There seem to be a lot of misunderstanding and misinformation regarding the financial condition of the county owned landfill. While lengthy and dry, the following is worth your time and focused attention.

Hardin County Government purchased the Pearl Hollow Landfill property in the mid 1990s with development and construction quickly following. The initial land purchase, development, and construction costs of the landfill exceeded $17 million by the time the site opened to receive its first ton of waste in October 1997. Numerous expansion projects have occurred during the subsequent decade totaling another $9 million.

Since the landfill's inception, county government has contracted with a third party operator for daily operations. Rumpke of Kentucky operated the county's landfill from its opening in 1997 until September 2008.

The previous landfill contract required a guaranteed waste disposal stream of 300,000 tons per year. When this contract was due to be re-bid in 2008, NO entity - including Rumpke - would bid on a new contract requiring a guaranteed minimum amount of waste. This was a result of rising fuel costs increasing the cost of trucking waste long distances to the landfill, as well as the general condition of the economy. Rumpke made it very clear if they were awarded the new contract, the tonnage would be substantially less than the previous contract guaranteed. Without guarantees, Rumpke and Santek Environmental both believed the volume of waste would be 180,000 tons or less per year. Our current waste stream (almost entirely from within Hardin County) is approximately 160,000 tons per year.

Santek won the new contract and began operating the landfill in September 2008. Since assuming operation of the landfill, Santek has undergone 6 quarterly compliance inspections from state regulators with "no violations noted" during each evaluation.

The original purchase, development, and construction costs, combined with the cost of subsequent expansions of the landfill, created a debt burden of over $2.5 million in annual payments by 2008. These debt payments, coupled with associated annual operating costs, resulted in a business model requiring approximately 300,000 tons of waste per year to cover expenses. This is the business model the current Fiscal Court inherited.

With the decline in annual tonnage and no way to significantly increase volume in the short term, a dramatic change to landfill associated expenses was the only solution. Some of our significant actions to realign expenditures with revenue are as follows:

• An extensive permit modification was completed and filed with the state's Division of Waste Management to significantly expand the disposal area of our landfill. This will increase our total capacity by 400%, thereby extending the life of our landfill to nearly 100 years at current usage rates. Based on this significant increase in the landfill's life, the county's expense for annual escrow payments was reduced last year from $250,000 to $35,000. This escrow is the funding set aside to pay for the closing and monitoring requirements of the landfill once it has reached capacity. Obviously, with many more years for funding to accrue, the annual payments could be dramatically reduced.
• In August of 2009, the county successfully obtained a bond rating upgrade from Single A to a Double A rating, thereby placing the county in the top ten local governments in the state and among the top 15% in the nation for bond ratings. Our high bond rating greatly enhanced the county's credit risk, thereby allowing us to "refinance" existing landfill debt at a significantly lower rate and extended period. This restructuring, combined with paying off some shorter term debt, resulted in lowering the landfill's annual debt payments by more than $800,000 per year as compared to fiscal year 2009.
• Efficiencies and savings were also implemented in other areas such as reducing $25,000 in annual landfill engineering costs and $50,000 in evaluation and testing requirements over the last two years.

Even with $1.1 million of combined annual savings in landfill expenditures, approximately 180,000 tons of waste is still required annually to meet our solid waste expenses. The current projected tonnage rate is 160,000 tons. The county and Santek are aggressively seeking additional waste streams to increase tonnage intake; a serious challenge in these difficult economic times.

In the meantime, every effort is being made to streamline costs and develop other revenue streams - such as carbon credits. The proposed 2010/2011 solid waste budget is 95% funded from state grants and revenue streams resulting from landfill operations, while the remaining 5% is funded from conservative revenue projections derived from selling earned carbon credits.

In 2008 county government learned our methane gas collection and destruction system may qualify for "carbon credits". Carbon credit is a term used to describe a reduction or offset of greenhouse gas emissions. One credit equates to one ton of carbon dioxide or equivalent gases. Carbon credits are similar to other commodities and are sold/exchanged on open markets.

From late 2008 to mid 2009 the county completed the protocols established by the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX) to certify our historical credits through mid 2009. As a result, we received verification for credits derived from 262,000 tons of gas reduction. In the summer of 2009 we sold credits from 100,000 tons of this gas for $67,000, thereby meeting the vast majority of verification, monitoring, and trading fees incurred. The county still possesses historical credits for 162,000 tons of gas reduction to sell should the CCX market improve.

In late 2009 we moved our focus to a new market, the Climate Action Reserve (CAR), to verify carbon credits generated from mid 2009 through the remainder of our eligibility period (projected now for mid 2013 or later). With the verification work done through the CCX serving as our base, additional protocols must be met to verify any credits we are accruing from mid 2009 and beyond for trading in the Climate Action Reserve markets. We now anticipate this verification process to be complete this summer.

Carbon credits on the CAR market are currently far more valuable than any traded in the CCX market. Estimates show the county acquiring 290,000 CAR carbon credits for the destruction of methane gas from mid 2009 to mid 2013. We anticipate being able to sell the first of these credits in the CAR market by mid to late summer.

Like any commodity market; prices for carbon credits are very sensitive to supply, demand, and governmental regulations. Recently we have seen price swings that could have netted $300,000 to $600,000 or more for this year's credits alone. Where the market will be once our credits are CAR verified this summer is anyone's guess.

What is NOT a guess is that any revenue derived from selling carbon credits produced from capturing and destroying our landfill's methane gas is just "icing on the cake". Two years ago we were not even aware the county may be eligible for these credits. Our decisions regarding methane gas collection and destruction were based entirely on meeting environmental requirements for eliminating greenhouse gases while producing income to offset expenses.

Receiving carbon credits for something we are already doing is certainly a great example of eating your cake and having it too! Each dollar obtained from carbon credits is a dollar we did not know we would receive when deciding to turn landfill methane gas into green energy. No matter how many or how few, each dollar obtained is $1 more not spent from county tax dollars to meet ongoing operational costs. And let's not forget that selling the gas to East Kentucky Power to power their green electricity producing generators is already paying for the county's collection of the methane gas.

It was recently asked "can one buy a loaf of bread with a carbon credit?" The answer is emphatically yes! Carbon credits derived from the county's methane recovery and destruction program at the Pearl Hollow Landfill have the possibility of producing a lot of "bread" for county government and thereby saving county tax payers some of their own "dough" (taxes).

Whether it be whole wheat, white, or rye; carbon credits may just allow Hardin County tax payers to butter their "bread" on both sides.

