KENTON COUNTY FISCAL COURT

JANUARY 13, 2004

M I N U T E S

The regular meeting of the court convened at 9:09 a.m. at the Independence Courthouse, Independence, Kentucky.  Present at the meeting were Judge-Executive Richard L. Murgatroyd; Commissioners Dan Humpert, Barbara Black and Adam Koenig; Deputy Judge-Executive Scott Kimmich; County Attorney Garry Edmondson; County Treasurer Ivan Frye; Human Resources Director Joe Shriver; Emergency Management Director Ed Burk; Chief of Police Bill Dorsey; Gold Courses Director and Pro Tom Mackie; Information Technology Director Fred McKinley; Public Works Director Joe Murphy; Special Projects Manager Ralph Bailey; Solid Waste Coordinator Roger Wells; Jailer Terry Carl; Interim Animal Shelter Director Dan Evans; Director of Fleet Management Mike McKenney; Court Reporter Cathy Johnston; and guests.

Judge Murgatroyd called the meeting to order at 9:09 a.m.

The invocation and Pledge of Allegiance was led by Commissioner Koenig.

Approval of Minutes

Judge Murgatroyd asked for approval of the minutes for December 23, 2003 and January 6, 2004.  Commissioner Humpert moved that the minutes be approved with the amended changes he had made earlier with Deputy Scott Kimmich.  Commissioner Koenig seconded the motion.  Judge Murgatroyd asked for roll call from the clerk whereupon Commissioner Humpert voted yes, Commissioner Black abstained because of absence at the meetings, Commissioner Koenig voted aye and Judge Murgatroyd voted yes.  The motion passed.

Delegations

Presentation of Doe Run Lake Master Plan:  Judge Murgatroyd welcomed Larissa Keith, a Planner at the Northern Kentucky Area Planning Commission, who was there to do a presentation on the Doe Run Lake Master Plan that was to come up for a second reading.

She said the Drees Company had partnered with the city of Erlanger to undertake a master plan for the Doe Run Park and its environment.  She introduced the consultant that was hired for this task, Chris Manning, who is from Human Nature, who gave some of the details.

Mr. Manning said he would like to state that on behalf of Human Nature, it has been an honor to work on the project, and thanked the Judge and Larissa for their work on the project in laying  the groundwork.  He also thanked the other people with whom he had worked.

He started out with the overall mission statement which states "Create a vision for Doe Run Lake and its environs that maximizes its potential as an asset to Northern Kentucky."  Kenton County is in the heart of the three counties in the Northern Kentucky area and Route #17 and Doe Run is really the spine of our counties.

The first step in creating the master plan was to do an inventory analysis and lay the groundwork for the vision.  A lot of science-based analysis work is gone through as it relates to slopes, soils and vegetation, followed on some work performed by Northern Kentucky University's Center for Applied Ecology on their study of this area.  GIS work was documented raising our level of awareness of the Doe Run Lake area.  Specifically, there were sensitive forested hillsides that were called to our attention during this work along with water quality issues.

Doe Run Lake does exist in a larger context of development, and Drees is one of several developers that is taking advantage of developing the hillside areas around Doe Run as a resource.  There are a lot of opportunities for linkages, and one of the key objectives talked about was linking the ridge top communities with Doe Run.  The developers worked closely with the Area Planning Commission and the communities to see where the trail connections could take place.  The drainage ways were also looked at from the ridge top development.

The next scale to be looked at was where Doe Run exists in a larger context.  Doe Run does exist in a large greenway loop that connects Banklick Creek Corridor with the Licking River and North along to the Ohio that really makes Doe Run the central part of Northern Kentucky connecting to the larger greenway network.  It could be imagined as our first real parkway in Northern Kentucky following Banklick Creek and Route #17.  There are a lot of resources to be built upon.

Doe Run Lake needs to be connected to Banklick Creek.  There are now some things standing in the way of this but we have this wonderful stream corridor that we sometimes call the "Little Smoky Mountains."  We have created a new entrance drive taking advantage of the valley, crossing the creek and going up the hill to take advantage of the view of the nature center on top of the hill that overlooks both the lake and the valley, along with some camping in the valley in a small campground area, new improved trails, in particular a loop trail and connector trails, going up to adjacent developments.  This valley connection is critical as one of our key objectives and the notion of a nature center at the ridge top, which is really a dovetail joint with the adjacent development, in becoming a community center as well as a nature center where development and nature meet one another is an excellent idea.

