For the last 18 months, the coronavirus pandemic has prevented Christian County Judge-Executive Steve Tribble from performing one of the more lighter, enjoyable tasks in his job description: officiate weddings.
That’ll change soon, however, when Tribble announced in Tuesday’s Christian County Fiscal Court meeting that courthouse weddings will resume on August 1.
On the surface, it seems like a niche service that wouldn’t have much of an impact on a local community one way or another. And that couldn’t be further from the truth.
For Tribble — who’s performed more than 11,200 weddings during his 27 ½ years as Judge-Executive — the act and honor comes as a great source of pride and importance.
And for the Christian County General Fund, it’s a great deal of financial windfall that hasn’t been available in abundance during a once-in-a-hundred-year pandemic.
Tribble has donated all of his recompense back to the county, and since 1994, the tally comes to more than $323,000 — but zero dollars since the middle of 2020.
The long-time Judge-Executive has composition notebooks filled with the details of the weddings he’s officiated, with a single-day record of 22 on a memorable Valentine’s Day. His second-best day: 17 weddings.
Naturally, his top customer is soldiers from Ft. Campbell, often wishing to officially “tie the knot” before deployment orders are handed down from command.
Fridays are typically the courthouse’s busiest wedding day for one obvious reason — newly-wedded couples can jump right into a honeymoon. Tribble said during his busiest years officiating, he averages 10-to-12 on a Friday afternoon, scheduling one every 15 minutes.
Officially, Tribble has reported his wedding donations on a regular basis:
■ 01/01/94 — 12/31/98: $13,801
■ 01/01/99 — 12/31/02: $23,149
■ 01/01/03 — 12/31/06: $42,512
■ 01/01/07 — 12/31/10: $52,730
■ 01/01/11 — 12/31/14: $61,372
■ 01/01/15 — 12/31/18: $97,966
■ 01/01/19 — 12/31/19: $24,761 (one-year report)
■ 01/01/20 — 12/31/20: $6,970 (COVID-19 arrives on March 12, 2020)
■ 01/01/21 — 03/31/21: $0
■ 04/01/21 — 06/30/21: $0
In other news:
— Tribble and the Christian County Fiscal Court appointed Pennyroyal Scuba Center Blue Springs Resort co-founder Kris Tapp to serve a three-year term for the Recreation, Tourism & Conventions Board. The motion passed unanimously.
— After a reportedly enjoyable stay on the Museum Board, Tribble announced the reappointment of Cadiz native Melanie Quinn Noffsinger to a four-year term set to end on June 30, 2025. The motion passed unanimously.
— After 27 years, Christian County jailer Brad Boyd has announced his resignation/retirement, something Tribble said Boyd had planned “for some time.” Tribble added he’s been in constant conversation with Boyd about the decision, and that at least five persons have come forward with interest in the position.
Tribble, who legally has sole authority to select the county’s next jailer, said he’ll have his decision within the next 10-to-14 days. It’ll be just the third time in his 27 years that he’s had to fill a public service position. The replacement will fill the rest of Boyd’s term, which ends in 2022.
Christian County Fiscal Court’s next two meetings were set for July 27 and August 10, both at 8:30 a.m.
