CITY HALL—Dozens of complaints over poor trash hauling service have led to an investigation, the city administrator announced at this month's second regularly scheduled City Council meeting.

During his report to Council, Shawn Sandlin said a meeting with the Lily, Ky.-based Waste Connections had been scheduled to gather information about complaints from commercial customers that they were being charged hundreds of dollars without warning for improper Dumpster use.

"It'll just be me meeting with them tomorrow," Sandlin said when asked by The Edge after the Council meeting, whether other City officials would be present, and if there would be any discussion about how residents are also frustrated with the hauler's customer service. "We'll be discussing all the complaints," he said.

Municipal order

Following the resignation from Council of Cora Jane Wilson, and the appointment of Barry Poynter in her place, Municipal Order o1-2026, which releases Wilson from her committee duties and allows Poynter to serve instead, was presented. It passed in a voice vote, 5 to 2. Councilmembers Katie Startzman and Steve Davis dissented. Councilmember Steve Caudill was absent.

Before the vote, Startzman raised the point that Council did not need the personnel committee. Davis reminded Council they'd already argued in a previous meeting whether a personnel committee might be inappropriate and cited the Kentucky League of Cities' opinion that such committees are problematic. Davis concluded that the City might want to reconsider keeping the committee. The City's counsel John Gilbert, present at the meeting, responded that to abolish the committee would require a change to the Code of Ordinances.

Later, during Council Comment, Davis assured Poynter his decision to vote no on the order was not meant as a slight against the newest Councilmember, but was in protest to having a personnel committee.

Resolution

Resolution 02-2026 was passed unanimously in a voice vote, to accept state and federal funds on behalf of the recently dubbed Central Kentucky Triple Crown Business Park, located in West Berea, off Menelaus Road.

Following an earlier announcement from Congressman Andy Barr that the regional business park sited in Berea would receive $2 million in federal dollars, in a work session, Mayor Bruce Fraley told Council that the Kentucky Economic Development Cabinet will award the business park $4 million in state Product Development Initiative funds.

Lucas Witt, a founding partner of the Lexington-based economic development consulting firm, MWM Consulting, LLC, told Council during the work session that the state has made $35 million available to counties wishing to establish local industry, and has placed an emphasis on regionalism. Each county is eligible for up to $2 million in state funds.

In the case of the Triple Crown park, because it is a joint venture between Scott and Madison counties and the Fayette-Urban County Government, the project was eligible for $6 million, or $2 million per county. This year, Witt said Triple Crown's board only sought $4 million, with future plans to apply for the additional $2 million.

During the work session, Councilmembers Jerry Little and Ronnie Terrill asked about the kinds of industry that would come to the park, and when construction would begin. Fraley explained that being between two mega-sites (the Begley site on Duncannon Lane in Richmond and the Rockcastle Mega-site), plus the geography of the Triple Crown park, meant there would not be heavy industry there. Fraley and Witt both said that it was possible construction on the site could begin near the end of this summer.

Ordinances

Confusion during the first reading of Ordinance 02-2026, was down to a clerical error, Gilbert confessed to Council. With the corrected text, confusion was cleared and the Ordinance intended to authorize the City's police department to cite the owners of inoperable vehicles parked on City streets, passed unanimously by a voice vote.

Ordinance 03-2026, amending multiple line items in the City's FY25-26 budget received its first reading.

Department head report

There were no scheduled department head reports, but Codes and Planning Administrator Amanda Haney used the time to remind Council of the next and final public Comprehensive Plan meeting. It will be held on Thursday, February. 19, from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM. Unlike the previous public Comprehensive Plan meeting where citizens were invited to drop in any time, there is an agenda for the meeting, Haney said, suggesting the public should arrive on time.

For more about the Comprehensive Plan, and its importance in shaping the City over the next 20 years, visit the City's Comprehensive Plan website.

City administrator report

In addition to announcing his investigation into Waste Connections, Sandlin also asked Council to consider increasing the Municipal Road Aid fund by $100,000, which would bring the total from $700,000 to $800,000. Sandlin told The Edge following the meeting that the City's streets needed the extra cash to repair pot holes. During the meeting, Little thanked Sandlin for bringing it up, noting that money to repair streets goes fast.

Sandlin also offered a warm welcome to the students in attendance from Berea College Sociology Prof. Andrea Woodward's Civic Engagement class.

Mayor's comments

Fraley thanked Barr for having secured the $2 million in federal funds for the business park, as well as an additional $1 million in federal monies that will be paired with another $1 million in state funds to complete the Kenway Street extension project. He also announced the $4 million in state funds for the business park, noting that he expected the park would lead to many jobs in the future. He called the funding of the business park a "huge wind for Berea and Central Kentucky."

Council comments

Terrill, Poynter, Little and Startzman had no comment. Councilmembers Davis and John Payne each welcomed the college students and thanked them for attending, as well as welcoming them to return any time. Payne briefly explained the function of City Council to the students, noting it was responsible for spending tax payer dollars wisely in order to enhance the quality of life for Bereans.

Councilmember Teresa Scenters thanked Fraley for his persistence in asking Barr for the federal funds.