147A.250 Railtrail Development Office -- Authority to apply for grants. A Railtrail Development Office is hereby created within the Department for Local Government. The Department for Local Government shall ensure that the office has the necessary expertise to carry out the requirements imposed upon it by this section. Among other railtrail functions and duties which may be assigned to it, the Railtrail Development Office shall carry on at least the following responsibilities: (1) The office shall monitor the proceedings of the United States Department of Transportation's Surface Transportation Board and shall disseminate to interested entities in Kentucky information regarding those proceedings of interest to railtrail conversion or policy in the Commonwealth. If a railroad applies to the Surface Transportation Board for authority to discontinue service over or abandon a railroad corridor in the Commonwealth, the office shall immediately notify those political subdivisions through which the corridor passes and any interested state agency of the proceedings and the potential for trail development of the corridor. Notice shall also be sent to the county judge/executive of each county through which the proposed abandonment passes, who shall distribute copies of the notice to each member of the chief legislative body of the county government at the next regularly scheduled meeting of that legislative body. The office shall also send a copy of the notice to each soil and water conservation district through which the abandonment passes. If time is of the essence and it appears that the corridor is a suitable candidate for conversion to a railtrail and that no other railtrail interested entity will be participating in the federal proceeding, the office shall take those steps necessary to cause a railbanking or public use condition to be imposed in the federal proceeding; (2) The office shall assist any requesting political subdivision or agency of state government with assistance on any application to the Surface Transportation Board regarding an abandoned or about-to-be-abandoned railroad corridor, including any requests for railbanking or imposition of public use conditions; (3) The office shall coordinate and promote railtrail development efforts among the various agencies of state government, including the Department of Parks and the Transportation Cabinet. While this subsection does not confer upon the office any powers beyond those that it may ordinarily possess, every entity of state government shall cooperate with the office to the extent practicable under the circumstances; (4) The office shall furnish to requesting political subdivisions assistance in applying to available federal, state, or local funding sources for funds to be used for the process of converting railroad corridors into public use trails; and (5) The office may apply for federal, state, or private grants or other forms of financial assistance to carry on its mission. Effective: July 15, 2010 History: Amended 2010 Ky. Acts ch. 117, sec. 14, effective July 15, 2010. -- Amended 2007 Ky. Acts ch. 47, sec. 74, effective June 26, 2007. -- Created 2000 Ky. Acts ch. 338, sec. 1, effective July 14, 2000.