By Patricia A. Scheyer
NKyTribune reporter
EDGEWOOD
The city of Edgewood will hold a special meeting for discussion of the intersection of Charter Oak and Tupman on August 27 at 6:30 p.m. Engineers will be at the meeting with renderings, but council members were a little upset that they would only see the drawings on the 27th and would not have a preview.
Mayor John Link explained that this is all the school and the school board, they are running it, and the school is responsible for buying the store that residents have complained about losing, not the city.
Council passed the second reading of an ordinance prohibiting all cannabis businesses within the city. Council members Jeff Schreiver and Dr. Spille voted against the ordinance, but five members voted for it so it passed.
The first reading of an ordinance setting the tax rate was held. The ad valorem tax on real property will be .186 per $100 of assessed value.
“This is a substantial decrease,” said Mayor Link. “Last year it was .226 per $100 of assessed value.”
BOONE COUNTY
Two more building projects unanimously approved by the Boone County Planning Commission were presented to the Fiscal Court this week for a final stamp of approval, but residents are fed up.
“When is enough going to be enough?” Richwood Road resident Diana Sipple asked. “You’re shoving so much on Richwood Road. When is enough going to be enough? When you run all the residents out of the County? Why are we building on top of each other down there? We have so many fast food restaurants, so many restaurants. Cattleman’s just went in, we’ve got the Sports bar, and another one going in. When is enough enough?”
Commissioner Chet Hand said he was sympathetic to the resident, but this particular project isn’t a zone change, which means the developers can develop the site and the fiscal court can only make some stipulations. He pushed strongly for a left-hand turn lane to help with the tangle of traffic, but while the developer accepted the turn lane change, they rejected a call to eliminate all fast food restaurants in his five-acre project. Hand said the fast food restaurants represent one of the factors that attract so much traffic from the interstate, and this project is touted as being neighborhood commercial.
The second project is 53 acres on the Graves Road interchange, but again there were some citizens that didn’t like it. Commissioner Hand objected to Zoning Administrator Michael Schwartz, saying after the initial review, there are a lot of items that are not consistent with the original Graves Road plan and approving this project would allow a lot of exceptions to the original plan. Schwartz agreed, but said the commission put a heavier weight on the fact that the project met some of the requirements.
“Just for the record I would like to state that we approve a lot of exceptions to our plans,” Hand stated. “And the plan, basically, is no plan at that point.”
The first reading of an ordinance approving a change in concept development plan in a commercial services zone for a 5.4 acre area on Richwood Road was held. The first reading of an ordinance approving a zoning map amendment for 53 acres along the Graves Road interchange was also held. The second reading for both of these ordinances will be on September 3.
The second reading of an ordinance denying the request for a zoning map amendment for a 34.87 acre site known as Jake’s Farm passed unanimously.
NEWPORT
Newport city commissioners voted to pass the first reading of an ordinance allowing all medical cannabis businesses in the city. Yes votes were Mayor Tom Guidugli, Commissioner Julie Smith-Morrow, and Commissioner Mike Radwanski. Commissioner Beth Fennell was not present. Commissioner Ken Rechtin voted no, and he explained why.
“Years ago, we had issues with regard to how medicine was distributed,” he said. “We had folks who traveled around in carts and sold elixirs and things like that, and we killed people. Something called USP, a United States Pharmacological group came together and said we’re going to design guidelines and they created the FDA. When I need a medicine I go to the doctor and he writes me a script and sends me to a pharmacy and they count out the pills and make sure I get the adequate dosage and the adequate numbers. That doesn’t happen in the cannabis dispensaries. You come in with a card and you buy gummies.”
He said they are already selling gummies in Newport and produced a container with gummies that he had bought at a vape store. He said they contain THC, which is the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis. He said he went in and bought 48 gummies for $25. It wasn’t a special thing — many containers were on the wall and cannabis was not the only substance. They were also selling something called ‘Kratom’ an herbal substance that produced opioid and stimulant effects. He said it is just about the same as people get with medical cannabis.
“Tell you what, I can open this, and my grandchildren can open this!” he said. “And it’s a gummy, tastes like blueberry. I don’t think the General Assembly is heading down the right path here. Just because the General Assembly gives us the right to do something, I don’t think we just have to do it. And I’m not sure this is what our city and our citizens want. So I’m going to vote no.”
A disabled vet stood up and said he is a veteran who has conditions.
“I’m a black man, I like Newport,” he said. “I no have no power in what you all do. I’m a simple country boy trying to live till 70. I agree with my commissioner Ken Rechtin. Vote your conscience and your heart and let God give you the answer.”
Jerry Peluso got up and told the commissioners to ‘Just say no.’
A resident whose husband is a doctor told the commission that her husband said many times that medical cannabis is not good.
Mayor Guidugli said the General Assembly is trying to regulate cannabis to prevent what Commissioner Rechtin described.
Commissioners also passed an order adopting the Covington+Newport bicycle transportation plan developed by Tri-State Trails.
Another order passed which facilitated the transfer of the $13 million Industrial Revenue Bonds which will go toward building a hotel.
ERLANGER
Erlanger Mayor Jessica Fette opened the caucus meeting Tuesday night with the unwelcome news that there was a mistake in last year’s tax numbers from the PVA which have resulted in a $97,000 problem that the city has to absorb.
It appears that a business ‘miscategorized’ their inventory by listing it as inventory in warehouse instead of inventory in transit, resulting in a $49 million mistake. Since last year’s assessed valuation was greatly increased anyway, no one thought to ask questions, and the $49 million mistake went through. Fette said this has never happened before.
“We can’t change what we’ve done in the past,” Fette stated. “We are going to have to eat this cost.”
Since the business overpaid in taxes, the city will refund the money to that business.
In addition to that woeful report, Fette said that some large businesses in Erlanger were omitted from the certified tax role. She doesn’t have a firm answer as to why.
“These are businesses that may or may not have filed an extension,” Fette said as a possible explanation. “This is, like, really in the weeds. I have gotten an apology from the PVA and a promise to do better.”
After discussion, Fette proposed the new property tax rate be .247 per $100 of assessed value, and due to considerable feedback from council members, the tangible rate will be proposed during next Tuesday’s special meeting at .198 per $100 of assessed value. Council felt that other businesses shouldn’t be punished and even though that tax rate doesn’t bring in the revenue that the city expected, they felt the lower tangible rate would be the right thing to do. The lower rate will align with the budget.
All in all, council reflected a mistrust of the data, as well as a shock that this could happen.
“It’s 2024 – we’ve got to do better,” Council member Jennifer Jasper-Lucas stated. “I’m very disappointed.”
“Join the club,” said Fette.
Still, she is proud that the city can lower the tax rate.
“We are proud to highlight that this marks the 10th consecutive year of cutting taxes while still providing exceptional city services,” she said.