September 20, 201511 yr I've said for many years that Owsley and Lee should consolidate. Owsley has only 4,500 population. Lee has about 6,500. Even at that it would be a small populated county. Possibly could add Jackson County, or Estill, to the new county. Wolfe could be considered,too. Dear lord those are small. The township in Louisville I grew up in is about 10 square miles and had a population many times that. Good lord.
September 20, 201511 yr Dear lord those are small. The township in Louisville I grew up in is about 10 square miles and had a population many times that. Good lord. Yep. Owsley is small in population. Land size is 199 square miles but the population has never been more than 9,000 since the county's creation in 1843. The entire school enrollment for the Owsley school district K-12 is only 750 students.
September 20, 201511 yr What would be a good number of counties for Kentucky to have, considering there are currently 120? The heavy population centers would still have more people per capita than the rural counties. Should counties be combined to more uniform size (within reason) or by to make counties all similar in population to each other regardless of size? Or maybe a mix of the two by leaving Lex and Louisville as they are and then combining other counties to get similar size and populations?
September 20, 201511 yr One of the biggest goofs is in the Jabez area of Wayne and Russell counties...the area is not accessible to either county without first going through Pulaski County. To get from Monticello (Wayne Co Seat) to the Wayne Co area in Jabez is about 7 miles as the crow flies but is a drive of close to 50 miles around Lake Cumberland through Somerset. Jabez sits right next to lake Cumberland and is less that 1 mile from the Russell Co side of the lake, but it is over 35 miles from Jamestown to Jabez, again driving around the lake and through Pulaski County.
September 21, 201511 yr Yep. Owsley is small in population. Land size is 199 square miles but the population has never been more than 9,000 since the county's creation in 1843. The entire school enrollment for the Owsley school district K-12 is only 750 students. And there's part of the problem. Not to pick on Owsley Co specifically, but half this state has counties just like this that could be better-run under a more efficient scenario. Combine Owsley with 3-4 surrounding counties and you cut out unnecessary salaries for a dozen people and save $400K roughly in the process. But I bet that never happens, because God help whoever challenges local authoriti.
September 21, 201511 yr And there's part of the problem. Not to pick on Owsley Co specifically, but half this state has counties just like this that could be better-run under a more efficient scenario. Combine Owsley with 3-4 surrounding counties and you cut out unnecessary salaries for a dozen people and save $400K roughly in the process. But I bet that never happens, because God help whoever challenges local authoriti. I agree. Combining small populated counties is way overdue.
September 21, 201511 yr I agree. Combining small populated counties is way overdue. Have you asked your local Judge-Exec what he thinks about it? And how many family members does he have in local employ in county jobs?
September 21, 201511 yr I'll start making the combos now with areas I know. You guys feel free to add, and also tell your local people why their job is irrelevant and unnecessary, and an albatross on your county's finances. Nelson/Marion/Washington counties Franklin/Anderson/Shelby/Spencer Bullitt/Hardin/Meade Oldham/Henry/Trimble Gallatin/Carroll/Owen/Grant I just knocked out 12 unnecessary counties. Again, feel free to add. I'll go ahead and give you a bonus: Boone/Kenton/Campbell — let's hear the NoKy folks — especially the hardcore GOP/efficient government types — explain why this is a bad idea.
September 21, 201511 yr Todd, Logan, and Butler Trigg, Lyon, and Caldwell Fulton and Hickman Crittenden and Livingston Knocked out six more. That gives us 102 counties now Jim
September 21, 201511 yr Todd, Logan, and Butler Trigg, Lyon, and Caldwell Fulton and Hickman Crittenden and Livingston Knocked out six more. That gives us 102 counties now Jim You're complicating things too much. Let's just be smart and efficient about this and make a Jackson Purchase County out of those 8. No reason for there to be 8 counties there.
September 21, 201511 yr Have you asked your local Judge-Exec what he thinks about it? And how many family members does he have in local employ in county jobs? Lol. County politicians will never be in favor of it. My brother has been circuit clerk since 1976. I know for sure where he would stand on the issue. I suppose most Judge-Executives would feel likewise. But it it only makes sense for Kentucky to have about half the number of counties it presently has. We're not living in horse and buggy days anymore.
September 21, 201511 yr Todd, Logan, and Butler Trigg, Lyon, and Caldwell Fulton and Hickman Crittenden and Livingston Knocked out six more. That gives us 102 counties now Jim You're complicating things too much. Let's just be smart and efficient about this and make a Jackson Purchase County out of those 8. No reason for there to be 8 counties there. I have always thought far West KY (west of KY lake) could be one or two counties. The county I presently live in up in NW Minnesota is roughly the same size as Calloway, Graves, and Marshall combined.
September 21, 201511 yr One of the biggest goofs is in the Jabez area of Wayne and Russell counties...the area is not accessible to either county without first going through Pulaski County. To get from Monticello (Wayne Co Seat) to the Wayne Co area in Jabez is about 7 miles as the crow flies but is a drive of close to 50 miles around Lake Cumberland through Somerset. Jabez sits right next to lake Cumberland and is less that 1 mile from the Russell Co side of the lake, but it is over 35 miles from Jamestown to Jabez, again driving around the lake and through Pulaski County. There's an area in southern Owsley County called Whoopflarea where about 10 families and about 30 people live that can't be reached unless you drive to Buckhorn in Perry County and travel up a road through an area called Squabble Creek. Probably a 30 mile drive. Or you can drive 20 miles to Oneida in Clay County and then proceed another 10 miles to reach the destination. The people who live in the community pay taxes and vote in Owsley County but send their children to Buckhorn High School because it's 25 miles closer than Booneville.
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