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In its regular city meeting on Monday, April 10, The Nicholasville City Commission covered a few summertime housekeeping items—including approving the hiring of two seasonal employees and road maintenance. And the commission authorized Mayor Alex Carter to sign an opioid settlement agreement.

In their last meeting, Nicholasville-Jessamine County Parks and Recreation discussed their need for a temporary maintenance worker to mow and trim weeds in city and county parks in the summer. Originally, the parks department asked the city of Nicholasville and Jessamine County to split the cost of a six-month eight-hour-a-day employee due to an insufficient budget.

City Commissioner Bethany Brown emphasized that hiring an employee to help Parks and Recreation is necessary for restroom cleaning and maintenance in parks and because parks became too overgrown last summer which could have been home to snakes and other dangerous creatures for children to be around.

The city’s Director of General Government, Doug Blackford, reminded the Commission of their own previously discussed need for two seasonal city employees to trim sidewalk grass and weed trimming for city events.

Instead of allocating funds to Parks and Recreation, the commission approved a motion to hire two new seasonal employees in the streets department at the rate of fifteen dollars an hour through the end of October.

The commission also voted to authorize the mayor to sign a resolution that adopts and approves the execution of a municipal aid co-op program between the city of Nicholasville and the  Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.

According to City Clerk Kathy Walker, this resolution accepts funding for road repair and paving projects. It is done by resolution each year.

The commission approved two reappointments for existing members of the Nicholasville Planning Commission. Brian Welch was reappointed to the Planning Commission for a four-year term, expiring on April 30, 2027.

Shane Floyd was reappointed to the Nicholasville Planning Commission for a four-year term, expiring on May 31, 2027.

In December, local Kentucky governments began receiving allocations from the National Opioid Settlement from a lawsuit against opioid manufacturers and distributors.

According to the Kentucky League of Cities, cities will receive one payment annually until 2038. Nicholasville is set to receive $29,745.60 in 2023. To do so, the commission had to authorize the mayor to sign the opioid settlement agreement- and it did.

The next Commission meeting will be held on April 24 at 5 p.m. at the Nicholasville Police Department.