Our take on the Police Merger Study

The past three posts:

Police Merger Study Cancellation Letter

Report cites management, morale issues in Campbell PD

Police study details morale issues

We were skeptical from the very beginning about this issue.

Any reasonable observer could tell you what an honest study would reveal.

Our primary concern during this process was would the study be honest or would Judge-Executive Steve Pendry get the results he wanted since he was funding this through taxpayer funds.

We wonder if he was surprised when the consultants called it like it was. He shouldn’t have been. He has been aware of these issues for several years and has refused to rise to the occasion, be strong, take control and make the hard choices that must be made if this sad state-of-affairs is ever going to change.

He’s spinning the results in his Police Merger Study Cancellation Letter by saying “Seventy-one percent of 417 respondents to the consultants’ online survey said they were satisfied with the current level of police services provided by either the county or Alexandria. Nearly 80 percent of 399 respondents said current police services matched the community’s needs”.

We have obtained a copy of the study and in regards to interpreting the results of the survey the consultants have this to say;

The online survey was developed to provide opportunities for citizen input; the survey, as it was constructed, was not intended to be representative of Alexandria residents or Campbell County (non-Alexandria) residents. Moreover, one cannot generalize the survey results back to the respective populations. Quantifying results of the survey is problematic; in no way should the aggregated results of the survey items-the individual questions-be construed as being indicative of the sentiments or attitudes of the citizens of Alexandria, Campbell County, or any group as a whole.

On the issue of “Performance Standards” which are in place within the Campbell County Police Department (CCPD) the consultants write;

As they are presently construed, it appears that CCPD assigns quotas to its patrol officers. Without embarking on a long discussion of the evolution of police practices in the United States, or discussing the associated perils of quantifying police stops, arrests or the like, it is still necessary to discuss the implications of quotas on the moral of the department and the perception of the general public. In the case of intra-departmental concern, assignment of quotas for objective behaviors ostensibly removes discretion from officers; removal of discretion is problematic in that it confines an officer to only a limited set of reactions to contact with an infraction or criminal event. The result of the interaction is very frequently dissatisfaction on the part of the officer and confusion and/or anger on the part of the private citizen with whom the encounter centered. For a variety of scenarios that could and likely have played themselves out, quotas are an antiquated practice of a bygone era of policing; contemporaneous utilization of quotas is not advised. Labeling them as something other that what they are is likewise a poor policy choice that assumes that subordinates and the general public are not capable of understanding what is in practice.

On “Transfers” or turnover at CCPD the consultants say in part;

CCPD has lost eight (8) officers to other agencies since 2003; three (3) others have left with unknown dispositions.

In the law enforcement community, turnover rate is a commonly accepted barometer of the conditions at a department.

Interviews suggest that CCPD’s internal culture under present leadership is a primary contributor to the turnover.

We suggest that CCPD and the Fiscal Court consider the turnover rate as a bell ringing.

The Alexandria Police Department (APD) has only had three transfers during the same reporting period. This was later corrected to one (1). While the two agencies differ in size – obviously a key factor in describing retention of incumbent officers – it should be noted clearly that APD has a remarkably high retention / low turnover rate.

A low turnover supports other data that suggests APD enjoys an environment and other circumstances that officers do not look to greener pastures often.

Low turnover and high retention factors considerably in reducing the expenses of hiring, training and equipping new officers.

APD personnel are self-actualized and confident in their organization; with no exception, APD articulated confidence in leadership and comfort the culture of the agency

Other comments of consequence in the study are;

Campbell County should consider engaging a management study based upon;

• Profound morale issues within its ranks,

• Leadership that does not appear to either be concerned about morale issues or does not understand them for what they are, and

• Persistence of these issues over an extended period of time that have not be addressed or rectified.

Elected officials within Campbell County should be aware of the issues within the police department and should avail themselves of the opportunity to address the issues substantively. CCPD has a strong, well-trained complement of officers who carry themselves in a professional manner and, based upon our interaction and citizen responses, are terrified of running afoul of leadership at the department.

Alexandria Police Department enjoys high morale, places a priority on community policing and has strong leadership in place.

Citizen responses indicate that there is a persistent concern of Alexandria residents that merger might cause their present level of services to be diluted or changed.

Intuitively, the City should be cautious of merger with another agency that would introduce issues that APD does not presently have.

The study consists of 31 pages not including the survey results. We have only hit the highlights and summarized here. But it begs the question; “What were they thinking?”

Judge-Executive Steve Pendery knows what’s going on. It’s been going on for a number of years. He’s had CCPD officer’s wives attend Fiscal Court meetings and publicly present grievances and pleadings on this issue.

We can only conclude that he does not have the fortitude to tackle this issue and tried to find some easy way to get rid of his problem.

Alexandria officials took the bait and came perilously close to making a major mistake for its citizens.

Alexandria officials failed to listen to the citizens from the get-go and stubbornly plodded forward wasting a year only to have consultants’ finally tell them what they were hearing from the community all the time.

Should Alexandria’s officials have been aware of the problems with the CCPD? Sure they should and they were. They should have never taken the City on this journey.

Police Merger Study Cancellation Letter

The letter by Campbell County Judge-Executive Steve Pendry to Alexandria Mayor Bill Rachford dated May 15, 2012 and read at Alexandria’s Council Meeting on Thursday, May 17, 2012 announcing the early cancellation of the study.

Report cites management, morale issues in Campbell PD

This is the second article to hit the internet on Tuesday, May 29, 2012 and appeared in print in The Kentucky Enquirer on Page 1, Wednesday, May 30, 2012.

Report cites management, morale issues in Campbell PD

Written by Amanda Van Benschoten • 7:56 PM, May. 29, 2012

Citing management issues and low morale within the Campbell County Police Department, two independent consultants have recommended against a proposed merger with the Alexandria Police Department.

The county and city had been exploring a potential merger since October, but the county shelved the idea two weeks ago. Documents recently obtained by The Enquirer shed more light onto that decision.

“Merger may be a sound public policy choice, but its benefits and likely some of its problems are all but completely obscured by the morale and leadership issues at CCPD,” the consultants concluded in a report dated April 22. “Until the issues with CCPD are acknowledged and resolved, merger would be similar to diving into muddy water, uncertain of the depth and objects below the surface.”

The consultants, David Hobson and Lee Ann Morrison from Richmond, Ky., have law enforcement experience. They conducted one-on-one interviews with sworn and non-sworn personnel in both departments, interviewed departmental leaders as well as local elected and appointed officials, and conducted an unscientific online survey to gather community input.

They found “profound morale issues” within the ranks of the county police department, including a lack of confidence in leadership and a perception among the rank-and-file that their issues are not being addressed, according to the report.

A central issue is officers’ dissatisfaction with “performance standards” which require them to conduct five business checks and two vacation checks each week. Officers are also required to write at least two tickets per week, though officials shy away from the use of the word “quota.”

“The idea is to get them thinking about the kinds of things a good cop would be doing,” Campbell County Judge-executive Steve Pendery said. “In the public imagination, when you hear the word ‘quota’, you’re thinking about tickets and you’re thinking about an officer writing a whole lot of them. But in Kentucky, local governments don’t get money from tickets we write.”

Pendery said the issues raised in the consultants’ report have not affected the level of police service provided to the public. The 32-person department serves unincorporated Campbell County and communities not served by other agencies; in 2011, it responded to 44,654 calls for service.

“We have an issue that needs to be addressed, but I have faith in the professionalism of our guys, including the command staff, that this is not resulting in poor service for the community,” Pendery said. “And that faith is bolstered by the fact that we haven’t been getting complaints about any problems in our relationship with the public.”

Seventy-one percent of 417 respondents to the consultants’ online survey said they were satisfied with the current level of police services provided by either the county or Alexandria. Nearly 80 percent of 399 respondents said current police services matched the community’s needs.

Pendery said county officials will work to address the issues raised in the report and have already reached out to a professional police trainer experienced in management issues.

“We’ll come up with a prescription for what needs to be done and do it,” he said.

The feasibility study found few issues with the 16-person Alexandria Police Department, though the consultants identified “cultural differences” between the two departments that could provide another barrier to a merger.

The report said Alexandria “promotes officer discretion and community policing through proactive problem solving,” while Campbell County “takes a more traditionalist approach and conveys a more rigid orientation with public interaction.”

