Judge/Executive Charlie Castlen delivers the State of the County address at the Rooster Booster Breakfast on January 4, 2024.
In his address, Castlen previews the construction of a new Convenience Center at the Grimes Avenue Transfer Station and the completion of a 16.6-acre expansion of the Contained Landfill.
At the Animal Shelter, County Vet Dr. Julie Gray performed over 4,500 surgeries through our partnership with Spay-A-Stray Owensboro. Other additions include: three fenced-in play yards for dogs to exercise off-leash and a new soft-surface walking path.
Daviess County Fiscal Court partnered with the McLean County Judge-Executive’s Office to replace a deficient bridge on Hall School Road and continued an aggressive repaving program of 20+ miles.
Daviess County Parks & Recreation is performing needed repairs to the elevated trails at Panther Creek Park and installed a new concrete ramp to the soccer fields at Horse Fork Creek Park.
Fiscal Court funded the return of the Daviess County Sheriff’s Office to full staffing with 25 patrol deputies, including three K-9 units, eight detectives and six command staff.
The Daviess County Detention Center negotiated a new per-diem rate for housing federal prisoners. The agreement will result in additional revenue of $300,000-$400,000 per year.
In the near future, nearly 100 new fire hydrants will be installed to serve more than 700 homes in rural areas of the county. Fiscal Court has also improved the financial outlook for many of our volunteer fire departments, with a ‘repeal and replace’ of dues-based funding to the insurance premium license fee.
Other speech highlights include: non-stop flights to Chicago on Contour Airlines, the Connect Powered by Kenergy fiber internet project, and a collaboration with the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum for a Jerry Garcia exhibit.