BY LISA STAYTON
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

INEZ — In what might be a history-making first for Martin County, the Fiscal Court did something unexpected in a Feb. 26 special meeting: it turned down state-mandated excess fees from the Martin County Sheriff’s Office.

Kentucky law requires Sheriff John Kirk to submit a “budget, quarterly report and annual settlement” to the fiscal court for approval by March 15 each year. Kirk’s 2024 settlement was straightforward: receipts $396,335, expenditures $396,314 and surplus fees $20.96. A mandatory statement in the report showed the sheriff finished the year with no debt or liability.

But rather than treating the matter with formality, some magistrates responded with sarcasm, mockery and ridicule. They appeared irritated that the surplus was not a larger amount to add to the county’s coffers.

District 4 Magistrate Junior Hunt was first to mock the excess fees of Sheriff Kirk, who was not present.

“If he’s in such a bad shape, why don’t we just let him keep that to put him a little gas in his vehicle?” Hunt jibed.

District 5 Magistrate Ronald Workman chimed in deadpan: “I think we should—$21.”

Hunt, doubling down, repeated, “In such bad shape.”

At this point, Judge/Executive Lon Lafferty, whose staff would typically just deposit the check along with other county funds and record it as a receipt, deferred to the court’s judgment.

“It’s more paperwork to get done—to accept it,” Workman added dismissively.

District 3 Magistrate Tracy Spence then moved to reject the check.

Before anyone could second it, Hunt, still pushing the jab, leaned in and repeated himself a second time: “He’s in such bad shape. We’ll just let him keep it.”

District 2 Magistrate Kermit Howell seconded Spence’s motion and the vote was in: Hunt, Workman, Spence and Howell sided with rejecting the funds. Only District 1 Magistrate Cody Slone dissented.