It’s been another busy week for the Boone County Fiscal Court, County departments and our partner agencies. Here’s a brief recap of the exciting things happening in your county.

State of the County
Judge Moore was a featured speaker at both the Florence Rotary Club and the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce’s annual Eggs N Issues State of the County, where he was joined by Kenton County Judge/Executive Kris Knochelmann and Campbell County Judge/Executive Steve Pendery. 

At both events, Judge Moore discussed the progress the County has made toward its strategic priorities and plans for the future. He highlighted:

• Transportation Improvements. Residents benefitted from the completion of several important projects, including the double-diamonds at the I-75 interchanges and Mt. Zion, Richwood and Graves Roads to help improve traffic flow and safety. Work continues on planning for future updates that will ease congestion and improve safety in many areas across the County.
• Workforce Development. Attracting and retaining talent remains a priority for the region. Boone County is dedicated to partnering with important community organizations like BE NKY, NKADD and many others to ensure we are demonstrating how and why Boone County is a great place to live, work and bring in new businesses.
• Unhoused Community Needs. The emergency winter sheltering program offers safe shelter at a local hotel for unhoused individuals in Boone County when temperatures plummet. Over the past few weeks, 72 individuals – including several children – and three service pets benefitted from this lifesaving resource.
• Civic Engagement. Our primary election is on May 21 – a date that is quickly approaching. All three Judge/Executives encouraged guests at Eggs N Issues to vote in the upcoming primary – and to talk to friends and family members about the importance of voting. You can learn more about voting in Boone County through the County Clerk’s Office.

Fiscal Court Meeting
The second meeting of January was held on Tuesday, Jan. 20. Several items were discussed in this straight-forward business meeting, including:

• First reading of updated language that would establish a Transportation Infrastructure District. The Court still must approve one more reading before an ordinance goes into effect.
• Approval of several new hires, including a new Emergency Management Director who will step in after the current director retires on March 1.
• First reading of an ordinance for a zoning map amendment approving a new apartment complex to be located on the southwest corner of Camp Ernst Road and Ky 18. The Court still must approve one more reading before the project is officially approved.
• Approval to lease a fleet of new golf carts for our County Golf Courses – Boone Links and Lassing Pointe.

You can watch the archived live stream of the meeting on our website.

Infrastructure Updates
Staff continue to work with Kentucky State legislators to secure funding for transportation projects that will enhance residents’ quality of life. Staff are also working through the potential development of a Transportation Improvement District (TID), which will bring more local control and funding opportunities for critical infrastructure needs in the County.

City and County Collaboration
Judge Moore, Matthew Webster, County Administrator, Matthew Dowling, Deputy County Administrator, and Rob Franxman, County Engineer, met with mayors and local officials from the cities of Florence, Union, and Walton to discuss issues, upcoming initiatives and opportunities for collaboration. Initial plans for the upcoming 225^th Anniversary of Boone County were discussed. Be on the lookout for more information, including ways community organizations can participate.

Economic Development
Bakery Express broke ground on their new facility, which marks an over $20 million investment in the County and will bring 225 jobs to the area. Speakers at the event included Bakery Express President, Wawa CEO, BE NKY, Judge Moore and Governor Beshear.

Snow Response and Update
Last weekend’s winter brought our Public Works crew out in full force. In just over four days, our 50-member crew worked a total of 748 hours to keep our residents safe and roadways passable. They traveled 9,016 miles of county roads to treat 500 miles with 1,500 tons of salt to roadways. (That’s roughly 24 million salt shakers.)

Their hard work didn’t end when the snow did. Teams met early this week to review their response and make adjustments to prepare for the next snow event.