Police study details morale issues

This is the first article to hit the internet on Tuesday, May 29, 2012 and appeared in print in the Alexandria Recorder on Page 1, Thursday, May 31, 2012

Police study details morale issues

Written by Chris Mayhew • 11:57 AM, May. 29, 2012

ALEXANDRIA — While disagreeing with some of the findings, Judge-executive Steve Pendery still heeded the advice of a consultant’s report about the Campbell County Police Department that suggested ending merger talks with the Alexandria Police Department.

Morale and leadership issues at the county police department were going to obscure any further pursuit of a merger with the Alexandria Police Department, according to the conclusion of an independent consultant’s 31-page report.

Alexandria publicly released the report Friday, May 24.

Alexandria and Campbell County hired David Hobson and Lee Ann Morrison out of Richmond, Ky., in October to study the two police departments. The consultants interviewed police officers, elected officials and select community members and reviewed both departments’ records as part of their work.

Pendery ended the merger talks with Alexandria in a May 17 letter to Alexandria Mayor Bill Rachford after hearing the results of the consultants’ report in April.

The consultants recommended that the county engage in a management study because of issues including “profound moral issues within its ranks” and that officers are “terrified of running afoul of leadership at the department.”

The report also recommends that elected officials should be aware of issues within the police department and “take the opportunity to address them substantively.”

The consultants listed the county’s performance standards as a cause for frequent dissatisfaction on the part of officers and citizens. The consultants say in the report that the county’s performance standards are “quotas” and “an antiquated practice of a bygone era of policing.”

Labeling them as standards, or something other than quotas is a poor policy choice and assumes subordinates and the public are not capable of understanding what is in practice, according to the consultants’ report.

Pendery said he does not agree with the consultants on the issue of performance standards, and does not agree the policy is the cause for a moral issue.

“We are going to address the situation, and I’m not going to get into details,” he said. “We are already addressing the situation by reaching out to outside experts and so far they agree with us that these are not quotas.”

Performance standards primarily require officers to do security checks of businesses, and vacation checks, he said. Officers are also supposed to write one ticket every other shift, and officers work four shifts in a seven day week, he said.

“When the public hears the word quota they think that someone is there is writing tickets left and right,” he said.

That’s not what is happening, and money from writing all tickets goes to the state and not the county, Pendery said.

Campbell County Police Department Chief Keith Hill did not immediately respond to a voice message requesting comment about the the consolidation study.

Concerning Alexandria’s police department, the report said, “(The) Alexandria Police Department enjoys high morale, places a priority on community policing, and has strong leadership in place.”

The consultants go on to point out Alexandria is stretched thin in resources and personnel, and a merger would benefit the department by providing more resources and an opportunity for more specialization. The consultants conclude that Alexandria “has little other reason to merge.”

The consultants’ report lists negative issues pertaining to Alexandria including the appearance the department is a “top heavy” on management, and being “too soft” in its policing approach.

Alexandria Police Chief Mike Ward took issue with the department being “too soft.”

“We have an unwritten policy of ‘We’d rather talk for an hour than fight for a minute,’” Ward said.. “I challenge anyone to review our use of force reports, which would support this statement.”

Police merger study comes to an end

We will be posting the following documents in the next few days:

 

Study details morale issues

Report brings an end to merger talks

Appeared in the Alexandria Recorder on Page 1, Thursday, May 31, 2012

 

Report cites poor moral at Campbell County Police

Merger shelved with force in Alexandria

Appeared in The Kentucky Enquirer on Page 1, Wednesday, May 30, 2012

 

These articles also appeared on the web a few days before appearing in the publications credited but since links change or disappear we will be printing the documents in lieu of links.

We will also post the letter by Campbell County Judge-Executive Steve Pendry to Alexandria Mayor Bill Rachford dated May 15, 2012 and read at Alexandria’s Council Meeting on Thursday, May 17, 2012 announcing the early cancellation of the study.

 

Following the posting of these documents we will be giving you our take on this issue.

Merger On My Mind

On the topic of a possible merger of Alexandria’s Police Department and the Campbell County Police Department.

Could it be that the county has been seeking a partner for several years now?

Could it be that the candidacy of Wilder Police Chief Tony Rouse for Sheriff had a merger with the Sherriff’s Department in mind (along with the Judge-Executive Steve Pendry) had he been elected?

Could it be that Judge-Executive Steve Pendry approached Alexandria’s ex-mayor Dan McGinley about the possibility of a merger?

Could it be that ex-mayor McGinley rebuffed this idea?

Could it be that Judge-Executive Steve Pendry recognized that newly elected, inexperienced and unprepared current Mayor Bill Rachford was a newbie, stroked his ego and found a sympathetic ear?

Could it be that a city employee helped advance (and still is) the merger idea to the new mayor?

Could it be that someone who may presently be involved in police work could be filled with ambition and is excited about the possibility of heading up a new combined, merged or Police Authority?

One thing we do know is that there is turmoil (and has been for quite some time) within the Campbell County Police Department and the Judge-Executive instead of taking the bull-by-the-horns and putting an end to the nonsense has indeed tried to find a scheme whereby he could get the county out of the Police Department business.

Top management at the Campbell County Police Department is responsible for this turmoil and the Judge-Executive cannot or will not man-up and make the hard decisions that would end this problem.

Alexandria has a top-shelf police department and we hope that Alexandria’s leadership does not take the bait regardless of what glowing report is received from the so-called expert consultants of the county’s choosing and soundly reject this self-serving merger idea from the county.

Alexandria should keep its known entity and allow the county to wallow in its own problems or solve them on its own.

Council Member Joe Anderson does Public Relations and gives Tips and Advice

After watching the last couple of council meetings on Insight does anyone else get the feeling that Council Member Joe Anderson is the Public Relations Spokesman for Alexandria’s Bowling Alley?

He gets the floor and goes on and on and on about a Christmas promotion that they have going on.

If that’s not enough he announces a training session that he read about in the newspaper that is going to be held at the Alexandria Community Center for Emergency Management personnel as being open to the general public.

Following Council Member Anderson’s announcement, Alexandria Police Chief Mike Ward explained what the program is about and that it is not open to the general public. Anderson then wants to argue the point.

We don’t quite know what to make of Council Member Anderson and his stream of, it seems, never ending public service announcements and tips and advice to the citizens toward the end of every council meeting. Just think how much more of a snoozer it would be if every business in town would like to get a plug at council meetings.

Perhaps Council Member Anderson should read Alexandria's form of Government for a refresher on what is the job of a council member.

Pawn Shop coming to town? (Revised)

We are pleased to report that the original post of Monday, October 17, 2011 has now shown to be incorrect as it pertains to a pawn shop coming to town.

According to an article posted today by Jeff McKinney on nky.com, Quick-Cash Inc., traditionally a pawn shop, has cut out the pawning portion of its operation in order to open a location at 8242 Alexandria Pike.

John Wischer, general manager for Quick-Cash, said the Alexandria location is the company's first store in Northern Kentucky and Southeast Indiana that focuses on buying and selling gold, silver and platinum items and does not offer pawn loans in exchange for goods. Alexandria zoning laws do not permit pawn shops within city limits.

He said the buy-and-sell concept store is what differentiates the store from Quick-Cash's other traditional pawn shop locations.

Wischer said the 1,740-square-foot store next to an Ameristop also purchases and sells new and used consumer electronics, game systems, tools, musical instruments, laptops and DVDs. Wischer said sellers can check out the company's buy policy at www.getmoreformygold.com.

Highland Heights ends police merger

The following story was written by Jeff McKinney on November 15, 2011 and posted at nky.cincinnati.com. Go to the link and read the comments that have been posted there.

Highland Heights ends police merger

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS – Highland Heights City Council unanimously agreed Tuesday to withdraw the city from the Highland Heights Southgate Police Authority.

The 6-0 vote will end a three-year merger agreement between the police departments of Highland Heights and Southgate.

The cities entered into the agreement to combine the departments in 2008, but Highland Heights had a first reading to exit the authority Nov. 1.

Council’s action means that Highland Heights will give Southgate a 90-day notification that it’s dissolving the authority tied to the interlocal agreement, Highland Heights Mayor Greg Meyers said.

