CITY HALL—Kids took center stage Tuesday evening, during the first regularly scheduled City Council meeting of March. First during the public comment, and then when the mayor made a proclamation in their honor.

Public comment

Nora Heather Wilson, age unknown, introduced herself to Council and shared how it hurts her heart to see so the homeless people in town. She said they deserve a warm place to sleep, and she is worried about them, she said. Nora said she sees "old and abandoned buildings all over town" and asked why they can't be used to house the people without homes.

After Nora was seated, she stayed for the whole meeting. Therefore, she was there to accept the kudos and compliments for her grace and courage that several Councilmembers showered upon her.

Proclamation

Mayor Bruce Fraley proclaimed March 2026 to be Children's Champions of Madison County Month, as has been the case for several years running. The organization's mission is to protect children, especially from drug use, according to the proclamation, which Fraley read aloud before awarding it to Phyllis Adams, who founded Children's Champions.

Beth Madden of the Berea Kiwanis accompanied Adams to receive the proclamation, as the local Kiwanis chapter is a sponsor of the Children's Champions free event, Kid's Mall Madness, where multiple family-friendly activities will be offered throughout the Richmond Mall on Saturday, March 7, from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM.

Amendment

Fraley asked Council if he could amend that night's agenda to include a correction to the agenda from the February 17 meeting when he'd announced the regional business park Berea is a partner in, had won a Kentucky Product Development Initiative grant of $4 million. He told Council at this meeting that the state has advised him that in fact, there will be $4,171.840.00 to the cash award, and instructed him to say, "$4 million or above". The public record has now been corrected to reflect this, as Council approved a motion to do so.

License agreement

In a work session prior to the meeting, Shawn Sandlin, the City's administrator, announced that the City intended to enter into a licensing deal with Rick Terrill, Councilmember Ronnie Terrill's son. The agreement is for the use of two acres of the younger Terrill's property, situated across from the Berea College Forest Outreach Center parking lot, to allow visitors of the July Craft Festival held at the Pinnacles in July, to park. The agreement is for three years, and will pay the younger Terrill $2,000 annually through 2028.

During the Council meeting, and after Fraley read out the state ethics code to assure the public that because this was happening on the record, there was no nepotism, the licensing arrangement was put to Council for a vote. Councilmember John Payne asked the mayor to make it a voice vote. Fraley did so, and the measure passed 6 to 0, with Terrill abstaining. Councilmember Katie Startzman was absent from the meeting and the work session that preceded it.

Ordinance

City counsel Jerry Gilbert gave the second reading of Ordinance 03-2026, announcing several changes to the FY2025-26 budget. For FY26, governmental funds, proprietary fund operating budget, operating expenses, and capital budget have all been amended.

The governmental funds balance is $24,268,000.00 to with expenditures of $27,218,000.000. After the budget amendments were read, Councilmember Steve Caudill, who chairs the Finance Committee, assured his colleagues that there is not a deficit, even if it sounded as though there is, although he did not explain how the math worked. Gilbert read out the current balance in that fund is $19,341.000.00.

Meanwhile, Gilbert also read that the amended total operating revenue is $20,264,000.00, while total expenditures are $22,264,000.00. The net cost for capital additions is $10,750,000.

Department head reports

Roy Curtis, who heads up Public Works, told Council that our salt stores are depleted, given the winter we've had, and that they will be restocked by next budget year. Curtis said the ice that resulted after the late January storm did heavy damage to the plows. By now, however, all but one damaged plow have been replaced with new ones. The plow trucks have also been repaired after being damaged by the ice, Curtis said.

The Parks Department mowers have also been repaired, and the roadside maintenance and safety checks have resulted in a lot of trash pick-ups, which Curtis said is starting to make things look good around town. Leaf and rust removal is also underway. Pot holes, street cuts, and blacktopping where necessary are ongoing, and concrete repairs, curbs, gutter, and storm boxes are also being evaluated and repaired.

Tree removal on Elm Street, trash pick-up and clearing of underbrush creekside, and commercial driving school for those without CDLs are also keeping Public Works busy. There are two new employees, James Alexander and John Isaacs, who are currently in training. There is an upcoming resurfacing of City streets this spring. On Misty Drive, a culvert needs repair or replacement.

The department is currently evaluating a project to widen Johnson Road and the bypass, Curtis said, adding that it would be helpful to have a grant in order to complete this project.

Terrill asked Curtis how wide Johnson Road is at Blue Lick. Curtis said the narrowest portion of the road is 13 feet wide and so two cars could not pass each other there. "You're gonna have one in the grass," he said. Curtis told Terrill that the department will be adding gravel shoulders to the road to widen it. "If you can get a grant, maybe we can build out the whole thing," Curtis said.

Payne thanked Curtis for his and his team's work this winter, and noted that community members have mentioned to him how they appreciate Public Works' hard work, and that other towns did not have streets as clear as ours during and after the storm. Fraley also thanked Curtis on behalf of the City.

City administrator

Sandlin shared with Council, recent drawings of the upcoming Farristown Community Center, saying that it's possible the project could get underway as soon as July of this year. Sandlin welcomed to the podium, Aaron Banther, founder of Our Land of Promise, to address Council about the Center.

The local nonprofit is dedicated to preserving Berea's Black history. The project is the fruit of a partnership between it and the City. Using federal, state, and local dollars, the Center will display local artifacts and oral histories of Farristown, an African-American town founded by free slaves, as well as be a place where anyone can use the meeting rooms and kitchen for get-togethers. There will also be a large garden at the site.

Banther reminded Council it has already been four years since he first addressed them with his idea for a center where the history of Farristown could be preserved amidst the growing industrial park there.

Sandlin and Fraley both said they were excited about the project. Fraley said it will be a place where "people can come together." A bid is now circulating for construction of the Center. Once a bid is accepted, Sandlin said then it will be easier to know what the total cost for the building will be.

Council comments

There was no mayor comment period in the meeting. Council members roundly thanked Nora for her comments about the homeless, while the newest member of the Council, Barry Poynter, thanked Banther for sharing about Our Land of Promise, as he said he'd never heard of it until then. "I'm wow'ed by it," Poynter said.