunity on maybe two or three projects that are high priority in their districts." Kennedy added there are going to be "a lot of upset people" when the money comes does arrive. He complained about the Tri-City Senior Citizens Center being number 43 on the list of funding priorities. "I can't live with that. I worked too hard to get this center for our senior citizens in the Tri-City area," said Kennedy. "I can't sit back and let them close these senior citizens centers, they are too important. I want to move the senior citizens centers up the priority list to ensure they are funded by coal severance money." Kennedy continued, saying that "in the event the coal severance money doesn't come down quickly enough to fund these centers he feels confident fiscal court will use general fund money or other monies to fund these centers and keep them going." He said these centers "are high priority as far as the court is concerned." Magistrate Bill Moore agreed with Kennedy, saying he'd prefer to see "other projects cut rather than senior citizen centers." "I've just gotten one started up in the Clover Fork area and I'd hate to see it fail," said Moore. "If there are no coal severance funds available for these centers, I agree with David. We need to look somewhere else and we'll find the money to fund these centers." Reach Nola Sizemore at 606-573-4510, ext. 115, nsizemore@civitasmedia.com
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