I hope everyone has been enjoying their summer and time with family and friends. Just as
things are happening in your family and neighborhood, things are also happening here in Taylor Mill.
JULY 23RD CITY COMMISSION MEETING RECAP:
- CAO Search- The search for a new CAO is progressing with assistance from the Northern Kentucky Area Development District (NKADD). As many of you know, I have been serving as Interim CAO since June and will continue to do so until the hiring process is complete. We hope to have news on the CAO search in the coming weeks.
- CMC Properties Request (Second Entrance Farm Apartments)- The Commission voted to deny the request to create a second entrance to the Farm Apts.
- KYTC Proposal to Exchange Wayman Branch for Buds Way & Mason Rd.- The Commission voted to move forward with the state road exchange. The road exchange will save the City money on road repairs, as slippages on Wayman Branch has come at a high cost to the City over the years.
ROAD PROJECTS UPDATE:
Thanks to all the residents that attended the City's Annual Municipal Road Aid Hearing for FY 2018-2019 on July 23rd. The City expects to receive $132,038.95 in road aid.
Beginning July 1st,
the City budgeted $502,472.00 to repair streets in conjunction with the SD1/NKWD Project in Winston Park. Paul Michels & Sons will perform the repairs. Valley View Drive, Primrose Drive, Sunset Place, and the west side of Church Street will receive new asphalt, curbs, gutters, and tree stump removal. Faye Drive, Church Street, Doris Drive, and the east side of Church Street will
be resurfaced. These are streets that have long needed repair and reconstruction.
The City of Taylor Mill Maintenance Department is completing in-house street repairs on McCowan Drive in Taylor Creek.
Concrete panels on the street are
being replaced,
and a total of 16
panels are
being repaired.
We are also targeting several
streets in Taylor Mill for paving and patching. The street repairs in Taylor Mill are a work in progress and as funds become available repairs will be made.
HOW TAYLOR MILL FUNDS ROAD REPAIR COMPARED TO OTHER CITIES:
Cities
throughout Northern Kentucky fund road repairs in a variety of ways. Explained below are the four primary methods used to fund street and road repair.
1. Combine MRA (Gas Tax) Funds and City General Funds to pay for individual projects based on engineer reports. The City of Taylor Mill funds road repairs this way. Taylor Mill prioritizes streets in the City by using our engineers from CT Consultants. The top ten streets are determined by CT Consultants and presented to the Commission. The gas tax dollars we received from the state are combined with City tax dollars to repair and resurface various streets in Taylor Mill. The Commission would like to repair all the streets,but there is never enough money to repair every street, so to prioritize them is the most fiscally responsible way to do it.
2. Larger cities in the NKY area issue a Government Bond to finance the completion of many streets or all at one time. Bonds are usually repaid over 20 years. Smaller cities typically avoid this method of funding as infrastructure begins to deteriorate before payments are completed. This can lead to bad debt and streets that are still in need of repair over the long term.
3. Cities such as Ft. Mitchell and Villa Hills utilize a City-Wide Street Levy to pay for road repairs. In this method, every business and resident are taxed based upon the value of their home, similarly to the property tax process, or a predetermined annual flat fee. A majority of the voting population must approve this method via a special ballot.
4. In the City of Ft. Thomas, Street Assessments are billed directly to the property owner based upon the total project cost equally divided or on the frontage of property owners have adjacent to the street being repaired. Currently, the City of Taylor Mill has two assessment projects being paid for by adjacent commercial property owners.
FY 2018-2019 BUDGET:
The Commission approved the Fiscal Year 2018-19 Budget at the June 13th meeting. Every year the City's budget priorities are to adopt a fiscally responsible budget that focuses on protecting the life and health of our residents by providing top-notch services to our residents, employ high-quality service-oriented personnel in our administration, and remaining debt-free.
The 2018-19 budget achieves these goals. Many thanks to our department heads, Police Chief Steve Knauf, Fire Chief John Stager, and Maintenance Director Marc Roden for working hard to provide quality services to our residents & working with the City to achieve our service and budget goals.
TASTY TUESDAY/FRIDAY NIGHT FLICKS:
Don't forget to stop by and enjoy the Tasty
Tuesday summer program at Pride Park. Each week a food vendor sets up shop in the park between the hours of 5:00 and 8:00 PM. Attendance for this event has been great, and the vendors appreciate the support of Taylor Mill residents. Friday Night Flick kicks off August 31st. Please check the City's Facebook Page for event information.
You can stay up-to-date on City news by signing up for our city
newsletter or follow us on Facebook @CityofTaylorMill.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me anytime at 859.581.3234,
dbell@taylormillky.gov
or Facebook @MayorDanBell.