Meyers said the city is disbanding mainly because residents have expressed to council and himself they’re not comfortable with the authority. He said residents contend they are not getting the level of service they were getting from the Highland Heights Police Department.

The cities entered the merger to find efficiencies and save money, but a larger-than-anticipated call volume from Southgate is leading to resident complaints of poorer service, driving the push for a split, Highland Heights officials said.

Meyers expects Highland Heights to form its own police department within three months.

Steve Franzen, city attorney for Highland Heights and board attorney for HHSPA, said a specific date has not been set when the merger will end.

Southgate Mayor Jim Hamberg said Tuesday night, “Our city is looking forward to developing the new Southgate Police Department.”

In other action, Meyers and Highland Heights presented a proclamation and a clock gift to Dave Shaw, the city’s planner from 1994 until his retirement in September. Shaw was honored for his efforts in preparing the city’s comprehensive plan and update during the past decade that set the tone for the city’s growth and development.

Highland Heights, Southgate move to end police department merger

According to an article by Jeff McKinney published on the front page of The Kentucky Enquirer Thursday, November 03, 2011 Highland Heights City Council held a first reading on a measure to withdraw the city from a three-year-old police merger with the City of Southgate.

To paraphrase the article, the merger created a board containing representatives from both cities to oversee the entity.

Among the reasons cited for Highland Heights disbanding the Highland Heights Southgate Police Authority (HHSPA) according to Highland Heights Mayor Greg Meyers is because the residents of Highland Heights do not believe they are receiving the level of service that they had before its creation. Highland Heights council is expected to have a second reading and take a final vote to end the merger November 15. Southgate Mayor Jim Hambeg and Southgate’s Safety Committee have been notified of Highland Heights intent to end the merger.

Meyers said that the HHSPA has an annual budget of slightly more than $2 million dollars and that Highland Heights contributes 60 percent and Southgate 40 percent. The allocation is based on the cities' populations, numbers of businesses each have and the number of police calls made to residents and businesses in each.

Each city would again form their own police departments and divide up the assets, such as cars, between them.

Here are some relevant quotes summarized from the article:

Highland Heights City Attorney Steve Franzen:

The merger dissolution is disappointing as the cities hoped to save some money and increase efficiencies of delivering police service, but it did not happen.

Highland Heights Mayor Greg Meyers:

The merger did lower labor costs, but both cities had fewer police officers to protect a larger combined territory.

It's not a pleasant thing to be doing, but it's the correct move for our citizen services.

Southgate Mayor Jim Hamberg:

The dissolution would be an opportunity for Southgate to reform its police department, sets it own policies and go back to being a community police department for the residents of Southgate.

Some Southgate residents informed me and council members periodically that they were not seeing cruisers as frequently as they used to before the merger.

The entire Enquirer article can be found by clicking here

We hope the leaders of the City of Alexandria look hard and long at this and take these lessons into consideration before they make a decision to enter into some sort of Alexandria-Campbell County Merge. They need to ask themselves if:

1. Would this result in better police services for the citizens of Alexandria.

1. Would this result in a lowering of property tax rates for the tax payers of Alexandria.

We understand that this idea was brought forth by Campbell County and is being maneuvered along with the help of a few other individuals that are truly too close to the issue. The county has contracted for an “independent study” on the merits of a merger. We suspect that the county will get the results that they would like but residents of the city that we have talked to and heard from universally feel that any merger would not be in their best interests while bailing the county out of some uncomfortable issues concerning their own police department.

We would like to see this idea go away. If the county feels that they have problems that a merger would solve for them they should instead take the bull by the horns and straighten out those problems without dragging the City of Alexandria along with them.

We hope there are not but could there be some egos and agendas within the city driving this?

We cannot see any increase in efficiencies, service levels or cost benefits for the citizens of Alexandria should a merger come to pass. We can see advantages for the county.

Unlike Highland Heights and Southgate which both consider themselves losers in their merger there will definitely be a winner and a loser if Alexandria/Campbell County merges, regardless of what the “study” says.

Pawn Shop coming to town?

Overheard at the local Ameristop in the Town and Country Shopping Center, “we just can’t wait until the new pawn shop opens in our shopping center” and that the mayor had recently stopped by to sign paperwork that would permit it.

We have been told that if this is so, it will be contrary to the city’s zoning ordinances.

EDITED THURSDAY, DECEMBER 01, 2011

New Business Tax in Alexandria’s Future?

There will be if Council Member Scott Fleckenger has his way according to a video of Alexandria’s Tuesday, October 6, 2011, Council Meeting that is now running on Insight Cable Channel 16.

Mr. Fleckenger is proposing that council set a rate for a Gross Receipts Tax that has been on the books for a while but has had the rate set at zero percent.

Viewing the video shows that Mr. Fleckenger’s idea is not without opposition.

Council Member Barb Weber stated that taking the economy into account she thinks that now is not the time to be imposing any additional taxes on anyone.

Mr. Fleckenger’s business lies right outside the city limits and would not affect him but some folks are wondering if he would voluntarily offer his business for annexation into the city so that he could participate in the tax that he wishes to see imposed on others.

Comments may be posted or read by clicking on “Comments” below.

Alexandria weighing flea market idea

We’ve been told the person that approached the mayor on this wants to run a full time business.

Why doesn’t the person proposing this great idea take it to Cold Spring, Highland Heights or the county?

Because we don’t believe that they would want anything to do with it.

If Alexandria really gets serious about this (we hope they don’t) and wants to entertain the guy (we’re pretty sure we know who he is) that’s proposing this nutty idea then say hello to problems and issues that some may consider insensitive and too politely incorrect to mention here.

We can’t believe one of our elected officials would even bring something like this up much less support it.

Posted on nky.com –

Alexandria weighing flea market idea

By Chris Mayhew • 11:59 am, Aug 29, 2011

ALEXANDRIA – Mayor Bill Rachford said he’s been approached about the idea of having a flea market in town at the Aug. 18 meeting

Rachford said it’s only an idea, but what has been suggested was to allow flea markets on four or five-acre plots of land by a private operator.

One of the locations that was brought up as a potential site for a flea market was at the old Thriftway grocery store lot, he said.

Council member Stacey Graus said he thought if there was going to be a flea market use allowed in the city it should be something special and only held a couple of times a year.

“I mean I’m fine with it,” Graus said. “I don’t want to make it every week.”

Council member Dave Hart said if the city were to allow any flea markets in city limits the cost for police protection needed to be considered.

City Attorney Mike Duncan said if the city were to consider ever allowing flea markets it would require a text amendment to a zone.

“By omission, they’re not a permitted use in any of the zones,” Duncan said.

First comment posted on nky.com following the article –

By: INSPCALLAHAN

2:56 PM on August 29, 2011

I thought the last Mayor was a joke, this guy is even funnier. Why don't we let the circus come to town, never mind, the real circus is happening when the city government meets.

The city government ought to think of how to get real business in town and keep them. Why do you need a flea market, when you have all of these Street sales poping [sic] up? One that is coming up is the Wood Stone Subdivision Annual Sale, and this is a pain in the butt if you live in this Subdivision. You have all types of people from all walks of life coming into a neighborhood to case it, you have Streets so congested, that if there was a fire, the Fire Department could not get to the fire, you have people selling food prepared food items like they were a resturaunt [sic], and much more.

Come on City Government of Alexandria, do something that is going to bringt [sic] possible jobs in the area. You want a Flea Market, you are only going to add to the probelms [sic] that already exist.

You may read or leave comments by clicking on “comments” below this line

Consultant to look at possible merger of the Alexandria and Campbell County police departments

According to an article written by Jeff McKinney on nky.com the Campbell County Fiscal Court and the city of Alexandria have agreed to hire a consultant to offer advice on how the governments could possibly merge their police departments.

Alexandria Mayor Bill Rachford said Thursday that the city has asked the county to develop a study that would determine if the two entries should merge.

He said a time frame has not been determined when the study will be completed or how much it will cost.

Rachford and Campbell County Judge-executive Steve Pendery in recent weeks have discussed a possible merger of Alexandria’s and Campbell County’s police departments.

“A study of this sort will determine if a merger is feasible or not,” Rachford said.

Comments can be posted or read by clicking on comments below

Alexandria considering a new public works position

According to Chris Mayhew in the Alexandria Recorder a proposal by the mayor to elevate a public works position into a supervisory role was met with skepticism by two of the three members of council’s public works committee during an Aug. 4 meeting.

