BEST FRIENDS FOREVER Your Community Recorder newspaper serving Burlington and Hebron
W e b s i t e : N K Y. c o m
E-mail: kynews@communitypress.com T h u r s d a y, J u n e 1 8 , 2 0 0 9
Wallace Whitton and Betty Shelton Lawrence
Volume 6 Number 20 © 2009 The Community Recorder ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Vote for your favorites
Give your favorite local businesses their much deserved recognition by nominating them for a Readers’ Choice award. Use the ballot on the back page of this section or go to communitypress.com to vote online. All ballots that contain at least one nomination will be eligible for a random drawing of four Kings Island passes.
Home away from home for players
The team behind the scenes of the Florence Freedom makes sure the players have a place to lay their heads at night. Host families open their homes to players who aren’t from around the area, so they have a place to live for free during the season. – LIFE, PAGE B1
Online poll results
Gov. Steve Beshear has proposed allowing videolottery terminals at Kentucky’s horse tracks, a move he says would help the state’s equine industry. Do you support legalizing video slots at racetracks? The results are:
Yes No 33.33%
66.67%
(26) (13)
Total votes: 39
Chesser promoted
A relative newcomer is climbing the ranks. Karen Cheser was promoted to assistant superintendent for learning support services for Boone County Schools. The position had been vacant since January. Cheser, an educator for over 20 years, spent the last two years working as the district’s director of elementary teaching and learning. – SCHOOLS, PAGE A9
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Boone budget sparks debate By Paul McKibben pmckibben@nky.com
The Boone County Fiscal Court approved its fiscal year 2010 budget at its June 9 meeting but it wasn’t without a few G. Moore fireworks. Commissioner Cathy Flaig, who is running against Judge-Executive Gary Moore in next year’s Republican primary, said she was concerned Flaig about the proposed budget revenues not being met because of the downturn in the economy. Fiscal management will likely be a top issue in the race. Judge-Executive Moore said the forecast on property taxes that are in this budget are based on numbers similar to what the county has seen over the last year. He didn’t rule out amending the budget later in the year. The new general budget is $39.4 million, approximately $300,000 less than the current fiscal year general fund budget. Flaig was the lone vote against the budget. “I think the Kenner economy is going to ... downturn and I think this budget is too big,” she said before the vote. The judge-executive asked her for specifics. Flaig had T. Moore several ideas for savings including Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky (buses) funding, phasing in information technology, eliminate all conferences except ones in Kentucky, eliminate a proposed government relations position, no overtime except for public works and property maintenance, among other ideas. Commissioner Charlie Kenner criticized Flaig for not bringing up the proposed specific cuts earlier. The Fiscal Court had conducted other meetings about the budget before the June 9 vote. Flaig said she did talk about the information technology. JudgeExecutive Moore said Flaig made no suggestions at the commissioner workshop. Kenner said it was the tightest budget he’s ever seen. Commissioner Terri Moore said the budget is lean. Employees won’t be receiving pay increases. Judge-Executive Moore said the county doesn’t expect any layoffs. He said the reserve funds in all of its major accounts are at its recommended level of 10 percent. “So even though we have reduced spending, the county is very sound financially,” he said.
Union resident Bob Dube plants some licorice vine at the Boone County Arboretum at Central Park.
PAUL MCKIBBEN/STAFF
Baeten’s donates to arboretum By Paul McKibben pmckibben@nky.com
The Boone County Arboretum at Central Park has some additional plants this summer thanks to a donation by a Union family nursery. The plants from Baeten’s Nursery & Greenhouses at 364 Frogtown Road include licorice vine, blue and red salvia, begonias, ornamental peppers and blue ageratum.
Todd Baeten, brother Jeff Baeten and father Earl Baeten own the business. Todd Baeten said about 1,100 annuals were donated. He said the goal of the donation is to beautify the arboretum. “The arboretum should look like a cornerstone or a jewel in Boone County’s parks,” he said. Arboretum Director Kris Stone said the arboretum has received other large donations like this one in the past. Regarding more dona-
tions, he said the arboretum is probably good right now. He called the donation “wonderful.” The Baetens and the arboretum have a history together. Todd Baeten said they were in business for a couple of years and then Dick Ammon, who designed the arboretum, invited them to be a part of the big planting there. Todd Baeten said the nursery has donated plants and things like that before to it, but nothing to this scale.
Boone approves DHL tax deal By Paul McKibben pmckibben@nky.com
DHL Express (USA) Inc. received an unanimous OK from the Boone County Fiscal Court on June 9 for a $1.87 million tax incentive package from the state and the county as the freight carrier plans to open new operations at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport in Hebron. DHL is expected to hire approximately 187 new full-time workers with an average annual pay of $41,440. It will also create approximately 646 new part-time jobs with an estimated annual wage of $15,000. Boone County resident Bob Cicero said based on the circumstances surrounding DHL there is absolutely no legitimate reason for the Fiscal Court or for the state to consider any tax incentive for DHL. He mentioned incentives DHL had previously received from Kentucky and Ohio. He was also concerned about noise from nighttime flights. As part of the incentive deal, DHL will give Boone County no more than $334,000 in county
FILE PHOTO
This is a view of planes from April parked at the DHL facility in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. payroll taxes toward the proposed South Airfield Road that will connect Turfway Road to Oakbrook Road. DHL is moving operations from Wilmington, Ohio, back to the airport. It currently still has employees at CVG. Judge-Executive Gary Moore said with the Kentucky Jobs Development Act no monies are paid up front to DHL. Before Cicero’s critique, Michael Schmitt, director of hub development at DHL, said the primary fleet that will be operating into the airport on a nightly basis will be 767 airplanes. He said the only aircraft that will be operating are fuel
and noise efficient airplanes. Boone County resident Shawn Cox encouraged the Fiscal Court to support the incentive ordinance because in this economy the county can’t afford to reject any incentive to bring new jobs, especially giving tuition assistance, which Schmitt alluded to. Cox also mentioned the road project saying this an opportunity to get the project up and running. The state will give final approval between now and March 26, 2010. For information about DHL jobs, visit www.cvgairport.com. Under “What’s New?,” click on “DHL to Reactivate Its CVG Hub.”