By Ryan Clark
NKyTribune reporter
A round of new faces and positions will be seen in Covington after the Commission’s regularly scheduled legislative meeting Tuesday night.
Commissioners approved the following:
• The promotion of police detective Jay Zerhusen to Sergeant effective May 1.
• The promotion of Krista Dyer to Fire Department Captain effective May 1.
• The accepting of the retirement of Finance Director Muhammed Owusu effective March 30.
• The approving of the hire of Casey Barach for the position of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Manager, effective April 13.
• The accepting of the retirement of Sgt. Aaron Mears effective May 1.
• The accepting of the retirement of Capt. Rodney Gurren effective April 1.
• The accepting of the resignation of police officer Tyler Tipton effective April 3.
• The approving of the hire of Ashley Smith for the position of Fire Department Business Analyst effective April 25.
• The accepting of the retirement of light equipment operator Paul Thompson effective Feb. 1.
On the topic of Zerhusen’s promotion, Police Chief Robert Nader noted that the former patrol officer has been working for the department since August 2008 and has served in various roles like Bike Patrol Officer, SWAT, and the detective bureau.
“I want to add that we are looking forward to seeing what Det. Zerhusen brings to the table in his new role as Sergeant, as he is always thinking of ways to improve our service delivery,” Nader said. “For example, he came up with the idea of our SOFA Unit, which stands for Sdex Offender Fugitive Apprehension Team, along with retired Officer Tony Hill, where they go around town and verify the residences of sex offenders.”
Fire Chief Mark Pierce noted that Dyer was hired by the city in August 2009.
“Krista’s determination cannot be beat,” Pierce said. “When she sets her mind to do something there is nothing that can stop her.”
He explained that last year, during promotional testing, most firefighters study hard for one test they are eligible for. Krista studied for all three exams she was eligible for.
“Not only did she pass all three,” Pierce said, “she scored No. 1 on all three.”
He said he was excited to see what she will do for the department and the city.
City Hall lease renewal
Commissioners approved the city’s lease option for City Hall at 20 W. Pike St. for one year.
On Oct. 1, 2018, the city entered a lease to use the site for four years, which is set to expire on Sept.30, 2022, with an option to renew for one singular year.
Even though the city has explored options for a new building, including acquiring land and getting design work underway, a new City Hall would not be ready in time.
City Manager Ken Smith negotiated a lease with the building owner, Bopper Properties, LLC for an annual amount of $255,000.
Extra office space
Last week, Smith discussed possibly having to find more space to lease for the new city staff.
Tuesday, Commissioner Tim Downing said that because he does not use it very often, he would offer his office to anyone who needed it, if that could help provide a solution.
Executive Session
Commissioners ended the meeting by going into an executive session where the Mayor said they would not take any action. He said the purpose of the meeting was to discuss:
• Pending litigation
• Personnel issues
Next Meeting
The next regularly scheduled Covington Commission meeting will be a caucus meeting held at 6 p.m., April 19, at the City Building at 20 W. Pike St. in Covington. The meetings can be followed live on Fioptics channel 815, Spectrum channel 203, the Telecommunications Board of Northern Kentucky (TBNK) website, the TBNK Facebook page @TBNKonline, and the TBNK Roku channels.
