Covington grapples with short-term rentals: ‘It will be a balancing act’

BY NATHAN GRANGER | LINK nky REPORTER

“If you’re here thinking that this is a debate about whether we should regulate shortterm rentals, you’re in the wrong place,” said Covington City Solicitor David Davidson at a public hearing at The Carnegie on April 12.

“We already regulated short-term rentals, and the question is, how are we going to change what we’re doing now?” Davidson added.

A short-term rental is a piece of privately-owned property rented out to tenants for short stays. They’re often called Airbnbs, after the web service where landlords can advertise their properties, although there are now multiple websites for booking short-term rentals.

This was Covington’s first public hearing on the matter, although this is not the first time members of the public have attended city meetings in large numbers to voice their opinions on regulation.

People on both sides of the issue attended Wednesday’s hearing. Speakers included short-term property owners and a variety of other community residents.

“I think I can speak for the entire commission when I say we do not plan to ban shortterm rentals in Covington,” said Mayor Joe Meyer. “But we do want, and what our goal is, is a regulatory scheme that protects the quality of life in our neighborhoods while allowing the continued use of STRs [shortterm rentals] at some level, and it will be a balancing act.”

The hearing followed the passage of an ordinance in March, which escalated penalties for short-term landlords who have failed to meet municipal licensing requirements. Current penalties for delinquent landlords include fines of up to $1,000 per day of operating without proper licensing, tax audits, prohibitions against applying for rental licenses, and liens and foreclosures.

Covington began regulating short-term rentals in 2021 when city staff noticed their increased proliferation. It seemed Covington offered a cheap place to stay for big events across the river in Cincinnati, like football games and conventions.

Covington isn’t alone in considering the issue; several other cities in the region have deployed varying degrees of regulation on short-term rentals. Although short-term rentals can be an economic boon for property owners and even municipalities, there are questions about how they affect city zoning practices, housing cost and access, and neighborhood safety.

To legally advertise and operate a shortterm rental in Covington, landlords must obtain a conditional zoning permit from the local architectural board, then obtain a $50 business license and an annual shortterm rental license from the city, which range in price from $30 to $150, depending on the size of the property. Lastly, they must submit to a building inspection to check for safety hazards.

“Only 43 short-term rental licenses have been sought and issued,” as of February, according to a press release from the city. A quick search on the Airbnb website for stays over the coming weekend displays about 230 advertised rentals operating in the city.

The city declared a moratorium on new licenses in December. Property owners who had already obtained proper licensing can still operate their properties legally but cannot apply for new licenses for new properties until the freeze is lifted in June.

Numerous property owners spoke at the meeting, sharing their frustrations with the application moratorium and the city’s measures against short-term rentals generally, many saying that their businesses have been derailed due to the moratorium.

Noah Brauer, who owns several rental properties in town, expressed what many property owners were feeling.

“I’m here to start earning money in the city of Covington doing this, and I’m eager to continue to invest in the city of Covington,” Brauer said. “I mean, I have invested a considerable amount of money in these buildings, and I feel like what I’ve done has been good for the community.”

Several other property owners said that communications surrounding the licensing requirements had been poor, and many felt blindsided by the moratorium.

“What I’ve seen inside of Covington is that we have had an immense amount of properties that have been blighted and have been cited by Covington for decades that I live literally right next door to,” said Douglas Thorton, who’s lived with his wife in Covington since 1994, and who has rented out a portion of his home on both a longterm and a short-term basis.

“What had changed that directly was the idea of short term rental that allowed that property to now shine again. It allowed Covington to shine again,” Thorton added. People who were in favor of more regulation spoke, too.

Daniel Burr, who said that he’d lived in Covington for 31 years, expressed worries about the density of rentals within certain neighborhoods, a concern that many shared.

“If every property owner who has applied to operate or expressed an interest in operating a short-term rental in this area were granted a license, that number would increase to 10, almost a third of the residential properties on these two blocks. This is too many,” Burr said. “My neighborhood has been inundated with short-term rentals.”

He recommended limiting the number of licenses that could be issued for residential areas.

He also recommended establishing a public database to keep track of legally-operating rentals.

Covington residents who wish to submit written comments to the city commission can send an email to the city clerk at cityclerk@covingtonky.gov.

St. Vincent de Paul leads region-wide food drive

conditioner, cereal, and other breakfast items.

Items can be dropped off at any of the following locations: Covington Police Department at 20th Street & Madison Avenue in Covington, Kenton County Police Department at 11777 Madison Pike in Independence.

Book Benches made by local artists coming to Covington

people to sit and read.

