A pair of strong financial reports brought clarity into local growth during Monday night’s Trigg County Fiscal Court meeting.
The first came from County Clerk Carmen Finley and her office’s 2025 summary and reconciliation report.
This last year, she said, was the best in her tenure.
Excess fees totaled more than $252,000, the highest turned back over to the county’s general fund since 2021.
Plainly put, Finley said “vehicle purchases are up” and the “community is getting larger,” and deed transfers only continue to increase each year.
Following, Sheriff Aaron Acree noted his office’s final settlement for 2025 came to more than $780,000 in gross receipts, up more than $27,000 from last year, and is including more than $17,000 on delinquent taxes, and more than $475,000 on tax commissions.
He agreed with Finley, noting 2025 automobile inspections were up from 2024 by more than $9,000, to $24,600 total, and paper services were up more than $15,000, to $36,100 total.
Automobile inspection fees, Acree added, do include the recent addition of side-by-side checks for road licensing — of which at least “two a week” have come to their doors, sometimes in the side-by-side, before heading to the Clerk’s Office.
In other court news:
+ After advisement from the local 911 board, Faye Godair, Cadiz City Police, Mayor Todd King, Judge-Executive Stan Humphries and Trigg County Dispatch Director Lori Jenkins, Acree announced an identification program to be known as the “Special Needs Emergency Contact & Identifying Form.”
A completely voluntary mission, families and caretakers wishing to submit details about a loved one in Trigg County, one with acute physical/mental/social concerns, may do so — in hopes of creating a local database of those needing unique and extra care.
The reason, Acree and Jenkins both said, is that dispatchers, first responders and law enforcement sometimes need more information about certain calls — but perhaps don’t have all the right questions.
Family members and legal guardians can answer as few or as many points about their loved one, but should at least be able to relay preferred names, dates of birth, height, weight, eye color, hair color, other identifying marks, a home address and phone number, medical conditions such as sensory issues and/or allergies, preferred methods of communication such as sign language and/or written word, favorite attractions and locations in cases of schizophrenia and/or dementia, and any other viable data that might help with search, rescue and response.
Jenkins confirmed that such a program has recently been implemented, and used successfully, in locating two people in Murray/Calloway County, and that such measures would be useful in Trigg County.
A digital and print form will soon be readily available.
+ And all of the talk right now is about roads and driveways in the community. Humphries said that since a local disaster declaration was signed on January 24, more than 300 tons of salt has been used and more than 475 hours of overtime has been approved for the Trigg County Road Department — as 10 employees have put the pedal to the metal to get byways passable in this winter blast.
Humphries, as well as magistrate Barry Littlejohn, confirmed that Trigg County Rescue, Trigg County EMS, a legion of farmers and some local community members, several without even being asked, came to the aid of Trigg Countians — answering calls of duty above and beyond their own selves.
+ Fiscal court next meets February 17 in special session, following Presidents’ Day.