The high priority on everyone's list was improving the trail system at Doe Run.  A series of standards were put together from federal, state and local park agencies and selected the best of those and created a one, two, three level system as it pertains to accessibility.  We created trail standards for pavement types, cross sections and signage, so the county and local communities can work together to bring those trail systems up connecting to the local communities and a new Erlanger city park at the trail head.

There are picnic facilities on the North shore of the lake as it exists that is very popular and we want to provide more.  A public maintenance road on the North edge is proposed to be opened up to the public to create parking and more picnic facilities.  The picnic facilities will be adjacent to the lake on the East side, and as you work your way back West, it gets more and more passive with smaller and smaller shelters.  We are trying to build upon access that is already there.

The North shore is the most active one that is proposed and the South shore is the most sensitive in ecological areas and we are preserving those by not building any development.

One of the key challenges to having the nature center at the top is in getting there.  We are proposing a chair lift be put in as a feature such as they have in the Smoky Mountains to ride across the lake back and forth to the top.  Some people would come to the park just to ride the chair lift to the nature center and to see the scenery.

The steering committee was taken around the region and looked at some of the parks architecture of stone and wood and to get acquainted with the nature of park vocabulary.  The Sharon Woods Village area really appealed to them with the stone arches that are very consistent with the geology in this area.

There was an article in Big Builder magazine about how unusual the public-private partnership is between the city of Erlanger and Drees.  It is not often this level of partnership is seen.  Drees worked with us to develop a series of sensitive development zone guidelines so that when the more sensitive fringe on the ridge top is gotten into, you take a little extra care in storm water management and how you place buildings and design roads.  A series of principles was developed that can guide developers through those steps that will be an asset to all of us that was a very significant piece of work.

We are working on a TEA-21 grant along the Route #17 corridor connecting sanitation district's new campus with Pioneer Park.  The whole corridor connects Doe Run along Banklick that is called the Banklick Parkway or Greenway which is Route #17.  The valley shows tremendous potential for open space called stepping stones along the way.  For instance, imagine Doe Run stepping to Pioneer Park, stepping to Sanitation District No. 1, stepping further to Ft. Wright Nature Center and North to Latonia Sports Complex continuing North to the Ohio River, and even continuing South as Route #17 develops.  This could be the spine that connects the county together and it is estimated that 30,000-40,000 residents and more than a dozen schools are all within this spinal area that will be connected.  The county, the area planning commission, the city of Erlanger and the Drees Company are to be commended and congratulated for making this project possible.

Judge Murgatroyd asked for any questions or comments from the court.

Commissioner Humpert said this was a wonderful vision for this area.  The linkage idea of linking the entire area with a corridor from downtown to the heart of Kenton County was fabulous.  He further stated that he had heard comments from persons on the street who had read about it in the newspapers and also thought it was a wonderful idea.  He said the only negative he had heard was about the idea of camping and that Doe Run Lake has had some negatives in the past in respect to some uses that are less than desirable, and the concern of unrestricted camping may lead to this kind of result.  The comments that I have are to have oversight of suitable uses and not to have unrestricted camping.

Mr. Manning stated that this is very consistent with the dialog they have had.  There were some concerns so camping was intentionally put down in the valley and not up by the lake and it would be restricted in that you would have to have a permit.  It is a pretty small campground and someone such as the boy or girl scouts could come in and use the facility.  Fifteen campsites are estimated in the commons area.  There has also been interest from another group, Eco Challenges, in a queuing area and a large network such as this where boating and running and eco challenges could be done, and this is one of the best sites they saw to serve this purpose.

Commissioner Black said she was appreciative of all the work done by the Judge, the area planning commission and all the others and that she is encouraged about the project.  When she talks to people in the county, it seems to be a recurring theme and that she is very excited about it to a point.  However, she is always gauging interest as to how groups are willing to contribute.  Eventually, some mechanisms will be looked at regarding the raising of funds.  She stated she was also concerned about the camping, but beyond that, the master plan is something that is very exciting.  Based on the comments from police officers and other people charged with security of the area and adjoining property owners, there is concern that when you have people in there overnight, the Erlanger police, Kenton County police and Edgewood police will tell you that it is a very difficult area to monitor.  By the time the officers arrive at the scene for supervision, the perpetrators are gone.  We have a lot of rural areas around us and campsites are available.  The citizens of Kenton County are going to be called upon to pay for this and I am less excited about this than the Eco-Challenge people because of the campsites.  I see many opportunities in this site for the future and am saving my reservations and certainly on board in seeing it happen.

