A term on the Sanitation District 1 Board of Directors is set to expire, setting off multiple disagreements at Tuesday night’s Kenton County Fiscal Court meeting in Covington.
Board Chair Jay Weber’s term expires next month and Judge-Executive Steve Arlinghaus recommended Gary Richardson to replace him.
Then, two problems emerged.
First, County Attorney Garry Edmondson pointed out that board appointments made before an actual vacancy exists are not valid, in spite of the fact that that has been the practice at the county. A request for clarification from the Kentucky Attorney General’s office prompted Edmondson’s explanation.
Despite that, a vote was taken and ended in a 2-2 tie with Arlinghaus and Commissioner Jon Draud voting in favor of Richardson, and Commissioners Kris Knochelmann and Beth Sewell opposing the appointment.
Both said that it was nothing personal against Richardson. Knochelmann, who defeated Arlinghaus in May’s Republican primary and will take over as Judge-Executive in January, said that his preference would be to reappoint Weber and barring that, a Covington resident. Sewell also wants a Covington resident on the SD1 board.
A lack of representation for Covington on the SD1Â board has been an issue raised by Covington Mayor Sherry Carran, City Manager Larry Klein, and other city leaders, including Commissioner-elect Bill Wells. The city is often the hardest hit by flooding during large rain events as the combined sanitation system overflows.
“I have supported having a Covington resident on this board. It’s nothing personal against Mr. Richardson,” Sewell said.Â
“If we’re not going to reappoint (Weber), I’d prefer to reach out to a Covington resident,” Knochelmann said.Â
The Sanitation District 1 Board of Directors consists of eight members with four appointed by the Kenton County Fiscal Courts and two each by the Fiscal Courts of Boone and Campbell Counties.
Meanwhile, a second tie vote ensued when for a second time the county tried to award a contract for auditing services. The issue also divided the court at a heated meeting last month. In October, the issue was whether the lowest bid came from a firm that could handle an audit of the county. Cincinnati-based Berninger Maddox was rejected by county staff because it had never performed a county audit before. Instead, staff recommended that Von Lehman, the Ft. Mitchell-based firm, be used. Knochelmann and Sewell voted against that because the second-lowest bid was from Barnes & Denning.
Last month, the Fiscal Court voted to reject all bids, instead.
On Tuesday night, Von Lehman was presented for a vote again and that ended in a 2-2 tie. Edmondson told The River City News that the issue could likely wait till January when the new Fiscal Court convenes.
Written by Michael Monks, editor & publisher of The River City News
Photo:Â Kenton County Building/RCN file
