MURRAY – After more than a year of speculation and gossip (as evidenced by too many public Facebook posts to cite) around the county’s plans for a 20-acre parcel of land north of town, District 3 Magistrate Don Cherry presented a draft resolution at the Calloway County Fiscal Court work session this morning that vows transparency regarding all matters related to the property moving forward.
Cherry discussed two resolutions, both of which he plans to present to the fiscal court at its monthly meeting Wednesday – one calling for a ballot initiative related to medical cannabis businesses, the other concerning the land at the intersection of U.S. 641 and KY 80, which the county bought incrementally in 2022 and 2023 with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.
“We’ve all been fielding a lot of questions about our land out there on (U.S.) 641,” Cherry said this morning. He noted that his intent in drafting the resolution was “to make the public aware of what vision the judge has had with the ARPA money and the land purchase and how that has and will benefit the county in the future.”
“I hope it gives the public some information about what’s gone on out there,” he continued. “The last part of the resolution is we become totally transparent on this land. … If there’s anything else we need to do with this land – and there may be – then we bring it before the court; we discuss it; and we vote on it.”
“In accordance with Fiscal Court’s ongoing commitment to complete transparency to the citizens of this County,” the resolution declares, “no future action will be taken by or on behalf of Calloway County by any officer or employee thereof with regard to this property, including, but not limited to, construction, development, expenditures, encumbrances, collateralization, bonding, leasing or selling this property without the prior approval of the Fiscal Court occurring by vote at an open meeting in order that the citizens of this County may be sufficiently aware of any such actions concerning this valuable investment in our future.”
The document’s preamble memorializes an “ARPA brainstorm session” held by Calloway County Judge-Executive Kenny Imes in March 2022, which included nine county residents with expertise in the areas of commerce, realty and banking as well as representatives from local schools and West Kentucky Rural Electric Cooperative Corporation (WKRECC).
The group focused on how to best allocate more than $7.5 million in ARPA funds, focusing on three categories – roads and bridges, county infrastructure and economic development.
The county purchased the land approximately four miles north of town in four separate transactions, bearing a total price tag of over $1.3 million. The county began excavating work on the land in January 2023, and those improvements, according to the resolution, have increased the potential of that property.
“The best future use of this land is yet to be determined, though Fiscal Court believes options will arise for its use that will benefit all residents for generations to come,” the resolution states.
The resolution declares the property is owned “free and clear” by the county and was paid for without tax revenue.
“The Calloway County Fiscal Court celebrates this wise investment for the County, and further acknowledges that the land has been adequately cleaned up and leveled to make it ready for a multitude of potential future uses.”
District Four Magistrate Paul Rister voiced support of the resolution, acknowledging that many county residents have asked him about the property and what the county plans to do with it.
“I think it’s a good time to let the people know we bought this piece of property as an investment without tax dollars, local tax dollars,” Rister said. “Although our plan for the future is not clear – we have some ideas, and it’s potentially there for economic development – we’re going to be transparent about anything else that goes on there.”
The fiscal court took no action on either of Cherry’s resolutions today. They will be presented and considered during the fiscal court’s regular meeting on Wednesday at 1 p.m. at the Robert O. Miller Courthouse Annex.
Thanks Ms Paine for being at our Fiscal Court planning meeting, and picking up on this discussion and printing it. I crafted the resolution and Don agreed to present since he is the Senior Magistrate. The land is a great investment and great location for something someday that will be beneficial to the County. We just want to let people know how this has come about, but more important being as transparent as possible about going forward.