March 10, 2003 

Damron wins funding for Jessamine County water projects in conference committee budget  

FRANKFORT — More than $1 million for water projects for Jessamine County is included in the final budget package approved by the House-Senate conference committee, Rep. Bob Damron announced. 

Damron, D-Nicholasville, said the funding reflects the importance of the projects at a time when many areas of the budget are being trimmed. 

“Many legislators fought hard to include funding for their districts because we all know how tight things are,” Damron said. “This was money that was not part of the original budget in either chamber. I was here all day Saturday making the argument that these projects deserved money even in a tight budget situation. These projects were my top priorities, and by standing up for them we managed to get them the funding they deserve. 

“With Jessamine County’s growth among the fastest in the state, I think many people saw what a necessary investment this is in our future.” 

More than $100 million was included in the budget for water and sewer projects across the state. Among the projects getting the green light were the Ashgrove-Vince Road Loop project in Jessamine County Water District #1, which will receive $285,000, and the Jessamine County-South Elkhorn Water District’s southeast water lines project, which will get $800,000. 

In addition, the state’s road fund includes $125,000 each of the next two years for the Valley View Ferry. “This ensures that the ferry will remain fee-free and that it remains as convenient as it’s ever been,” Damron said. “It’s secure for another two years.” 

Damron said he was proud of the budget the conference committee settled on. “We’ve accomplished quite a bit with this budget,” he said. “We’re not going to increase taxes one penny, which is something that took a lot of work. At the same time, we’re actually increasing funding for primary and secondary education as well as fully funding the KEES program for college scholarships. We increased SEEK payments by $82 million across the state, which help local school districts balance their books. That’s especially important in a growing district like Jessamine County, where per-pupil funding is key to maintaining a high level of learning.” 

Education wasn’t the only area to be protected, Damron said. “We found additional dollars for child care assistance for working mothers, who need all the help they can get to stay off the welfare rolls and make a respectable life for their families.” 

Criminal justice was also a major target for protection, Damron said, with an eye toward preventing the sort of prisoner release that the governor ordered in late 2002. “The conference committee increased the funding to local jails,” Damron said, “and the same time, we’re going to prohibit the type of early release authorized by the governor last year.” 

With protection for such important areas, cuts had to made somewhere, Damron said, and most of the savings in the budget will come from leaner, more efficient government operations. Among the cuts to general government are: 

• A cap on the number of new hires made by the state government.

• A reduction in the number of principal assistants and other political appointees by about 250.

• A reduction in staff expenses for the lieutenant governor’s mansion.

• A cut in personal service contracts to outside parties to do government work.

“These are the sorts of things that are just common sense,” Damron said. “We can save money just by running a tighter ship. In a way, this situation can be beneficial to us by showing us just how efficient our state government can be. From now on, the people are going to get more bang for their buck here in Frankfort.” 

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