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Franklin Clark/Cadiz Record
Magistrate Barry Littlejohn (above) is looking at old tobacco farming equipment on display at the Trigg County Museum. He and other magistrates toured the museum after the Trigg County Fiscal Court adjourned.
At its Monday evening meeting, held at the new Trigg County Museum, the Fiscal Court voted unanimously to use $45,000 from the tax revenue from alcohol sales and pay for roughly half of one of those ambulances.
Trigg County Judge Executive Stan Humphries said TCH’s fleet of ambulances is rapidly aging, with the most recent ones bought in 2003. The hospital is buying two new ambulances at about $93,000 apiece, and are already contracted to buy the first ambulance, but they’ll need help with one of them.
“It is necessary from time to time to update the equipment, and they are trying to do that,” Humphries said. “The hospital, over the last few years, has seen its fair share of hard times, and money’s really not be readily available to pigeonhole that for keeping ambulances up to date.”
Magistrate Larry Lawrence asked if the county is allowed to use alcohol tax revenue for something like this.
While fees collected from the sale of alcohol must be used for law enforcement purposes, taxes – which make up the majority of the revenue – can be used for general fund items, said Humphries, who suggested that this tax revenue continue to be used for one-time capital outlay items.
For the rest of this story, see this week's issue of The Cadiz Record or subscribe to our e-Edition by calling 270-522-6605.
