By Ryan Clark
NKyTribune reporter
The wait is over. The city and the FOP have come to an agreement.
“As you know, we’ve been at this for a while and we finally reached agreement with the FOP I think, satisfactorily on both sides,” said City Manager Ken Smith. “So, we’re requesting tonight that you’ll approve that contract and authorize the Mayor to sign it.”
He spoke to the City Commission at their regularly scheduled caucus meeting Tuesday night.
Smith went on to explain the changes made to their agreement, which included:
• Took out Columbus Day as a holiday and added Martin Luther King Jr. Day,
• Added two more vacation days for those who have 28 years of service,
• Added “step-grandmother” and “step-grandfather” to list for three days bereavement,
• Changed uniform allowance from $1,000 per year to 1.5 percent of annual base pay.
The collective bargaining agreement with the Fraternal Order of Police will cover the term from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022, and will cost an added $380,134.
The proposal will be placed on the consent agenda for next week’s legislative meeting.
Madison property
The city asked the Commission for permission to file a lawsuit against the property owners of 2797 Madison Ave.
“Code Enforcement has identified the owner as a chronic offender of statute and ordinance by illegal dumping of waste and construction debris on this site,” city documents say.
“Repeated attempts to stop the dumping have been rejected and the dumping continues,” they read. “The owner of the property has ignored citations and stop work orders and continues to dump debris on the property. There is evidence that the dumping is causing the hillside to become unstable and neighbors In the Latonia area are complaining about the condition of the property, the danger to the community, and the resulting decline in property values.”
The request was also placed on next week’s consent agenda.
Skillbridge agreement
The city requested a signed agreement between Covington and the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (USD(P&R)) of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to participate in the Skillbridge Program for Police recruitment.
The agreement is required by the Department of Defense for participation in the program, which is an opportunity for military service members to gain valuable civilian work experience through specific industry training during the last 180 days of active service.
Covington will utilize Skillbridge to assist with police recruitment efforts. This proposal was also placed on next week’s consent agenda.
Police bid approvals
Commissioners heard two proposals for police vehicles:
• Ten (10) 2022 Ford Police Interceptor SUV vehicles — $372,502.60, from Montrose Ford
• Upfits for (10) 2022 Ford Police Interceptor SUVs — $112,454.30, from Parr Safety Equipment.
Both were put on the consent agenda for next week.
New hires and promotions
Several new hires and promotions were brought before the Commission Tuesday night, including:
• Claire Meyer, new Special Projects & Grants Coordinator
• Daniel Sims, new Police Officer
• Alejandro Medina, new Code Enforcement Inspector
• Maggie Volkering, new Business Analyst
• Patrick Moore, new Urban Forester
• Jacob Westrich, promoted to Engineer/Paramedic.
All will be placed on next week’s consent agenda.
Resignations and retirements
Resignations and retirements brought before the Commission included:
• Brandon McNeese, retiring Police Officer
• Steve Banfield, retiring Cement Brick Mason
• Cassandra Homan, resigning Municipal Specialist
Appointments and reappointments
Several new appointments and reappointments were brought before the Commission Tuesday night, including:
• Reappointment – Lawrence Widlowski, Devou Properties
• Reappointment – Dennis Williams, Devou Properties
• Reappointment – Greg Engelman, Devou Properties
• Appointment – Dinesh Ganapathy, Devou Properties
• Reappointment – Brandon Mims, Housing Authority of Covington
• Appointment – Michael Gentry, BOARD
Next Meeting
The next regularly scheduled Covington Commission meeting will be a legislative meeting held at 6 p.m., April 26, at the City Building at 20 W. Pike St. in Covington. The meetings can be followed live on Fioptics channel 815, Spectrum channel 203, the Telecommunications Board of Northern Kentucky (TBNK) website, the TBNK Facebook page @TBNKonline, and the TBNK Roku channels.