Somerset —
Somerset voters will not decide whether to change the form of city government at the November 2 general election. “There’s no chance of getting it on the ballot for the fall election,” said Stephen B. Kelley Jr., the outgoing city councilor who advocates a city manager form of government. He earlier expressed hope that city voters would be able to decide in Nove-mber if they want to em-brace a city manager form of government like 19 other cities in Ken-tucky. It would take about 700 signa-tures on a petition to get a change-of-government question on the ballot. To vote on the issue in November, all petition processes would have to be completed and filed by 4 p.m. August 10. “The petition drive hasn’t even started,” Kelley said this week. He sidestepped a question whether he will lead a petition effort as he earlier indicated. “I have talked with groups ... I want people to think about it ... I want people to think outside the box,” said Kelley “I stlll have my political aspirations ... I don’t want to make people angry.” A two-term city councilman, Kelley, who finished a strong second during the GOP primary contest for judge-executive, has said he will definitely run for judge-executive four years down the road. “I want to serve as county judge-executive,” he emphasized. By being a candidate for judge-executive, Kelley will vacate his seat on city council at the end of the year. Kelley has tossed around the idea of a write-in campaign for judge-executive this fall. Recently, although he indicates no final decision has been made, Kelley seems to be looking more as an on-the-ballot candidate at the next local election in 2014. Obviously displeased with the role of councilors in city government, Kelley claims very little is getting done with the mayor-council form of government in Somerset. He points out that most powers in a mayor-council government are vested in the mayor and councilors have limited authority to accomplish anything. A city manager form of government is made up of a mayor and four commissioners who together make up a board of commissioners. The mayor is a full-functioning member of the legislative body and has only limited responsibilities and authorities as mayor. The board of commissioners is required by law to establish an office of city manager who carries out most administrative duties of the city. Somerset’s current government is headed by a mayor with broad powers. The city is divided into 12 wards with a councilor from each ward. All are elected citywide.Local News
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Big Bang Theory
Pulaski County is not at war. The booming you may hear at dusk is mock cannon fire to scare away birds.
Stuart Spillman, environmental director for the Lake Cumberland Health Department, said at least three cannons are on loan from the department to residents who want to scare away swarms of starlings and blackbirds settling in to roost.
He said a cannon is being used by a resident on Laura Lane off Ky. 39; another is in the Oak Hill Road area and a third is on Ashurst Street in the eastern part of Somerset.
Spillman said a timer on each cannon allows it to “fire” at whatever frequency is desired. The cannons must be used as the birds circle before going to roost. “After they settle in, nothing will chase them out,” Spillman said.
The Health Department doesn’t operate the cannons unless there is a specific complaint in an area where there are lots of birds, Spillman noted. He said so far this year the birds are not as bad as in the past. -
Boil water advisory is lifted countywide
The water controversy that Pulaski County has been boiling over — so to speak — for the last week is finally over.
At 10 minutes after noon Wednesday, the “boil water” advisory for the Western Pulaski Water District was lifted — almost a full week after the problems began around 1 p.m. last Thursday.
Prior to that, the Somerset Water Service — along with the other water providers in its system, including Science Hill Water, Southeastern Water, and Eubank Water — lifted their advisories, with Somerset on Saturday afternoon and the last, Southeastern, by Monday morning. Western Pulaski was the last in the system to complete sample testing for potential contaminants, due to not being able to access its Pikeville-based testing lab until Monday.
Somerset Mayor Eddie Girdler thanked the public for its patience and understanding during the duration of the boil water advisory — put in place to keep citizens from drinking water that could have been contaminated after an accident last Thursday at the water plant site — and also thanked all the city employees for their hard work during this time.
“The boil water advisory went about as well as would be expected,” said Girdler.
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