Court approves new hires amid calls for more vetting; public comments urge fire-rescue equipment and volunteer support

Letcher County Fiscal Court voted to approve three new hires on Feb. 16: Uriah Fleming and Steven Fleming for jail positions and Sean Burke as a sanitation CDL driver. During discussion a commissioner raised concerns about past hires with criminal or driving history and requested more background information on new hires; staff confirmed background checks are performed and agreed to provide additional hiring details to the court while allowing the hiring process to proceed.

During public comment, multiple speakers praised county and volunteer emergency responders for more than 400 logged hours during a recent winter storm and encouraged the county to promote wildfire-season restrictions and to help departments access grants for vehicles and equipment. A public commenter asked whether any departments outside city limits have side-by-side vehicles useful for winter rescues; speakers named neighboring departments that possess such vehicles and noted federal grant programs—primarily PPE- and equipment-focused—are available but require administrative registrations (UEI/CAGE) to apply.

The court also introduced a new leader warden, James Adcher, who greeted members and said he was already following up on county work.