Corbin City Commission looks to change hiring process for certified police, firefighters

Jarrod Mills, The Times-Tribune, Corbin, Ky.
·3 min read

Oct. 21—CORBIN — The Corbin City Commission took the first steps in making it less complicated for certified police and firefighters to join the city's police and fire department during its regularly scheduled meeting Monday evening.

During the meeting, commissioners unanimously approved the first-reading of Ordinance 2021-3, which amends Ordinance No. 6-83 to change the criteria standards and procedures for hiring police and fire department members in the city.

Primarily, the ordinance will see that those applicants already certified under the Kentucky Peace Officer Professional Standards Act (POPS) and who meet the Kentucky Law Enforcement Council's (KLEC) standards shall not be required to take the required written examination given to all applicants during the hiring process. Applicants who are Kentucky Fire Commission Firefighters at the paid level, who also meet all requirements of the Kentucky Fire Commission or any other standards adopted by the fire department, will not be required to take the written examination either.

Corbin Police Chief Rusty Hedrick told the commission that those exempt from taking the written examination would still be required to do every other aspect of the hiring process, which includes being able to read, write and understand the English language. And while Ordinance 2021-3 keeps some of the stipulations included in the old ordinance, like the fact that "no person shall be appointed a member of the police or fire department unless he is a person of sobriety and integrity and is and has been an orderly, law abiding citizen," it does remove the requirement that the applicant be a qualified voter in the county containing the city of employment.

For those that do have to take the test, Ordinance 2021-3 states the board of commissioners shall authorize the hiring of new police and fire department members and thereafter, the city manager shall establish a date and time to conduct a written examination for eligible applicants. The ordinance says no applicant shall be permitted to take the examination at any other date or time, and that the city clerk shall administer the test. Only applicants that score at least a 70 percent or greater on the examination shall qualify for the next steps in the hiring process.

City officials hope that with the changes the ordinance brings, finding applicants for the police and fire department will be less of a challenge.

When asked about staffing at the police department by Commissioner Seth Reeves, Chief Hedrick said the department's two newest hires were doing well. He also said that one of his officers was on military leave and that it looked like he would be gone until the end of 2022. The department also has another officer on FMLA that Chief Hedrick said he didn't expect to return.

The commission will need to pass the second reading of the ordinance before it can go into effect.

In other city business:

-The commission approved a resolution adopting KY 1629 and its associated right of ways into the city's road system.

-The commission approved a bid from Ohio Floor Company in the amount of $48,750 to renovate the Arena's portable basketball court. The bid includes floor instillation, minor repairs, sanding, applications of sealer coat, and the tapping and painting of the court's lines and logos as requested. City Manager Marlon Sams said Ohio Floor Company's bid was the only bid the city had received. The Arena is using grant money to fund the renovations.

-The commission approved permitting the city manager to advertise for the city's code enforcement opening. Last month, the commission approved making changes to the code enforcement position, establishing it as a full-time position and separating it from the building inspector role.

-Sams updated the commission on the city's new garbage cans, saying the order was in and that the garbage cans should be completed around the week of November 11. The cans are expected to be delivered in different shipments and will be stored as officials work to assemble the cans. The garbage cans will be dispersed to different sections throughout the city as they become available.