House committee approves measure to abolish office of Fayette County judge-executive

John Roberts says his biggest job as Fayette County judge-executive is to get rid of the office.

Roberts and his predecessor, Jon Larson, were pleased Monday that a House committee unanimously approved a constitutional amendment to abolish the office that costs taxpayers in Fayette County about $21,000 a year. Less than $9,000 goes for the judge’s annual salary.

They testified before the House Committee on Elections, Constitutional Amendments and Intergovernmental Affairs on why the office is not needed.

This marks the fifth year the state legislature has tackled the subject, but Rep. Stan Lee, a Lexington Republican who sponsors House Bill 198, said its chances of passage are good this year because it has the support of the incumbent and his predecessor.

After Larson, a Lexington attorney, was elected in 2010, he lobbied for an amendment to the Kentucky Constitution four years in a row but never got a hearing before a legislative committee.

Roberts ran on the same platform in 2014.

“It’s an unnecessary position,” said Roberts, a former Lexington police sergeant who said his job is a part-time position.

In most counties in Kentucky, the county judge-executive typically has most of the authority in local government. But in 1974, when Lexington and Fayette County merged, that left the Fayette County judge-executive a constitutional office with little power.

The judge-executive chairs the fiscal court, which receives state money and maintains rural roads in Fayette County. Roberts and Larson said the mayor and the Urban County Council could do the job more efficiently. There are several committees of the Urban County Council that have responsibilities for streets and roads in Fayette County, said Roberts. The state also maintains some roads in Fayette County.

Commissioners and the judge-executive make up the Fayette County Fiscal Court, which votes each year on a county road budget. In 2014, that was more than $1 million, Roberts said. The money comes from Frankfort as Fayette County’s share of the state gasoline tax. The road work is managed by the Urban County Government.

As judge-executive, Roberts said, his job duties include swearing in deputies and airport police, authorizing the sheriff’s department to go out of state to pick up fugitives, appointing one member of the board of assessment appeals, and appointing replacements when certain officials vacate an office.

He said he doesn’t even have a government office or phone.

The House committee approved a substitute for the bill so it would affect only Fayette County. Lee said the committee substitute was the idea of the committee chairman, Rep. Reginald Meeks, D-Louisville.

Rep. Mary Lou Marzian, D-Louisville, said she might try to change the measure when it goes to the full House so that it also abolishes the duties of constables.

Lee said that change probably would kill his bill. “We have many legislators who consider constables important,” he said.

If the legislature approves HB 198, voters would consider it at the polls in November.

This story was originally published February 22, 2016 at 3:26 PM with the headline "House committee approves measure to abolish office of Fayette County judge-executive."