VANCEBURG – Lewis County Fiscal Court met Monday to discuss property that has been deemed a nuisance, purchase of a new vehicle for the detention center and changing the meeting time of the fiscal court.

After receiving several complaints from Lewis County residents, Judge-Executive Todd Ruckel brought the property on Cabin Creek Road up to the fiscal court after having the property surveyed.

According to the survey, the property was deemed unfit for habitation, potentially harmful to people around the property and could also cause the value of other adjacent properties to diminish. All of these conditions led the court to agree the property should be listed as a nuisance.

Photos were provided to the court before the vote confirming the conditions reported to them.

The owner of the property is currently being detained for other charges unrelated to the property and has been notified of what was taking place at the meeting, but opted out of having anyone present to speak on his behalf or offer a rebuttal, officials said.

An appeal can be filed to show the property should not be deemed as a nuisance, but that is a matter to be handled by the circuit and/or district court, according to Ruckel.

Also discussed at the meeting, a detention center vehicle is no longer operational and Ruckel believes it is not worth investing money and fixing it because of its age. Another vehicle used by the detention center is old as well but still in working condition.

Ruckel asked that another vehicle be purchased for no more than $10,000 for the detention center to use. The money would come from commissary funds and the vehicle would primarily be used to transport Class D inmates to pick up trash and do other community work.

The court agreed to move forward with looking to purchase a vehicle for the detention center to use.

The meeting time for fiscal court meetings was discussed and changed as well.

Previously meeting at 2 p.m., Magistrate Steve Applegate asked that the meeting be moved to noon so he would no longer have to request a sub for his bus route in the afternoon.

The matter was discussed by the members of the court and after no reason not to move the meeting was found, the time change was agreed upon and approved for noon.

In other business:

— May Hollow Road has been surveyed and it was found that several culverts need to be fixed before the road is adopted by the county. The repairs will fall on the owners of the land but the court agreed to check the condition after the repairs are made and adopt the road in the event that all regulations are then met.

— A recycle grant application was approved by the court to purchase new equipment for the solid waste facility. The grant is 100 percent of the money and no match is being made. If awarded, the primary purchases will be trailers for use of the facility. The grant request amounts to $140,951.50.

— The Kentucky Community and Technical College System requested that its lease for an office located in Vanceburg be renewed for $300 a month, as it was before. The request was approved.

— Brandon Roof was officially changed from part-time to full-time at the detention center, as agreed upon by the court.

— Ariel Thurman was hired as a part-time employee at the detention center, as agreed upon by the court.