Mayor Bill Rachford said the proposed idea is still in the discussion phase, and he intends to continue talks about a foreman position. Rachford said he and public works director Sam Trapp came up with the idea for a foreman as a way to improve the department’s operations.

The new position wouldn’t mean hiring anyone new, Rachford said.

“You’re just giving somebody a little more responsibility,” said Trapp during the public works committee meeting.

Trapp said with the administrative duties he has going on, he’s sometimes in a meeting with the mayor and others or in the office filing reports and not at a job site.

“I’m just saying I can’t be there every minute of every day,” he said.

Council member Dave Hart, public works committee chairman, said the committee had been offered the opportunity to help write the job description for a foremen position. There was no discussion of the job description.

Adding a foreman position likely also means a salary increase, said council member Stacey Graus during the public works committee meeting.

Graus said if a supervisor puts forth a weekly set of priorities of what’s supposed to be done, then the employees should be able to carry everything out.

“I’m having trouble with the idea of having a foreman for three people,” Graus said.

Trapp said he didn’t disagree, and that public works employees are able to carry out tasks on their own.

Trapp said it’s not like the entire crew of three workers are always on the same job at the same time, and a foreman will have control of a job site.

“Well, the foreman controls all aspects of the job – not just one person,” he said.

Council member Barbara Weber said the idea of a foreman is kind of a duplication of responsibilities.

“I don’t really see the necessity,” Weber said.

Trapp said the department is now using daily time cards and tracking how much time each person spends on each job.

“Now we’re accounting for every minute of the day because some people feel like we’re not here every minute of every day,” Trapp said. “That’s just how I feel.”

Weber said the city has other reasons to track time including making sure the public works department runs as efficiently as possible and to see who is doing what kind of work.

“There’s more of a reason for it than we’re just basically poking over their shoulder,” she said.

Comments may be posted or read by clicking on comments below

Dollar General coming to Alexandria

According to an article by Chris Mayhew of the Alexandria Recorder a Dollar General store is in the works for the City of Alexandria.

The company has submitted a preliminary site plan for a store in Alexandria and the fees have been paid, said John Jewell, chairman of the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission. The proposed 1.9-acre location for the store is on north side of Summerlake Drive at the intersection with Alexandria Pike, Jewell said.

Previously this year, Dollar General built and opened a store on Ky. 8 in Silver Grove. There are also store locations at 13042 Alexandria Pike south of Grant’s Lick and 1841 Monmouth St., in Newport. For information about Dollar General visit the website www.dollargeneral.com.

Comments may posted or read by clicking on comments below.

Alexandria expects sale of condemned building

In a recent article by Chris Mayhew on Campbell County Connects The owner of a building condemned by the city on East Main Street has communicated with the city for the first time in more than a year, expressing an intent to sell the property rather than have it demolished.

Alexandria and Campbell County to merge Police Departments?

Discussions are taking place concerning the possibility of Alexandria and Campbell County merging their police departments.

This issue has now become a matter of public record.

In our original post we were questioning what seemed to be the hush-hush nature of discussions.

Thanks to Barbara Weber, councilmember and chair of Alexandria’s Safety Committee this issue has now reached the light of day.

We’re looking for more details as this matter develops.

What we do know is that this “merging” or “consolidation” if it does occur will forever change the City of Alexandria and the citizens of Alexandria must decide if they want this change.

The city needs to go slow on this matter resisting at every turn any attempt to speed up its decision to go forward.

Many, many details need to be worked on how this would benefit the city.

We’re looking for more details as this matter develops.

This above post was edited Thursday, July 21, 2011.

The following story by Chris Mayhew was published on Campbell County Connects Wednesday, July 20, 2011.

Alexandria, county considering police merger

By Chris Mayhew • cmayhew@nky.com • 8 :02 pm, Jul 20, 2011

ALEXANDRIA – It’s possible southern Campbell County will be served by one unified police force with an announcement of a potential merger of the Alexandria and the county police with the city in the lead.

Mike Ward, Alexandria’s chief of police, and Alexandria Mayor Bill Rachford discussed the idea of combining the two departments at a meeting of the City Council safety committee Wednesday, July 20.

Ward said he and the mayor met with Campbell County Judge-executive Steve Pendery a couple of weeks ago at the county’s request. The idea of the city taking over police services the county provides was raised.

“We discussed the possibility that the city might be interested in a merger of the county and city police departments,” Ward said.

Ward said he and the mayor felt they should inform the safety committee if the city was going to move forward with examining the idea.

“At this point I don’t know what in the heck I can tell you other than the question was raised and we’d like to look into it,” he said.

Ward said details of funding a joint budget and managing services provided by a merged department are not difficult duties for police administrators.

“The hard part is having two governments come to an agreement,” he said.

Barbara Weber, chairperson of the safety committee, said the 15-minute closed session at the start of the July 20 meeting was the first time the idea was ever mentioned in a meeting.

Prior to the closed session, Weber said any changes affecting the public should always be in an open meeting and the private meeting was going to be limited to a talk about police personnel.

“This closed session will be to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of individual officers,” she said.

Later, in open session, Weber said pension funding was something that was on her mind when it comes to any potential merger.

“That’s a ton of money, and it’s going to bankrupt a lot of cities,” she said of Kentucky’s pension system.

Ward said pensions are always at the top of the list of police lobbying groups when the Kentucky General Assembly meets.

“They know they’ve got to do something, and they’ve got the long session coming up next year,” he said.

And with any merger the county will have to pay a share of costs to run a combined department, Ward said.

“Depending on the agreement that you reach with Fiscal Court, the Fiscal Court has to pay their fair share as well,” he said.

Rachford said he sees four options for any consolidation discussions including:

• The city taking over the county police

• The county taking over the city police

• Creating a police authority with its own independent board

The option to do nothing is also on the table, Rachford said.

Rachford said it was too early for a public question-and-answer session in response to a request by Weber for a public forum on the merger issue. Rachford said the city was just beginning to gather information about the county’s pension costs and other financial costs of the county’s department.

Rachford said he was scheduled to meet again next week with Pendery. The city will go forward and see if the idea makes sense, Rachford said.

“At this point it is merely exploratory,” Rachford said. “No decisions have been made, but it’s something worth looking at.”

This story will be updated.

* * End of Campbell County Connects article * *

Comments can be made by clicking on “Comments” below.

Alexandria councilman’s taxes delinquent

UPDATE

Alexandria councilman’s taxes paid up

2:43 pm, Jul 15, 2011 by Chris Mayhew cmayhew

ALEXANDRIA – Joe Anderson, an elected member of Alexandria City Council, has paid his delinquent 2010 tax bill in full.

Campbell County Attorney Steve Franzen said Anderson was paid in full as of July 11.

The Alexandria Recorder published this article (also shown below) on July 1 revealing Anderson’s 2010 tax bill was declared delinquent by the county.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wait until you hear this excuse!

As reported by Chris Mayhew on Campbell County Connects.

Alexandria councilman’s taxes delinquent

By Chris Mayhew • cmayhew@nky.com • 2:27 pm, Jul 1, 2011

ALEXANDRIA – Joe Anderson, an elected member of Alexandria City Council, is among the list of people who didn’t pay their 2010 Campbell County property taxes.

County property tax bills collect taxes for government entities including the county government, fire district, school district, and library district.

The Campbell County Clerk’s 2010 delinquent property tax list includes an amount of $1,514.86 for his property at 81 Viewpoint Drive.

Anderson said not paying his property taxes was an experiment.

“I did that for a particular reason, just to see what would happen with that,” he said.

Anderson said he didn’t pay so he could see the process and how the county sends out tax notices and delinquencies. Anderson said he will pay his taxes.

“Oh yeah, you can’t not pay it,” he said.

Anderson’s annual salary as an elected member of city council is $3,600. Alexandria Mayor Bill Rachford said he believed Anderson had paid his city tax bill, which is separate from the county tax bill.

Campbell County Attorney Steve Franzen said it is his office’s responsibility to follow-up on delinquent property taxes.

“We take it very seriously for a number of reasons, not inconsequentially for how we fund the office,” Franzen said.

Public officials are charged with overseeing tax money, he said.

