Protect access to local healthcare from fed cuts, citizen action group tells Council
Plus, property taxes to rise a teensy bit
Council briefs
Public comment
Council should take action now to ensure all Bereans have access to healthcare in case federal cuts threaten services now provided by local medical facilities.
That’s according to Kathy Williams, a member of the local citizen action group, We Show Up, who addressed Council and Mayor Bruce Fraley at the second regularly scheduled meeting held Tuesday evening.
“We’re concerned that federal cuts will lead to the closure or decline of services offered by local institutions such as Saint Joseph Hospital, the Berea Healthcare Center, or the White House Clinic,” Williams said.
Those most likely to be adversely impacted should services be reduced or cut, she said, were “pregnant women, the working poor, disabled persons in long-term care facilities such as nursing homes, and some US veterans from across the armed services.”
Williams urged Council to work with local organizations and citizens who might be directly affected if health services are cut. She said the members of We Show Up look forward to partnering with the City on this soon.
Fraley thanked Williams, and acknowledged the other dozen or so citizens who’d accompanied her to the meeting.
Resolutions
Resolution 11-2025
Sycamore Street is impossible to clean. So, from Phillips Street to where the street ends—thanks to it being under a railroad underpass that City street crews cannot drive street cleaning machinery beneath—Council heard the first reading of the ordinance to remove Sycamore Street from the City’s street cleaning map.
Resolution 12-2025
The Council is the rate-setting body that determines the property tax rate within constraints set by Kentucky statutes. Therefore, in a first reading, Council heard a proposal that property taxes rise slightly, as the City does its annual compensating rate adjustment per state statute. This had been decided in a work session prior to the Council meeting.
More details were provided to The Edge by Berea Finance Director Susan Helton. “The Council heard a report from administration that the property valuations have increased, causing the compensating rate to decrease from the 2024 tax rate,” she wrote in an email, sent after the meeting.
“This gave the Council the opportunity to increase revenue while keeping the 2025 tax rate the second lowest property tax rate over the last 18 years. The increased revenue is important due to keep up with inflation and the rising costs of providing services to the citizens,” Helton said in the email.
The state allows municipalities to increase revenue from property tax by four percent above the revenue that would be generated from the compensating rate, Helton explained in the email. “This is a little different than saying we can raise property taxes by four percent. It’s a nuanced difference, but it’s important since the increase in the proposed tax rate is only two percent, not four percent,” Helton said.
“The tax rate is increasing to 9.1 cents from 8.9 cents, an increase of two-tenths of a penny on every 100 dollars of assessed value,” Helton said. “Or, 2 dollars on every 100,000 dollars of value.”
The second readings for these ordinances will take place on September 2, during the first regularly scheduled meeting of that month.
City administrator’s report
City Administrator Shawn Sandlin thanked the Parks and Recreation Department for working hard to accommodate 18 softball teams for a tournament this past weekend, held at Memorial park, along with other local sports leagues using the fields. The current head of the Parks maintenance crew has resigned, he said, but a new hire is coming on board. This leaves one staff position still open.
Sandlin also reminded Council that this Friday will be the first home game for Community School’s football team.
Sandlin said the City is proud of the work happening at Parks, and commended Codes and Planning employee Brian Reed for his involvement in all the projects, including the pool rehabilitation.
The trailhead bathroom located in Memorial Park will soon undergo renovations, and the Ellipse Street shared use path is now under construction, as are six pickleball courts near the Skate Park. The courts will be lit for nighttime play. If there is money left over, Sandlin said he has a surprise for the community regarding the courts.
Sandlin also served up some mystery around the police department for activities he said he could not specify, but that the City was proud of the officers for doing, and that the public should be, too, even if the public cannot see what is going on.
Councilmembers, all except Steve Caudill, who was absent, prevailed upon Sandlin to update them on various activities. Councilmember Steve Davis asked if there would be plaques on all new structures indicating that the Tourism Department had underwritten them. Sandlin said yes, once all structures are completed.
Councilmember John Payne wanted to know when the Ellipse Street shared use path would be completed; 90 days was Sandlin’s answer. Councilmember Katie Startzman asked about the pool and learned from Sandlin that it is currently being filled, the slide is installed, and cement around it has been poured. Startzman offered Council might swim around the pool to test it out.
Councilmember Teresa Scenters asked about progress on the firing range for the police, and was told it remains 90 percent completed while waiting for dirt to settle before pouring concrete on it. Councilmember Ronnie Terrill asked if the shared use path would go all the way to Hwy 25 and was told no.
Councilmember Jerry Little wanted to know whether park restroom facilities were being routinely managed over busy weekends, and was told yes, normally, but this past weekend the park staff member on-call was moving and couldn’t come clean things up. Little said if City restrooms are a mess it’s embarrassing.
Councilmember Cora Jane Wilson was upset by Thorough Truck Service on North Dogwood having become what she called a junk yard. She said she is tired of looking at it, could something please be done, such as putting a fence around the property. This provoked Little who shook his head and said that the owner of the property is protected by the zoning of that patch of road, and an argument about whether the City had any ability to demand the eye sore be handled ensued. Sandlin said he would look into it.
Mayor and Council comments
Mayor
Fraley reiterated Sandlin’s praise for Reed, and for parks Director Priscilla Bloom, and said the development of the pickleball courts, which the City paid for entirely without grant funding, is “exciting” and that he is grateful. Fraley said he and Terrill would like to challenge all Councilmembers to volunteer for the upcoming Spoonbread Festival, in particular, to offer to hand out the spoon bread samples available for attendees each year.
Council
Wilson thanked the members of We Show Up for attending the meeting, and said she was excited about the Spoonbread Festival, that spoonbread is delicious, and said to “Getcha some butter.”
Terrill asked whether the mayor and city administrator would be inaugurating the pickleball courts with a match between them. No, was Fraley’s reply.
Startzman thanked the members of We Show Up, and in particular, Williams, and said she looked forward to hearing more from them since it would be “hard to imagine Berea without these institutions”, referring to the healthcare facilities in town.
Scenters reiterated Startzman’s sentiments and congratulated former Streets Department worker Eric Baker on his retirement.
Little had no comment.
Council meets every first and third Tuesday of the month at the City Hall Annex, 304 Chestnut Street at 6:30 PM. You can also attend remotely by watching the City’s YouTube channel.
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