By Andy Furman
NKyTribune reporter
Great shape.
Those were Kris Knochelmann’s words he used to describe Kenton County. The county’s Judge/Executive – who is an advocate for government efficiency and effectiveness – spoke to the Covington Rotary Club last week and gave what certainly sounded like a State of the County address.
“Kenton County is in the best financial and operational shape we’ve been in probably 50 years,” he told the Northern Kentucky Tribune. And he did not hesitate one bit in defending his statement.
“Property taxes have been cut to their lowest since 1983,” he said, “and, we have been investing our assets for long-term service to Kenton County.”
No surprise here. From leading the effort to reform the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) Board, to improving Northern Kentucky’s economic development organization, Knochelmann has actively worked to improve the performance of the region’s organizations supporting private enterprise, entrepreneurship well as job creation.
Why not? Knochelmann is a lifelong resident of the county — growing up in Taylor Mill – and graduating from Covington Latin School and later Xavier University with a degree in accounting. He then took control of the family business – Schneller & Knochelmann Plumbing Heating Air — a business founded in 1928 that employs more than 100 team members with offices in Covington and Cincinnati.
“I worked in the plumbing and HVAC industry since I was 15,” he told the club. Now he is working for his county.
“The business,” he continued,” is strong, and runs with quality leaders. I feel good where they are – they allow me to work for the county.”
And that he does. He says the county is reinvesting in the Historic Kenton County Courthouse in Independence – including a Farmers Market, and making it more efficient to get to the Sheriff, Clerk, PVA and Conservation District.
“We have hired a Project Manager to move forward on the development and construction of new Kenton County Park, which will be a 225-acre park,” he said. It is the old Fox Run Golf Course.
“Ten years ago,” Knochelmann said, “our Animal Shelter was 65 percent life release. Today the shelter is 98 percent, with better adoption as well as better care of the animals.”
As for the jail operations, Knochelmann claims they are ay the best in decades with the population about 600.
“We set the model for county jails,” he said. “Those that are locked up are those who need to be there; and working with judges and prosecutors.”
The county, he says, is developing the next level of addiction treatment at the jail and making sure offenders/inmates are set up to not come back to jail.
Knochelmann was quick to point out several projects:
• Leading the development of Spark Haus – Northern Kentucky hub for entrepreneurship based in Covington at the old Sim’s Furniture Building (727 Madison Avenue).
• Supporting the OneNKY Center for all growth organizations in Northern Kentucky at the foot of the Suspension Bridge’
• Leading the effort to the new Northern Kentucky Chase Law School and University of Kentucky School of Medicine in Covington – a Project Manager was recently hired for that
• Broadband internet to every home in Kenton County along with Campbell and Boone – that project is the largest in the country, according to Knochelmann.
“We built out the three-county first responder radio system connecting for the first time all the agencies and dispatch operations,” he said.
“And we continue to support our efforts on economic development making sure we have sites available for hi-tech manufacturing, likely in southwest Kenton County,” he said.