BEDFORD — Two ordinances relating to road maintenance and safety in regards to Amish horse-drawn buggies passed the Lawrence County Council Tuesday night, paving the way for those in the plain communities to begin paying what is being referred to as a “buggy tax” to offset the damage the carriages cause on county roads.

After several meetings focusing on road damage and safety issues, the Amish communities in Lawrence and Orange counties have agreed to pay a county-wide “buggy tax” of $80 per horse-drawn vehicle annually. One of the ordinances relates to the buggy tax. The second ordinance relates to the usage and placement of lanterns on the vehicles to help identify them more clearly at nightfall.

Lawrence County Commissioner Dustin Gabhart, who has worked alongside Orange County officials, presented the two ordinances to the council for its review. He told the fiscal body he wants to make sure the money Lawrence County receives from the buggy tax, which is estimated to be around $7,500 a year, is channeled directly into the Lawrence County Highway Department. That’s because one of the promises area leaders made to the Amish is the money would go toward roads and not just be dropped into the county General Fund.

With no discussion from the council, the ordinances passed unanimously.

The fee begins Jan. 1. The contract is for four years, which means the governments cannot raise the fee for at least four years. The fee must be paid annually by Jan. 15.

Salary ordinance

Also during Tuesday night’s regular meeting of the council, members unanimously passed the 2021 salary ordinance.

County employees received an across-the-board 5% raise for 2020, but there will be no raises given for 2021 because the county is expecting less revenue next year due to revenue losses relating to the pandemic. The salary ordinance for 2021 is almost identical to 2020 except the Lawrence County Public Defender’s Agency had a state-mandated raise and the janitorial supervisor was bumped up to a manager salary, a correction over the 2020 ordinance.
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