By Lance Gaither

lance.gaither@bluegrassnewsmedia.com

During the Perryville City Council meeting on Dec. 7, the council approved the purchase of two used cruisers from the Cold Spring Police Department in Northern Kentucky to replace two of the city’s current police vehicles that are at high mileage and experiencing electrical issues.

“The two vehicles are pretty much on their last legs. We can’t justly going out paroling for traffic violations when we are in violation ourselves,” said Perryville Police Chief Parker Hatter. “Cold Spring Police Department got a new fleet and heard about us being on a limited budget.”

Both vehicles are ready for police use and capable of being fitted for electronic citations. The Shepherdsville Police Department donated a K9 cage for one of the cruisers. The cost of each cruiser is $5,500. Alcoholic Beverage Control funds provided $6,500 and the remainder was covered from funds in a certificate of deposit fund for city transportation needs, according to the council.

Hatter hopes that future purchases can be funded entirely by Alcoholic Beverage Control funds.

“We hope these vehicles last us three to five years,” Hatter said. “With ABC funds coming in we hope next time we purchase the majority of the funds can come from that.”

The council has approved having the Kentucky League of Cities provide a new employee handbook for city employees for a fee of $3,300. Next year, the city will apply for a grant of $1,500 to be reimbursed for the cost.

“We have an employee handbook, but it did not cover a lot of things we needed like holidays and other important things,” said Perryville Mayor Rob Kernodle.

In other news from the meeting:

• The council has approved the installation of LED streetlights for First Street, Hardee Street and Harberson Park. The high-efficiency LED lights have a flat rate cost of only $9 per month compared with the average $35 for traditional lights.

• The council is seeking to remove the bollards on the walking bridge across the river. The state will need to approve the removal. The council hopes to remove them to prevent city maintenance from needing to drive their mowers on the highway.