“I’m not sure what the great mystery is for Joe Anderson,” Franzen said.

Franzen said he wouldn’t recommend anyone not pay their taxes.

“It’s not an experiment that I would advise people to undergo,” he said.

Anderson, like anyone else on the delinquent list, still has time to pay up before the delinquent taxes are sold at auction soon, he said.

“The first thing that happens is that his tax bill will be thrown in the sale of all delinquent tax bills that occurs in late July or early August,” he said.

A 10 percent penalty and 12 percent interest is assessed as standard procedure to any late payment, but paying before the delinquent bill is sold avoids having to pay additional attorney’s fees, Franzen said.

Private companies that buy delinquent tax bills in bunches at public auction file lawsuits to collect the bill, and upon receiving payment remit what is owed to the county, he said.

Anderson’s delinquent bill will likely be purchased by a private company, but in the event it is not, Franzen said his office steps in and prosecutes.

In an effort to collect a delinquent tax bill a property will even be foreclosed upon if a bill ultimately goes unpaid, he said.

“It happens all the time,” Franzen said.

Source document: http://cincinnati.com/blogs/campbellcountyconnects/2011/07/01/alexandria-councilmans-taxes-delinquent/

Comments can be posted by clicking on “comments” below.

More on the budget

Alexandria adopts revised and balanced budget

Alexandria erases red ink from new budget

Alexandria plans pay raises amid shortfall

Alexandria is facing a proposed budget with a $182,000 shortfall

Budget Lessons

Alexandria’s Farmers Market set to open for the season

The Campbell County Farmers Market will reopen in its usual location in the parking lot of the Southern Lanes Sports Center on Friday, May 20.

The hours of operation will be from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and continue through October, 28.

They have good fresh vegetables and purchases support our local farmers and the local economy.

Other locations include Highland Heights and Newport.

The market in Highland Heights located in the parking lot of the Campbell County Senior Center is already open for flower sales every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will continue through May 29.

Vegetable sales will begin Tuesday, May 17 and continue every Tuesday through October 25.

The farmers market in Newport, at 709 Monmouth St., next to the Pepper Pod Restaurant, will begin Saturday, July 2, with sale hours running from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. each Saturday through Oct. 1.

Will Nixle system alerts come to an end in Alexandria?

NIXLE is a communication service that allows local, county and state law enforcement and government agencies to connect with local residents over cell phone, email and web with information delivered in real time to a geographically targeted audience. The information is to alert the public about things of an urgent nature such as traffic disrupting auto accidents, missing persons, crime developments and other important time sensitive public safety announcements.

The great part about this service is that it was available at no cost to the governmental agency or the subscriber.

It appears the no cost part has come to an end.

Without previous notice, the service sent the Fort Thomas Police department an invoice for $3,000.

According to the blog Fort Thomas Matters a message from Lt. Ken Fetcher of the Fort Thomas Police department states:

“The Fort Thomas Police Department regrets to advise that Nixle is not going to be a viable avenue of communication. This change took place April 26th. Nixle has announced that Departments using Nixle will be charged $3000.00 per year for their service. They will allow us to continue free, but we would ONLY be able to use it for emergency crisis situations. Fort Thomas Police Department is not immune to the current economic difficulties, and our agency is unable to budget for this service.”

Fort Thomas, a much larger city than Alexandria has decided that they will no longer participate in the service due to cost.

Let’s see what Alexandria with a much smaller budget than Fort Thomas decides to do.

Sections of East Main Street to be closed for 6 to 8 weeks

Beginning today (May 9, 2011) sections of East Main Street between US27 and Riley Road will be closed for 6 to 8 weeks.

Contractors are installing a new 24" water main 7 to 9 feet deep in the center of the road. Large construction equipment will be moving in and out along with heavy gauge pipes. Hazardous conditions will exist during operational hours and it is advisable to seek alternative routes.

Traffic closures will start sometime between 7:00 am and 9:00 am in the morning and opening back up between 4:00 pm and 5:00 pm.

Local traffic will be maintained to St. Mary, Bishop Brossart and Campbell County Middle School although traffic backups may occur. Arrive early and be patient when leaving.

Attached is a map of the affected area for the next several weeks.

If you are not sure of alternate routes of travel, please contact the Alexandria Police Department assistance.

City Brew Coffee is moving

The City Brew Coffee kiosk which has been doing business in the Alexandria Shopping Center’s parking lot is relocating to Village Green Shopping Center.

Their new location will be in the area where Harry’s Dinner once stood.

A large crane will literally pick up the small building and with an escort from the Alexandria Police Department it will be moved to its new location.

They’re hoping to be open in Village Green by May 16.

We hope they continue the cruise-ins that they promoted at their previous location.

We wish them well and hope for their success.

Alexandria extends start time for mega housing development

How are things going in Alexandria?

It’s been 4 months now since the new administration has taken charge.

Are things going as you expected?

Are you happy with the change?

We’ve been quiet for a while to give the new administration time to settle in. We think 4 months has been more than fair.

Are there any comments or concerns that you would like to share?

Sit-down dining coming to Alexandria

Some things are just not explainable

Recently an email originating from an ex-Alexandria council member and ex-Campbell County judge executive made the rounds and was brought to our attention. The subject line was “Where is Dave Otto” and it contained only this graphic.

Village Green offers reward for copper theft and damage

The owners of the Village Green Shopping Center will be offering a reward in connection with the theft of copper and damage of property in connection with the theft.

Details will be posted here within the next few days.

UPDATE:

Reward offered in Alexandria copper thefts

1:39 pm, Mar 15, 2011 | Written by Chris Mayhew

A $1,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of suspects or accomplices in the theft of copper coils and compressors from a vacant store space in Alexandria Village Green Shopping Center sometime between March 1 and March 4.

The copper and compressor thefts were from six heating and air-conditioning units damaged beyond repair on a 50,000-square-foot vacant space in the shopping center, according to an e-mail from Scott McFall, regional property manager for Phillips Edison & Co. No surveillance images were obtained, according to McFall.

To provide a tip call McFall at 513-746-2553 or e-mail:

smcfall@phillipsedison.com.

There are currently no suspects in connection with the copper thefts, said Alexandria Police Department Lt. George Schreiner. The thefts from heating and air-conditioning units at the shopping center have similarities to other thefts in Cincinnati, Schreiner said. Investigators are working to see if there are any connections linking the Alexandria thefts to suspects in the Cincinnati copper thefts, he said.

Source on Campbell County Connects

Spring Shopping Fling at the Community Center

This commercial ad is currently running on the web. Since we have heard that the Alexandria Community Center is probably running at a deficit we think the ad should contain a disclosure statement –

Activities at the Community Center may be underwritten by the taxpayers of Alexandria.

In August 2010 we posted an article, Community Center finances, questioning financial sustainability in regard to operating the Community Center. No one seems to know if operating the Community Center pays for itself or if it is a drain on the taxpayer.

Let’s see: Become a promoter, rent the Community Center, sell table space to vendors who wish to participate in your event, sell food, charge admission at the door, at the end of the day count your money and go home.

We don’t know if the city broke even but we do know that someone made money.

$16,000 Street Study

Alexandria police announce officer James “Stumpy” Sticklen’s death

Campbell County Connects » Alexandria - Alexandria Police Department Chief Mike Ward has just announced the death of officer James “Stumpy” Sticklen, a school resource officer at Campbell County Middle School who was beloved by many...

Development discussed at Alexandria town hall meeting

Alexandria Mayor Bill Rachford brought a list of questions and talking points in case the audience at the March 3 council “Town Hall Meeting” needed prompting....

Alexandria’s lake a bountiful spot for fishing

Alexandria’s lake is extra fishy, and people like it that way. With 11,150 fish being added in 2011, the lake has become a destination for people who not only like to fish, but to also catch something.

Alexandria mayor taking on code issues

Alexandria’s new mayor says he hasn’t forgotten about three buildings in various states of disrepair, and the city is preparing to take action soon.

Camp Springs residents push SD1 to change plans

More than 50 residents of Camp Springs crowded into a their local firehouse Wednesday, Feb. 23, to be heard and also hear from Sanitation District No. 1 of Northern Kentucky.

Scrapyard raided by FBI and IRS

A raid was conducted and a federal search warrant was executed about 9 a.m., Thursday, February 24 by the FBI and IRS on a copper and sheet metal scrapping business.

