Issues & Solutions
Build A Better Tomorrow
Tax Rates
First, we have experienced unprecedented growth and progress as a result of our lower property tax rates and tangible tax rates. Despite eleven (11) consecutive years of lower tax rates, we continue collecting more revenue than we did 10 years ago. In the upcoming 2 years, I would like council to continue the property tax rate decreases, but I would also like to explore decreases in our franchise fees, insurance premium tax rates, and payroll tax rates. We've had so much growth over the last few years - however, the job is not done. We must continue to focus on promoting development and filling all vacant portions of existing buildings. Ultimately, the purpose of all of this is to lighten the tax burden on our residents.
Services
● Our Police Social Worker program has been a huge success, thanks to Maryann Moore, Chief Rader, and our Mayor, Jessica Fette. However, there has been a public outcry for more help. Maryann needs help to continue these services. An additional social worker would be a huge help. Hand-in-hand, I would like to also see proper funding to help support our E-angel program. It is currently funded with donations and fundraising.
● I'm looking forward to finalizing the plans and the implementation of the fourth annual Summer Sendoff! I've been helping the Mayor with these plans since the beginning, and it has been a huge success! We have transformed a mediocre mid-September event that used to cost the city $6,000 - $9,000 per year, to a spectacular end of Summer blowout including live entertainment, food, drinks, art & craft vendors, Cincinnati Circus, and fireworks. The best part is that the entire event is completely sponsored by our local community partners! Thank you to Arlinghaus Plumbing, Heating & Air for continuing the commitment to be the title sponsor!
Facilities
There are a handful of projects that should be completed in the next two years:
● Much needed repairs and maintenance on the city facilities
● Continued road and sidewalk repairs
● A dog park off the north end of Houston Road
● Sherbourne Park Improvements Phases I & II
● Silverlake Park Improvements Phase IV
● A mountain bike adventure park unlike anything in the region
There are some lofty possibilities that exist for other improvements! They include:
● An amphitheater in one of our parks for live performances
● Murals, landscaping, hardscaping, and other beautification efforts
● Erecting a salt-storage building on the East side of our city to improve efficiency and responsiveness during snow emergencies
● More parking in some of our parks. Some of our 13 parks have zero parking spaces. Most of our parks have very few parking spots.
● Fixing the intersection of Concord and Stevenson Road
Internal Operations
Having served for several years as Chairman of the Fire/EMS Committee, I have seen firsthand how important strong leadership, coordination, and readiness are to public safety. Erlanger has made major strides because of our new Director of Public Safety Kyle Rader’s work to bring the Fire and Police Departments under one unified leader, strengthened operational alignment, and improve how we serve residents. The creation of Police EMTs has provided meaningful added support to the Fire Department, and the Department of Public Safety Training Facility on the former Public Works campus is a smart, long-term investment in preparedness. These improvements position Erlanger as a model for other communities—and create opportunities to expand training capacity in a way that can generate long-term value for the City.
Philosophy
There are 9 council members who serve on Erlanger’s City Council. Some of them have been “serving” for too long and are content with the status quo. Others of us are eager to make progress and improvements in our city. Due to the variation in the perceptions and tolerances of our different council members, there are certain hurdles that are almost impossible to overcome. In a perfect world, there are a few changes I would make to the structure of our city government:
●Fewer Council Members – If we could reduce the number of council members from 9 down to 6, we would increase the value of the seat (making people have to work harder to win the seat), and eliminate the ability to “hide” amid the crowd. Six council members would have to be accountable for their accomplishments, and do-nothing council members would no longer be able to be re-elected based on name recognition.
●Set a Cap on our Cash Reserves – I have tried for several years to get our council to either set a limit on our city cash reserves, or use the money (as our auditors recommend) for the benefit of our residents. They will not do it. With a budget of approximately $20,000,000 per year, our auditors and the Kentucky League of Cities would recommend we have about $6,100,000 (30%) in reserves for emergencies and unforeseen circumstances. Currently the City of Erlanger has about $15,000,000 in reserves! More than double the recommended amount! It is a great position to be in, but unfortunately, we had to “steal” that money from the hard-working people of Erlanger. If we don’t plan to use the reserves, then we need to stop “stealing” it, and DRASTICALLY reduce our tax rates.