Erlanger resident questions roads condition; council addresses issue but urges resident to speak directly

By Patricia A. Scheyer
NKyTribune reporter

Erlanger Council member Tyson Hermes read a letter from a resident at its meeting this week, expressing concerns about money being spent for beautification instead of roads.

Tyson Hermes (Photo by Patricia Scheyer/NKyTribune)

The letter was anonymous and was sent to the city. City clerk Sherry Hoffman sent a copy to Mayor Jessica Fette, as well as all nine council members, but Hermes wanted to address the concerns in the letter at a meeting.

“I know that some people hesitate to sign these type of things,” said Hermes. “At least I have heard that they are afraid of retaliation from the city, and I guess the first thing I wanted to say is that kind of thing doesn’t exist here. I can’t think of anybody on staff or anybody on council, or the mayor or administration who would retaliate in any way for someone expressing their opinion no matter how much we might like it or not like it or agree or disagree with it.”

The letter started out saying the person appreciates the beautification efforts that the city has done, but would rather see the money spent on the roads. This person said driving on Hallam, Concord and Lambda is too bumpy and it jars their back. The writer said that while Rainbow Terrace park is nice, the money spent on it would have fixed several streets. It was noted that tax dollars would be better spent on repairs, and while Public Works does a good job on small repairs, sometimes larger repairs are needed. The resident added that winter will make the streets worse.

Erlanger council members (Photo by Patricia Scheyer/NKyTribune)

“We would really like to be able to address this directly with whoever wrote it, and be able to give them the attention they deserve,” said Hermes. “I guess I want to try and help people understand that we aren’t foregoing road repairs because we’re spending money on beautification efforts or street signs or parks.”

He also tried to explain how the road fund works. He said they assess the condition of roads and then try to put the worst ones first on the list. With the money they have in the road fund, they repair what they can, but he said that sometimes it has to be done in ‘bite-sized’ pieces.

“Our successors might not have the luxury of having those funds available in the future,” said Hermes. “Our roads have a lifespan of about 25 to 30 years. There is a lot of thought that goes into it, and we would like to talk with the resident to help explain the process.”