Harry L. Berry
Hardin County Judge/Executive

What's your credit rating?

An individual's credit rating or score is based upon several factors including current debt, credit payment history, time length of credit history, type of credit (mortgage, car, credit card), and frequency of applications for new credit. Scores range from a bottom of 350 indicating a high credit risk, to a top rating of 850 reflecting an extremely low credit risk. Approximately 10% of people achieve a top end score of 800 or higher. A high rating rewards you with a lower interest rate on your loans.

Much like individuals, government entities and businesses also receive credit ratings based on similar factors. And again, as with individuals, there are three major bond credit rating agencies that provide these ratings to governments; Moody's Investors Service, Fitch, and Standard and Poor's.

These rating agencies assign letter designations to indicate the degree of risk associated with businesses' or governments' credit. Moody's assigns bond credit ratings of Aaa, Aa, A, Baa, Ba, B, Caa, Ca, and C. Much like an individual's score of 850, a practically zero credit risk for a government is indicated with an Aaa rating, while a high likelihood of bankruptcy is shown with a C rating (similar to a 350 to 400 score for an individual).

Earlier this month Moody's Investors Service, the most prominent rating agency, upgraded Hardin County Government's bond rating to double A ("Aa") status from our previous single "A" rating thereby reflecting the county's economic stability, healthy financial operations characterized by ample reserves, and a favorable debt profile. Double A ratings are reserved for organizations determined to be a "safe investment with a low risk of failure". Less than 15% of those rated entities receive a ranking of Double A or better (similar to an individual score of nearly 800 or better).

Moody's rating definitions indicate "obligations receiving an "Aa" rating are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk. Issuers rated Aa demonstrates very strong creditworthiness relative to other U.S. municipal or tax-exempt issuers".

There are less than ten local governments (county and city) in the Commonwealth awarded a Double A rating; Hardin County Government is now among this list giving us the same high bond rating as the Commonwealth itself!

This Double A rating for county government's bonding is a reflection of our strong monetary reserves, low debt, and prudent management of our county's financial resources. In assigning the Double A rating, Moody's stated it "believes the county will continue prudent fiscal management practices to maintain healthy financial operations over the long term".

As stewards of your local tax dollars, we in county government are proud we've been able to manage these limited resources and simultaneously accomplish this strong financial rating while remaining among the least taxed counties in the Commonwealth. In addition to maintaining one of the State's lowest property tax rates, Hardin County Government does NOT impose many of the taxes other counties or local governments use such as an occupational tax, a library tax, an insurance premium tax, fire district taxes, a restaurant tax, or a hotel room tax.

Bonds given a Double A rating are of "high grade investment quality" and desirable by discriminating investors such as publicly traded mutual funds. Because of their extremely low risk to investors, Double A bonds incur a lower interest rate to the issuing government, thereby significantly reducing the debt payments for repaying the loan (the bonded amount).

Recently, the interest rate difference between a Double A and Single A bond can be almost one percent (nearly 100 basis points). This proved beneficial last week when Hardin County Government refunded (re-financed) an earlier bond to reduce annual debt payments for the county's landfill. By re-financing $1.4 million of landfill debt at a lower rate over a longer period of time, county government reduced landfill long-term debt payments from $2.2 million to $1.7 million annually thereby reducing landfill annual debt expenses by approximately $500,000 or 23%.

Much like moving up from the minors to a major league baseball team, going from a Single A to a Double A rating places Hardin County Government in the "majors" for governmental financial management. Those of us serving you in county government will continue to strive for the most efficient and effective use of the tax dollars you entrust us with. We look forward to continuing to provide you the best ratings possible in all we do!

Harry L. Berry
Hardin County Judge/Executive

Society's current quest to protect and improve our environment spans five decades with many of our laws and regulations dating back to the 60's and 70's including the National Environmental Protection Act, Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Safe Drinking Water Act.

I first became actively involved in environmental protection in the late 80's and early 90's while serving as the Environmental Engineer for the Defense Nuclear Agency. Being deeply involved with environmental regulatory compliance, remediation, and restoration at many sites across America and in the Pacific provided me a deep appreciation for both the need, and the complexity, of preventing environmental degradation as well as cleaning-up damage from misguided past practices.

During the past twenty years many across our nation have grown to appreciate the importance of preventing environmental degradation as a means of avoiding costly cleanups and unnecessary destruction of our natural resources!

Hear at home we are proud to say that during this current decade Hardin County Government has embarked on many actions and programs aimed at protecting our environment and making our county a little "greener". The following are a few of the initiatives underway:

• In 2001 Universal Garbage collection was instituted to assist in eliminating the illegal dumping practices ongoing throughout the county. Utilizing state grant funds combined with county funding, the county has also cleaned-up 84 illegal roadside dumps during the last 7 years at a cost of almost $200,000. Additionally the county's Solid Waste Director and County Jailer work closely together to pick-up roadside litter throughout our county on a year round basis. Over $628,000 in funding has been utilized during the last 6 years in support of this effort.
• In 2005 Hardin County Government partnered with Nolin RECC and East Kentucky Power (EKP) to capture and utilize the greenhouse gas (methane) created at the county's landfill to power 3 generators operated by EKP to provide electricity in amounts equivalent to supplying 3,000 homes daily. In addition to the obvious environmental advantages, it is estimated this arrangement will net county government approximately $2 million over the next twenty years.
• Early in the 2006 county election cycle Steve Walton, Radcliff businessman and former candidate for County Commissioner, researched and promoted the development of a county wide recycle program in partnership with Fort Knox. Mr. Walton and I met with the, manager of the Fort Knox Recycling Center, in the summer of 2006 to tour their recycle facilities and discuss the potential of working together on recycling for Hardin County. Subsequently County Solid Waste Director Bob Hall, in partnership with Fort Knox, finalized the county's current recycling initiative and in 2007, through 100% county funding, two drop off points for recyclables were established in Vine Grove and Elizabethtown. Early this month we were pleased to learn the state is awarding us a grant to establish three additional drop off sites throughout the county later this year.
• The county also recently received a grant to initiate a Household Hazardous Waste program later this year. Through partnerships with local industries, this project will provide residents the opportunity to properly dispose of many hazardous wastes such as mercury, pesticides, paint thinners, antifreeze, and household cleaning chemicals.
• Fallen animals left to decay in the environment can adversely impact our county's safe drinking water supply. In 2004 county government started providing assistance to properly dispose of these fallen animals. Today the county's "dead animal removal program" provides area livestock owner's removal and disposal services of large animals at no cost to the citizen. The program is partially funded through a state grant with the majority of the expense paid by county government.
• In April of this year, Hardin County Government partnered with AGC in Elizabethtown, Central Kentucky Pride, and the League of Women Voter's Hardin County Recycling Committee to conduct the first known E-scrap event in our county. Over a two day period 21,569 pounds of computer and electronic hardware was collected for recycling by the disposal contractor Apex Technology Solutions. This is a significant amount of electronic waste that is not using up valuable disposal space in the county's contained landfill. We hope to make this an annual event!
• Every three years we combine efforts with state resources to offer a tire amnesty program for the collection of old used tires throughout the county. The next effort is scheduled for the spring of 2009.
• Each spring and fall Hardin County Government partners with the University of Kentucky's County Extension Office for a "rinse and return program" to insure the proper handling and disposal of pesticide containers used by our local agricultural community.
• Throughout county government facilities we have, when practical, replaced old fixtures with more energy efficient ones as well as implementing the use of compact fluorescent bulbs where feasible. We have also made efforts to reduce water heater and boiler temperatures to conserve energy. Additionally, we have taken steps to curtail vehicle use and consciously made decisions to purchase more fuel efficient vehicles when making replacements to the fleet. And yes, even the simple acts of turning the lights off when no one is in the room and appropriately changing temperatures when facilities are unoccupied in the evenings and weekends are now common throughout county government.