Mr. Manning said an extensive cost estimate was done with the master plan by putting the main costs on a spread sheet with main components and potential funding sources that was broken down into local, state and federal sources, and a funding matrix was created that all partners can use.  This is an aggressive and useful tool that can be used to pursue grant monies and to have partnerships with particular agencies that are interested in different components of the plan.  This can be sent via e-mail and can be looked at very easily on the screen but it is very large when printed out.  All master plans at this level are conceptual but they can also be broken into phases.

The city of Erlanger, police and fire had a meeting with area planning and helped us design some of the trail connections to be able to support emergency vehicles in case they are needed at the campsites.

Commissioner Koenig said that he had the same concern as the other commissioners regarding the campground and his questions had been answered.  He did not want to throw cold water on the whole program and he hoped it did come to fruition.

Deputy Judge Kimmich asked if the campground usage was restricted to organizations, educational groups, etc., where onsite supervision and responsibility would be expected with the persons participating or are there 15 campsites available for people who just want to come in and pitch a tent?

Mr. Manning stated that from the design standpoint it could go either way.  This will become a management decision as to what will be restricted and how much.  There could be controlled access off the main road with gates, so it could really work either way.  This is a county decision.

Mr. Kimmich said if the campground is going to be used for an educational opportunity to provide environmental education, it may be best if the campground is restricted to those organizations that would have onsite persons to provide their own security and responsibility for the individuals using the site versus people just coming in and pitching a tent.

Judge Murgatroyd thanked Mr. Manning for his report and said anytime you go into something of this magnitude, the devil is always in the details.  He further stated that he was very happy with the result of the master plan and that he wished he could remember all the persons who had worked very diligently over the years.  He commended everyone who had worked on the project and in area planning who had helped make this project happen.  He said he thought this was the key to linking the whole region and everyone together.

Ms. Larrisa Keith said a steering committee had been put together for the master plan with representatives from the fiscal court and several cities that are going to be involved as well as different organizations.  The first project undertaken was to make application for transportation enhancement money to begin on the sign of Route #17 of the Banklick Creek corridor for a bicycle and pedestrian pass.  We hope to have this done in February.  She also thanked the Judge for his hard work throughout the years she worked on the project with him.

Northern Kentucky Area Planning Commission, Dennis Gordon, reporting:  He announced that he was very proud of his staff and the Doe Run Master Plan.

Over the past six months, the area planning commission has been appearing before the fiscal court to give a monthly update of what is being pursued in the departments.  The newest member in the area of management was introduced, Scott Hyles, Deputy Director for Engineering and Inspection Services.  He is here to share with the court some of the initiatives he has undertaken and some of the coming attractions on our agenda.

Mr. Scott Hyles said he wanted to announce to the court that he had been with the area planning commission for about eight years and had been working with the comprehensive set of Kenton County regulations for subdivisions and the need was seen to completely revamp the set of regulations.  The regulations were written about 25 years ago and, over the years, the Kenton County Planning Commission has been very proactive in trying to respond to industry changes, needs of communities, etc., and have made amendments to that document.  Therefore, it is very piece meal, has had many changes, the continuity has been lost and is very out-of-date and as a result has lost a lot of its effectiveness.  Now, we have an opportunity to redo this, start fresh with a clean slate and work forward from the beginning.  This will be a long-term goal but the timing is right with the department.

We also serve as the staff for the Campbell County Planning Commission who are also working with a document that dates back to 1982.  We now have two counties on board who are working to update the document of regulations and Boone County has also shown some interest in partnering with the planning commission in what could become a Northern Kentucky set of regulations.  While the continuity is being improved in our own set of regulations, we might actually improve the continuity in three counties which is something the development community has wanted for a long time.  This will be a long time endeavor but is certainly a goal. Whether or not the other counties come on board, Kenton County is going to look over their regulations and come out with a good, revised document.

About three months ago, we endeavored to change the fee structure for how subdivisions and subdivision-type activities are inspected in Kenton County.  This was completed in December accomplishing three things-enabled the development community and planning commission to easier calculate fees, more able to track development costs which has never been done before, and the restructuring enabled the planning commission to expand our inspection force.

Commissioner Humpert said this was a great opportunity of which we need to take advantage and should not let the ball drop.

