CORBIN — By Jeff Noble, Staff Writer

A resolution, aimed at providing guidelines for local organizations to receive financial support from the Laurel County Fiscal Court, was approved during the court’s regular meeting Thursday night.

Court members said the measure basically applies to organizations who ask for funding, such as volunteer fire departments and nine other groups in Laurel County.

The resolution said in order to be considered for funds, organizations must provide a financial statement for the previous year, provide a budget for the upcoming year and provide detailed information on who, what, when, where, why and how they need financing.

In addition, copies of receipts and expenditures on how and why the money was spent must be provided, as well as a list of officers and board members.

Organizations who apply for financial support from the county have to submit a request by March 15 to Laurel County Judge-Executive David Westerfield.

“What this does is to help the Fiscal Court to have support, and a unified effort to have verification,” said Deputy Judge-Executive Rick Brewer after the meeting.

The vote to approve the resolution was unanimous, with Court Members Teddy Benge, Jeff Book, Noah Baker and Billy Oakley voting in favor. Court Members Danny Smith and Roy Crawford were not in attendance.

Two budget amendment ordinances were also read at the session held at the Laurel County Courthouse in London.

The first involved the second reading to amend the budget for the county’s 2012-13 Fiscal Year by using coal severance funds, truck licensing, county road aid money and other funds to increase funding by $36,745, and to increase expenditures by the same amount.

That measure was approved, and adopted, and becomes law after legal publication.

The second involved the first reading to amend the county’s budget for the current fiscal year by increasing funding of the occupational tax by $50,000, and increasing expenditures by the same amount.

The ordinance’s reading was approved, with the second reading set for next month’s Fiscal Court meeting.

When asked about the readings after the meeting, Brewer noted, “We’re doing fine on the budget.”

Among other actions taken, the court approved County Court Clerk Dean Johnson returning $348,967.64 to the court. The money returned is 90 percent of excess fees from the County Court Clerks’ Office for the 2012 calendar year. Johnson also reported that no discrepancies were found by the State Auditor’s Office.

In addition, court members approved the first phase to accept Walt Road into the county road system. Westerfield said the county would advertise for a public hearing next week.

He added at the end of the session that county road crews were “standing by and ready” to take action to clear and treat roads in the wake of a winter storm that’s forecast to hit the county early Friday morning.

As of Thursday night, Laurel County and almost all of Kentucky were placed under a Winter Weather Advisory by the National Weather Service. The advisory is in effect Friday from 2 a.m. until 11 p.m. Meteorologists said the storm was to move into the region during the overnight hours, starting as snow and turn into a mix of sleet and freezing rain or drizzle.

They added once the system moves out of southeastern Kentucky late Friday afternoon, the snow would change over to a mix of sleet and freezing drizzle, gradually tapering off during the evening hours. Because of freezing road temperatures expected during the storm, the Weather Service said hazardous road conditions would occur.