As you can see, those serving Hardin County Government are committed to protecting and preserving the many natural resources our region is blessed with. Each day we strive to be good shepherds of all resources within in our control and will continue to be vigilant in identifying ways to conserve and protect those resources.

Harry L. Berry
Hardin County Judge/Executive

Many citizens mistakenly believe their county property taxes pay for the maintenance and repair of county roads. The fact is the vast majority of the County Road Department's funding comes from the state's motor fuel tax. The state collects the fuel tax from the many vendors throughout the state and distributes the counties' and cities' portions based on the state statutory formula and their established contracts with the local governments.

In past year's the state also provided funding to counties and cities from either the "state rural secondary program" or funding derived from the sale of state bonds. Some additional funds are also provided local governments through state licensing of commercial trucks. Additionally, Hardin County obtains a small amount of revenue from local "road maintenance and improvement service districts" established to allow small groups of property owners to pay for road improvements made specifically to benefit their property.

Last year the "county road fund" received $2.4 million of revenue from these sources. The "county road fund" is a standalone account separate from the county's general fund and is only used for expenditures associated with county roads.

The County Road Department expended $2.5 million last year, thereby leaving $100,000 or 4% of the department's total expenditures to ultimately be paid from general fund revenue derived from county property taxes. Included in this $100,000 was $10,000 of road department labor and equipment support to the cities of West Point and Vine Grove for resurfacing projects on city streets.

City residents often ask "why do their county property tax dollars go to maintaining county roads?" As explained above, very few county tax dollars are used for county road work. For each dollar paid in total property taxes, county government receives only 14 cents. The overwhelming majority of property taxes go to public schools and state government. For each $100,000 of property you own, county government receives $111 from the taxes you pay. Of $32 million in total property taxes paid in Hardin County last year, county government received $4.5 million.

With this said, it can be argued that $2.47 of the annual county property tax paid on a $100,000 home went toward county roads. Some citizens living within the incorporated cities take exception with $2.47 of their county property tax being spent on county roads. However, there are other services county government provides city dwellers that rural county residents benefit little from.

For example, the Hardin County Branch Library located in Radcliff provides service primarily to the residents of Radcliff and Vine Grove. Branch usage by rural residents is relatively small. The cost to operate the branch library is approximately $200,000 annually and is paid for from the county government's property tax revenue. This equates to $4.94 of annual county property tax per $100,000 of valuation for each property owner, including home owners in the rural areas, going for the operation of the Radcliff Branch Library.

Likewise, city governments use property valuation numbers established by the Property Valuation Administrators Office (a State Office) to determine the annual tax base in calculating city property taxes. County government pays the Property Valuation Administrator $175,000 annually to provide the data upon which to base local tax rates and the county does not pass on any of this expense to city governments.

Another example of expenses the county absorbs is the housing of prisoners arrested by city law enforcement agencies and incarcerated in the county jail. Last year 33% of all prisoners lodged in the county jail originated by arrests from city law enforcement agencies. With a $3 million dollar annual shortfall in state funding for the county jail, $1 million of this could be attributed to jail services provided by the county to the cities.

There are many other examples of county government property tax revenues benefiting city residents at a proportionally higher rate than rural residents such as; subsidies for ambulance, animal control, and 911 services as well as support to city industrial foundations and authorities. County government routinely provides $20,000 each annually to assist the Elizabethtown Industrial Foundation and the Radcliff Economic Authority.

At the end of the day, those of us living in the cities (I'm one of them), benefit far more from county property taxes than our rural neighbors do. I believe spending 2% of the county government's property tax revenue on county roads is a small return for those living in rural Hardin County. After all, county roads bring our rural neighbors into the cities to work and pay city occupational taxes and shoppers into the cities to purchase goods thereby creating the jobs for the workers to pay city payroll taxes on.

Maybe the question should be, why aren't my city taxes being used to reimburse the county for maintaining roads to bring shoppers and workers into the cities?

Harry L. Berry
Hardin County Judge/Executive

The topic of consensus building has recently surfaced as a result of Fiscal Court's vote against the saltwater shrimp research project for Hardin County. While 5 of the 9 current members of Fiscal Court did not support this research project, it is interesting to see seven of the eight candidates running for Fiscal Court in November's election are on record supporting the project - coincidence or politics?

Webster's Dictionary defines the word "consensus" as "a majority vote." Consensus is not synonymous with unanimous.

Since this term of office began on January 6, 2003, Fiscal Court has voted over 1,000 times on issues, procedures, policies, and actions related to county government (this does not include the meetings of the Board of Trustees for Hardin Memorial Hospital).

More than 92% of these 1,000+ votes were unanimous!

Of the 8% decided by a "split vote," I was on the majority side of the vote over 55% of the time. One third of the remaining 44+% were decided by a one vote margin.

In total, I've achieved consensus for almost 97% of the votes taken by Fiscal Court over the last 3½ years. How many elected leaders do we know achieve consensus 97% of the time? How many attorneys win 97% or more of their cases? How many baseball players have a 970 batting average? How many stockbrokers or financial advisors achieve success 97% of the time?