Mr. Kimmich said now may be the time to get planning and zoning regulations and land use definitions aligned in all three counties.

Judge Murgatroyd said he thanked and commended the entire staff of the Northern Kentucky Area Planning Commission.  There are a lot of good things going on and this is another example why Northern Kentucky continues to lead the way, especially in the area of planning.

Mr. Dennis Gordon said he had one final comment and asked the members of his staff to stand with him.  Mr. Gordon asked the Judge to tell the Governor that he was being sent there only on loan and that we are expecting the Judge to return.  Mr. Gordon further said that he and his staff wished to thank the Judge for his support and the interaction they had been able to have with him in the past five years.  He said some of the success they have achieved over the last five years are due in no small part to his cooperation.

Judge Murgatroyd thanked Mr. Gordon for his compliments and said he would be in Frankfort only during the week and will still be living here and paying close attention and watching.  The Judge said they had been able to start a lot of projects and had great dialog but we still have a long way to go.  All of the projects are still very important to him and it is great to see the progress that has been made.  It all came about because of the people at the Planning Commission and the great staff in the Judge's office.  The Judge said he was amazed at how the rest of the state looks at Northern Kentucky and know what is happening up here.

I also hear from every region that they are left out.  Every region thinks they are left out in Frankfort and they do not know that they exist.  The thing the Judge is most proud of is that we are the envy of a lot of areas in the state because of what we have accomplished.  What we have accomplished is due to the interaction and the relationship with each other and a lot of people that live here who care about this region.

Financial and Budgets

Report of Bond Issue, Treasurer Ivan Frye, reporting:  The State Local Finance Officer was petitioned to issue bonds in November and we did receive that approval that still had 45 days for an appeal process that ran out on January 5.  We finalized and closed the bond issue on January 6, receiving funds in the amount of $8,980,000 that are now in the bank.  We are already working on the projects the bond was issued for and this was a very timely receipt.

Judge Murgatroyd said there was a claims list dated January 9, 2004, and that Mr. Frye was there to answer questions.  There being none, it is noted that the claims list has been received, warrants will be issued, and claims will be paid.

Mr. Frye asked that the record reflect that the court had received a copy of the monthly report for December, and to let him know if there were any questions.

Old Business

There was no old business to come before the court.

New Business

Request to bid design services for the Animal Shelter Adoption Center, Mr. Kimmich, reporting:  We have been collecting donations from various sources for the Animal Shelter Adoption Center.  We are asking the court for permission to seek proposals for the design of the facility so we can get it on paper and start marketing the project with the foundations across the country involved in the humane treatment of animals.

Commissioner Humpert made the motion to seek proposals; seconded by Commissioner Black.  There being no further discussion or questions, the Judge asked for roll call.  The motion unanimously carried upon roll call.

Ordinances

Ordinance No. 121.15-Second reading.  An ordinance adopting the Doe Run Lake Master Plan, Mr. Kimmich, reporting:  Mr. Kimmich announced this is the second reading for the plan following the presentation and documentation was presented to the Commissioners prior to the meeting.

Commissioner Koenig moved that the motion be put on the floor; seconded by Commissioner Humpert.  The Judge asked for questions or comments.

Commissioner Black said she would like to have it entered into the record that the majority of the fiscal court expressed concerns about the camping, and it is our recommendation there be some type of restriction or guidelines so that organized groups with some type of onsite supervision utilize those facilities rather than just being open 24 hours a day.  I think this is a real security problem and a fiscal problem on behalf of the citizens who fund any type of repair, cleanup or additional security to be provided.

There being no further questions or discussion, the Judge asked for roll call whereupon the ordinance unanimously passed.

Resolutions

There were no resolutions to come before the court.

Executive Orders

Executive Order No. 04-03:  Declaring an emergency for the repair of Highwater Road, Mr. Kimmich, reporting:  We have had discussions about the slippage on Highwater Road at a number of meetings.  On December 15 of this year, an executive order was issued under the office of the County Judge-Executive directing the County Public Works Director, County Engineer and County Treasurer to take steps to effectuate needed repairs since one lane of the road was beginning to slip away.  There is no longer a shoulder and we are beginning to lose the lane itself.  Acting on the recommendation of the Public Works Director and County Engineer, the order was executed and an apology was made for not bringing it before but, quite simply, a lot of these things get piled on our plate before we can get them before the court.

