WEBSTER COUNTY, Ky. (3/13/13) - Dixon Commission received a positive auditor’s report at their monthly meeting Monday night, showing overall increases in city funds around $82,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2012.

Auditor Mike Overby presented the city with a clean opinion, meaning that he had found no irregularities in any of the city’s financial records.

Total net assets for the Governmental Activities of the city of Dixon came to $1,377,997,

Thanks in part to grant money, the general government fund showed an increase for the year. The city spent $107,372, but the year ending total was $122,262 for an increase of $14,890. In this category the city spent $17,218 on public safety, but received grants for $9,850 and $2,500.

The business account for the city, made up primarily of the water department, reported net assets of $80,570. For the year the water department revenue was $276,874 with expenses of $221,487, earning a profit of $55,387.

“This change in assets is mostly came from the water rate increase,” Overby reported.

Under the public appeals portion of the meeting, the city heard from Dixon residents concerned about a recent outbreak of vandalism. One resident reported that her vehicle received $225 worth of damage from being spray painted. She also reported that as recently as two weeks ago someone had gone through the interior of the vehicle during the night.

“We are aware of the situation,” said Mayor Linda Franklin. “Bourland Park was vandalized on Sunday. I caught the suspects pretty much red handed. The sheriff’s department thinks they have enough evidence to charge them.”

One Dixon resident requested that the city pass a curfew to prevent future vandalism. Mayor Frederick pointed out that Sunday’s vandalism wasn’t even late at night.

“We probably should put a curfew on,” said Commissioner Junior Little. “But even if we did we don’t have any way to enforce it.”

“You could ask the sheriff to enforce it,” one of the concerned residents said.

“Frankie (Springfield) is catching a lot of flak over this, but he is already doing his job,” said Dixon resident Jimmie Frederick. “It’s falling apart when it goes to the court system. The case workers aren’t getting results.”

“The court system is failing the city and most of all the juveniles who are doing this,” Mayor Frederick agreed.

“Something has to be done, because somewhere along the line they’re going to do something and somebody will end up dead,” said commissioner John Ramsey.

The mayor reported that there would be a plain clothes deputy sheriff patrolling the streets at night to prevent further vandalism.

During the parks report it was announced that soccer would start on March 16 at Baker Park and that the bathrooms at that park would be opened back up soon.

At request of the construction company working on the sewer project, the commission granted a six week extension to get the lines finished.

In February the commission requested that city attorney Ben Leonard look into what the commission could do to enforce an attendance policy for elected officials.

“I’ve looked into how other cities are enforcing such policies,” he said. “Some are doing a percentage of the meetings, while others are doing a certain number of consecutive meetings. You can put an ordinance in mandating it whichever way you want, but that person will still be eligible for a public hearing.”

No action was taken on this issue.

The commission then voted to have all old documents and ordinance books scanned into the computer, and then rent a safe deposit box to store them in.

“Had we not had our old annexation book I don’t know if we could have proved our boundaries,” Linda Frederick told the commissioners. “Its important that we protect out old records.”

Dixon recent completed certification of all of the old annexations to the city’s boundaries. According to Frederick, because these boundaries had not been certified, since 2005 the city had lost between $20,000 and $30,000 dollars of tax money per year to the county government.

With nothing further on the agenda the commission entered a closed session to discuss personnel.

Matt Hughes
J-E News Editor

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