The City of Corbin took the final steps to tighten up its animal control ordinance during a special Feb. 4 meeting.
The Corbin City Commission approved the second reading of a new animal control ordinance that was prompted by the pleas of Corbin Middle School eighth grader Ellen Sell, who in November asked the commission for a stricter animal control ordinance after her experience helping rescue a neglected neighbor dog named Callie last year.
“Callie suffered neglect during the harsh, cold winter weather,” Sell told the commission in November noting that Callie’s doghouse had several holes in the roof and sides allowing rain and snow to enter inside.
To make matters worse, that rain and snow would often form puddles inside her doghouse. Sell said she knows this because she and her mother tried to provide Callie with bedding inside her doghouse along with giving her food.
City Attorney Bob Hammons explained previously that the amended ordinance expands the coverage and the definitions of some things listed in the original ordinance and adds some things from the Fayette County ordinance.
Hammons said that the amended ordinance is more comprehensive expanding up the definitions of shelter, shade and things of that nature.
For instance, the amended ordinance requires that animals must be fed at least once a day with suitable food in a clean container.
Adequate shade must be provided for outside animals. In the case of dogs, it must be sufficient for all the outside dogs in the household to fit at one time to protect them from the rays of the sun.
In other business, the commission:
- Discussed the Corbin City Commission’s decision last month to let the Corbin Housing Authority keep $74,615.22 as payment in lieu of taxes. This represents the 2022, 2024 and 2025 tax years.
Mayor Suzie Razmus explained it is commonplace for cities to do this for housing authorities, which in turn use what they would have paid in taxes to maintain many times aging housing authority buildings and properties.
She noted that the housing authority has been hit hard financially in recent years from a theft by a former housing authority director to wind damage to buildings last year that wasn’t covered by insurance.
- Discussed recent snow and ice removal. Corbin City Manager Scott Williamson complimented city workers on the good job they have done clearing city streets. “I can attest our streets compared to larger cities. Good job. Well done,” Williamson said. “WLEX should have come to Corbin and talked about how good the roads were. You all really did a great job,” Razmus added. Hammons noted that many Lexington streets still have ice.
Willamson added that he got a comment at lunch last Wednesday complimenting the police and fire department for stepping up to help with the recent fire on Main Street in Williamsburg.
- Corbin Recreation Director Jacob Roan noted that the city recently extended the deadline for requests for proposals for the planning grant. “We do have some people that are definitely going to submit something,” he said.
He said that the city intentionally put the pool dome down recently, which is standard procedure in extremely cold weather, but that it was put back up with regular activities resuming.
Roan added that the pool recently got a perfect score on two recent inspections as he bragged about new pool director Temperance Sanders.
Roan also updated the city commission on the recreation center floor replacement that was recently done and came in under budget.
- Heard a brief address by Corbin Arena Manager Cindy Creech, who noted that the Harlem Globetrotters have been rescheduled to April 7. “Anyone who purchased a ticket, they will be honored on that day,” she said.
Creech said that she is still working on two things that will probably happen in July and September that the Arena has never had before.
- Agreed to annex property into the city limits that is located at 60 Weldon Pointe, which is owned by Kyle Perkins. Hammons was authorized to draw up an ordinance to officially annex the property. “That is a big win for the city,” Razmus noted.
- Hired Jonas Saunders and Kathryn Piar as full-time Corbin police officers effective Jan. 3, 2026.
- Approved 2025 tax refunds for David Smith Jr. for property located at 360 Barton Mill Road and Terri Wells for property located at 88 Blair Park Road. Both refunds are for 2025 and each totaled $136.50. Both were eligible for the homestead exemption.
- Approved a $425 refund to Keith or Laura Clifton, who had paid a building permit fee to build two duplexes at the corner of Roosevelt and Tanglewood. After getting permits to build two duplexes, the couple decided the lot was only big enough for one duplex.