Consensus building is important to achieving success in virtually every endeavor we undertake. I'm proud of the consensus we've built in Fiscal Court despite the political partisanship from a few of our members. One only has to watch the Hardin County Community and Educational Television coverage of Fiscal Court meetings a few times to witness the obvious political antics employed by a few. The consensus I've built within a Fiscal Court comprised totally of members from the opposing political party to mine speaks volumes for my 97% success rate.

Yes, unfortunately there is political gamesmanship at work in Fiscal Court. Three of our Magistrates, under the direction of their political party's leadership, have been joined at the hip for years to consistently vote against my position on over 75% of the split votes taken. This is shameful because little, if anything, addressed by Fiscal Court is related to political ideology.

Fortunately for Hardin County, the majority of Fiscal Court is not following their lead – hence consensus 97% of time.

Harry L. Berry
Hardin County Judge/Executive

Have you ever been successful getting your cable or satellite television service hooked-up on the same day you called or stopped by their office? Have you been able to obtain electrical service on the same day you contact the electric company? Do you receive instantaneous care from your physician on the same day you call or walk-in with a non-emergency medical need or do you call for an appointment? Is your dentist able to immediately see you or does it work best when your visit is pre-arranged?

There is an effort underway to paint the picture I'm not accessible as your Judge/Executive. This is simply not the case. It is true, I am a "working" County Judge extremely involved in the daily operations of county government and therefore engaged in numerous scheduled meetings, both day and night, throughout the county.

Several hours of each day I'm out of the office tending to county business, as well as attending community organization meetings and events. When in the office I'm involved in numerous meetings, discussions, and appointments with citizens, staff, and community leaders.

It is highly unlikely you'll find me on the spur of the moment with idle time on my hands to kick back and enjoy tootsie rolls while listening to my favorite music. This does not mean I do not have time for citizens who need to speak with me. However, like any other professional at the helm of a multi-million dollar operation, I DO schedule my time to be as productive as possible.

True emergencies requiring my direct involvement are dealt with immediately! If I'm not engaged in a meeting, conference, or scheduled activity I'm happy to immediately see citizens without appointments. If I'm not instantly available for those with less than emergent concerns, other staff personnel attempt to assist with the concerns. If they are not successful, the issue is brought to my attention to deal with as soon a practicable. Many concerns are resolved by simply getting the correct person involved to handle the issue.

Many in the community know from personal experience I have quickly been available to listen to their concerns. Others know I have returned their calls as soon as I was available. Numerous citizens have made appointments to set aside time to discuss their concerns with me. And yes, a few have been disgruntled because they could not instantly go to the front of the line or were unwilling to allow someone else to help resolve their issue.

In addition to seeing citizens at the office, both those with appointments and walk-ins as time permits, I'm highly visible throughout the county on a daily basis at numerous events, gatherings, and organization meetings. As many will attest, numerous people take these opportunities daily (and nightly) to approach me with their concerns and questions.

In addition to taking phone calls at work, I also take them at home. Just like at work, I may not be instantly available at home. During "work hours" I most likely will need to return your call because I'm in a meeting or with another citizen who scheduled time in advance to share their concerns. Phone calls received at home are returned as soon as possible. Most evenings I'm out in the community at various meetings and activities. I respond to messages received as soon as possible and appropriate to do so.

It is true that I will not interrupt a meeting or phone call I'm engaged in to take a spur of the moment visitor or phone call. To do so would be disrespectful to the person who made the effort to schedule time to meet with me.

Wendy's has a drive-up window to request and receive service. As customers, if we're not pleased with the results we receive, we can ask to speak with the manager who is usually on site and reasonably available. If we're still not satisfied, we can contact the corporate headquarters and ask to schedule a meeting with a representative of top management. None of us would ever think of demanding to speak with the President/CEO of Wendy's without calling ahead. We would also not go to that effort if we had not attempted to resolve our issue closer to the source of the problem.

County government's drive-up window is the reception counter for Hardin County Government or the office personnel at each of the county's departments. County supervisors are reasonably available to handle concerns their office staff is not able to resolve. If they're not able to solve the problem, I am available to handle the issue as priorities allow.

I am not the drive-up window attendant. I am the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and the Chief Financial Officer of the fourth largest county in the Commonwealth. As such, I diligently work to manage my time to provide maximum results with minimum resources for the citizens of Hardin County. To contact me you may call me at work at 765-2350 or at home at 769-2034. My e-mail is hberry.hcgo@hcky.org. You may also look to your left or right, chance are over the next few days you may see me within speaking distance from you.

Harry L. Berry
Hardin County Judge/Executive

Economic development and education are always topping most elected official's priority list. They fuel our economic engine through developing the work force and facilitating research for innovative advancements and business growth.

Without a well-prepared work force, economic prosperity will wither and die. On the other hand, a stagnant economic base erodes the foundations of our educational system through inadequate funding, loss of collaborative research opportunities, and a decrease of innovative entrepreneurs to draw upon for new ideas.

Part of Government's role is to provide educational opportunities and aggressively promote economic development. To that end the Commonwealth of Kentucky is diligently working to create an environment to entice new business.

As part of this growth, the state recently provided Hardin County an opportunity to facilitate a significant portion of a multi-million dollar state sponsored research project. The project involved collaboration of a private enterprise, Magnolia Shrimp, and the Commonwealth through partnerships with the University of Kentucky and Kentucky State University.

This research effort would have been little cost to county government. The primary benefit to the project for locating in Hardin County was utilizing heat generated from converting methane gas into electricity to warm the water in the demonstration phase of a research effort to grow salt-water shrimp year around in a climate-controlled environment. A key component of the economic viability of this project was using our waste heat to reduce energy costs in the research phase and to provide proof for the concept for heating water during full-scale production.

The only real "cost" to Hardin County was granting a low cost lease for five of the 1,600 acres of county owned land at the landfill, of which less than 700 acres are anticipated for use in support of landfill operations. Subsequent full-scale production opportunities may have required the use of another ten acres.

The county's consulting engineers provided Fiscal Court a written statement indicating the use of these acres would not adversely impact current or planned waste disposal activities. These activities include expanding the landfill to more than four times its current capacity, thereby providing a remaining life of over fifty years.

The project's payoff to Hardin County would have been tremendous. First, we had a rare opportunity to partner with the state for a research and development project here in Hardin County. Imagine the educational opportunities in the field of aquaculture for our local school systems and the Elizabethtown Community and Technical College.

Second, state sponsored aquaculture research in Hardin County would have certainly provide beneficial long term impacts and diversification opportunities for our local farm community.

