By Ryan Clark
NKyTribune reporter
In a surprise, emergency addition to Tuesday’s legislative meeting, Commissioners voted to approve a temporary moratorium on the city’s acceptance, review, and processing of new license applications for short-term rental dwellings.
“We need to have a motion here to declare the emergency and then to adopt the ordinance,” said Mayor Joseph U. Meyer. “The effect of declaring an emergency is that there will not be a second reading — it will go into effect immediately upon its adoption. Normally, an ordinance does not go into effect until after it’s published in the newspaper, but because of the emergency declaration it’s effective immediately.”
Citing “many hundreds” of short-term rentals in the city, City Solicitor David Davidson explained the emergency, as well as the need to legislate it.
Davidson said a simple Google search reveals hundreds of short-term rentals in the city.
“It’s safe to say that there are many hundreds of short-term rentals going on in the city where we have permits and licenses for maybe 20 percent of those — probably not even 20 percent — so we have a state of affairs in the city where our laws are not being adhered to that I think is a pretty significant occurrence, and by itself would be suggestive of an emergency,” Davidson said. “We also have the fact that the short-term rentals are directly impacting the availability of affordable housing. Apartment buildings that once housed two, three, four families now sit empty except on weekends.”
Commissioners then voted 4-0 and approved the temporary moratorium, which goes into effect immediately. Later, Commissioner Ron Washington proposed a motion associated with the moratorium.
“I’ve received a lot of public feedback about our short-term rentals, pros and cons,” he said. “I just want to make sure that as we’re going through this process over the next six months that our public, our citizens, are heard — so I’m going to offer this amendment up to the Board of Commissioners: I make a motion to order the city manager to solicit public input on short-term rentals. The city manager shall invite the public to a hearing to discuss the pros and cons of short-term rentals. He shall generate a report of said hearing to the commissioner.”
Commissioners then approved the amendment.
Williams celebrated
Commissioner Michelle Williams was honored for her last meeting.
The Commission presented her with a resolution, which stated, in part: “Michelle Williams has served with distinction on the Covington City Commission, representing the citizens of the city through four terms by virtue of having won election in 2012 and re-election in 2016, 2018 and 2020, including two stints as mayor pro tem, aka vice mayor.
“Commissioner Williams has proved an effective representative and vocal advocate for Covington’s residents, especially those who historically have been disenfranchised. Commissioner Williams took her role as an elected official seriously, taking the time to prepare by reading agendas, minutes, reports and memos so that she could engage in pointed questioning of city staff, seeking answers and explanations until it was readily clear to the public what she and her colleagues were being asked to vote upon.”
She was also noted for her work on The Crown Act and her efforts to get residents counted for the 2020 Census.
“Michelle, I appreciate you welcoming me on the Board of Commissioners,” Commissioner Washington said. “A lot happens behind the scenes in the operation of our city and commissioner Williams has helped me with a historical view of a lot of issues in our community, and I really, really deeply appreciate that.”
New sports leagues
City Commissioners approved a proposal from the Parks and Recreation Department to utilize $75,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding to expand recreational programming by paying for coaches and administrative support on a contract basis for basketball, volleyball and soccer leagues between Dec. 21, 2022 and March 31, 2025.
Coaches will be paid $50 per day and administrative help $15 per hour, reported Ben Oldiges, the city’s Parks and Recreation Manager.
The city will partner with the Covington Independent Public Schools, and each year will include one basketball session, one volleyball session and two soccer sessions.
Code Enforcement Home Repair Program
Commissioners approved an agreement between the Center for Great Neighborhoods to manage the Code Enforcement Home Repair Program.
The $500,000 ARPA subrecipient contract grant program will assist homeowners with exterior code violations up to $25,000 per home.
CGN was selected as subrecipient based upon its:
• Experience managing home rehabilitation projects throughout the city using federal funds programs
• Completing work on eight properties in partnership with the city utilizing Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) funds
• Completing work on 25-plus properties in partnership with the city utilizing HOME and CDBG funds
• Their mission to support Covington neighborhoods
According to city documents, “CGN will select preferred contractors and will charge up to 20 percent or $100,000 for administrative costs; $400,000 will be available for repairs; at least 16 homeowners will be assisted; the contract will begin Jan. 2, 2023, and end in March 31, 2025.”
“Basically, this is going to be a code enforcement referral program,” said Jeremy Wallace, the city’s Community Development Manager. “We feel like that’s a really good way to identify the folks to be assisted and we will refer those folks to the Center, who will then manage the construction and all other aspects of the projects.”
Western Avenue improvements
Commissioners approved using extra funds to cover extra costs in the Western Avenue slide fix. The order would allocate $400,000 in ARPA funds to the project, which originally was estimated to cost $832,950 in May 2022, with $456,206 budgeted in the Infrastructure Fund. The total budget will be $856,206 to allow for cost increases.
ARPA funds are available from three projects:
• City Heights Relocation needs are less than budgeted
• City Hall Design is being funded with General Fund dollars
and Premium Pay for Union & Nonunion Employees was less than budgeted
Workforce Development Initiative
Commissioners approved a grant for the Northern Kentucky Area Development District for $150,000 to provide special workforce development services for Covington residents, including (according to a memo from the city’s Economic Development Department):
• Transportation – The workforce system will develop and administer a transportation solution for Covington residents unable to accept jobs in Covington and other parts of the region because they lack personal transportation or the public transit system does not adequately serve that employer.
• BuildED Scholarships – This unique approach to developing soft/workplace skills is based on the principles of entrepreneurship and has produced very positive results in areas of the country where it has been applied.
• On The Job Training Supplement – This stipend encourages businesses to take a chance of someone with little or no work experience to allow them to gain that valued asset while working.
Resignations
Commissioners approved the resignations of Officer Paul Mace and
Stephanie Bacher, Solid Waste and Recycling Coordinator.
Hirings and renewals
Commissioners approved the hirings of Jonathon Stribling, Police Officer.
Commissioners approved the renewals of the retiree contracts of Officer Dave Finan, Officer Jacob Noe, and Officer Wesley Cook
Smith absent
Commissioner Shannon Smith was absent Tuesday night.
Next Meeting
The next regularly scheduled Covington Commission meeting will be a caucus meeting held at 6 p.m., Jan. 3, 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.