Covington Commission hears citizen concerns on Gaza resolution; development agreements approved

By Ryan Clark
NKyTribune reporter

Enough is enough, residents are saying. Once again, Covington citizens attended the Commission’s regularly scheduled legislative meeting Tuesday night to voice their concerns about the conflict in Gaza, with many calling for a resolution to support a ceasefire.

For weeks, residents have been coming out during the comments phase of the meetings, trying to convince Commissioners to do something.

Mohammad Ahmad, a Covington resident, once again spoke passionately Tuesday night in favor of the resolution.

“I know many of us are getting ready to — not me, myself — but many people are getting ready to celebrate Christmas with their families,” he said. “I don’t know how you all celebrate Christmas, but I know this is a time where people celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. But the city where Jesus was born won’t be celebrating Christmas because the city of Bethlehem — Palestine and the heads of the Palestinian Christian churches — have agreed to cancel all Christmas celebrations because as most people in America and in the free world celebrate Christmas, members of the indigenous land not too far where Jesus was born are being brutally slaughtered in one of the most horrific massacres we’ve seen in modern times.”

However, other residents have questioned whether a resolution would be a good idea.

“I have to ask, first of all, that the city deeply consider whether it’s appropriate to take up this proclamation right now,” attorney Rob Craig said two weeks ago. “I just don’t think that it’s appropriate for the city to be taking a position on this.”

“I’m not asking the city to do the federal government’s job I’m just pushing it to do its job because this isn’t hard,” Ahmad said. “This is simple, and I’ve made two resolutions to make it easier for you guys to discuss in the coming days.”

Once again, Mayor Joseph U. Meyer complimented the crowd.

“Thank all of you for the quality of your comments and intensity of your feelings and your observations,” he said. “The city Commission will take this under advisement.”

Development agreements

Commissioners agreed to two economic development agreements Tuesday that will bring in more than $1.7 million in new payroll taxes for the city.

The first, City Wide Facility Solutions, is leasing a building in Fort Mitchell and officials decided to search for a building to own. After considering locations in Fort Mitchell, Erlanger, Covington and West Chester, they decided to purchase 200 W. Pike, (known as the historic train station) bringing 30 new jobs and $1.3 million in capital investment.

The city will provide an economic development agreement providing a jobs development incentive.

City Wide Facility Solutions manages more than 20 services, including janitorial and handyman services, for commercial properties in the automotive, manufacturing, distribution, institutional, corporate office and medical markets. They will be adding 31 jobs with health, dental and retirement benefits, with plans to grow by 12 percent (four jobs) per year for at least the first three years.

City officials recommended the company receive a 1 percent payroll incentive for all new jobs brought to Covington for five years, followed by an un-incentivized five-year retention period.

The estimated new payroll tax for the city after the incentive would be $419,693.

Secondly, city officials approved another job development incentive agreement with the Kenton County Board of Education. Currently, the Board leases property within the city of Fort Wright, but the school board wants to build a new administrative facility in Covington at 347 Madison Pike.

They currently have 250 jobs in Covington and are looking to add an additional 79 employees over the next 10 years.

“The proposed construction at 347 Madison Pike will be a 45,000-square-foot building that will house up to 100 employees, plus a boardroom that will have the capability to host public board meetings, with room for up to 200 community members,” city documents say. “The site is nine acres and sits on the corner of Madison Pike and Tuscanyview Drive. Since the building will be funded by Capital Construction dollars, this investment and development will exist for many years to come in the location slated for construction.”

The city recommended that the Board receive a 1 percent payroll incentive for all new jobs created in Covington over a 5-year period followed by a 5-year retention period.

The estimated new payroll tax for the city after the incentive would be $1,287,516.

That’s a total of $1,707,209 for the city.

“This is great news,” Mayor Pro-Tem/Commissioner Ron Washington said last week. “Welcome.”

Port Authority Resolution

Once again, Mayor Meyer expressed his displeasure for the Northern Kentucky Port Authority and its tendency to not follow the city’s rules.

Two weeks ago, he spoke on the topic, saying that if they did not comply, “they will simply not be welcome to do business in Covington.”

Tuesday night, he followed up.

“I’ve got a draft resolution, but rather than bring it before the Commission, I’ve been engaged in conversations with educators and other city officials to catch a broader consensus on this issue,” he said. “So, I will not bring it to anybody until after the first of the year, and we’ll see if we can’t get compliance from the Port Authority to our request.”

Housing Authority/Section 8 Merger

Commissioners approved the consolidation of the Covington Housing Authority and the Housing Authority of Covington, to create a single, unified housing authority for the city.

“The Housing Authority of Covington currently manages public housing in Covington. The City of Covington currently manages KY-133, which is also referred to as City of Covington Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCV),” city documents explain. “There are numerous benefits of the proposed consolidation …. Perhaps the most significant benefit is the creation of a single housing authority entity that will serve as a one-stop shop for public housing and housing choice vouchers. Considerable operational efficiencies will be gained and there will be the opportunity to secure additional housing resources for our community by operating under the single entity housing authority model, similar to the manner a majority of communities in the United States operate.”

Neighborhood Development Code

Commissioners approved a proposal to remove authority from the Kenton County Planning Commission to grant variances to applicants in conjunction with a proposed map amendment, and instead give it to the City’s Board of Architectural Review and Development (BOARD).

“This would guarantee a public hearing conducted and decisions rendered by a board fully appointed by the Mayor and Board of Commissioners, assuring familiarity with both the Neighborhood Development Code and the City’s Historic Design Guidelines where applicable,” city documents say.

Meeting Rule Change

Commissioners approved a rule change to allow the City Manager to offer his updates at their regular meetings each week.

“For both the caucus meeting and the legislative meeting, in which the City Manager gives a report on activities undertaken by his office and issues that he thinks are important to bring to the Commission’s attention,” Mayor Meyer said two weeks ago.

New Hires and Contracts

Commissioners approved these new hires and contracts:

Retirements

Commissioners approved the retirements of:

“Thank you for giving us the opportunity to celebrate … within the fire department,” said Fire Chief Mark Pierce. “We have two members that have expressed their desire to retire after a combined 44 years of service. They have completed their mission and will be able to walk out the door with both their heads held high, with their mental and physical being intact, excited about the future.”

Promotions

Commissioners approved the promotions of:

Resignations

Commissioners approved the resignation of:

Appointments

Commissioners approved the appointment of:

Parks and Rec Award

Ben Oldiges, Parks and Recreation manager, presented the Commission with the Kentucky Recreation and Parks Society’s (KRPS) award for “Outstanding Department Award – Class 1.”

“It’s an incredible honor,” Oldiges said. “This is kind of like, if you’re ranking awards for Parks and Recreation, this is one of the higher awards that we can win.”

“I feel like we should be presenting this to you,” Mayor Meyer said.

Next Meeting

The next regularly scheduled Covington Commission meeting will be a caucus meeting held at 6 p.m., Jan. 2, 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.