By Patricia A. Scheyer
NKyTribune reporter
The City of Fort Wright hosted the monthly Kenton County Mayors’ group Saturday morning.
Mayor Dave Hatter started off the conversation by saying that the Walmart in his city has intentions of starting a drone delivery system, possibly in June. He said they are looking into possible regulations that might have to be considered, and if it is legal to even have the drones in the air.
“As far as I know, it is still illegal in Kentucky to shoot them down,” Hatter joked.
Drones are regulated under the auspices of the Federal Aviation Administration, and in order for a store to use a drone for commercial delivery, it has to comply with FAA regulations, and the main one is obtaining a Part 135 air carrier certificate for long distance flights, or, in Walmart’s case, they would have to operate under Part 107 for small scale, local deliveries, since Hatter said they are considering deliveries within a 5 mile radius.
Rules say that smaller drones that are under 55 pounds, can operate with part 107 but it also generally requires a waiver for flying over people, flying at night, or flying beyond the pilot’s line of visual sight.
In addition to the drone being registered, the pilot has to hold a part 107 remote pilot certificate. Current drones typically have a maximum payload capacity of approximately 5 pounds, a factor that limits what can be delivered. Drone protocols in general are limited by requiring a safe distance from people, and if they are in urban areas there could be specific waivers. Drones are also prohibited to fly in certain weather conditions, such as high winds or low visibility.
Since there are a lot of little things to consider, the program is not a certainty yet, but since drones have been used in other places, they don’t have to reinvent the wheel, so from what Mayor Hatter said, the plan will probably come into reality.
Hatter said to stay tuned for more updates.
The other thing happening in his city is the economic development project where Jeff Wyler Automotive has purchased several sites, which used to be a Days Inn, the Atlas Home gym, and an Infiniti dealership. Using some of the $5 million in the Kenton County Community Redevelopment Fund, and securing $1.35 million to upgrade underperforming properties, the project is supported by a $150,000 plus local match.
Hatter described the first step in this project, besides securing the funds, which will be the demolition of the three properties, which will occur on April 2.
Kenton County Clerk Gabrielle Summe offered information about voting in this election in the light of what is happening on the national stage. Since the SAVE act has not passed, Summe said voters just have to present an ID to show who they are, but that does not necessarily prove where they live or if they are a citizen.
“When you go and vote in person, you provide a real ID or a driver’s license,” she said. “When you sign up to be a registered voter, you sign a legal affidavit that you are of this age, and that you are a US citizen, and that you are basically a resident of Kentucky for purposes of voting. I have people give me passports, and they are an identifier, not necessarily proof of citizenship, and that is fine, but if you don’t have the statutory driver’s license, or real ID, you are signing a legal affidavit saying why you don’t have that on you. That affidavit is provided to the Grand Jury in case there is a problem.”
As far as commissioners, Summe explained that they are a different form of government other than magistrate. She said commissioners are actually a statutory construct, they’re not a constitutional office.
“So what that means is if your county has chosen to have a commissioner based department, it is three, and then it’s proportionately distributed,” Summe said. “It also means that you have to be from the area designated as district one, two or three. But the whole county is to vote on everybody.”
She went on to say that it is different, and makes the balance more complicated, if your magistrates are constables, which she said this area still has. So if candidates are magistrates or constables, not only do they have to be from a small area, but only the people who live in that small area can vote for them.
She compared the magistrate form of government to the commissioner form of government, explaining the pros and cons.
“We have it better than Campbell and Boone counties,” she said. “We let people vote at any of their locations. However, on election day, if they choose to want only a proof printed ballot, they can only go to the location that is assigned to them.”
Summe said it is liable to get more complicated if the state makes changes to the voter laws. If there are no changes, most things will stay the same. She always hopes things go smoothly.