Covington's $6M Axon police technology deal returns for public discussion, more in NKY gov

This week at NKY government meetings, Covington's proposed police technology contract with Axon Enterprise returns for debate. Keep reading to find out what happened in local government over the past week and what you need to know for this week. What happened in NKY government last week? New 'Swirley's Soft Serve' ice cream shop could be coming to Alexandria Alexandria could soon welcome a new brick-and-mortar ice cream shop after the city's Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved a zone change for Swirley's Soft Serve at 102 Washington St. Business partners Alex Yocum and Chase Dawson, who currently operate Swirley's through a mobile soft serve trailer, plan to open the shop in the former Campbell Fire Insurance building. The owners said the business would primarily serve ice cream, with possible additions such as coffee, cinnamon rolls, brownies and cookies, and would be designed for customers to get in and out quickly rather than stay for long periods. They anticipate operating from around 2 p.m. to 8 or 9 p.m. and have discussed sharing parking with a neighboring church to supplement four off-street spaces at the property. The shop is targeting an April or May opening next spring. Read more about the new ice cream shop here. Boone Planning Commission recommends denial of Richwood Kroger The Boone County Planning Commission recommended denying Kroger's request to rezone roughly 20 acres at Frogtown Connector Road and Paddock Drive for its proposed Richwood Pointe development. The project calls for a 99,000-square-foot Kroger grocery store, wine and spirits store, fuel center and a multi-tenant retail and restaurant building. Commissioners primarily raised concerns about a proposed connection to Paddock Drive that could increase cut-through traffic in a nearby subdivision, as well as potential traffic backups near a proposed signal and noise from loading docks near homes. The proposal comes amid continued grocery expansion in Northern Kentucky by both Kroger and Publix. The commission's recommendation will now go to the Boone County Fiscal Court, which will make the final decision on the zone change. Read more about the Kroger denial recommendation here. 340-unit luxury apartment development recommended for denial by Boone County Planning Commission The Boone County Planning Commission voted 11-2 on Sept. 2 to recommend denying a zone change for a 340-unit luxury apartment development near the Florence-Union border, reversing an earlier 3-2 recommendation for approval from its zone change subcommittee. Silverman & Co. is seeking to rezone nearly 33 acres near Old Union Road and U.S. 42 for the development, which would include several three- and four-story apartment buildings, an 8,000-square-foot clubhouse, a pool, pickleball court, dog park and other amenities. Union officials have repeatedly opposed the proposal, citing concerns about infrastructure and traffic, while planning commissioners particularly pointed to potential congestion around Bowman Way and U.S. 42. The recommendation will next go to the Boone County Fiscal Court and Florence City Council for consideration. Read more about the apartment denial recommendation here. Covington to lower real estate tax rates, some residents to get lower bill Covington is proposing a lower real estate property tax rate but a slightly higher tangible property tax rate for 2026, with both set at the compensating level designed to generate roughly the same revenue as the previous year. The proposed real estate rate would fall 8.7%, from 28.7 cents to 26.2 cents per $100 of assessed value, meaning property owners whose assessments increased by less than 9.5% should see their city real estate tax bills decrease, according to Budget Director Joe Ewald. Covington's overall real estate assessments increased about 12.7% during this year's reassessment. Meanwhile, the tangible property rate, which primarily affects businesses and their equipment and other movable property, would rise from 37.5 cents to 38.2 cents per $100. Commissioners unanimously opted for the compensating rates rather than higher rates recommended by Ewald and are scheduled to hold a first reading Sept. 8 and a final vote Sept. 22. Read more about the tax rates here. Fort Mitchell discusses e-bike regulations Fort Mitchell City Council is continuing to revise proposed regulations for e-bikes after residents expressed competing concerns about safety and whether new rules would unfairly punish responsible riders. During the ordinance's second reading, Mayor Greg Pohlgeers proposed lowering the speed limit for Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes from 15 mph to 10 mph, requiring riders to walk their e-bikes during certain times such as before and after school, and allowing fines or possible confiscation for repeated dangerous behavior. Several council members supported the additional safety measures, citing concerns about pedestrians and narrow sidewalks, while some residents argued that stricter regulations go too far because not all young riders behave irresponsibly. Council plans to continue revising the proposal before adopting a final ordinance, with its next meeting scheduled for Sept. 14. Read more about the regulations here. Fort Wright proposes property tax cut Fort Wright is considering another reduction to its real property tax rate, with City Council suggesting a rate between $1.85 and $1.87 per $1,000 of assessed value, down 6% to 7% from the