Third, economic development growth would have certainly ocurred following the success of the demonstration phase. Numerous production facilities would have been needed for growing shrimp. Processing and packaging facilities would have been inevitable to prepare the product for shipping. And of course the transportation and all the supporting business associated with shipping would have flourished.

Unfortunately Fiscal Court decided to REJECT the offer to bring to our region state sponsored research, education, and economic development opportunities related to a multi-billion dollar national enterprise.

When afforded a chance to question developers and university experts regarding this project, many Fiscal Court members choose instead to direct discussions toward other "potential" uses for the five acres of land. For five months, pertinent information was collected and provided them regarding the project. Periodic updates were provided as new information was obtained. However, in the end several magistrates focused on stopping the project instead of making it viable for the county.

You may ask, if the project had little cost to Hardin County, required less than 1% of our uncommitted landfill property, would have brought research and educational opportunities to our county, provided a high likelihood for economic development, the opportunity for promoting aquaculture in our region, and possibly increasing diversification and research opportunities for local farmers – why vote against it?

The answer is simple - for some, politics trumps education and economic development!

It appears some members of Fiscal Court were instructed by party leaders to block initiatives I promote. Their party leadership feels there is too much progress being made this term toward a more efficient and effective county government. They believe our innovative approaches to providing more productive use of our limited resources is boding too well for me. They fear win/win programs like the salt-water shrimp research project places me in good stead for the November elections – something they don't want.

What they fail to realize is effective use of our resources, innovative initiatives, educational enhancement, economic development, and positive promotion of our county serves us ALL well – on election day and every other day of the year.

For some, turning each issue into a Republican vs. Democrat battle is more important than moving our community forward in growth and prosperity. Some believe partisan political fighting should come all the way downtown to the local courthouse.

They are the same ones that can't tolerate representation from both political parties in our local government. Some can't stand the current 8-1 odds and will only be happy with a 4-0 count in the next term. To that end some will even vote against education and economic enhancements.

You know, maybe shrimp entrepreneur Forrest Gump was right; life IS like a box of chocolates- you never know what you're going to get next. For some, they may just bite into a 0-4 chocolate-dipped shrimp.

Harry L. Berry
Hardin County Judge/Executive

A few partisan political activists are busy planting letters containing misinformation regarding the proposed state sponsored research project with Magnolia Shrimp I supported.

These orchestrated attacks provide myths as truths in efforts to convince us they are factual. As taught in "negative campaigning 101", they are slinging mud on the wall and hoping it sticks. They believe, if slung often enough, their myths will soon be perceived as facts.

Let us compare their myths to the facts:

Myth: I proposed county government "subsidize a private business deal between the state and Magnolia Shrimp".

Fact: County government's only involvement in this state sponsored research was leasing five acres of county owned land to Magnolia Shrimp to locate their research facility in collaboration with the University of Kentucky and Kentucky State University. This would be similar to our annual leases of 35 acres to Quails Unlimited, 18 acres to the Bucksnort Longhunters, and 2 acres to East Kentucky Power.

Myth: Hardin County Government would be responsible for providing water to Magnolia's project site at a cost of $150,000 to county taxpayers.

Fact: Magnolia Shrimp would have supplied their own water. They were contemplating trucking the water or possibly constructing a waterline. If a waterline were constructed they would have borne the lion's share of the cost. East Kentucky Power and Rumpke expressed interest of partnering in the cost to meet their potable water needs. County government MAY have also contributed a small amount to meet future needs for potable water at the landfill.

Myth: "Taxpayers were to pay for the fuel keeping the water at 88 degrees".

Fact: The primary purpose for locating the research project at our landfill was the availability of waste heat generated from the power plant owned by East Kentucky Power. The heat created by the plant belongs to East Kentucky Power, not Hardin County. Hardin County was NOT going to be responsible for heating any water!

Myth: "Hardin County was going to give a large amount of land for the initial phase and subsequent land" for future use by Magnolia Shrimp.

Fact: The county was not "giving away" any land. The research project would have been accomplished under a low cost short term lease. If the concept proved viable, longer term "commercial leases" for unused landfill property to support full scale production would have been considered.

Myth: "The proposed shrimp deal was to take place right smack in the middle of our landfill."

Fact: The proposed sight was not in the middle of the landfill. Our current permitted waste disposal area occupies a footprint of approximately 61 acres. Even with our planned expansion the permitted area will occupy less than 142 acres of the county owned 1,600 acre site. The proposed lease acres are well away from the disposal area and do not interfere with future planned landfill uses. The county's consulting engineer has verified this in writing.

Myth: I advocated the county take "undue risks with taxpayer's money".

Fact: There was no county tax revenue involved in the proposed research project.

Myth: Tax dollars are paying for the county landfill.

Fact: The county landfill is operated entirely on revenue generated from disposal fees. County tax dollars do not subsidize landfill operations or construction in any way. In fact, all other county government solid waste expenses are also paid from landfill proceeds, thereby eliminating the expenditure of local taxes on the maintenance and monitoring for the county's closed landfill at Springfield Road as well as other cleanup programs throughout the county.

Myth: Our landfill is NOT capable of handling the growth resulting from BRAC.

Fact: Hardin County has constructed 5.3, and used 2.3, of the 7.1 million cubic yards of air space currently permitted by the state. Recently completed construction, combined with remaining approved space for construction, provides ten to eleven years of remaining permitted space. During this fiscal year we will finish a multi-year design and permit application process for a 23 million cubic yard expansion to the landfill. This expansion provides a total disposal area of 30 million cubic yards and extends the life of our landfill by more than 50 years at current compaction densities and projected disposal volume rates. As a side note, Fort Knox does not dispose waste at the county landfill.

Myth: Local government is not planning for the future of our community.

Fact: Our region's Metropolitan Planning Organization (I serve as Chairman) completed the area's first Urbanized Transportation Plan in 2005 identifying and prioritizing our highway needs for the next twenty years. The One Knox Policy Committee (I serve as Vice-Chairman) is intimately involved in coordinating activities necessary to meet demands resulting from up to 5,000 new jobs created by BRAC decisions impacting Fort Knox. From my efforts in obtaining funding through Senator McConnell, we will complete a Regional Wastewater Facilities Plan this fall providing detailed planning regarding the requirements and prioritization of efforts for wastewater collection and disposal services in the unincorporated areas of Hardin County.

It appears the campaign mud slinging is underway for this political season. Don't let the muddy half-truths or no-truths perpetuated by others stick with you. Research the issues, weigh the facts, and you make the calls. In the end, truth will prevail.

Harry L. Berry
Hardin County Judge/Executive

Today County Judge Harry L. Berry filed the required notification and declaration forms to establish his candidacy for re-election to the office of Hardin County Judge/Executive.

