Boone County will not enter into a new regionwide workforce development initiative due a deadlocked vote in the fiscal court.
During the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce’s January Eggs ‘N Issues breakfast panel, the judges/executive of Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties all mentioned that attracting and retaining workers is one of the top priorities for Northern Kentucky’s economy.
One of the newest proposed solutions to address regional workforce challenges is the creation of the Northern Kentucky Works initiative — a new office dedicated to leading regional workforce development strategy and policy.
“Companies have a hard time finding employees and the shortage of employees is noted and inarguable,” Judge/Executive Gary Moore said during Tuesday’s fiscal court meeting.
At the meeting, the Boone County Fiscal Court heard a resolution that would enter the county into a Memorandum of Agreement with Kenton County, Campbell County and the Northern Kentucky Area Development District to support Northern Kentucky Works. The Kenton and Campbell County fiscal courts have not yet voted on the initiative.
The Boone County court’s vote ended in a 2-2 tie. Judge/Executive Gary Moore and Commissioner Jesse Brewer voted in favor of the resolution, while Commissioners Chet Hand and Cathy Flaig voted against it.
In fall 2023, the Northern Kentucky University Center for Economic Analysis and Development unveiled the GROW NKY Workforce Governance Study, a comprehensive assessment of the region’s workforce investment ecosystem. The study evaluated Northern Kentucky’s workforce development ecosystem to identify the most effective governance system.
If created, the Northern Kentucky Works Initiative would replace GROW NKY as Northern Kentucky’s preeminent workforce development office. The office would be charged with developing and overseeing workforce policy and initiatives across Northern Kentucky while partnering with the region’s employers, educational institutions and other agencies to implement strategies that address workforce challenges.
Moore spoke in favor of Boone County supporting Northern Kentucky Works, submitting that it would be a “more efficient way” for the region to develop and implement workforce investment strategies.
Moore cited the Northern Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy as a similar structural model for Northern Kentucky Works. The Northern Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy is an agency created in 2015 to assist in the development of substance use policy initiatives and provide advisory services to the fiscal courts of Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties.
“What would be a better model, delivering to our companies and our employers a better outcome when it comes to developing and finding workers for their jobs,” Moore said.
Hand was a vocal opponent of the resolution, citing his personal opposition to the creation of more boards or quasi-governmental entities. In February, Hand voted against the creation of a Transportation Improvement District, citing the same rationale.
“I’m just unbelievably opposed to the creation of any additional boards, commissions, layers of quasi-government entities — whatever you want to call it,” Hand said. “I feel like that’s what we’re doing with this one.”
Hand went on to say that existing organizations and boards working on regional workforce development should be efficient with the resources already available to them.
“Before we start creating something new, we ought to look at how we can leverage our existing resources better and more efficiently,” Hand said.
Moore responded to Hand’s critique by saying the creation of Northern Kentucky Works could serve as a vehicle to cut down on the number of workforce development entities by centralizing the region’s workforce strategy and policy initiatives under one office.
“The fact that there are so many doing what they’re doing is why we need this to be coordinated,” Moore said. “We need to connect all these good works that are being done. If there are works that are duplicative that may be wasting dollars and resources, that needs to be determined too. That is another goal of this new office.”
Boone County Administrator Matthew Webster pointed to the creation of the Northern Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy as an example of an entity which led to the contraction of several agencies due to their operations becoming redundant.
“The NKU study pointed to the Office of Drug Control Policy as a great model,” Webster said. “What we have seen since the creation of the Office of Drug Control Policy and coordinating those efforts, many other organizations went away. Once we were able to coordinate and become more efficient, we were able to identify groups that didn’t need to be in the arena or could be coordinated, and it has resulted in the contraction of other groups.”
In conjunction with Hand, Flaig said she was similarly weary of the county committing to the creation of new boards and agencies.
“I don’t know why government needs to get involved,” she said. “I think you’d want it to be up to the business to promote.”