current $1.99 rate. The proposal would continue a series of reductions from $2.48 in 2023 to $2.15 in 2024 and $1.99 this year. Officials estimate the lower rate would reduce city revenue by about $100,000 but said other revenue sources could offset the loss. With Fort Wright holding roughly $11 million in reserves, council members also discussed whether some of that money could effectively be returned to taxpayers rather than continuing to grow the fund balance, while noting the city faces future road maintenance expenses. A public hearing on the proposed tax rate is scheduled for Oct. 7. Read more about the property tax rate here. Kenton County to revamp its code of ethics and ethics commission Kenton County Fiscal Court is considering a complete rewrite of its code of ethics, with a final vote scheduled for Sept. 8. County officials said the proposal, modeled heavily on Boone County's ordinance, is intended to create greater consistency among ethics rules in Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties. Major changes would include reducing the Ethics Commission from five members to three, eliminating commissioner term limits, replacing the existing nominating committee with appointments by the judge/executive subject to commissioner approval, narrowing the definition of family for nepotism rules, eliminating certain property disclosure requirements and explicit anti-retaliation language, closing ethics hearings unless the subject requests otherwise, and establishing a one-year deadline for filing complaints. The proposal would also add a 'rule of necessity' allowing certain contracts involving potential financial conflicts under specified circumstances. County officials said several existing ethical obligations would remain covered elsewhere in the revised ordinance and that streamlining the commission would make it easier to administer. Read more about the revamp efforts here. Fort Mitchell retains property tax rates Fort Mitchell City Council approved its property tax rate for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, keeping the real property tax rate unchanged at 10.8 cents per $100 of assessed value. The approval marks the 11th consecutive year that Fort Mitchell's property tax rate has either remained the same or decreased. Read more about the rates here. Campbell County's tax rate is going down. That doesn't mean your bill will Campbell County Fiscal Court approved a slightly lower real property tax rate for 2026, reducing it from 15.3 cents to 15.2 cents per $100 of assessed value and marking the sixth consecutive year the county has lowered the rate. The county adopted the compensating rate, which is generally designed to generate approximately the same revenue from existing property as the previous year. However, a lower county rate does not necessarily mean individual property owners will pay less because rising property assessments and tax rates imposed by other entities, including school, library and fire districts, can increase the overall bill. Commissioner Brian Painter described the reduction as part of a continuing trend of taxpayer relief, while Judge/Executive Steve Pendery acknowledged that some residents could still pay more because their assessed property values have increased. Read more about the county's tax rate here. Athena Hospitality's $100M Florence development gets planning commission backing The Boone County Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval of a zone change for Athena Hospitality Group's proposed $100 million commercial development at 3700 Houston Road in Florence. Plans call for two hotels, including a Residence Inn and a full-service Hilton or Marriott, along with a 14,000-square-foot restaurant and a 15,368-square-foot office building that would serve as Athena's corporate headquarters. The recommendation includes conditions related to landscaping, architectural standards, tree preservation and extending Beam Boulevard, while also limiting one of the proposed hotels to five stories instead of the initially planned seven. Florence City Council, which recently approved a separate preliminary financing agreement involving industrial revenue bonds and a PILOT, will have final authority over the zone change. Read more about the development here. Highland Heights council member resigns amid sexual abuse conviction Highland Heights City Councilmember Jesse Hockenbury announced he will resign effective Oct. 1 following his July Alford plea to third-degree sexual abuse. Hockenbury, who was elected in 2024, was arrested in February after a woman reported unwanted sexual conduct and inappropriate comments while he was serving as her attorney. Several council members subsequently called for his resignation, and Councilmember Rene Heinrich said his departure would spare the city the expense of pursuing a formal removal action. Hockenbury was sentenced to 90 days in jail but will not serve that time unless he violates court-imposed conditions, including having no contact with the victim and remaining at least 500 feet from her, her home and workplace. Read more about the council member here. St. Elizabeth seeks $60M bond deal to refinance old debt St. Elizabeth Healthcare is seeking up to $60 million in municipal bond debt to refinance bonds originally issued in 2016, with the health system saying the move is intended to secure a lower interest rate and reduce borrowing costs. The new bonds, issued through the Kentucky Bond Development Corporation, would help pay off an earlier $85 million debt package that itself refinanced