By Ryan Clark
NKyTribune reporter
Sometimes it takes a little more time to consider an idea.
Commissioners came to that exact conclusion at their regularly scheduled caucus meeting this week. And the topic was an interesting one: Remote (otherwise known as online) testing for police recruits.
Currently, the Covington Code of Ordinances provides only for “in-person” testing by the Board of Examiners for applicants for police positions.
“Experience has shown that some applicants would prefer to use an on-line testing service that would allow testing remotely, especially for those who might be interested in a position with the Covington PD but who are out of state,” city documents say.
An amendment, which was originally brought before the Commission, provides for remote, on-line testing at the cost of the applicant.
However, there are some issues, which Mayor Joseph U. Meyer explained.
“There are some issues that have been raised about the respective roles of the Human Resources Department and the Board of Examiners and those need to be resolved before we’re ready to take this up,” Meyer said. “Another issue has been raised, and that is if we’re allowing remote testing for the Police Department, should we allow it for the Fire Department, too? While we’re going through this process, maybe we should have included that, rather than do two separate ordinances.”
So, the city will wait and consider those possibilities. The amendment was tabled for now.
Still, on a night where Commissioners heard the proposed retirement — as well as the hiring — of two more police officers, and the hiring of five more in the fire department, it seems like any technical service that could aid in the onboarding process for these employees would help.
The city did indicate that the method of online testing would also have to be approved.
“I don’t think there’s any issue with the concept of doing online testing, it’s the interplay of the roles of the Department of Human Resources and the role of the Board of Examiners and how well that interplays with each other,” Meyer said.
Procurement Code Update
Commissioners heard a proposed change to the procurement code, one that would match a similar change made by the state, to increase the amount of a “small” contract from $30,000 to $40,000.
Recent legislature amended the “small contract” provisions of the procurement code to allow cities to treat contracts under $40,000 as small contracts, which do not require commission approval.
This amendment would then bring Covington Ordinances into agreement with the state statute.
The amendment will get a first reading at next week’s legislative meeting.
Map Amendment to 401 Crescent Ave.
Commissioners reviewed an application requesting a map amendment to Covington’s Neighborhood Development Code, changing the area at 401 Crescent Ave from AUC (Auto-Urban Commercial) to SU (Semi-Urban Residential).
The map amendment was requested for a proposed stage 1 development plan consisting of 25 attached, single-family residential units at the vacant and underutilized paved lot which Willie’s Sport’s Café occupied for 23 years prior to its closing in 2014.
The Kenton County Planning Commission made a favorable recommendation on the proposed map amendment at its meeting on June 1.
The amendment will get a first reading at next week’s legislative meeting.
West Covington Riverfront Commons Project
Commissioners heard a proposal for The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to provide up to $95,560 in reimbursable federal funds to the City for the West Covington Riverfront Commons Shared-Use Path Project for the Design Phase.
This is a westward expansion of the existing Riverfront Commons Project, which is a measure “to improve safety for all modes of transportation by creating a dedicated pedestrian and bicycle path between Covington and Ludlow that is separate from vehicular traffic,” city documents say.
The City will be responsible for any ineligible costs, the 20 percent local matching funds ($23,890), and any costs in excess of the $95,560 necessary for the completion of the project. The estimated total Design Phase cost submitted by KYTC is $119,450.
The proposal was placed on next week’s consent agenda.
New Hires and Promotions
Commissioners heard these proposed new hires and promotions:
Police Promotion – Mathew Winship
Police Promotion – Joshua Bornhorn
Police Promotion – Jennifer Rudolph
Police Promotion – Jason McErlane
Police Promotion – David Hoyle
New Hire — Kenzy Hotaling, Police Officer
New Hire — Tilden Arnold, Police Officer
New Hire — Nicole Goller, Clerk Typist
New Hire – Elliot Jefferies, Fire Department
New Hire – Ethan Nuckols, Fire Department
New Hire – Jacob Phipps, Fire Department
New Hire – Jacob Toole, Fire Department
New Hire – Brian Wear, Fire Department
All were placed on next week’s consent agenda.
Retirements and Resignations
Commissioners heard proposed retirements and resignations for:
Retirement – Police Captain Greg Jones
Retirement – Police Assistant Chief Marcus Jordan
Resignation – Craig Farley, Staff Accountant
All were placed on next week’s consent agenda.
Appointments, Reappointments and Removal
Commissioners heard proposed appointments, reappointments and a removal for:
Appointment – DeAnna Hendrickson, Housing Authority of Covington
Appointment – Jameela Salaah, Telecommunications Board of Northern Kentucky
Reappointment – Art Heeger, Police and Fire Pension Board
Reappointment – Tom Hall, Police and Fire Pension Board
Reappointment – Terry Hughes, Board of Trustees for City Employees Retirement Fund
Remove – John Meiling, Urban Forestry Board
All were placed on next week’s consent agenda.
Absent
Commissioner Ron Washington was absent Tuesday night.
Next Meeting
The next regularly scheduled Covington Commission meeting will be a legislative meeting held at 6 p.m., July 18, 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.