The Judge asked for a motion and a second to approve the executive order.  Commissioner Black made the motion with Commissioner Humpert's second.  The motion was unanimously passed following roll call.

Executive Order No. 04-04:  Declaring an emergency for the repair of Cruise Creek Road, Mr. Kimmich, reporting:  This is one of the roads that was provided for the in the bond issue.  We have had a reconnaissance report from the Theilen Company.  Our staff, Public Works Director and Engineer were on site last week and there is about a quarter-mile slip and is about three inches wide and moving out into the lane of traffic.  Given the continued fluctuation of weather, it is our determination an emergency does exist and that we proceed in all due haste in making the repairs.  We are requesting permission of the County Judge to declare an emergency and proceed accordingly.

The motion was made by Commissioner Humpert and seconded by Commissioner Koenig.  Passage was unanimously approved following roll call.

Executive Order No. 04-05-Reappointment of Shawn Kannady to the Piner-Fiskburg Fire Protection District Board:  Commissioner Koenig made the motion to accept the reappointment with Commissioner Black's second.  Following roll call, the reappointment was unanimously approved.

Executive Order No. 04-06-Reorganization of Public Works Department, effective January 13, 2004, Mr. Kimmich, reporting:  The realignment of the Department of Public Works needs to be done because of the passing of Director Bob Krohman.  Mr. Joe Murphy, who has been serving as the County's Road Supervisor and brings over 30 years of experience in road construction and personnel management, would become the Public Works Director.  Charlie Meyer who is serving as our County Engineer would continue to serve in that capacity and this would leave one vacancy on the management team at the Department.  It is recommended that the court authorize through this reorganization the creation of the position of graduate engineer, and that we proceed in hiring someone with a background in engineering to assist when Mr. Meyer is not there.  We need to begin laying the foundation for having this type of technical staff on our staff to address the long-term needs of the county as we move forward with continued development; particularly, in subdivisions because subdivisions are going in where there is not proper drainage and is washing down on the roads.  We need someone at the table when these plans are approved so we need to bring someone on board.  The reorganization would move Mr. Murphy into a different position leaving a vacancy that would be filled by a graduate engineer.  It is an expense neutral move and there will be no additional cost for this position.

Judge Murgatroyd asked for a motion and a second.  Commissioner Humpert moved that the reorganization be approved with Commissioner Black's second.  There were no questions or discussions and the motion was unanimously approved following roll call.

Executive Order No. 04-07-Appointment of Sonya New as Animal Technician for the Animal Shelter, Mr. Kimmich, reporting:  We are down two people at the Animal Shelter and this individual has been interviewed and recommended by the Interim Director for appointment.

Commissioner Black moved that the appointment be accepted with Commissioner Koenig's second.  The appointment was unanimously approved following roll call.

Citizen Address

There were no citizens present to address the court.

Staff Reports

Deputy Judge Kimmich-Said he would like to yield the floor to Commissioner Black with the right to retake it when she is finished.

Commissioner Black said she had made a former appointment with the surgeon to remove the pins from her arm and she had to leave early.  She said she wanted to take a few minutes to express gratitude to the Judge and that it had been an interesting five years.  For the benefit of the citizens, much of the work of the court and, particularly of the Judge, is something that is behind the scenes in the hours and hours that are put in.  In her years of public service she has seen many, many dedicated individuals, but what makes Judge Murgatroyd different is the degree of dedication.  I was always concerned with him overextending himself which I did not really think was in his vocabulary or thought patterns.  She further said she wanted to express her gratitude and that of the citizens for the hours of work and labor that most of us did not see and have enjoyed it, although at times she had as much fun as she could stand!  She found a quote in a book she read from that seemed appropriate at the time and reminded her of the Judge as he moves forward in his new position and his life and as the county moves forward.  She said the Judge was bringing a whole new work ethic and level of drive to the Department of Transportation which she was not sure they were quite prepared for, because the standard of dedication and the hours were going to go up and this was really going to tick a lot of people off.  She said she just wished to warn him that not everyone will be pleased with all of his dedication.

She stated she wished to end with a quote from a book that reminded her so much of the Judge as a person and Judge-Executive.  It was from a publication called Forward Day by Day and, as it was read, the Judge was thought of in many respects as an individual.  She also thanked him for the opportunity to work with him to serve and for leading during periods of times when she did not see anyone else stepping up in front.  We appreciate your service and I, in particular, have learned much and I want to thank you for that.

