By Patricia Scheyer
NKyTribune reporter
BOONE COUNTY
At the very end of a 3-plus hour fiscal court meeting this week, an item on the agenda was introduced, attempting to take the issue of the county installing charging stations on county land for the purpose of selling electricity to people with electric cars off the table and back into current business.
Since Commissioner Cathy Flaig was ill, Judge Gary Moore made a motion to un-table the issue, but it didn’t receive a second from either commissioner Jesse Brewer or Commissioner Chet Hand, so it will remain tabled until all four people can be present.
However, the next item was a resolution which was a companion piece for the tabled item. It authorized the county to apply for a grant that would subsidize the aforementioned electrical charging stations. That resolution passed, with Judge Moore and Jesse Brewer voting for it, and Chet Hand the sole vote against it, since Cathy Flaig was not present.
“I am extremely upset,” said Hand, who was visibly angered. “It is mind blowing that we are in this situation. It stinks that we’re in this situation. But two wrongs don’t make a right.”
He referred to applying for a grant when the court had not yet decided they wanted to go ahead with EV charging stations.
County Administrator Matthew Webster said the issue was first broached at budget time, and though it wasn’t especially highlighted, it did have a line item and was discussed. He threw it right back in Hand’s lap, saying that that would have been the time to speak up about it.
Hand was irate, stating that without it having been emphasized, he always assumed that the budget would maintain status quo. He said he must have just missed it at the time, or he would have called it out.
“If it was that lucrative financially to do it, the public sector would already be doing it or will do it soon,” Hand stated. “But I think the data probably shows that in the long run it’s not lucrative financially. That’s part of the reason why private sector businesses are not doing that. That, or they just don’t need it.”
He said EV charging stations don’t really fit in with the overall directional strategy for the county, selling something they didn’t sell before. He argued that they shouldn’t just be pursuing grant dollars for the sake of acquiring dollars, there should be some strategic purpose for it.
“All the other objections aside, the main issue that I have is I don’t think the county should be in the business of selling electricity to people for electric vehicles,” Hand stated firmly. “And I base that on the fact that we don’t own gas stations, we don’t sell gasoline, we don’t own hydrogen stations, we don’t sell hydrogen, we don’t actually sell anything related to vehicles to the public at this time, whether it is a revenue generating source potential or not.”
He said if they want a revenue source they could buy an ice cream store on the corner and sell ice cream.
The fact that the federal government has deemed this area an ‘electric vehicle charging station desert’ doesn’t matter to the county because that is for people passing through the area.
“It’s not our problem,” he said. “It’s just like the straw that broke the camel’s back. Today we say we don’t need to hire more people to take care of the maintenance of the stations, but then we add a little more later, then a little more later, and the next thing you know we have to hire more people, so— expansion of county government. I take the conservative position of a smaller, more limited government, but it seems like every opportunity we have we keep looking for reasons to expand what government does, and I don’t think we should be doing that.”
Judge Executive Gary Moore clarified that the money was put into the budget for this grant before applying for grant, but Assistant County Administrator Rob Franxman said that the application was filed before the budget presentation was made. However, both said that they thought there was an indication that the court might be in favor of the project.
“It’s not intended to be a profit center,” Moore said. “It’s to be a revenue generator to cover the cost of helping to maintain the stations.”
He said the technology is so new, that if the public sector stepped up and provided opportunities for private sector charging, then he would completely agree that they should get out of the business and not compete.
But the charging stations would already be there. Commissioner Brewer asked if they could sell their charging stations in that instance, but was told since they will be built on county land, they can’t sell them.
The end result was that the county seemed determined to go ahead with pursuing the grant, and Judge Moore made the motion to go ahead, and Commissioner Brewer voted with him.
Commissioner Hand voted no.
“I don’t want to do the wrong thing for the county,” he stated. “I think this is the wrong thing for the county.”
EDGEWOOD
Edgewood City Administrative Officer Brian Dehner gave council an update on the new Kroger store, a project that replaced the old Kmart building.
Dehner said that officials at Kroger are anticipating a finish date in March of 2025, always assuming the winter weather cooperates. He said one of the exits has to have another dedicated turn lane, but a lot of the concrete is in, and the storm sewers are in.
Questions were asked about when they will open the main entrance to the area, but Dehner said he didn’t know that. Council member Dr. Scott Spille said he thought this Kroger would be quite a bit smaller than the Kroger in Ft Mitchell or in Independence.
Dehner said he would have to look at the plans with the square footage again.
Council discussed the lease agreement with Enterprise for renting the city’s vehicles instead of buying them. Council member Darla Kettenacker did not remember that there was a decision to enter into an agreement, and thought that Dehner was going to bring numbers to the meeting to share with council. Dehner said that he has gone back and watched the meetings in question and could not find any place in the meetings where he had said he would bring numbers back to council. He did find where he said he was still working on the numbers with the company in the meetings.
CAO Dehner said the program had already started and they will be far under the budgeted cost for vehicles this year. They have contracted for eight vehicles, two of which were delivered to the outfitters, and one that was delivered on site. He said the rest should be delivered early next year.
FLORENCE
John Chamberlin, from Chamberlin, Owen & Co, came to the special meeting of Florence Council to give an update on the annual comprehensive financial report. The basic result is that the city is in very good financial shape. At the beginning of the report, he credited outgoing retired financial director Linda Chapman as well as new financial director Jason Lewis for their hard work on the report.