Berry, now serving in his eighth year, was first elected Judge/Executive on November 5th, 2002 and subsequently re-elected on November 7th, 2006 for a second four year term. Judge Berry is the first Republican ever to serve as Hardin County's Judge.

As the county's Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, Judge Berry views his top responsibility to be the sound financial management and stewardship of tax payer's resources. During his first seven years in office, Berry reduced county government's dependence on the use of general fund reserves (savings) to balance the county's annual budget. Upon taking office in January 2003, Berry inherited a budget in mid-year utilizing $9 million of the county's general fund savings account to "balance" its books. A short two years later, fiscal year 2004/2005 finished with virtually no use of general fund savings to balance the county's $34 million budget. During the last five years, Judge Berry has continued to maintain county government's expenditures within budget without depleting general fund savings. Most importantly, he has accomplished this through increased efficiencies and by trimming non-essential expenditures without jeopardizing the county's ongoing programs and services; quite an accomplishment considering our state and federal government's financial conditions.

Other accomplishments during the last seven years of Judge Berry's leadership include, but are not limited to:

• Obtaining a "Double A" county bond rating from Moody's Investors Service thereby placing Hardin County Government's rating in the top 10 county and city governments in Kentucky and among the top 15% of local governments nationally. Government bond ratings, similar to "credit risk" ratings, are instrumental in determining interest rates on government borrowing. Moving from "Single A" to "Double A" lowers the interest rate county government pays for debt it incurs. Bond ratings are also a key measurement in the financial stability of a government.
• Reducing county tax rates four times over the last seven years resulting in the lowest rates in twenty years. For the first time ever, county property taxes were set a rate below the state's established "compensating rate". The compensating tax rate is the rate that will produce the same revenue as generated the previous year from the same property. While this rate will result in $250,000 less in revenue than budgeted for the county, Judge Berry believes it is important to reduce taxes to strengthen family budgets and local businesses throughout the community during these difficult economic times.
• Refinancing the outstanding debt on previous construction projects for the county landfill thereby reducing yearly payments by 23% through the lowering of annual debt payments from $2.2 million to $1.7 million.
• Construction of a methane gas collection system at the county's landfill thereby enabling the county to collect and sell gas produced from decomposing waste to be used for the production of electricity. This initiative alone is estimated to save county taxpayers approximately $2 million over a twenty year period. It will also produce an equivalent environmental savings over this same time equal to planting 1.4M trees, offsetting emissions from over 1M cars, preserving almost 23K rail cars of coal, or preserving 11.4M barrels of oil. The county is currently utilizing a $426,500 U.S. Department of Energy grant awarded the county in 2009 to significantly improve and expand the initial gas collection system. Methane gas collection could as much as double upon completion of the work later this year.
• Through leadership positions in the Metropolitan Planning Organization, One Knox Policy Council, and Lincoln Trail Area Development District Judge Berry has been instrumental in identifying, developing, and championing BRAC related road and infrastructure improvements to obtain state funding necessary to bring over $250 million in required area improvements to fruition.
• Obtaining federal funding to initiate a study to determine the feasibility and establish priorities and funding sources to begin providing sanitary sewer service to unincorporated areas of the county. This study now serves as the basis to justify over $25 million in state funding for BRAC related sewer service expansion projects within Hardin County.
• Building a new Emergency Services Complex to house the main station and administrative offices for the county's Emergency Medical Services as well as the County Coroner's Office and the Emergency Management Office.
• Construction of three new cells at the county's landfill thereby providing almost 4 million cubic yards of airspace to accommodate the disposal of 3 million tons of waste for a period lasting 8 to 10 years.

While he states there are numerous issues and initiatives he wants to continue pursuing for the citizens of Hardin County, Berry cites two priorities leading to his decision to seek a third term as the county's top elected leader. The first is to ensure county government continues on a course of sound financial management during these difficult and unpredictable economic times confronting us. Over the past two terms, Judge Berry has become a subject matter expert on the operation of local government in Kentucky and believes his experience with and understanding of the many facets of county government provides him a unique set of skills to best lead the county into the turbulent and challenging years ahead.

The second priority impacting Judge Berry's decision involves the transformation associated with Fort Knox as a result of BRAC and the impact these changes will have on the region. As a retired Army Engineer Officer, Judge Berry's background, technical expertise, and knowledge of our community provides him the necessary tools to lead county government and guide our community to maximize the full potential of growth resulting from changes occurring at Fort Knox.

Judge Berry has been honored to serve the citizens of Hardin County as Judge/Executive for the last seven years and looks forward to leading county government through the next four year term should the citizens desire. Berry said, "I was first hired in November 2002 and my contract was renewed in November 2006. It's once again time for a review of my performance and a decision this November if my contract will be renewed or terminated. I work for, and at the pleasure of, the Hardin County voters."

Today Judge Berry announced Hardin County Government completed Fiscal Year 2009/2010 with total revenue exceeding total expenditures. County government's fiscal years run from July 1st through June 30 of the subsequent calendar year.

For the budget year ending June 30th, 2010, the county did NOT utilize General Fund Reserves or Board Designated Fund Reserves to balance the year's expenditures. The Board Designated Fund is comprised of accumulated annual dividends paid by Hardin Memorial Hospital to County Government on behalf of our county's citizens as the owners of the hospital. Additionally, upon Judge Berry's recommendation, no annual dividend was taken from HMH during the year to add to the Board Designated Fund.

Hardin County Government's revenue for Fiscal Year 2009/2010 totaled $27,048,095 while expenditures were held to $26,734,308. Judge Berry noted that within this revenue is $81,484 in funding received for projects to be completed in the next fiscal year and $175,872 of funding set aside for future upgrades at the E-911 Center. Also included in the revenue is $35,000 being added to the landfill escrow account to assist with future costs associated with landfill maintenance and monitoring after its closure in many decades yet to come.

Judge Berry stated that after accounting for revenue committed to future expenditures, county government completed Fiscal Year 2009/2010 with a $21,431 surplus to be added to the county's general reserves; the county's General Fund savings account!

In addition to not utilizing Board Designated Fund or General Fund Reserves to balance the budget, Berry also noted there was also NO use of funds derived from selling "carbon credits" generated by the environmentally friendly destruction of methane gas utilized in electrical power generation at the Pearl Hollow Landfill. Those "carbon credits" are being maintained for revenue generation in subsequent budget years.

