By Chris Taylor
Paducah, KY – McCracken Judge-Executive Van Newberry announced the county ended 2009 with a $9 million surplus yesterday at the annual Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce state of government address. According to the Paducah Sun, much of the savings come from Jailer Bill Adams' effort to cut about $1 million from the county jail budget. Newberry touted several other achievements in the three years he's held the post, including restructuring the building code inspection office and passing economic development incentives along to existing, local businesses.
Also speaking at the event, Paducah Mayor Bill Paxton called for more unity between the city and county governments, saying a potential merging of the two is under review by a task force. Paxton also pointed to the upcoming openings of AEP River Operations and a US Coast Guard towboat training center there as good signs of economic development.