B OONE COUNTY RECORDER
Your Community Recorder newspaper serving all of Boone County
THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013
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BECAUSE COMMUNITY MATTERS
Boone tables tax rate discussion By Stephanie Salmons ssalmons@nky.com
Dr. Angelo Colosimo, son Michael Colosimo and Beechwood head football coach Noel Rash shown at Michael’s college signing day. FILE PHOTO
New law aims to slow head trauma By James Weber jweber@nky.com
For most sports injuries, it’s easy to tell what’s wrong with the athlete: Just look and see where the cast or the bandage is applied. With head injuries, the problems haven’t always been obvious, but the effects can be much worse than a sprained knee or a busted hand. Treating head injuries, concussions in particular, has been a higher priority at all levels of athletics in recent years, as awareness of long-term effects has increased. A concussion is defined as a traumatic brain injury caused by a blow to the head. “You can’t be too careful,” said Josh Stratton, head coach of New Richmond (Ohio) and former Lloyd Memorial football coach. “If a player is dehydrated and gets a headache from that and tells a coach or a trainer, we have to have them checked. We’ve lost some player days to that kind of scenario, but keeping kids safe is a lot more important than sending them out there if they’re injured or potentially injured.”
GIFTING Studio named for Boone couple See story, A3
Proper identification and treatment of concussions can help prevent lifelong difficulties, according to Dr. Matthew DesJardins, non-surgical sports medicine specialist at Commonwealth Orthopaedic Centers in Edgewood. He said middle and high school athletes with concussions should be withdrawn from sports completely, and maybe even withdrawn from school, to allow recovering brains sufficient time to rest. “We want to reduce the risk of repeat injury while they’re still recovering, and we also want to give rest to the brain,” said DesJardins. “We withdraw the athletes from sport, but also in school situations, we’re even sometimes withdrawing them from school. They can be very light-sensitive to fluorescent lights, computer screens; a lot of audio and visual input can exacerbate their headaches. They’ll routinely have a difficult time concentrating, and so the rest from cognitive brain function from the types of things going on in school every day can be really important in concussions that are more serious.”
RITA’S KITCHEN Cobbler, dips good for holiday See story, B3
ORTHOPAEDIC CENTERS
CommonwealthOrthoCenters.com
(859) 301-BONE (2663) CE-0000548407
Another important factor in recovery is getting a good neurological evaluation. DesJardins said subtle symptoms, such as headaches or balance issues, can go unnoticed in general examinations. He said athletes returning to play while any concussion symptoms remain puts them at risk of “catastrophic brain swelling and death after a second impact.” The less severe, but still potentially devastating, risks of secondary impact include chronic headaches, chronic sleep disturbance, depression, poor function in school, attention disorders, and other permanent issues requiring ongoing medical care. A concussion-related bill, KRS 160.445, was passed and enacted by the Kentucky State Legislature in 2012. The Kentucky High School Athletic Association, which governs all high school sports in the state, previously had a concussion policy in place but only at the high school level. What they were able to do with the See TRAUMA, Page A2
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BURLINGTON — Boone County leaders tabled discussion on the county’s tax rate following a presentation on the matter Aug. 20. According to a presentation by County Administrator Jeff Earlywine, the recommendation is for real property tax rate remain at 10.5 cents per $100 property valuation, below the compensating rate of 11.2 cents. While the 2012 personal property tax rate was 14.5 cents and the compensating rate came in at 15.9 cents, the staff recommends the rate be set at 14.9 cents. The compensating rate is the tax rate which produces an amount of revenue approximately equal to that produced in the preceding year. It’s recommended that the motor vehicle tax rate remain at 15.2 cents. Earlywine told commissioners property assessments are “the foundation for setting the tax rate.” Real property assessments in 2013 totaled $10.25 billion, an increase of just 0.08 percent from the previous year. Judge-executive Gary Moore said that number is the value of all property in the county. In his presentation, Earlywine told commissioners the new property assessment value is a “net number, counterbalanced by depreciation in existing property.” Personal property assessments, however, were down some 2.49 percent from the previous year, totaling nearly $1.86 billion, according to the presentation. Motor vehicle assessments within the county were up 6.33 percent, to $937.5 million. According to information provided in Earlywine’s presentation, the proposed real and personal property rates are projected to generate around $12.45 million, as opposed to the budgeted $12.57 million, a difference of nearly $120,000. But with motor vehicle revenues factored in, projected revenues total $13.81 million, which is more than the budgeted $13.77 million. County leaders earlier this year approved the county’s 2013-14 budget. As previously reported in the Boone County Recorder, the total projected 2014 budget, including all funds, is about $97.93 million, a 6.15 percent decrease from the current fiscal year budget of $104.35 million. The budget anticipated no new user fees or increases in any of the county’s major fee schedules. The fiscal court next meets at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 3, in the Boone County Administration Building, 2950 Washington St., Burlington.
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Vol. 137 No. 46 © 2013 The Community Recorder ALL RIGHTS RESERVED