bonds from 2009 used for St. Elizabeth facilities in Covington, Edgewood and Crestview Hills. Because facilities financed by the original bonds are located in several municipalities, federal tax law requires local approvals, although the cities have no financial responsibility for the debt and no new construction is involved. Covington is expected to vote on its approval Sept. 8. Read more about the bond deal here. Elsmere's Rosella Porterfield Park playground renovation to begin this week Rosella Porterfield Park in Elsmere is set to undergo playground renovations beginning Sept. 8, with the entire park expected to remain closed until work is completed around mid-October. The project will move the playground closer to the basketball court and replace the existing mulch with rubber surfacing while adding a concrete border, new playground equipment, fencing and benches for both the playground and basketball court. Street parking will be unavailable during construction, although traffic on Capitol Street will continue as normal. The basketball boards and picnic area are not included in the current project but could be upgraded in the future. Read more about the playground renovation here. Boone County approves 224-unit Drees condominium development Boone County Fiscal Court approved a zone change allowing Drees Homes to move forward with a 224-unit condominium development on 37 acres along North Bend Road near Hebron. The project will feature two-story condominium buildings with garages, along with a pool, clubhouse, walking paths and green space maintained by a homeowners association. The development previously received a unanimous recommendation from the Boone County Planning Commission, but some residents raised concerns about increased traffic and pressure on roads, schools and other public services. Drees representatives said a traffic study and discussions with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet informed the project and that the developer would make necessary infrastructure improvements. The developer also agreed to increase the setback between the new buildings and neighboring single-family homes to at least 50 feet. Read more about the development here. Ludlow continues e-bike ordinance discussion Ludlow City Council is moving closer to adopting regulations for e-bikes, with City Attorney Michelle Eviston expected to present a draft ordinance for a first reading Sept. 10. Council members discussed following state requirements by requiring registration only for Class 3 e-bikes, allowing children age 8 and younger to ride bicycles on sidewalks despite the city's existing sidewalk ban, and treating ordinance violations as civil rather than criminal offenses. Proposed penalties could include escalating fines and impoundment of an e-bike after four or more violations, with the bike held until fines are paid. Read more about the e-bike ordinance here. Elsmere seeks to change regulations on pools, dually trucks, other regs Elsmere is considering several updates to its building and zoning regulations to make the rules clearer and easier to administer. The proposed changes would allow backyard accessory structures such as pools to sit closer to rear property lines, require a 2-foot setback for driveways, expand fencing options in neighborhood commercial zones, loosen screening requirements for campers, boats and similar vehicles in non-residential areas, and allow one commercial dual-wheel pickup truck to be parked at a residential property. City officials said some of the changes would better align Elsmere's rules with neighboring communities, particularly along the Dixie Highway corridor, while reflecting changes in the types of vehicles residents use. The Kenton County Planning Commission recommended approval, and the proposals will now return to Elsmere City Council for a final decision. Read more about the regulation changes here. What's happening this week in NKY government? Campbell County Planning and Zoning meeting: Tuesday, Sept. 8 The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. at 1098 Monmouth St. in Newport. The agenda can be found here. Boone County Fiscal Court meeting: Tuesday, Sept. 8 The meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. at 2950 Washington St. in Burlington. The agenda can be found here. Kenton County Fiscal Court meeting: Tuesday, Sept. 8 The meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. at 5272 Madison Pike in Independence. The agenda can be found here. Covington Commission Caucus meeting: Tuesday, Sept. 8 What you need to know: The commission will hold an Axon Enterprise presentation and hear public comment regarding the technology. Read more about the Axon technology and ongoing discussion here. The agenda can be found here. Dayton City Council meeting: Tuesday, Sept. 8 The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. at 625 Second Ave. The agenda can be found here. Elsmere City Council meeting: Tuesday, Sept. 8 The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. at 3921 Dixie Highway. The agenda can be found here. Walton City Council meeting: Tuesday, Sept. 8 The meeting starts at 7 p.m. at 40 North Main St. The agenda can be found here. Bellevue City Council meeting: Wednesday, Sept. 9 The meeting starts at 7 p.m. at 322 Van Voast Ave. The agenda can be found here. Taylor Mill City Council meeting: Wednesday, Sept. 9 The meeting starts at 7 p.m. at 5225 Taylor Mill Rd. The agenda can be found here. Ludlow City Council meeting: Thursday, Sept. 10 The meeting starts at 7 p.m. at 51 Elm St.