Judge Berry also pointed out that during this past fiscal year County Government Real Property Tax Rates were set at the lowest rate in 20 years. He further stated the rate was set below the "compensating rate" for the first time ever in the county's history. The "compensating" rate is the rate which, excluding new property added to the tax rolls during the last year, will produce the same revenue as generated the previous year.

Setting the county's tax rate below the "compensating rate" reduced property tax revenue below the projected and budgeted amount but it was necessary to insure that county government did not contribute to the strain placed upon families and businesses during the struggling economic conditions Berry said.

While expenditures at the County Detention Center exceeded revenue by more than $2.8 million and income for the county's landfill operations fell almost $1 million short of the department's expenditures, overall the county's total spending decreased by 6.9% compared to the previous year.

Judge Berry summarized the fiscal year ended with a surplus in revenue of $21,431, expended 6.9% less than the previous year, and spent no Board Designated Fund or county savings – all while maintaining the lowest county government real property tax rates in 20 years. Finally, Judge Berry noted that county government closed out the fiscal year with $4.8 million in General Fund reserves (savings), $4.7 million in Board Designated Fund reserves, and $2.8 million in "fenced reserves" (funding set aside for specific future use) for a total county reserve (savings account) balance of $12.3 million.

Judge Berry's Fiscal Year 2009/2010 Budget Update presentation is available on the Hardin County Government web site at www.hcgo.com.

Hardin County Judge/Executive Harry L. Berry announced today his proposed budget for the county's 2010/2011 fiscal year does not require the spending of general reserve savings, nor will it draw upon Board Designated Funds (savings derived from the county's annual dividend payments from Hardin Memorial Hospital).

Judge Berry stated "like many families and businesses throughout our community, Hardin County Government will continue to tighten its belt and live within its means as we work through the challenges of these difficult economic conditions. Similar to the painful choices made by families and businesses, local government must also prioritize, stretch, and make hard spending decisions to make ends meet."

Berry announced his proposed 2010/2011 fiscal year budget (not including an additional $49.5 million is state funding provided for BRAC infrastructure projects) totals $28.1 million – 9.7% less than the previous year's budget. State statutes require county judge/executives to submit their proposed fiscal year budget for the county to the fiscal court by May 1st each year. The fiscal court must then approve a county budget by June 30th. "While this budget is aggressive in supporting key priorities for our county, it is yet the leanest budget proposed since the 2003/2004 fiscal year. We have accomplished this through restructuring of the county's long term debt, assisted by a significantly improved county bond rating; initiatives to reduce costs through enhanced performance; and more efficient use of existing resources" Judge Berry explained.

The Judge's plan provides over $250,000 in capital expenditures in the emergency services area including $160,000 to purchase a new ambulance for EMS. Berry's budget also earmarks $41,000 to replace 8 cardiac monitors used in the Emergency Medical Services' frontline ambulances to provide state-of-the-art interface with HMH to accelerate patient diagnosis and care upon arrival in the emergency room. Additionally, $38,000 is included for the fielding of a community emergency notifications system to facilitate "real time" telephone notification warnings to county citizens potentially impacted by pending natural or man made disasters.

Judge Berry's proposed budget includes substantial increases in asphalt for resurfacing of county roads as well as $125,000 to replace aging Road Department equipment and vehicles, plus $100,000 for salt to treat county roads during next year's winter storms.

To keep Hardin County "green", Judge Berry proposes $225,000 of spending to maintain the progress of the county's ongoing recycling initiatives, litter clean-up program, and illegal dump remediation efforts. Also included is continuation of annual "household hazardous waste collection", "e-scrap", and free service days at the county landfill.

Other important efforts once again supported in the Judge's budget are $890,000 in support of the Hardin County Library System ($160,000 more than the statutory minimum amount), $50,000 for Circuit and District "Drug Court" programs, $37,500 for the "dead stock" removal and disposal program in support of the county's agricultural community, and $310,000 in direct support to our area Volunteer Fire Departments; a 10% increase over the current year.

Judge Berry is also budgeting $1,100,000 to supplement the Sheriff Department's budget to assist in providing adequate law enforcement services within the county as well as almost $300,000 for the County Attorney's legal services. Additionally, $160,000 is provided to pay the expenses of conducting the elections this year and $130,000 to assist with the expenses in operating the County Clerk's offices.

"The Department Directors and employees of county government continue to do a stellar job of being frugal with the taxpayer's dollars – after all, we are also taxpayers. While much belt tightening has occurred over the last several years, the employees of county government continue to provide the same or improved levels of service without interruption. Through our cost cutting initiatives and increased efficiencies, we are able to maintain services and address key priorities without withdrawing from county savings or relying on HMH dividends" Berry said.

Judge Berry further commented, "we're pleased to accomplish this while maintaining the lowest county real property tax rate in 20 years."

Today Judge Berry announced he will recommend at the September 8th meeting of Fiscal Court to set the county's Real Property Tax Rate at 10.9 cents per $100 of valuation thereby matching the same low rate as last year. If approved Judge Berry's recommendation will, for the first time ever, place the county's real property tax rate below the state's established "compensating rate".

In making this decision, Judge Berry stated it was important to consider "many county residents have lost their jobs, suffered reduced hours, had overtime opportunities eliminated, or been forced to take jobs paying much less over the last year. With so many of our friends, families, and neighbors enduring such economic strife, it is difficult to justify taking more money from their remaining income. Much like them, our taxing authorities must also tighten their belts and manage within their means. Now is not the time to raise tax rates on these families. While increasing taxes is always a difficult decision to make, to allow rates to rise now would place an additional hardship on so many struggling households at a time when they are most vulnerable."

Approving a rate of 10.9 cents per $100 valuation of real property will be the first time county government has set a property tax rate at less than the compensating rate. Kentucky statutes define the "compensating tax rate" as that rate which, excluding new property added to the tax roles during the last year, will produce the same revenue as generated the previous year. This year's compensating rate would be 11.0 cents.

In contrast the frequently used "4% growth rate" set by local taxing authorities, the maximum rate allowed by statute without the possibility of voter recall, would produce revenue which is 4% more than the previous tax year (not including taxes from new property added since the last year). This year's 4% growth rate would be 11.4 cents, a full 5% increase above last year's rate.

For decades previous fiscal courts always set property tax rates at the level necessary to receive the maximum 4% growth in tax revenue allowed by state statute without the possibility of voter recall. During this Administration we have moved from automatically levying the maximum rate to a more detailed evaluation of matching the tax rate to the government's need for revenue while considering the impact on taxpayers.

