What does it cost for NKY to be … NKY?

A look at what we spend to be separate

36 cities. 3 counties. One question.

“Northern Kentucky is bigger than Lexington and Bowling Green combined.”

If you’ve ever talked to Brent Cooper, you’ve probably heard him say this. Cooper is the president and CEO of the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, which works to support local businesses and promote a vibrant economy.

And he is proud to champion the region to anyone who will listen.

While Cooper said working together is Northern Kentucky’s super power, he also thinks the region would benefit significantly from expanding its ability to advocate for its cities and counties.

What exactly that would look like could take many forms. There already exist organizations such as the OneNKY Alliance and meetNKY, which advocate for the region in various ways. There’s also the idea of consolidation, ranging from some version of a city-county merger similar to Louisville to an interlocal agreement allowing NKY’s counties to formally govern together.

Keep reading to learn more about what it really costs NKY to operate as three counties, 36 cities and 13 school districts, and whether consolidation could save money.

Learn more from local experts on fragmentation here.

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The price of fragmentation

One NKY: at what cost?