COMMISSION RECAP: 7 FEBRUARY 2012

by Michael Monks 
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A proposed tax amnesty plan, intentions to beautify part of Downtown, and the resignation of three City board chairmen highlighted Tuesday night's meeting of the Covington City Commission.

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Tax Amnesty Proposal

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Commissioner Shawn Masters championed this effort during the height of last summer's intense budget debates and eight months later a tax amnesty program may appear as a piece of City legislation. "In the economic time that we're facing, it's getting harder to collect, especially on abandoned or blighted properties," Covington finance director Bob Due said during a presentation on what the program would look like. Under the plan discussed Tuesday night, the tax amnesty period would last sixty days and would eliminate interest and penalty fees on back real estate and payroll taxes as well as parking tickets issued by Covington Police (though not tickets issued by AMPCO).

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The City offered a similar program in 2004 when $400,000 was collected by those owing back taxes. However, Covington spent $100,000 promoting the effort. "One thing we learned from 2004 is that we collected primarily from individuals we had been talking to for some time from our delinquent list," Due said. Typically, over a ten year period Covington would be owed $800,000 in back taxes, but right now the City is waiting on $1.3 million, Due said. 

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The finance director said the program should start close to March 1 pending approval from the city commission and would coincide with the traditional tax day in mid-April. Any funds collected through the amnesty program could be used to fund one-time projects, reinforce the City's rainy day fund, or be allocated toward infrastructure or technology needs. Once the program ends Due insisted that the City strengthen its effort in going after the taxes owed it.

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"This deviation from our policy is only for the period of the amnesty program," Due said, indicating that Covington may turn to collection agencies and credit reporting to combat delays in payment. "As a gesture to business or property owners paying their fair share, I think this is an appropriate gesture."

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Times Star Commons lives!

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Well, not really but Covington apparently still has funds left over from the original money awarded for the doomed project six years ago. Now the city commission has approved reallocating $1 million from the funds toward improving the streetscape on the blocks between 4th & 5th Streets on Madison Avenue and Scott Boulevard. The move would require approval from the legislature. The proposed reallocation tied in with another item from Tuesday night's agenda: approving the streetscape along Madison Avenue up to 8th Street. 

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Already the City has completed two phases of improvements along Madison Avenue and this latest effort is dubbed Phase III which would fill in gaps left over from the first two. Some of the basements underneath the buildings in the improvement area posed problems to sidewalk work because they stretch out underneath the walkways. Further plans include putting utility items underground, though traffic lights would remain overhead.

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Board chairmen resign to prepare for Commission races

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Three men running for Covington City Commission this year had their resignations from City boards accepted by the current commission. Ed Faulkner resigned from the Board of Adjustments and the Linden Grove Cemetery Board; Matt Dressman stepped down from the Audit Committee; and Neil Gilreath left the Code Enforcement Board.

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Other notes:

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*Unanimous approval to spend $351,000 for thirteen new police vehicles

*Matthew Dowling resigned from the legal department to take a position with Sanitation District 1

*Unanimous adoption of two resolutions: one honoring the Holy Cross boys basketball team on its Kentucky All A Classic state title and another in honor of National Parianasthesia Nurses Week

*A presentation to update the Commission on Church Street's one-way status (For a full report on that issue, click here)

*Howard Russell resigned from the Devou Park Rangers

*Commissioner Sherry Carran was appointed to the NKY Home Consortium Board

*Greg Manning was reappointed to the Code Enforcement Board

*Pay raises were granted to Juanita Renaker and Nate Sorrell of the public improvements department and Jason Carter and Amanda Allen of the police department

*Mayor Chuck Scheper noted that the new C+V=G branding is not a new logo for the City but rather for his 10-point plan to keep Covington moving in the right direction