By Patricia Scheyer
NKyTribune reporter
PARK HILLS
Park Hills council began their meeting this week with 6 pieces of legislation, but due to a fair amount of disagreement among council members, three of the pieces of legislation were tabled, and one was withdrawn.
One ordinance, which defined where council will hold their meetings in the near future, was amenable to all the present councilmembers, and the first reading was upheld. The council meetings will be held in the upper level of the city building on Amsterdam road, in the council chambers.
Another ordinance, which would allow police officers who had accrued 360 hours of sick time to be able to trade in some of that sick time for money. Chief Cody Stanley said only two of his crew would be able to take advantage of the program, and one is leaving, so it is not something that everyone would qualify for. Council members let the first reading stand, but indicated they might want some minor changes for the second reading.
Jay Bayer, of Bayer, Becker Inc., and Kate Dillenburger, who also is in the company, gave a presentation on the viability of conducting a study to put sidewalks down Dixie Highway from North Arlington to Gray’s Peak, which is a condo association just into Covington. The study is projected to cost $22,730. The Sidewalk and Road Diet project will include typical roadway and sidewalk sections, roadway and sidewalk plan, and site plans for revised parking and access.
The tabled legislation is scheduled to be reintroduced in May’s council meeting.
LAKESIDE PARK
Lakeside Park council members listened to the first reading of an ordinance raising the salaries of the mayor and council. Changes in the salary have to be made before the first Monday of May before the election. For council, that would be this May, a month away. For the mayor, time only becomes critical in May of 2026, since the mayoral election is in 2026.
Council members currently receive $1,680 a year, and have proposed a raise to $2,000 a year beginning in January of 2025, after the election. For the mayor, councilmembers proposed a raise from $5,100 to $8,000, to begin in January of 2027. The mayor job is part time, but the city does not have a city administrator, so that does require more work from the mayor.
This was a first reading, so a vote was not held, but the original legislation had blank spaces for the amounts of the salaries, and discussion among councilmembers and the mayor tentatively decided the monetary figures. There will have to be a special meeting to be able to have a second reading before the deadline in May, and at that second reading the final figures will be inserted into the legislation.
Council listened to the first reading of an ordinance establishing a rental registry for landlords in the city, which also includes property laws as well as health and safety laws.
The city said they need to have contact information for all property owners in case of emergency, or if complaints arise. They have experienced some difficulty in contacting some property owners through layers of corporations.
Another first reading of an ordinance amends the list of nuisances in the city.
The second reading of both ordinances is set for the May 13th meeting.
TAYLOR MILL
The city of Taylor Mill sent out advertisement for bids for the construction of the new firehouse, which will be constructed on the vacant lot next to the city building.
Bids have to be back to the city building by 3 p.m. Friday, April 26. The bids will be opened, and the city’s Construction Administrators will look them over to make sure they are accurate, and complete, and adhere to the bid instructions. They will then sent their recommendations to the city commissioners so they can review the bids. The bid that has been chosen will be announced at the May 8 Commission meeting.
At a short regular commission meeting last week, commissioners voted to adopt the Northern Kentucky Hazard Mitigation plan.