By a 7 to 0 vote, the Versailles-Midway-Woodford County Planning Commission approved a preliminary budget for the next fiscal year at its regular meeting on March 12.

The estimated carryover in the FY27 budget is $99,377, “but if we have a good spring – building permit wise,” and more revenue comes in than projected, Planning Director Steve Hunter told commissioners, “There’s a good chance that number could be similar to last year” ($138,582) or higher.

“…We just don’t know at this point” in the budgeting process.

By May or June, the commission will know whether the governing bodies will grant the contributions requested: $120,000 from the City of Versailles and Woodford County and $30,000 from the City of Midway, Hunter said. The commission will then adopt the final budget before the next fiscal year, he said.

The request for larger contributions from the cities of Versailles (up from $98,277) and Midway (up from $28,116) and Woodford Fiscal Court (up from $112,461) is mostly because an estimated carryover balance for this fiscal year is lower than prior years, Hunter said.

With expenditures exceeding revenues, “we’re living off our savings account if you look at it that way,” he explained. But “we anticipate this is going to change,” he said, “because we think the revenues are going to come in strong in the spring. We already have a good indication of that.”

The approved preliminary budget does not currently include raises for employees. However, cost-of-living raises could be added back into the budget if revenue increases, Hunter said, noting most expenses in the planning office are related to personnel costs and revenues have been trending flat since the development of the Midway industrial park. However, he said revenue is being generated by the building permit fees from the development of two big box retailers (grocery and home improvement stores) and houses being built.

Hunter also acknowledged that Woodford County has lower fees than surrounding counties, and he’d be willing to have conversations about raising building permit and other fees.

Commissioners Rich Schein and Chris Sharp were absent.

Edgewood plat

The commission approved a subdivision plat so the City of Versailles can dedicate a right-of-way and build a second roundabout on the Edgewood farm property located east of Kroger. The proposed roundabout will create access to Lexington Road at the Paddock Drive signaled intersection for properties zoned for professional office and commercial uses. “There are no projects,” said Hunter, “that we’re aware of that are happening on these three (.87-, 5.15- and 16.2-acre) lots at this point.”

To the west of those lots, grocery and home improvement store projects are happening, he added.

Paynes Crossing plat

The commission approved a minor plat consolidating and subdividing 80.848 acres on Lexington Road (Paynes Crossing subdivision) to create a 43.498-acre tract at 1851 Lexington Road and a 37.35-acre tract at 2001 Lexington Road in the R-1A and R-1B single-family residential zoning districts.

Ball Homes is building 200 houses on adjacent land in the subdivision, which will have a total of 518 residential units, Hunter told the commission.

Asked if this residential property will ever have a vehicular entrance on Lexington Road, Hunter said an entrance is being restricted by the state as right-in/right-out and will have an R-Cut (to turn toward Versailles) between Paynes Mill Road and the Bluegrass Parkway to serve that entrance and another on a neighboring parcel. “So everything’s (all the traffic coming out of this subdivision headed to Versailles is) going to have to go right and go down and do a U-turn and come back,” he explained. He also noted that no construction or project has been approved for the neighboring parcels in the Paynes Crossing subdivision.

His explanation came after Commissioner Randal Bohannon voiced concern about traffic in this subdivision having to use the Paddock Drive signaled intersection in order to get onto Lexington Road.

Other plats

The commission approved a consolidation plat, which had been subdivided with an in-family conveyance, to create a 62.51-acre tract in the A-1 (agricultural) zoning district at 208 Curd Road (William Todd and Theresa L. Goodlett). Houses on the property at 284 Curd Road and 12391 Troy Pike are restricted to being used only as tenant homes, a note on the plat states.

The commission approved a plat consolidating two lots into a .733-are lot at 1478 Shore Acres Road (Tim and Rita Maple), so a house is not located on the property line.

The commission approved an in-family conveyance plat (Julie O. Cauthen, wife to Kerry Cauthen, husband) that creates a 12.5-acre lot at 160 Circle Drive, located south of the City of Midway. A 61.721-acre tract will remain at 5671 Midway Road, according to the plat, which was filed before Feb. 10 when the new rules for in-family conveyances were approved, Hunter told the commission. He also noted that the remaining farm will potentially be eligible for one more in-family conveyance lot under the new rules, responding to a commissioner’s question.

The commission approved a plat for 1605 McCowans Ferry Road (Jeremy and Megan Hendricks) to change the location of residual farmland so a house can be constructed on a more suitable site. A variance application has been filed in order to build a house on a flatter piece of the property, but approval of the variance is not necessary for construction to occur, Hunter explained. The shifting of residual farmland involves an adjacent rural residential lot (same owner), where a second home can be built.

The commission approved a subdivision and consolidation plat to create 10.516-, 10.781- and 19.98-acre tracts at 400, 410 and 150 Sellers Mill Road (Gregory F. and Patricia Osterloh, and Michael H. and Susan Lynn Tucker) in the A-4 small community zoning district.

The commission approved an in-family conveyance plat (Cory Pence, husband to April Pence, wife) under the old in-family rules, creating a 4.018-acre lot with 66.567 acres remaining at 1010 Shannon Run Road.

Summer intern

The commission approved the hiring of a summer intern, who will focus on chapters in an updated Comprehensive Plan. The University of Kentucky student will work at the planning office from mid-May through mid-August, Hunter said. He said interns in past summers have been paid $15 per hour.