She then said she wished to yield the floor back to Scott.

Deputy Judge Kimmich said the first item in his report was at the last meeting the Judge had designated him as the county's representative to the OKI Regional Council of Governments.  We have been notified that their bylaws require the OKI delegate be an elected official.  I can continue to serve as the alternate.  I ask that we go ahead today and pass the acknowledgement that the Honorable Ralph A. Drees will be Kenton County's OKI representative to the OKI Board of Trustees and Deputy Judge Kimmich will continue to serve as his alternate.

Judge Murgatroyd asked for the motion.  Commissioner Humpert made the motion and Commissioner Black seconded the motion.  The motion was unanimously passed during roll call.

Mr. Kimmich said the next item under his report was the seat Judge Murgatroyd had held on the Area Planning Council Board with Commissioner Koenig serving as the alternate.  Commissioner Koenig had attended most of the meetings and Commissioner Humpert attends most of those meetings as well.  It is recommended that Commissioner Koenig be named as the county's representative to the Area Planning Council with Commissioner Humpert as the alternate member.

Commissioner Black made the motion with Commissioner Humpert's second.  The motion unanimously passed with roll call.

Mr. Kimmich stated he would like for the court to proceed without delay to advertise for the position of Director of the Animal Shelter.  Mr. Evans received praise for the job he has done and it is looked forward to his making application for the position.  It is believed that it is in the best interest to open the opportunity to everyone and we are asking the court's approval to proceed with the advertisement.

Judge Murgatroyd asked for a motion and a second for approval.  It was moved by Commissioner Koenig and seconded by Commissioner Black.  The motion unanimously passed upon roll call.

Mr. Kimmich then asked the fiscal court for authorization to formalize the transfer of the management of the Dispatch Center from the office of the County Judge-Executive to the Kenton County Police Department for day-to-day supervision under the direction of a civilian director who would report to the Chief of Police, and further requesting authorization to advertise for the vacant position of dispatch manager.

Following the Judge asking for a motion, Commissioner Koenig moved for authorization and seconded by Commissioner Humpert.  The motion unanimously passed following roll call.

Deputy Judge Kimmich asked for a two-minute recess.  The court was called into recess at 10:17 a.m.

The Judge reconvened the meeting at 10:30 a.m. following the recess and Mr. Kimmich asked for another brief moment before the end of the meeting.

Staff Reports

Joe Shriver – No report.

Ivan Frye – Nothing further to report.

Police Chief Dorsey – No report.

Ed Burk:  Stated the warrant report had been previously passed out for everyone's information.  In the month of December, there were 499 warrants served, and 575 warrants were entered.  This was by far the best year we have had since the computer-operated system was begun, serving 6,725 warrants.  The bad news is we entered 7,177 warrants.

Judge Murgatroyd asked if this was over and above the 6,000 and was this not counted in the 7,000.  Mr. Burk answered the 6,000 was counted in the 7,000.  We have a net increase of 452 warrants for the year.

When it was started, there were about 7,700 warrants in the system and it has been added to every year.  The good news is that the first six months of this year there were less warrants in the system than we had when we started the year.  We fell apart the last half of the year as far as serving warrants.  This is the most warrants that have been served; however, it is also up against the year that we have entered more warrants than we ever had in previous years.  As it now stands, we have 10,309 warrants active in the system.

Mr. Kimmich said in one area that the number has spiked in warrants issued is in the area of bad checks.  He asked Attorney Edmondson if this was because more people are becoming aware of the program?

Attorney Edmondson answered this was because more bad checks were being written.

Mr. Burk said the next page contained the squad failure report that was aggregate for the year.  The following page contained the December squad report.  There were five squad failures for the month of December-Crescent Springs and Villa Hills had a failure, Edgewood had a failure, Park Hills had two failures, and Taylor Mill had a failure.  Independence had an excellent response time from the time of their calls-one minute and seventeen seconds.  On the year-to-date totals, the aggregate for the year of 2003 there were 92 squad failures.  The negative numbers are a good thing in the percentage change from 2002.  In 2002, we had 105 squad failures.  Overall, county wide we had a 12.38 percent decrease in squad car failures for the year.  Some of the departments did an exceptional job in improvement.  The bad news is that we had ten departments who had squad failures this year as opposed to eight departments last year.  The cities of Covington, Erlanger, Elsmere, Independence and Ryland Heights had zero failures in both years.  Ryland Heights has achieved this with only volunteers.

