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THE RIVER CITY NEWS MORE COVINGTON NEWS THAN ANY OTHER SOURCE
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by Michael Monks
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WHEREAS the City of Covington is a city that embraces diversity;
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It was a surprise resolution added to the city commission agenda moments before Tuesday night's meeting. Covington City Solicitor Frank Warnock handed out copies of the resolution just as the meeting was about to get underway and just shortly after he finished drafting the legislation. In a unanimous five to zero vote, the Covington City Commission approved domestic partner health insurance benefits for unmarried and same-sex couples, a piece of legislation promised last October and one nearly nine years removed from the passage of the city's human rights ordinance which offers protections from discrimination to its gay citizens.
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WHEREAS, the Board of Commissioners is dedicated to implementing fair and impartial personnel policies;
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"This city is all about diversity and all-inclusiveness," said City Commissioner Shawn Masters, the board's only openly gay member. "It follows the heart of what this city is all about." Months ago during a gay pride celebration, Masters and Commissioner Steve Frank stood before a crowd at the Artisan Enterprise Center and promised that Covington would soon offer benefits to its gay employees.
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WHEREAS; the City has implemented a human rights ordinance that is recognized as a model that attempts to provide protection for all individuals within the city from discrimination in certain contexts because of disability, age, sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, familial status, marital and/or parental status and place of birth.
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"We have an equal rights law on our books but we have not practiced what we preach," Frank said Tuesday night.
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The enthusiasm for the legislation was shared by Mayor Chuck Scheper and Commissioners Sherry Carran and Steve Casper. "This is another example of Covington celebrating its diversity," Carran said. Casper concurred, saying the vote proved that Covington is a "progressive community" and that he was "proud to do it."
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Scheper acknowledged that discussions of domestic partner benefits began before he assumed his role as mayor late last year but that the path was cleared for the vote by the timeliness of new working agreements with the city's three public employee unions. Coincidentally, the third and final union contract was approved Tuesday night as well. Those new working agreements were finally agreed to after nearly two years of negotiations with health care benefits and the employee contributions for such being the main sticking points. When this new policy goes into effect on July 1, employees will still follow the newly enacted rules for health insurance which include the stipulation that spouses eligible for health insurance elsewhere must not be part of the city's plan.
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Covington joins Louisville as the only Kentucky cities to offer domestic partner benefits to city employees and the laws in both cities go into effect on the same day. Across the river, Cincinnati is not far away from extending benefits to its employees. "You just beat the deadline," said Covington resident Charles King to the commissioners in reference to the city becoming the first in the region with such a policy. "You are the first in the area."
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