An IRS spokesperson said only that the FBI and IRS are conducting an unspecified joint investigation at Garden Street Iron and Metal, Inc. of Cincinnati, Ohio in conjunction with Blue Ash Police, Alexandria Police and Campbell County Police.

As this story plays out we think some folks in and around A-Town will be in for a big surprise from what we’re hearing. But then again maybe not. Stay tuned.

Award for service from the Mayor and Council

At the last council meeting a plaque of appreciation, signed by the mayor and council members, was presented to an ex-member of council in appreciation for his one term (2 years) of service to the city.

Overlooked was the ex-mayor who served three terms (12 years).

We wonder what was the criterion used for receiving (or not) a plaque.

NKY smoking ban overturned

Campbell County Fiscal Court voted 3-1 Wednesday night to overturn the smoking ban that was to take effect in April.

Commissioners Brian Painter, Pete Garrett and Ken Rechtin voted to overturn the ban with Judge-Executive Steve Pendery voting to keep it in place.

Vote on smoking prompts Campbell County to put TV in lobby

As reported by Chris Mayhew on Campbell County Connects we think you best get there early to get inside the meeting room.

We think that all of the outside crusaders will pack the room and the concerned citizens of the county will be relegated to watching the proceedings on TV in the lobby.

Alexandria’s First Mayoral Coffee Klatch

When Alexandria Mayor Bill Rachford was running for office one of the campaign promises he made was that he would be accessible to the citizens. He is making good on that promise.

He was in council chambers Saturday morning February 5^th from 10:00 a.m. till noon providing his ear along with coffee, cookies and donuts to anyone who wanted to stop by and chat.

Prior to the event he said he wasn’t sure if people would drop by or he would set there alone for two hours drinking coffee by him self. He wasn’t disappointed as there was a steady stream of citizens coming and going for the full two hours.

He was joined by a couple of council members, ethics committee members and planning and zoning commission members to lend a hand if anyone might have comments or questions for them.

We declare this a successful event and time well spent.

No meeting, no agenda, no decisions made. Just honest and open government.

It’s a breath of fresh air for Alexandria and we like it.

KY 536 extension to the AA Highway

In a report to the mayors January 25 Campbell County Administrator Robert Horine said that the total cost estimate of the Ky. 536 extension from U.S. 27 to the AA Highway south of Alexandria has increased from $44 million to $51 million. To reduce the costs, the state is attempting a redesign of the road as two lanes with added turn lanes and deceleration lanes as needed instead of a full three-lane highway. Horine said that the project officially remains on hold until more money is allocated.

Smoking ban repeal

In a recent article on Campbell County Connects the Vote on repeal of Campbell County indoor smoking ban is February 16 and will take place at the county administration building in Newport.

It was our understanding that this vote originally was to be held at a meeting at the Campbell County courthouse in Alexandria but we suppose this would too inconvenient for the pro-ban, non-resident outsiders to attend.

Free trash cans available in Alexandria until Jan. 31

Chris Mayhew of the Reporter Newspaper reminds Alexandria residents that they can receive a new 96-gallon “Waste Wheeler” and a 65-gallon wheeled recycling container by calling Rumpke at 877-786-7537 or emailing them at southeast.market@rumpke. The request must be made by January 31 and is for Alexandria residents only. There will be no charge for these containers over and beyond the yearly assessment that residents pay when they pay their annual city property taxes.

This arrangement is possible due to the contract that was negotiated with Rumpke by former Mayor Dan McGinley for waste collection charges.

If you purchased these from Lowe’s on-line the cost would be $96.40 for a 96-gallon size and $72.45 for a 64-gallon size for a total of $168.85.

This offsets the $168.00 a resident pays for trash collection this year.

A pretty good deal.

Now if we could just prevent a few of our residents from allowing their friends or relatives who live in the county from bringing their trash to Alexandria, our waste collection fees might rise at a slower rate. The county has waste collection available for a fee but participating is an option.

Click here to read the article by Chris on Campbell County Connects.

Comments on this article can be read or made by clicking on “comments” below this line.

Campbell / Kenton / State Anti-Smoking issue articles

After Campbell County was manipulated by Kenton County to vote first on the smoking ban now Kenton County does not want to be the only county with the ban. Can we guess why?

All this would be amusing if it were not so goofy.

Thanks to Campbell’s new fiscal court for undoing what the coward lame ducks waited until after the general election to do.

Also this posting lists what is going on in Frankfort on this issue.

We should all be glad that Greg Stumbo relies on his wife for his legislative ideas.

Hey look at me!

Campbell County takes first step toward repealing smoking ban

It’s refreshing when elected officials do what they say they will during their campaigns –

The Campbell County Fiscal Court's new members took steps at their first meeting to revoke the countywide smoking ban their predecessors approved in December.

At the end of a standing-room-only meeting that earlier had been attended by several dozen opponents of the ban and some proponents, the court's three county commissioners, led by newly elected Pete Garrett, indicated they plan to revoke the ban, likely within the next two meetings.

On Garrett's motion Fiscal Court voted 3-1 to direct new Campbell County Attorney Steve Franzen to write legislation repealing the ban so it can receive the first of two required readings during their Jan. 19 meeting in Newport. The second reading and vote likely would happen Feb. 2 in Alexandria.

Click here to read the rest of the article

Comments can be posted here by clicking on “comments” below this line.

Alexandria’s new mayor takes office

Incoming mayor Bill Rachford used a large Bible and an oversized gavel at his first council meeting as mayor Thursday, Jan. 6.

Happy New Year

It’s January 1, the city has a new mayor and the people rejoiced.

Smoking ban passes

Members of the Campbell County Fiscal Court voted 3-1 at the Wednesday evening, December 15, 2010 meeting to create a comprehensive indoor smoking ban.

Voting for the smoking ban were Commissioners Dave Otto and Mark Hayden who were attending their final fiscal court meeting and Judge-Executive Steve Pendry. Commissioner Ken Rechtin voted against the ban.

There was an amendment to the bill that would have exempted bars under certain circumstances but it was not adopted.

Anti-smokers cheered as the bill was passed but with two new commission members Brian Painter and Pete Garrett taking office January 1, the ban may be reversed before it takes affect on April 15.

Painter and Garrett were elected to the commission to replace Mark Hayden who did not run for re-election, and Dave Otto who was defeated in his bid for re-election. Painter and Garrett have both indicated that they are not in favor of a smoking ban.

We don’t think the dust has settled on this issue yet.

You may leave comments by clicking on “comments” below this line.

Changed council making plans

The following article appeared on NKY.com and is reprinted here for your convenience.

Something worth considering?

Cold Spring hired a full-time city administrator in November 2008.

Upon review the city decided that this position as full time was not necessary.

The current city administrator decided he did not want to be a part time employee and so has decided to move on.

Cold Spring is looking to fill the position on a part-time basis saving the city money while providing the current level of service.

The full-time position paid $60,000 a year (we imagine that would be plus benefits). The part-time position will pay between $25 and $35 per hour for 25 hours per week.

Mayor Mark Stoeber said the salary will be closer to the $25 per hour wage.

Should it be time for the City of Alexandria to follow suit and analyze if it is possible to reduce expenses while still delivering the current quality of services?

Click here to read the complete article on NKY.COM.

You may post a comment by clicking on “comments” below this line.

Opposition to smoking ban grows

"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies.   --  C.S. Lewis

The following article appears at NKY.COM and is reprinted here for your convenience.

Audit review shows Alexandria deficit reduced

An initial draft of an independent auditor's review of the City of Alexandria's finances reveal an 18 percent reduction in overall debt (a reduction of $211,657), and a surplus or reserve fund of about $1.04 million.

Click here to read more

Campbell County sued over smoking ban

Old régime coming to an end

Thursday, December 2, 2010 is traditionally the last city council meeting for the year which means this will be the last council meeting that Mayor McGinley will preside over.

We are looking to 2011 with optimism and hoping that pugilistic politics will finally come to an end.

Code Enforcement “look” defies reasonable explanation

If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it probably is a duck. ~ Unknown quote

Some things just strike us as odd.

One of these is the way that Alexandria approaches outfitting its code enforcement officer.