In three of the last six years county government has set the rate at less than this 4% maximum growth rate in an effort to balance the impact on government and the taxpayer. If approved, this year would be the fourth out the last seven the county government has not levied the maximum 4% growth rate and the first time ever of setting a rate less than the compensating rate, Judge Berry explained.

Increasing costs to maintain current operating levels for county government will be a challenge with these proposed tax rates. Keeping our rates at or below the compensating rates will mean approximately $250,000 less in projected county government revenue from total taxes versus those amounts budgeted for the fiscal year. Judge Berry commented "while county government has been very successful during the past seven years of eliminating waste and redundancy along with more efficient operations, we will continue to search for other savings to reduce the impact of receiving less than the budgeted amount of tax revenue".

"In the worst case scenario," Judge Berry said, "it may be necessary for county government to utilize a modest amount of the county's reserve funds to make ends meet. After all, isn't that what savings or a "rainy day fund" is there for – difficult times? Using a relatively small amount from our savings account is a better solution than asking so many during troubled times to sacrifice yet more by paying higher taxes."

Judge Berry summarized, "when the day is done, we must ask ourselves, what are our expectations of government and how much are we willing to pay for it? The most effective way of meeting urgent needs today is to keep as much money as we can in the hands of our families during these economically challenging times".

Fiscal Court will set this year's county property tax rates during its 3:30 p.m. September 8th meeting at the "old county courthouse" in Elizabethtown.

Judge Berry announced today Moody's Investors Service has upgraded to Aa3 from A1 the underlying rating for Hardin County's General Obligation Bonds; and additionally assigns an Aa3 rating to $1.4 million General Obligation Refunding Bonds, Series 2009.

Moody's Investors Service has assigned an Aa3 rating to Hardin County's upcoming August 20th bond issue sale of $1.42 million in General Obligation Refunding Bonds. Concurrently, Moody's has upgraded to Aa3 from A1 the underlying rating on the County's $15.4 million of outstanding parity debt, net of the current refunding. Proceeds from the current offering will refund the Series 2005 Bonds, extending the final maturity to match the useful life of the county landfill project financed from the issuance. The rating upgrade reflects the County's economic stability, anchored by the presence of Fort Knox; healthy financial operations characterized by ample reserves; and favorable debt profile.

Judge Berry stated "a Double A rating for Hardin County Government's bonding is a reflection of the county's strong monetary reserves, low debt, and prudent management of our county's financial resources". The Judge/Executive went on to say that "Moody's stated it believes the County will continue prudent fiscal management practices to maintain healthy financial operations over the long term".

Judge Berry further commented "we are all proud of the fact we've been able to manage our limited resources to accomplish this strong financial rating while remaining among the least taxed counties in the Commonwealth. In addition to maintaining one of the lowest property tax rates, Hardin County Government does not impose many of the taxes other counties use such as an occupational tax, a library tax, an insurance premium tax, or fire district taxes."

Moody's definitions indicate obligations receiving an "Aa" rating are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk. Issuers or issues rated Aa demonstrates very strong creditworthiness relative to other U.S. municipal or tax-exempt issuers or issues.

Sam Conner, the county's bond counsel and Senior Vice-President from Hillard Lyons of Louisville who is handling the county's bond refunding, stated "Hardin County Government's bond rating now ranks among the very top rated counties in Kentucky and matches the Commonwealth's high bond rating". Mr Connor further commented "this upgrade in Hardin County's bond rating will result in lower bond interest rates thereby providing added saving in the county annual debt payments."

"By re-financing this $1.4 million of landfill debt, county government will reduce landfill long-term debt payments from $2.2 million to $1.7 million annually thereby reducing the landfill annual debt expenses by approximately $500,000 or 23%" Berry said.

Judge Berry announced today Hardin County Government has been approved for a $426,500 "Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant"!

After months of collaborative efforts in preparing the County's application, documenting the benefits of the proposed projects, and answering numerous questions for DoE, Judge Berry is elated with the approval of Hardin County to receive a portion of the $3.2 Billion allocated within the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for funding local energy efficiency improvements.

This past April Judge Berry, County Engineer Vicki Bracket, Deputy Judge/Executive Jim Roberts, and Consulting Engineer Roger Blair of Tetra Tech began what became a five month process of researching, developing, applying, and tracking the approval of this grant.

The county's ongoing methane gas collection system project at the county owned Pearl Hollow Landfill is slated to receive an estimated 85% of the county's grant funding to expand and improve the gas collection system. Judge Berry plans to direct approximately $350,000 of the grant to fund over 2,000 feet of new main vacuum header line, multiple gas extraction wells, and supporting pumps, laterals, and pneumatic lines. These improvements and expansion of the system will allow the county to nearly double its current collection rate of methane gas.

Judge Berry explained that in 2005 Hardin County Government partnered with Nolin RECC and East Kentucky Power (EKP) to utilize the greenhouse gas created by the natural decomposition of waste within landfill to produce green electricity. This system recycles the captured methane gas extracted from the landfill to power large commercial generators operated by EKP to supply sufficient electricity to power approximately 1,500 homes in Hardin County.

With much of the preliminary planning for the project completed, Roger Blair estimated it would take six to nine months to complete the engineering and construction phases for the expansion and upgrades. Once completed, the output of the new methane wells, when combined with the existing system, is expected to supply sufficient electricity to power approximately 3,000 homes in the county.

The total reduction in emissions by both the new and existing methane gas system's collection and conversion to electricity is equivalent to any one of the following environmental benefits:

• Removing the annual greenhouse gas emissions from 39,747 passenger vehicles;
• Carbon sequestered annually by 49,322 acres of pine or fir forests;
• Eliminating CO2 emissions from burning 1133 railcars worth of coal; or
• Preventing CO2 emissions from 24.6 million gallons of gasoline consumed.
• Vicki Brackett explained that methane gas is a by-product of the decomposition of municipal solid waste. It is a greenhouse gas which is nearly 20 times as potent as CO2 in its negative effects on the environment. Methane is recognized as a renewable energy source that is generated 24/7. Converting methane gas to green power provides environmental benefits by off-setting the use of non-renewable resources such as coal, oil, and gas as well as reducing the emission of SO2, Nitrogen oxides, particulate matter and CO2. Landfills are the second largest human-made source of methane in the United States, accounting for 22.7 percent generated in 2007. Between 1990 and 2007 methane gas emissions have decreased five percent.

Judge Berry also stated the remainder of Hardin County's grant will be used to improve the energy efficiency of heating and cooling systems in the H.B. Fife Courthouse. The current systems are outdated and require a great deal of effort to maintain in proper working order.