Without discussion, the Winchester Board of Commissioners voted to add nearly $500,000 to the budget to fund six new positions at the city’s fire department.

The commissioners had previously approved a first reading of the budget amendment ordinance with a 3-2 vote. Tuesday’s vote for the second reading was identical with Mayor Ed Burtner and Commissioner Shannon Cox voting no.

The measure is intended to increase staff to deal with increasing run volume for Winchester Fire-EMS, which provides ambulance service to all of Clark County. Commissioner JoEllen Reed, who made the motion to create and fund the positions, said she settled on six positions as a compromise.

During the city’s budget process in May, the fire department requested 10 positions, but it was not recommended by the city manager and was not included in the budget for financial reasons.

Winchester Fire-EMS Chief Cathy Rigney said she was confident the positions would be filled.

The commission also spent a significant amount of time discussing the 2018 overdose fatality report from the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy. According to the report, Clark County had the fourth highest rate of age adjusted per capita overdose deaths.

Clark County recorded 17 overdose deaths in 2017 and 19 in 2018, according to the report.

Burtner said he took several exceptions to the report.

“When you look at the report, it said we were the fourth worst in Kentucky,” Burtner said. The number of deaths in 88 Kentucky counties, though, were suppressed, he said, so Clark County would be fourth out of 32 counties.

“It’s still a horrible number, a terrible number,” he said. “Once you dig into (the report), it tells a different story.”

Winchester Police Chief Kevin Palmer said his department’s data showed 18 overdose deaths, two of which were people transported to Clark County from other counties. So far this year, there have already been seven overdose deaths, he said.

“We’ve already changed how we’re recording our data,” Palmer said. “One of the things we’re going to start doing is asking our partners to give us all their information.”

Clark County Agency for Substance Abuse Policy board member Ron Kibbey said the community is already doing a number of things to fight overdosed and illegal drug use, including support groups, educational programs and Narcan training.

“Our community is doing a lot,” he said. “There’s plenty we can do and we’re doing plenty.”

Commissioner Shannon Cox placed some of the blame in the increase in deaths with needle exchange programs.

“Using these numbers, every one of the counties that was higher than the state average had a needle exchange program,” Cox said. “That’s not an accident. We are facilitating these folks to use drugs.”

Burtner said the program was designed to reduce the number of needles in the community, as well as connect users with health care and treatment options, and prevention of spreading disease from dirty needles.

In other action Tuesday, the commissioners:

— heard a presentation from Winchester Municipal Utilities interim general manager Duke Dryden about ongoing projects by the utility.

— approved street closure requests for the Winchester Labor Day Committee and the Daniel Boone Pioneer Festival.

— approved the use of public works employees for the Pioneer Festival.

— re-appointed Lisa Johns, Kitty Strode and Todd Denham to three-year terms on the Main Street Winchester board.

— accepted the retirements of Debra Potter, Shannon Stone, Harold Jones and Rhonda Rogers.

— accepted the resignation of Chelsea Doyle, communications officer I.

— rescinded an order hiring Kara Puckett as an administrative assistant. City Clerk Joy Curtis said Puckett changed her mind.

— approved the hiring of Katelyn Byrd as a patient transfer specialist.

— approved the hiring of Bridget Stidham as an administrative assistant for public works.

— approved the hiring of Shondra Mosher as an administrative assistant/data entry clerk for the police department.

— approved the hiring of Rachael Boyd as an administrative assistant/receptionist at city hall.