Fort thomas recorder 110515

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FORT THOMAS RECORDER

Your Community Recorder newspaper serving Fort Thomas

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2015

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LEADING RECEIVER 1B Kendall lends Highlands football offensive consistency

BECAUSE COMMUNITY MATTERS

Supreme Court rules in favor of 911 fee Chris Mayhew cmayhew@communitypress.com t

Campbell County has won a Kentucky Supreme Court case challenging local government’s authority to charge an annual 911 service fee on property taxes. The Greater Cincinnati/ Northern Kentucky Apartment Association filed a lawsuit in September 2013 questioning the constitutional right of Campbell County to charge an additional $45 annual fee on property taxes. The fee collects about $1.3 million annually. Campbell County Fiscal Court started charging the fee

in 2013 as a replacement for a $3 monthly landline fee. Apartment owners were charged $45 for each occupied unit. Owners of a single-family home and commercial properties, no matter how large, each pay a maximum of $45 annually. “Common sense dictates that Campbell County residents engaged in either labor or leisure spend a significant amount of their time at residential and commercial properties located within Campbell County,” according to a portion of the majority ruling written by four Supreme Court justices. Campbell County argued Kentucky law allowed for ei-

ther a local landline phone fee or some other type of fee, Campbell County Attorney Steven J. Franzen said. “I applaud the Supreme Court for just keeping it simple,” Franzen said. Apartment association officials were not immediately able to comment. Revenues tied to landlines, not cellphones, had been dipping each year prior to starting a property tax fee. Fees from landlines dropped from $1.68 million in 2010 to $1.49 million in 2012 as people began switching to mobile phones. The county supplemented the dispatch center’s

2012-13 budget deficit with $260,000. “Everybody that’s taking care of 911 service will tell you the same thing, the 911 fee was not going to hold up,” Edmondson said. “People were dropping their landline phones.” People without landlines were able to walk away from paying for the service, he said. “We felt like senior citizens were the only ones paying for the service,” Edmondson said. There is now financial security for 911 dispatching, he said. “For the first time in forever we’ve got the right amount of funds to do the job,” Edmondson said.

SANTA HOUSE

moves across town to armory Chris Mayhew cmayhew@communitypress.com

FORT THOMAS — Volunteers from Moyer Elementary School will be taking their elf-like winter wonderland creation known as the Santa House across town to Tow er Park this year. This year’s Santa House will be presented from 6-9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21, at the Fort Thomas Armory, 950 S. Fort Thomas Ave.. Construction at Moyer has forced the move of Santa House, the Parent Teacher Organization’s biggest annual fundraiser, Carol Dixon said. Dixon, a parent volunteer and publicity chairwoman for Santa House, said buying extra supplies for teachers is one way money raised is used. So many people help out there are 50 committee chairs leading other volunteers. “Our PTO begins the preparations for Santa House during the summer and continue through the school year to make it a special time for both kids and adults,” Principal Dawn Laber said. PTO members work hard

FILE PHOTO

Moyer Elementary School students in Fort Thomas work inside Santa’s Workshop.

to offer a little bit for all people to enjoy, Laber said. Some highlights will include a silent auction, holiday basket raffle, pictures with Santa and reindeer games area with an inflat-

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able bounce house. » The Children’s Gift Shop: Fifth-grade students dressed as elves will escort children through the gift shop as adults wait outside and sip coffee at the North

Pole Cafe. Children will shop to fill their family’s Christmas wish lists. » Mistletoe Market: This will offer one-of-a-kind handSee SANTA, Page 2A

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Justices Lisabeth Hughes Abramson, David Allen Barber, Michelle M. Keller and Mary C. Noble wrote the court’s majority opinion. Chief Justice John D. Minton Jr. concurred with a dissenting opinion written by Justice Daniel J. Venters. Venters equated the 911 service fee to existing Kentucky law with trying to “fit a square peg into a round hole.” About $1.3 million was collected in Campbell County each year since 2013. If the case had gone differently, the county would have had to give the money back and come up with a new See FEE, Page 2A

Salute to Veterans a military remembrance FORT THOMAS — Actors dressed in historic military uniforms, scale models and a roundtable with veterans about the Vietnam War will be part of the city’s eighth year of Salute to Veterans. Salute to Veterans, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday Nov. 14-15 will take place at the Fort Thomas Community Center (Mess Hall) at 801 Cochran Ave. in Tower Park. There is no cost to attend. Special Saturday events include costumed colonial balladeer Jonathan Hagee, military vehicles display, Sixth Scale Collector’s Club (military miniature model displays), costumed military actors and military weapons. Also on Saturday: » Kathleen Cox will speak at 11 a.m. Saturday about a being a Red Cross girl and sign books. Cox is co-author with LeOna Cox of “Destination Unknown: Adventures of a World War II American Red Cross Girl.” » Cheryl Popp and Peter Bronson will sign their book “Legacy of Courage” from 1-3 p.m. » A Vietnam Veteran Roundtable is at 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. On Sunday, Fort Thomas second-grade students will perform a concert at 2 p.m. Heather Renee French, Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs commissioner, will speak at 3:30 p.m. Sunday.

Vol. 16 No. 24 © 2015 The Community Recorder ALL RIGHTS RESERVED


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