Complaint filed over Tea Party ad

An article appeared on NKY.com reporting that a complaint has been filed with state election finance officials regarding a pre-election advertisement placed in local newspapers by the Northern Kentucky Tea Party.

Click here to read the article

Click here to read the complaint

Questions were raised here on October 29 concerning this ad.

Click here to read the post and a copy of the ad

New store coming to Village Green

A Tuesday Morning store is due to open soon in the old TJ Maxx location at Alexandria Village Green shopping center.

The exact date is not known but we have been told “real soon” (perhaps in a few weeks).

Here is how they describe themselves.

Tuesday Morning is a retailer specializing in upscale closeout merchandise, with more than 800 stores across the United States. Our successful concept was founded on a unique philosophy: sell first-quality, famous designer and name-brand merchandise at extraordinarily discounted prices on an event basis. Our 10 major events usually kick off on the first Tuesday of the month. We receive new merchandise shipments daily, and customers can return often to find the shelves replenished with new items.

When shopping at Tuesday Morning customers can expect:

· Identical or similar inventory to that found in better catalogs, upscale department stores, or specialty boutiques

· A merchandise mix divided into major categories, including upscale decorative accessories, rugs, lamps, books, crystal and glassware, china, luggage, luxury bed and bath linens, toys, gourmet foods and cookware, flatware, and seasonal items such as greenery, trim, Christmas wrap and decorations, or lawn and garden furniture and accessories

· Well-known and nationally advertised manufacturers and name brands from Europe and across the world

· Casual, self-serve in-store atmosphere with a no-frills presentation

We value our customers and are committed to providing ever-changing collections of deeply discounted closeout merchandise.

The website for Tuesday Morning’s is located here Tuesday Morning .

We will post more information as it becomes available.

The times they are a-changin . . .

The title is the name of an old Bob Dylan tune and no where is that more apparent than the election of a new mayor to lead Alexandria for the next four years.

Bill Rachford, the city’s new mayor is the polar opposite of Dan McGinley.

New Mayor and 2 new Council Members

On Tuesday, November 2, 2010 a new mayor, Bill Rachford, was elected to lead Alexandria for the next 4 years.

Two new council members were also elected, Joe Anderson and Bob Simon. Council members serve two year terms.

Council member Lloyd Rogers was not re-elected and there was vacancy to be filled as the new Mayor will have vacated his seat at the end of the year.

The Mayor/Council Line up is:

Mayor –

Bill Rachford

Council Members –

Scott Fleckinger

Dave Hart

Stacey Graus

Barb Weber

Joe Anderson

Bob Simon

The new line-up will begin serving on January 1, 2011.

Does NKY Tea Party ad skirt campaign laws?

Following the article When is an endorsement an endorsement? posted on this blog the following article appeared in The Enquirer.

Does NKY Tea Party ad skirt campaign laws?

The Kentucky Enquirer - An ad by the Northern Kentucky Tea Party has caused some people, including the Boone County attorney, to question whether the group has violated Kentucky's campaign finance laws.

Click here to read the article

Unique campaign sign

This is one of the most unique campaign signs that has been observed running around in Alexandria.

When is an endorsement an endorsement?

Judging by this ad (shown below) that appeared in The Alexandria Recorder October 28, 2010 it appears that The Northern Kentucky Tea Party is endorsing the list of candidates that it has prominently named in the ad.

But wait.

Reading the fine print at the bottom of the ad it states, “The Northern Kentucky Tea Party does not endorse or financially support candidates for public office”.

It goes on to say, “The above candidates have indicated support and promote the Tea Party principles if elected”.

The ad lists a candidate for mayor and one candidate for city council.

The fine print goes on to say, “There may be other candidates who support the principles of the Northern Kentucky Tea Party but have not made their support known.”

What a crock. We contacted some candidates that are not listed in the ad and they have told us that they were never contacted by the Tea Party in regards to their views but that they also haven’t regularly attended Tea Party meetings.

We can only conclude that in order to make the list the only criteria used was whether or not an individual went to a lot of Tea Party meetings and paid lip service. There was no effort to reach out to the other candidates and solicit their views.

The ad also states that the Northern Kentucky Tea Party “promotes the principles of fiscal responsibility, limited government and free markets”.

The ad urges you to vote yes on the adoption of the Justice of the Peace form of government for Campbell County which is in essence bigger government as it goes from 3 commissioners to 8 justices.

An ad that appears to be political endorsements but says in fine print that it is not and says the organization is for limited government but endorses expanded government seems like a group that hasn’t quite gotten its act together.

We said it earlier but feel compelled to say it again, what a crock.

You be the judge.

We can’t rely on Lloyd Rogers

Round two of the Anti-Lloyd Rogers ads. This one appeared in The Alexandria Recorder on October 28, 2010.

Open Letter to Alexandria Citizens from Bill Rachford

There were some interesting ads in The Alexandria Recorder October 28, 2010 edition.

Here is one of them.

Lloyd Rogers – The History He Wants You To Forget

Here is a paid advertisement that ran in The Alexandria Recorder October 21, 2010 Page B7.

Ghost writer?

In the Viewpoints section, page A9 of the October 14, 2010 edition of the Alexandria Recorder there appeared an article titled “Keep Dan McGinley – he’s a ‘proven leader’” by guest columnist Robert Feinauer including Mr. Feinauer’s picture.

The article reads like Mayor McGinley’s claimed accomplishments, campaign statements and talking points.

For someone who seems so well informed no one seems to ever remember seeing Mr. Feinauer in attendance at any council meetings.

Could Mr. Feinauer have a ghost writer?

Comments can be posted or read by clicking on comments below this line.

LEADERSHIP ORGANIZATION OPPOSES CHANGE IN CAMPBELL COUNTY GOVERNMENT

We asked ourselves after reading the press release (reprinted below) “Just who is CLAG”?

We don’t recall them publicly taking stands on issues or endorsing candidates before. We’ve never heard of them.

Are they some secret society of “ultra-elites”?

Well a little research shows that you can find a list of their members and you too can be a member for a payment of $50 in yearly dues.

By the way, after some careful thought we agree that a change from the commission system would not be in the best interests of the citizens of Campbell County and so we urge a vote against this goofy proposal.

How do you feel about your candidates?

The slate of candidates for Mayor and City Council are listed below the last post. As we are getting closer to the election on November 2 how do you feel about the folks on the list?

Comments can be posted or read by clicking on comments below this line.

Community Center finances

Concern is swirling, albeit quietly for now, surrounding the apparent lack of information available concerning usage and financial reporting for the Alexandria Community Center complex. The complex includes a separate building which is also utilized for rental use.

Apparently the city is unable or unwilling to supply a list of users, dates of use and fees collected for each use.

The Community Center plan is supposed to be that it would be self-sustaining and the tax-payers would not be subsidizing its private use. The city employs two dedicated employees for the Community Center.

Some questions are:

• Does every user pay a fee and if so is the fee paid uniform for all users?

• Does the city permit the center to be used for profit making endeavors thereby subsidizing a business with tax-payer funds?

• Who collects the fees and how is the money distributed?

• Are there procedures in place for accounting and double checking the results?

• Is the operation audited at least annually?

These are legitimate questions and the city should be able and willing to supply this information. After all, the Community Center complex is tax-payer owned and funded.

Comments can be posted or read by clicking on comments below this line.

Alexandria Mayor/Council Ballot

Here is the ballot for the November 2, 2010 election.

Mayor to seek fourth term

According to NKY.COM Alexandria Mayor Dan McGinley announced Friday (July 23, 2010) that he will seek a fourth term in November.

"The reasons to live and work in Alexandria have continued to grow since I first became mayor," he said in a statement. "Our city is stronger financially. Our neighborhoods are patrolled by the best-trained police officers in Northern Kentucky. The city continues to develop - and we have accomplished all of it without any tax increases generated by city council."

McGinley, who has been the mayor for 12 years, is endorsed by Judge-executive Steve Pendery and former Alexandria mayors George "Sonny" Carmack, Ray Hildebrand, Roger Steffen and Victor Steffen.

McGinley will face Alexandria City Councilman William "Bill" T. Rachford Jr. in November. The deadline for candidates to file the paperwork to run for nonpartisan city offices is Tuesday, Aug. 10.

Update as of 07/27/2010

Political notes from around N.Ky.

