By Scott White

Woodford Sun Staff

The Versailles City Council continued its discussion, begun at its last meeting on April 21, on a proposal of the Woodford County Fiscal Court to use a part of the opioid settlement money to create a new “Substance Use Disorder Support Specialist,” or SUDSS.

The opioid settlement money comes from what is now about $1 billion from settlements with opioid manufacturers and distributers, with half of the money going to the state and the other half going to local governments.

The Fiscal Court proposed creating the new position, to be located at the Woodford County Health Department. The person filling the SUDSS position, according to a handout provided by the City Council, “combine(s) expertise in substance use disorders with community-based resource coordination to support individuals and families affected by substance use and recovery. This bridges direct client support with community outreach to ensure access to prevention, treatment, recovery, and support services.”

The position, which will pay between $40,000 and $50,000 a year, will be split 50/50 between the city and county from their respective shares of the settlement fund, with the county paying 100% of the new hire's benefits.

According to Mayor Laura Dake, Councilmember Lisa Johnson made some minor edits to the proposed position description sent by the Fiscal Court, which only “clarifies the meaning and scope” of the new position.

At the beginning of the discussion, Public Health Director Cassie Prather went through the reasons for the new position, describing it as a case manager-type of position which will work with individuals, how the position will integrate with the department, how the new hire will be able to cover areas that the current department employees are unable to address, and said the funding from the settlement is within the limits of how those funds can be used.

In response to a question from Councilmember Fred Siegelman asking why the health department could not handle the funding from its own budget, Prather said, “Our hiring right now is frozen, and state and federal funding sources are not secure right now.”

Councilmember Ann Miller asked if there was sufficient money in the settlement fund, to which Prather said: “The person hired will be on a one-year contract, which we will review to make sure the position is doing what we want it to and that there is funding for the next year.”

Johnson pointed out that the Woodford County Agency for Substance Abuse Policy (ASAP) Board, which oversees the settlement fund, supported the creation and hiring of an SUDSS.

The motion to approve the position passed unanimously and will now go back to the Fiscal Court to work out the final details.

Bond rating correction

Dake told the council she needed to correct the record on a statement made by her at the April 21 council meeting when she said Versailles had attained its highest-ever Moody's bond rating on its general fund. Dake said she was mistakenly provided historical information from the city's bond consultant, Stan Kramer, and that, in fact, the city had the same AA3 rating when it issued the last round of bonds in 2025. She did confirm that the bond rating on the water and sewer fund was the highest in history, when it moved up from A2 to A1.

Contracts

The City Council approved the following contracts: $10,597.90 with Out On A Limb A.M., LLP for tree removal at the Versailles Cemetery, with Public Works Director Bart Miller confirming all of the trees taken out will be replaced; and $18,064.73 to Vogelpohl Fire Equipment for new hoses and nozzles.

Utility billing

City Clerk Elizabeth Reynolds told the council that she and her staff have completed work on electronic billing for city utilities. Currently, the cost of paper billing is $7,000 a month, and Reynolds explained they are hoping, over time, to increase savings with people signing up for electronic billing.

Utility customers can sign up for electronic billing by visiting the city's website.