Ky. sheriff suspends all LE services over lack of funding
By: Will Wright, Lexington Herald-Leader
MARTIN COUNTY, Ky. — Martin County Sheriff John Kirk took the stage without invitation at a fiscal court meeting Monday and railed about the budgetary strains afflicting his office.
Kirk paced back and forth, complaining he had not yet received a $75,000 payment from the fiscal court that should have been delivered in January. In addition, Kirk said his office is now required to pay for its own workers’ compensation insurance, retirement, and social security benefits. Those obligations, along with unemployment insurance and fringe benefits, add an additional $99,000 to his annual expenditures.
As a result, Kirk announced Monday he has temporarily ceased all law enforcement services provided by his office. He also laid off the office bookkeeper and limited office hours to 8 a.m. through noon on weekdays.
