Leeper Optimistic after First 90 Days in Office

Just rounding out his first 90 days in office, newly-elected McCracken County Judge-Executive Bob Leeper says he is enjoying his new job.



During an interview Monday morning on the Greg Dunker Show, Leeper said he's been pleased with the help the county's elected officials and employees have provided him during the first days of his term. He also talked about some of the things he would like to accomplish while in office. One of those particularly high up on his list of things to do is making some much needed improvements to the County Courthouse building.



Leeper said the condition of the building is one of the things that surprised him most when he began working there.



"One of the things that kind of has me troubled is the condition of the old part of the courthouse, and some of the new part," Leeper said. "It hasn't been painted inside, the workspace has really gotten in disrepair in a lot of areas. The windows haven't been painted in some time. It's a treasure that we have in our community that needs to be taken care of. We're going to look to do that in the next year." Leeper said the repairs can be completed without raising taxes.



One of the things Leeper said he is most proud of is that the county was able to negotiate a deal to merge the McCracken County Animal Shelter with the McCracken County Humane Society. The county approved the deal on March 23. As part of the deal, the county will pay the MCHS $217,500 per year to help run the shelter, with 90 percent of the funds going toward operating expenses. The county will have one voting board member on the MCHS board, and either organization may terminate the three year agreement with six months notice.  



Leeper said he thinks the merger was the best decision for the county, saying the current situation was unsustainable.



"We were committed to trying to get that done," Leeper said. "It actually took a little bit longer than I had hoped. It's one of those things that is a process. We got the transition to go through, and they will build the new facility. We've got to do what we can to try to place as many of the animals at the shelter as possible. The work's not over yet, but we're a long way down the road at least." The MCHS plans to build a new, larger facility to accommodate the additional animals in the near future. Leeper said no county funds will be used for the project. The contract will go into effect January 1, 2016.



Leeper said the best thing about his new job is being able to work every day to make the community a better place.



"I've been in love with this community for a long time," Leeper said. "It just grows every day. I have a lot of people stop me and offer suggestions and comments. There's just a lot of people that want this community to be even better than it is, and that inspires me to get to work every day and do my part."