McGinley seeks re-election as Alexandria's mayor

Make sure to read the reader’s comments following the articles at the links.

Reader Comments are also encouraged here. Just click on “comments” below this line to read or leave a comment.

Lame-Duck County Judge-Executive Pushing Smoking Ban in NKY

From the Kentucky Club for Growth blog.

NKY Politicians keep trying to send smokers across the river to Ohio by pushing a smoking ban.

Typically, the chief advocate is the CJE of Kenton County, who is attempting to drive it through before he retires.

But there's a sense that it's now or never: Kenton Judge-executive Ralph Drees, a driving force behind the ban, will retire at the end of the year.

Few other local officials have the political clout to bring all three counties to the table on such a controversial issue, as anything dealing with regionalism inevitably is in Northern Kentucky.

The feelings of Kenton County residents are probably well represented by the CJE's likely successor.

(Plus, Drees' likely successor, Steve Arlinghaus, opposes the ban.)

In Boone County, the CJE seems to have understood the results of the recent election that he barely escaped. From the NKY Tea Party:

At the Boone County Tea Party meeting last night, Judge Exec. Gary Moore said that the ban has no traction among the current or incoming fiscal court, especially in a bad economy because it could hurt small businesses.

Still, it's an agenda item in all three counties. If you'd like to make your voice heard on this issue, here are the next meeting dates:

Boone - Tuesday, July 27, 2010 @ 5:30pm at the Administration Bldg. in Burlington.

Campbell - TODAY Wednesday, July 21, 2010 @ 5:30 at 1098 Monmouth Street in Newport

Kenton - Tuesday, July 27, 2010 @ 7:00PM at the Independence courthouse

Not mentioned in the original blog post is that the make-up of Campbell County’s Fiscal Court could very well change in November and if so it is unlikely that the votes for a smoking ban would still be there in Campbell County.

To see how popular opinion is shaking out on this issue –

Poll: Ready for NKY smoking ban?

Campbell County companies dispute taxes

Campbell County is experiencing a spike in the number of companies requesting property tax assessment values be lowered and local government tax revenues including fire districts and schools will feel the pinch.

One of those companies owns Village Green Shopping Center in Alexandria.

According to an article published in The Kentucky Enquirer (click on the link to view) the owners have requested a decrease in their evaluation for tax purposes of 2.6 million dollars.

The city has already passed their new budget and is now holding off on setting the tax rates for their citizen property owners until all of the ramifications are clear although they are approving street projects as though all is well.

Hold on to your wallets.

By the way, since Alexandria property owners also pay county taxes, hasn’t Sara Lee been on the receiving end of a sweetheart deal for quit some time?

Fiscal Court and job Hanky Panky

 

Pondering the imponderables

We’ve wondered why an 11 year position at the cost of $80,000 (including benefits) per year (Pat Dressman) was replaced by a newly created part time position of 100 hours per month at $15.72 per hour (Katie Tallon) back in April; and now Ms. Dressman has been re-hired for another newly created position of 100 hours maximum at $34.93 per hour after her failed political pursuit (which is why she retired(?) so as to not violate the Hatch Act in the first place).

This type of thing just smells bad.

Congratulations to Commissioner Ken Rechtin for taking the right position on this issue.

Job creation and hiring hanky panky however is not limited to the Fiscal Court.

Opening soon

Wyler in Alexandria reviving showroom for used sales

Plans are under way to reopen the Alexandria Buick Pontiac GMC dealership closed since October 2008 as a used vehicle showroom and lot.

Click here to read the article

Kevin Sell endorses Bill Rachford for Mayor

Alexandria Republican Kevin Sell, who unsuccessfully challenged Judge-executive Steve Pendery in last month’s GOP primary has issued endorsements in several races on the November ballot.

He has endorsed Bill Rachford for Mayor of Alexandria.

Steve Pendry will more than likely endorse current Mayor Dan McGinley since Mayor McGinley was quoted as being in support of Pendry for Judge-Executive in Pendry’s campaign literature.

Click here to read his other endorsements

Class Act

You can’t help but notice the American flags on about every other utility pole on the western side of Alexandria Pike (US 27) in Cold Spring extending from Crossroads Boulevard north to Martha Layne Collins Boulevard.

Stick to city business

Once again Council member Rogers insisted on using a council meeting as a political forum. He insisted on giving Alexandria’s individual precincts tally of votes for the primary election, attempted some analysis and asked for the results to be posted on the city’s web site.

Not that this isn’t interesting but this is fodder for the news media.

Mr. Rogers just doesn’t get it concerning council meetings.

They are for attending to the city’s business and not intended to be used as someone’s personal political commentary session.

City Boards and Commissions

Ever wonder who serves on the city’s Ethics Board or Planning and Zoning Commission in case you would like to contact them?

They’re not listed anywhere on the city’s web site.

Cold Spring sues League of Cities

Good job Cold Spring. This whole debacle does not seem to bother the leadership in some other cities.

COLD SPRING - The city of Cold Spring has filed a class action lawsuit against the Kentucky League of Cities, alleging the group breached its fiduciary duty to member cities and asking its board of directors to reclaim hundreds of thousands in misspent funds.

Click here to read more

Minutes of city meetings posted on the city’s web site

On April 2, 2010 a comment to one of the posts on this site questioned why the minutes for city meetings held in March were not posted to the City of Alexandria web site.

Some dialog ensued that jumped to conclusions concerning the reasons.

Karen Barto, the City of Alexandria Clerk, responded to set the record straight saying “that minutes are not public record until they are presented at a meeting thus, the minutes cannot be posted until they are made a matter of public record. For instance, March 4th Council minutes were not presented or made public record until the April 1st meeting since the March 18th meeting was cancelled. Then they are to be signed, scanned and put on the website.”

Thanks to Ms. Barto for clearing up any confusion anyone may have had concerning this topic.

The Open Records and Open Meetings Acts

The Open Records Act

In 1976, the General Assembly enacted the Open Records Act which establishes a right of access to public records. The General Assembly recognized that free and open examination of public records is in the public interest. All public records, whether they are stored in a computer or on paper, must be open for inspection unless the records are exempted by one or more of fourteen exemptions found in the Act. You may inspect any nonexempt public record regardless of your identity, and you may seek enforcement of the Act if you are denied this right.

The Open Meetings Act

In 1974, the General Assembly enacted the Open Meetings Act which establishes a right of access to public meetings. The General Assembly recognized that the formation of public policy is public business, and should not be conducted in secret. The Act requires that all meetings of a quorum of the members of a public agency where public business is discussed or action is taken must be public meetings. Public meetings must be open to the public at all times, unless the subject of the meeting falls within one or more of the thirteen exceptions found in the statute. You may attend any public meeting, and you cannot be required to identify yourself in order to attend.

For in-depth information concerning these two acts click on Links here, or at the top of the page, and go to The Open Records and Open Meetings Acts.

Alexandria’s Mayor/Council form of government

Ever wonder just what the mayor’s or council’s job is.

The City of Alexandria operates under the Mayor-Council form of government.

The mayor-council plan has a clear separation of powers between the mayor (executive) and the council (legislative).

The city council may enact ordinances, levy taxes, adopt a budget, and set compensation, in addition to other legislative duties.

The mayor's principle function as chief executive and administrative officer of the city is to oversee the management of the city's daily affairs. He or she serves no legislative function and may only vote in order to break a tie.

For more detail concerning the duties and authority of the Mayor and Council click here or on Alexandria’s form of government at the top of this page.

Political Signs – Let the fun begin

You may have already noticed. The campaign signs in Alexandria have been sprouting like spring flowers. Along with the signs controversy concerning them has already started.

A little game of politics anyone?

Retired minister and Alexandria resident Jim Korpik took to the floor Thursday evening (March 4, 2010) during the open discussion period of the Alexandria City Council meeting.

Council says “Inform us”

The following article appears on the nky.com web site. What it fails to mention is that the Mayor of Alexandria vigorously opposed this ordinance during council’s discussion at the council meeting on Tuesday, February 18.

Mayors influence diminishing?

It has become apparent that the Mayor’s ability to influence and control city council is a thing of the past.

Rachford files to run for Mayor

City councilman Bill Rachford has filed to run for Mayor of the City of Alexandria.  The election will be held on Tuesday, November 2, 2010.