To end this on a good note, that has been a decrease of about 20 seconds per department average on the time it takes them to get the call, get into service and start responding.  This is something we are all trying to improve.  We had over a total number of 18,600 squad calls in Kenton County over the last year and when you take this comparison, it is a 999.995 percent rate in getting out and where they need to go.

Kenton County has been approved for a community emergency response team grant and we will very shortly begin training citizens in Kenton County in case we do have disasters.  During a disaster, public safety will be overwhelmed with requests and this is a way for citizens to help in their community.

Chief Bill Dorsey:  Showed a video of a news program on WKRC 12 in regard to warrants being served in Kenton County that showed a burglar who used power tools for break-ins who had robbed at least six families.  Some of the items had been stolen over a year ago.  It was announced this was the third major seizure of this type of items made by the Kenton County Police.

Chief Dorsey said the purpose of the video was to show that when the warrant list is looked through, the team does criminal profiling on the warrants available and people at large.  In this case, we have a career criminal and he had a firearm.  It was felt the aggression level of this individual warranted all resources be used to apprehend him.  Criminal profiling and aggression is looked at in all types of cases, but domestic violence, EPOs, DVOs, assaults, rapes, murders, and burglary thefts, are given priority.  In this particular case, there was a person who was becoming more and more aggressive and was armed.  It probably took five to seven days to get intelligence, find a source willing to give us the intel to make this apprehension, to get the canine personnel and the helicopter in place because it was known that he would run.

The point is, in the time it took to catch him we could have served 28 bad check or other warrants.  We, as a law enforcement agency, have to ask if we are here to build numbers or here to protect the citizens.  We feel we need a mix of both in making sure that our warrants get good service, but at the same time, we need to insure public safety by making sure people such as this criminal are securely put into prison.  We probably cleared up 50 burglaries with this arrest and have returned a lot of property.

A different light was put on this in that it is not all about numbers, but also about protecting the citizens from bad people.

Dan Evans – nothing to report.

Mike McKenney – nothing to report.

Fred McKinley – nothing to report.

Joe Murphy – nothing to report.

Charlie Meyer – nothing to report.

Roger Wells – nothing to report.

Terry Carl – nothing to report.

County Attorney Garry Edmondson:  Said he had been in county government for 32 years and had never served anybody finer than Judge Murgatroyd.  The Judge has done a tremendous job for his office and, from his perspective, he certainly appreciated the Judge's service and dedication and thanked him very much for the job he has done.

The Judge also thanked Attorney Edmondson for his service and his job and the many good things that have happened since he has been in office.

Commissioners Reports

Commissioner Humpert:  Announced there is a delegation that was not on the schedule that wanted to speak to the court.

Deputy Judge Kimmich said there was a group of people present who used to meet every Friday morning to plan and organize and do the things for the Judge's office to run smoothly through the political process.  Some of the persons present did not meet on Friday mornings but did help to make 2002 a successful venture.

Mr. Kimmich introduced Greg Shumate who read a proclamation to the Judge thanking him for his service and dedication to Kenton County.

Judge Murgatroyd thanked him and all persons with him, and said they had always been there for him during his campaigns and work.  The Judge also thanked the Commissioners and the Fiscal Court for their support and service and their motivation in serving the citizens of Kenton County.

The Judge said he was also looking forward to the new challenge and being able to serve all the people of Kentucky and the state in his new role.  He further said he did not really know how to thank Scott because they had come through a lot together and that he had played a major role in what has happened in Kenton County.

Following the presentation, Commissioner Humpert also told how he appreciated Judge Murgatroyd and that he had played a major role in the success of Northern Kentucky and Kenton County.

Commissioner Koenig also had similar compliments for the Judge and his conduction of the Judge-Executive office in Kenton County.

Also, many of the guests and department heads present said farewell to the Judge congratulating him on his new position of Deputy Secretary of Transportation at the state.  They also told him what it had meant to them working for him and how much he had taught them in their positions and supported their efforts and wished him Godspeed.

Deputy Kimmich asked the court for permission to cancel the meeting dates of January 20 and February 3 because of scheduling conflicts.  Commissioner Humpert made the motion to cancel the meetings with Commissioner Koenig's second.  The motion unanimously passed following roll call.

Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 11:52 a.m.

Richard L. Murgatroyd

                                                                        Kenton County Judge-Executive

ATTEST:                                                                    

                Kenton County Fiscal Court