The city of Covington offered funds from the American Rescue Plan Act to help fund the project. Local movers Two Men & A Truck assisted with the program by moving benches and will assist on the day of installation.

and identity theft after making $180,000 in personal purchases on a company credit card, Attorney General Daniel Cameron announced April 14.

Donaldson was the administrative manager for the city’s public works department and made the plea on April 5, Cameron announced in a press release.

St. Vincent de Paul of Northern Kentucky, local law enforcement, and the FedEx Ground Hub in Independence have partnered to collect food donations throughout Boone, Kenton, and Campbell counties, according to a press release from St. Vincent de Paul.

Donors may drop any of the requested items: peanut butter and jelly, soup, mac & cheese, instant potatoes, canned meats, pork and beans, baked beans, chili beans, canned fruit, laundry detergent, shampoo,

Local artists and a Campbell County High School art teacher are giving back to the community through art service projects.

Teacher Leslie Hagen and the artists were selected to participate in the Kenton County Public Library Foundation’s Book Bench Project, which brings literacy and artistic expression together. Six local artists painted their interpretation of books on a fiberglass bench in the shape of an open book.

In May, the Book Benches will be placed in neighborhoods throughout Covington for

Former Covington city employee pleads guilty to wire fraud, identity theft

Former City of Covington employee Allison Donaldson pleaded guilty to wire fraud

In September, a federal grand jury indicted Donaldson, noting that between October 2020 and February 2022, she used city credit cards to make over $180,000 in personal purchases.

As part of the agreement, Donaldson waived her right to appeal the guilty plea. She faces up to 22 years in prison and a fine of up to $500,000.

NKY schools unlikely to be affected by Senate Bill 150 guidelines

The Kentucky Department of Education released its guidelines for schools to im- plement the new Kentucky law that bans teaching sexual identity in the classroom and gives guidelines on how transgender students can use bathrooms in schools.

The new law prohibits schools from teaching sexual orientation or gender identity in classrooms, forces transgender students to use the bathroom that aligns with the gender assigned at birth and allows teachers to deadname transgender students.

The law also bans puberty blockers, gender-affirming surgery, or hormones for those under the age of 18 — this part of the bill will take effect later this summer.

But, schools in Northern Kentucky are already in compliance, according to Dr. Randy Poe, executive director of the Northern Kentucky Education Council and former superintendent in Boone County.

“In talking with the majority of the districts in Northern Kentucky, most of them have already been in compliance with most of, if not all, the guidelines within Senate Bill 150,” Poe said. “So I don’t see that it’s going to be much of a difference for how districts in Northern Kentucky are operating.”

The guidelines released by the Education Department say schools should be “prepared to provide comprehensive notice of the health services and mental health services available to students upon enrollment. Additionally, schools should develop procedures for notifying families of referrals to health services or mental health services by a teacher.”

Ohio River named secondmost endangered river in US

The Ohio River was listed as the second-most endangered river in the U.S. in a recent report by American Rivers.

According to the nonprofit formed to protect and restore rivers, pollution is the biggest problem impacting the Ohio River. Mining, manufacturing and chemical production are threatening the river, which stretches nearly 1,000 miles and is a source of drinking water for around 5 million people.

In a release, Kentucky Waterways Alliance executive director Michael Washburn said the report is not surprising.

“The East Palestine disaster is only the most recent high profile incident of abuse endured by the Ohio River and the people and animals that rely on it,” Washburn said in the release. “Despite being one of our nation’s most important waterways, the Ohio River and its basin have long been neglected. Restoring and protecting the Ohio River is not merely the environmentally responsible thing to do, but it is a critical imperative for the health and well-being of our communities and our economies.”

Tri-State residents gathered at Cincinnati City Hall Tuesday to ring the alarm bell and call for change.

“Who speaks for nature? Who protects nature? The government agencies don’t anymore,” said Lynn Hamamoto, a member of Citizens for Rights of the Ohio River Watershed. “We need to put the P, protection, back in the EPA because it’s been taken away, it’s been co-opted. We recognize that. We see that. We are not gonna stand for it anymore.”

Another member echoed Hamamoto’s sentiments, saying she feels as if the citizens’ voices are being drowned out.

“I’m very concerned that citizens have no voice, it’s the corporate voice … that are drowning the citizen’s voice out from protecting our own environment,” said Jean Nightingale.

Ohio River Way, a regional coalition of more than 100 communities and organizations along the river, is calling on Congress to designate the river as a federally-protected water system and fund a basin-wide restoration plan. Advocates say they want a plan similar to the plans that helped improve conditions in the Great Lakes.

“It’s a fight for nature — it’s a fight for life and death,” Hamamoto said.