$2.5 MILLION DEFICIT PROJECTED & OTHER NOTES FROM TUESDAY

by Michael Monks 

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Part of Mayor Chuck Scheper's 10-point plan for the City of Covington includes zero-based budgeting in which every line item of the budget must be justified by each department. Covington finance director Bob Due spoke on the process Tuesday night during a caucus meeting of the Covington City Commission and warned that the City will likely face a $2.5 million deficit for the next fiscal year, citing rising health care and pension costs. "One of our first challenges is to find opportunities to reduce the expenditures base now," Due said. "We'll be asking, what do you get for that investment (in line item reviews)? This is a process you don't get through overnight but it's one we have to begin."

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During the meeting, the agenda included an update on each of the ten points proposed by the mayor. The commission only went through a few that had immediate news including the designation of one staff member to serve as a point-person for new businesses trying to open in Covington. "There's a lot of City staff that isn't sure who's in charge of things," said recreation director Natalie Gardner, speaking as a member of the so-called 'barrier removal team'. "They might call recreation with a question about zoning." The designated point-person, who has not been named publicly yet, will work on educating the staff and will help to streamline the communication required by prospective new businesses.

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City Manager Larry Klein explained that the position will be filled by an existing staff member. "One of their primary jobs would be to shepherd people through the process as a single point of contact."

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In other updates from the plan, the mayor said that as many as twenty-five people may be part of his proposed community advisory board which he hopes to announce next week. Additionally, Scheper expects to name ten people to the City's marketing team. The mayor and commission began their visits to neighborhood associations Monday with a trip to Rosedale and will meet with the Covington Youth Commission on February 28. Also, the new email, "CVGvoices", is starting to get some input from citizens. 

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OTHER NOTES: 

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Brent Spence Bridge

The commission listened to a presentation by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet on the latest developments involving the Brent Spence Bridge. Of the many proposed plans for the bridge project, two are left with one being preferred by Covington. The project involves 5.1 miles of road in Kentucky and 2.7 miles in Ohio. (Midway through the presentation, the projector at City Hall failed making it difficult to visualize the plans and their effects on Covington. Bob Due said that the City is looking to replace it.)

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Here's the gist: Mainstrasse's Goebel Park will lose its current basketball court but it will be replaced. More importantly, it looks like Covington will be accessed through connectors and that if you are traveling from Cincinnati to Covington, a decision will have to be made much earlier if you wish to leave the interstate in Covington. A connector from the interstate's northbound side will involve points of departure at 5th, Pike, 9th, and 12th Streets. Crescent Avenue would be closed. None of this matters however until funding is achieved.

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Daytime curfew update

Since the enactment of a daytime curfew in Covington, fourteen juveniles have been cited by police. Chief Lee Russo said that the program is going well and there are no real operational concerns or adverse impacts on the departments. Interestingly, all the citations have happened from Latonia to the northern part of the City. South Covington has not had one juvenile cited. 

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TANK resolution

The Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky is seeking support from the city commission in the form of a resolution that would affirm TANK's desire to have the tax that funds it controlled by the fiscal court instead of the state.

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Tax amnesty

Covington's proposed tax amnesty plan had its first reading during the caucus meeting.