The second reading of an ordinance approving the planning commission’s recommendation for a zoning map amendment from Suburban Residential 1 (SR-1) to Urban Residential 1 (UR-1) for a 28 acre piece of land located along the east side of Gunpowder Creek road. Developers want to build a 264 to 284 unit condo residential area, which will be built in stages. Florence CEO Josh Hunt said that the first phase would be in about 3 years, which is good because the state has plans to widen Gunpowder road at that location in about 2 years. There is some concern about the increase in traffic that the development will bring, but council voted for it.
“This project has weighed very heavily on me,” said Council member Lesley Chambers. “Just knowing how Gunpowder is very narrow and has flooding issues–I just want to say, as a resident of Florence, I do recognize the congestion of that area. And I do appreciate Planning and Zoning working very hard to address those issues.”
Another ordinance had a second reading, which allows fencing in side yards on corner lots. CEO Hunt said it was something they needed to do more for aesthetics, and properties in the Orleans French Quarter will be able to take advantage of their full yards.
Two second readings of ordinances that deal with the recently voted on medical marijuana issue passed. The first allows medical cannabis businesses as a conditional use in C-3 zones, I-1 and I-2 zones. The second regulates the business applications, permits and licenses. Both ordinances passed.
A resolution was discussed and then passed authorizing Mayor Julie Aubuchon to execute an agreement with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet for the maintenance of landscaping in and upon medians, utility strips and areas in and around the I-75 Mt Zion interchange.
“There are four islands and we will maintain them,” explained Hunt. “We have the same agreement with areas on US 42, and Turfway. It is a common practice.”
NEWPORT
Newport Mayor Tom Guidugli introduced the new City Manager, John Hayden at the meeting Monday night. Hayden was appointed by the Commission after a lengthy process to determine a new city manager and assistant city manager upon the retirement at the end of this year of Tom Fromme.
The Assistant City Manager, taking Hayden’s old job, will be Brian Steffen, and Stan Jones to the Executive Assistant position.
As Commissioner Julie Smith-Morrow explained, Newport has a City Manager type of government, with the Mayor and Commissioners having an equal say in all legislation, and the city manager is the executive agent. She also said that this type of government tends to guard against political favoritism and corruption.
Mayor Guidugli administered the oath of office to four new police recruits. Police Chief Fangman introduced Joshua Combs, Christian Huber, Mason Williams and Nicholas Schweiss.
Jamie Hubbard was promoted from firefighter/medic to engineer/medic, and Kathryn Quinn was added to the Historic Preservation Commission.
Tara Johnson-Noem and Katie Jo Kirkpatrick from the Northern Kentucky Area Development District to give an overview of the new strategic plan for the organization.
Commissioners agreed on an order to purchase two more Tesla vehicles for the Police department, to add to the three Teslas they already have. The new ones are scheduled to be for administrative use.
COVINGTON
Covington city commissioners okayed an order to buy four 2024 all-wheel drive Durango V6 and one 2023 Durango AWD V6 for the Covington Police Department at their regular meeting this week.
They also approved an order to outfit all of the new police cars with the correct equipment.
An order passed which approved the purchase of a used Seagrave Pumper for the Covington Fire Department.
Another order passed which approved the operation of a drug abuse treatment and disease prevention program administered by the Northern Kentucky District Health Department.
Commissioners passed the second reading of an ordinance amending the Neighborhood
Development Code to allow “single family detached dwelling” and “lot line dwelling” as permitted dwelling types within the CRM district.
TAYLOR MILL
The city of Taylor Mill held their caucus meeting a week early due to the holiday next week, and a primary topic was how to spend the $50,000 that the commissioners agreed to spend on the equipment inside Pride Park at last week’s meeting.
CAO Brian Haney came up with a list of the things that badly needed attention, such as repairing the basketball court surface, erecting new basketball goals, installing a light at the community center parking lot, playground equipment repair, updating and repairing cameras in the park, purchasing trees for the playground area, and brickwork for the newly constructed park pavilion stage.
Commissioners also discussed the monthly safety review procedure to make sure issues in the park are dealt with quickly.
Commissioners are considering placing portable toilets in the park after the restrooms are closed for the season. They will make a final decision at the December meeting.
The issue of how best to use the administration and living space of the old firehouse again came up for discussion. Commissioners directed Haney to meet with all the department heads to see how to split the space among the departments.
The city had erected a tent to house some of the city’s bigger equipment, but during a storm last year a tree had fallen on the tent. Public Works Director Jerry Jump asked if the city could allow the insurance money to fund a structure instead of a tent, so Commissioners will decide that at the December meeting.
City Engineer Shawn Riggs and Jerry Jump met with CAO Haney to develop an updated list of roads for the Commissioners to consider for repair next year. They will incorporate the results of a new road evaluation from a two county contract that will help prioritize the roads as to condition as well as whether SD-1 needs to install new pipes or sewers in certain roads, which would delay any repairs by the city.
Commissioners reviewed a plan presented to PDS from Good Spirits Liquor for the construction of a 6996 square foot retail establishment for their store and a smaller space which is not committed to a tenant as of yet.