Land Development Council Hosts Northern Kentucky Caucus
T
he Land Development Council hosted members of the HBA and its State & Local Government Committee at their annual Northern Kentucky Caucus meeting. Paul Metzger, President of the Land Development Council, of Fischer Homes, presided over the meeting. Dozens of HBA members attended the event to hear about what the Caucus members expect to see coming from the General Assembly in 2014. The 2014 session is a “long session” year, meaning that it is a session where the legislators will deal with the budget. As explained by the Caucus members in attendance the state is essentially broke. While Kentucky will receive more tax revenues than it did in prior years the increase will not be able to cover the increases of pension liabilities for public employees. While this issue will ease in upcoming years due to legislative fixes implemented in the 2013 session, 2014 and 2015 will prove to be very difficult and lean years in Frankfort. During a question and answer session subjects were addressed such as the Brent Spence Bridge, KY Route 536 construction funding, KYNECT the State Health Care Exchange, exempting Association Health Care Plan assessments for the exchange, workers compensation law, Sanitation District 1, environmental regulations, and other issues facing Northern Kentucky. During the meeting a document was handed out that represents the Statewide Policy Positions of the Home Builders Association of Northern Kentucky. The work was compiled by members of the HBA’s State & Local Government Committee lead by Chairman Walt Dunlevy, of Forge Lumber. Thanks go out to Walt for his tireless efforts leading the State & Local Government Committee and for Paul Metzger for his leadership of the Land Development Council. To read the Statewide Policy Positions of your HBA visit http://issuu.com/hbanky/docs/hba_positions_for_ general_assembly_ Or scan the QR code to read it on your tablet or mobile device.
GET READY FOR THE LAND DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL’S 2014’S EVENT LINEUP February 19th - Infrastructure Partners Roundtable; noon, HBA Come and discuss issues facing development with everyone involved in the process in Northern Kentucky. Learn about changes in regulations, specifications, and processes from the entire development community in Northern Kentucky. See how the sharing of information can help improve everyone’s understanding of development and the challenges the community faces. April 16th – Scott Smith, Smith Management Group, the State of Stormwater and the Development Community; noon, HBA Scott Smith founded SMG in 1989 to focus on environmental management issues facing industry and business in the US and Canada. At that time, Scott had been solving problems from water to air issues, from Texas to Ontario, for more than 15 years. Over time he has added industrial hygiene, health & safety services to help his clients address workplace issues. Scott served as Deputy Director of the Energy and Environment Cabinet under Governor Ernie Fletcher. Along the way, he translated his ability to connect with government, both on the regulatory side and in the legislative arena to build a government services practice. And as energy has become so important to us all, he has learned to solve problems and find practical, environmentally sound solutions to the increasing need for energy. May 21st – Joint LDC/OVDC annual meeting – Randal O’Toole, Senior Fellow, The CATO Institute, urban growth, public land, and transportation issues; 2 pm, Hofbrauhaus Newport O’Toole’s latest book is American Nightmare: How Government Undermines The Dream of Homeownership. O’Toole is the author of numerous Cato papers. He has also written for Regulation magazine as well as op-eds and articles for numerous other national journals and newspapers. O’Toole travels extensively and has spoken about free-market environmental issues in dozens of cities. An Oregon native, O’Toole was educated in forestry at Oregon State University and in economics at the University of Oregon. June 18th –Annual SD1 meeting; noon, HBA Come to learn about the latest in regulations, best management practices, developer mandates, and the future of SD1 at this informative meeting. SD1 will award a developer and a contractor their annual awards. August 20th – Infrastructure Partners Roundtable; noon, HBA Come and discuss issues facing development with everyone involved in the process in Northern Kentucky. Learn about changes in regulations, specifications, and processes from the entire development community in Northern Kentucky. See how the sharing of information can help improve everyone’s understanding of development and the challenges the community faces. October 15th – State of the Counties ; noon, HBA Come hear about what is happening in the various counties in Northern Kentucky. Whether it is the next commercial project, road project, county and city regulation, economic development and workforce development progress this is the place to be to hear from the elected officials from the counties in our area. December 17th – NKY Caucus; noon, HBA Meet the Northern Kentucky Caucus from our state delegation. Participate in the discussion as leaders of the LDC, the HBA and members of the State & Local Government Committee present our association’s positions to the lawmakers that make a difference for Northern Kentucky. Learn what to expect in the 2015 General Assembly and make your voice heard as a participant in our industry’s future.
01/2014
Northern Kentucky BUILDER
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