During the special-called and regular meeting of the Ohio County Fiscal Court on August 27, the court waived the rent for the adult learning center in the Community Center and discussed a possible change in the educational requirements for job applicants.
— During the special-called fiscal court meeting, Mike Nall, of the Ohio County Career Center, came before the court to discuss the waiving of the rent for the Ohio County Adult Learning Center on the first floor of the Community Center.
“They do such a good job for us and they do a lot of work and they benefit this county tremendously,” Nall said. “Since their budget has been cut, they’ve had to cut teachers. I thought it would be appropriate for (the county), if possible, to waive their rent for this year.”
The adult learning center is responsible for giving potential county employees the Test of Adult Basic Education or TABE test, GED preparation, teaching English as a second language, computer training and many other adult education services.
After hearing from Nall, Ohio County Judge-Executive David Johnston gave his feelings on the adult learning center’s request.
“It’s a tremendous service and I really, really don’t want to lose them here (in the Community Center),” Johnston told the court.
When asked what the adult learning center would do if the county waived their rent, it was said they would hire another part-time teacher.
Fourth District Magistrate Larry Keown asked if there was any other entity asking about the room the adult learning center is renting. He was told there was not.
After the discussion, Third District Magistrate Brandon Thomas made a motion to waive the adult learning center’s rent, in the amount of $5,000, for one fiscal year from July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014. The motion was seconded by Keown.
After a roll call vote, the motion passed with a 5-0 vote. Fifth District Magistrate Kenny Autry was absent from this part of the special-called meeting.
— At the regular fiscal court meeting on August 27, Thomas wanted to discuss the requirements needed for a person to apply for a county job.
According to the county’s administrative code, a person who applies for a county job must have a high school diploma or GED. Any county employee working through a state or federal subsidized program, such as the Kentucky Works program or the wage subsidy program, that does not have a high school diploma or GED, must be actively enrolled in a GED program.
Thomas believed if the county gives a worker in a state or federally subsidized program the time to work toward their GED while they worked, then the county should also offer the same requirement for a person not in a state or federal program.
Thomas’ reasoning behind this was there are many men and women, in their 40’s or older, who left school to work in coal mines or other industries which didn’t require high school diplomas. Thomas believed there are many workers out there who don’t have the educational requirements needed to apply for a job, but who may have 20 years of experience doing the job, such as heavy equipment operators.
“I think we find ourselves, sometimes, missing out on a lot of good candidates just because they’re not in (the GED) program or they don’t have their high school diploma,” Thomas explained.
“I would agree,” Keown said to Thomas. “Strictly because for people who have 20 years experience running a grader, or whatever the case might be, they are penalized because they don’t have a degree or working after their GED. I believe in education, but I also believe in experience.”
Thomas made a motion to change the county administrative code’s application requirements for county employees to allow all the public to follow the same guidelines as those in state, federal, and wage subsidy programs. That means an employee would be required to get a GED or be actively enrolled in the next available class.
Autry did not seem to like the idea of Thomas’ motion.
“You know this will be lowering our hiring standards,” Autry said to Thomas. “At the same time, we’re trying to get the graduation rate up all over the state.”
“I understand that, I also know there’s a big generation gap that has been out working and has the experience and you take the younger generation that has just gotten out of high school, they need this older generation to help train them run the equipment,” Thomas said to Autry. “We do want to promote further education, that’s why if we add as part of their employment that they must sign up (for a GED program), you’ve improved that person’s education.”
Autry asked Thomas if he wanted the administrative code change to be for the county road department or other departments. Thomas was fine with making the change for all departments, but in this case, he was specifically referring to an upcoming opening for the road department.
Keown said the motion would have to include all departments and Thomas said it was fine with him.
Second District Magistrate Jason Bullock agreed both regular citizens and employees in state or federal subsidized programs should have to follow the same requirements to apply for a job. He also asked if the administrative code contained any information on whether the employee had to finish the program or receive their GED. Thomas said there wasn’t.
Bullock thought the county should require an employee to finish the GED program and get their degree. Keown and Thomas also believed there should be a time limit placed on the employee to complete the GED program, such as a year.
Nall, who was at the fiscal court meeting, informed the court the GED program took 50 hours to complete, but you could take the GED test any time.
“I just think that we should, at least, look at some of these applicants that are out there (without high school diplomas or GEDs), not to say you’re going to hire every one (of them), but just to say you are looking at them for their experience,” Thomas said. “There’s a lot of men and women who are capable, with experience and capable of doing the jobs that we have available, but yet they’re deterred from even filling out an application.”
After discussing the matter for a few minutes, Bullock wondered if the issue should go to the Administrative Code Committee to hammer out the details. Thomas said he was fine if that were the case, but he hoped something could be done before the county hires more employees for the road department.
Johnston believed any hiring at the road department could wait for the Administrative Code Committee to meet and work on the details.
Thomas’s motion died for the lack of a second.