Welcome to the official Re-elect Harry Berry as Hardin County Judge/Executive website. I invite you to please look around and learn more about the work I am doing as your Judge/Executive.

It has been my distinct pleasure to serve as your County Judge/Executive since taking office on January 6, 2003! I am excited about the initiatives our county government is undertaking on your behalf. Our future is bright and it is my desire to continue leading the county through the next few years of transition and growth.

During the last four years, we have made significant strides in fulfilling our vision of Hardin County being the Commonwealth’s premier county in which to live, work and raise our families.

Over these years county government has tirelessly worked to fulfill our mission of maximizing all available resources to provide well-planned, adequately resourced, and professionally executed public programs, infrastructure, and services to the citizens of Hardin County.

On my watch as your County Judge/Executive we have stopped the pending financial train wreck handed us in January 2003.  No longer does your annual county budget deplete the general fund savings to meet county annual operational spending.

Harding County continues to grow as the economic engine for our region. There are over twelve hundred more jobs in Hardin County today as compared to January 2003. Even with the recent loss of some manufacturing jobs, Hardin County’s overall industrial employment is up by almost 250 employees over the last three plus years resulting in a 3.5% increase in our industrial base. 

Recent decisions regarding Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) and Fort Knox will bring an additional 5,000 full time positions to our region over the next five years. To plan for and meet this growth within our region, our local Mayors, the Judge/Executive of Meade County, and I have joined together to form the One Knox Policy Council. This organization, will oversee the coordination of efforts from state and local agencies, business entities and associations, as well as other community organizations to attract and prepare for the significant influx of employees into our region. /p>

Hardin County is also poised for a large manufacturer to locate at the Glendale industrial site resulting in potentially 3,000 additional employment opportunities for our region. The Elizabethtown – Hardin County Industrial Foundation is diligently working with the Kentucky Economic Development Cabinet to market this project to all potential prospects.

During this term we have focused on the infrastructure improvements necessary to serve the needs of our citizens as well as to attract new economic development to our community.

• Water line expansion throughout the county now provides opportunities for approximately 97% of our citizens to access safe drinking water.  Projects are underway to ensure volume demands for our industrial base (present and future) can be met as their needs increase.  The Lincoln Trail Regional Water Commission was established early in this term to build a collaborative effort between water suppliers within Hardin County and to make certain water supplies stay within the control of Hardin Countians.



• Plans for collecting and treating sewage from densely populated unincorporated areas of the county are underway. Through funding I requested through Senator Mitch McConnell, a Regional Wastewater Facilities Plan will be completed this fall to establish our county sewer and wastewater needs and to set the priorities for addressing those needs over the next ten to twenty years.
  
  


• Our region’s Metropolitan Planning Organization, of which I serve as Chairman, has established the Area’s first ever Urbanized Transportation Plan to identify our highway needs for the next twenty years. This is the primary document now used by the Department of Transportation and General Assembly for funding the state’s Six Year Road Plan. Several of our priorities are now being addressed and others are in the planning stages to begin over the next several years.

This is just a brief introduction of the progress within Hardin County.  The pages of this web site will tell you more about:

   My Background
   Our accomplishments on initiatives on your behalf
   My position on important issues confronting county
       government
   Campaign News
   How you can assist in my re-election efforts


So have fun exploring my website and remember, your support to my campaign efforts is greatly needed and appreciated.



Judge/Executive
Hardin County

P.S. This election year is important to Hardin County and I respectfully request your vote and financial support to continue as your Hardin County Judge/Executive.