By Pat Lafleur,
FortThomasMatters City Beat
This week’s City Council meeting showed the first Ft. Thomas
resident to address council since I began covering these meetings months ago:
Mrs. Andrea Patrick,
who lives on N. Crescent, addressed council regarding the Imperial Apartments complex located at the intersection of S. Ft.
Thomas Ave. and Grand Ave. Mrs. Patrick described a variety of disturbances by
tenants of Imperial Apts. she claims have been ongoing for the 4 years she and
her family — a husband and two young sons, all present at the meeting — has
lived in the neighborhood. Mrs. Patrick described the apartment complex and its
tenants as a “public nuisance.”
After Council had heard Mrs. Patrick’s testimony, Mayor Mary Brown deferred to FTPD Chief Michael Daly, who confirmed that
increased police patrolling has been implemented around the property before, to
only temporary effect. According to the Patricks’ count, the FTPD and FTFD have
responded to the apartment complex over 200 times in the last four years.
Mayor Brown asked city legal counsel Jann Seidenfaden what could be done from a legislative angle.
Seidenfaden explained that ordinances holding landlords legally accountable for
such behavior from their tenants have been proposed to Ft. Thomas Council in
the past, but has not been enacted.
Chief Daly, Ms. Seidenfaden, and City Administrator Donald Martin plan to meet with the
Patricks to discuss more details, and Mayor Brown asked the Law, Labor, &
License committee to study what sort of ordinance might be passed to address
such issues.
Aside from the Patricks’ testimony to council, the rest of this
week’s proceedings were fairly, well… procedural:
•
Council approved unanimously to extend the
City’s contract with Rumpke for its
solid waste removal services. The contract extension will yield a small
increase in the rate paid by each citizen for the service, an increase in 3%
over the next 2 years.
•
Mr. Martin introduced a proposed bid for the 2013 Street Program (resurfacing, etc. of Clover Ridge and
surrounding streets). Council approved City staff’s
recommendation to accept Eaton Asphalt’s bid of ~$232K. The bid was accepted
quickly and unanimously by council.
•
Mr. Martin also made mention to a KY State
Senate Bill that will result in a decrease
in retirement contributions as a portion of income taxes. Mr. Martin called
this a “step in the right direction” for Ft. Thomas, and said copies of the
report detailing this bill are available upon request.
•
The water-main break above the amphitheater in
Tower Park will be repaired in two phases: a temporary fix will be implemented
before this summer’s concert series begins, and then — in the fall — a
permanent solution will be put into place.
