When the Dry Ridge City Council met March 18 the main item of business was the Dry Ridge EMS Interlocal Agreement between the City and Corinth, Crittenden, Grant County and Williamstown.
The original proposal was presented in Dec., 2023, but Dry Ridge City Administrator Ken Little reported “little appetite for adding the third ambulance,” which has been responsible for a portion of the increased amount being required of participating municipalities.
“Dry Ridge, in the entire Northern Kentucky area, is the fourth busiest EMS Department,” he noted, underscoring the need for a third ambulance
With opposition and the “looming talks of a county-wide EMS district,” the city changed the terms and contributions of the agreement.
Little said the numbers on which the new contract is based have been established over the last four years. All entities are aware of the changes.
One major change is if the other municipalities “enter into a new interlocal, it would only be for a one-year period this time,” extending from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025. The original agreement was for three years.
He noted the agreement is still a “working document.”
Little said should the county go through with creating a county-wide EMS district they still might want to contract with Dry Ridge for services.” Considering the services, equipment and costs involved, “Dry Ridge could still entertain the idea … contracting with the district until they get up and running and self supporting,” he concluded.
Other business
• Launi Gum, Program Director/Project Coordinator of Champions for a Drug Free Grant County, addressed the city concerning the Jan. 2025 enactment of Senate Bill 47 legalizing Medical Marijuana.
She gave council members a folder of information on the requirements of the law and effects on local communities.
She outlined issues with locations of dispensaries and noted the legislation will include “growers, processors, cultivators, producers, compliance facilities, not just dispensaries that are going to be created from this, it is a lots of different aspects.”
Gum also went over the parts of the new law that will affect children as well as potential controls local governments can enact including a complete ban, ordinances, moratorium and election votes.
She noted it is “exempt from sales and excise tax so there is no tax benefit to the community.”
She said changes are still being made during the current legislative session. She said Champions would be happy to help the city with any questions they might have and/or any technical issues they may encounter.
Jack Gatlin, city attorney, noted a “lot of it, if the City wants to regulate it will be through [potentially county-wide] zoning.”
• Little noted the city is preparing to work on the 2024-2025 budget.
• Training for Climavision Radar will be held April 3.
• Spring cleanup is underway. A few “dilapidated buildings in town have had work done on them.
• Allen Cammack provided an update from the fire department. He reported the ambulance passed the annual Kentucky Board of Emergency Medical Services inspection.
So far in 2024 the department has responded to 227 EMS calls and 35 fire calls; 14 of the fire calls were inside the city.
EMS calls:
- 6 in Corinth
- 39 in Crittenden
- 34 in Dry Ridge
- 40 in Dry Ridge Fire District
- 58 in Williamstown
- 48 in Grant County
• The city is “seeking bids for the pavement on Warsaw Avenue, as well as Knoxville and Ferguson Boulevard.” Ridgeview Circle is in Phase 2, fixing concrete.
The city will be getting bids to replace where the concrete meets the pavement on Ridgeview Drive. Estimates will be sought as soon as blacktop plants open.
• Parks and Rec:
- The city is waiting on bids for the lights in the park
- Party in the Park has received funding from Grant County Tourism. The event is scheduled for Aug. 31 and will again include a “pretty impressive fireworks show.” Naked Karate Girls will be changing up their music this year.
- Two of the three motors on the Lake Pollywog fountain in Piddle Park are slated to be repaired. This aerates the water.
• Construction should begin the first week of April on the urgent care building to be located across the street from the city building.
• Brockman noted City Electric is expected to be in operation in the “next month or so.” It will be located across from the old Nike building into which RT Outfitters is moving.
• The council approved the appointment of David Holley to the Dry Ridge Board of Adjustments. He joins Rakenna Hopperton, Darrin Spahr, Gary Stephenson and Skip Womack as the fifth board member.
The next meeting will be held on Monday, April 15 at 6 p.m. at the Dry Ridge City Building, 31 Broadway. For questions or more information, call (859) 824-3335.
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