Union City Commission September 3
Editor’s note: the original post of the Union City Commission September 3 meeting misreported the discussion regarding tax rates. This revised post, entered September 23, corrects that error.
Mayor Solomon called the meeting to order at 6:03 p. m. and the Pledge of Allegiance was said. Commissioners present today: John Mefford, Doug Bine, George Eldridge and Kimberly Tuyn. City Administrator Amy Safron, Public Works Director Paul Kremer, City Attorney Greg Voss and City Clerk Tammy Wilhoit were also present.
Approval of Minutes for dates August 4 Commission and August 18 Caucus meetings.
Union Promenade Assessment: Update and question and answer session with T.J. Schutte, an agent from KW Commercial. KW is responsible for leasing the space in the Union Promenade. He was questioned extensively as to why the initial proposal for the Promenade to attract mom and pop local establishments and high end restaurants for a mix of shopping and eating choices has become multiple sandwich shops and fast food repeats from Florence. He said there were multiple reasons including the Pandemic, low traffic numbers, and increased cost per square footage ($32 per square foot to $38). The high end restaurants want 44,000 cars a day on US42 and the current number is about 27,000. No question was raised about the impact of an additional 17,000 cars a day on traffic flow.
Municipal Order No 2025-44: Unanimously approved to reappointed Shawn Blankenship to the Board of Adjustment for the City of Union, Kentucky. He was sworn in.
Financial Report was given by John Mefford: $31,000 in interest has been made so far this year. Monthly bills have been paid including the bill to repave seven streets in Union.
Administrator’s Report was given by Amy Safron: a zoning change was proposed and approved stating instead of one parking space for every two seats in the restaurants at the Promenade, the ratio will be one to three. Also, Boone County Planning approved a roof change for HVAC for the new Bank of America going in next to Publix and also added a recessed lighting change.
Ordinance No. 2025-10 1st Reading: an Ordinance levying the tax rates of the City of Union for the 2025 calendar year; levying said tax upon real and tangible property; fixing the date of payment, discount payment, delinquency and interest charges; fixing the purpose therefore; and setting forth the procedure for collection of taxes.
There was much discussion about how much to raise the taxes and options considered were 4% increase in the rate, which was recommended by the CPA, vs. 1.7% rate increase, making it easier on the residents. While Kimberly Tuyn and George Eldridge thought the 4% rate increase was reasonable, Mr. Bine, subsequently supported by Mr. Mefford, thought a 1.5% decrease in the rate to $.201 per $100 assessed value was sufficient. (This was approved at a subsequent caucus meeting by the city commission.) Residents paying before October 31 will receive a 2% discount and those paying after December 31 will pay a 2% penalty.
Public Service Report was given by Paul Kremer. Two resumes have been submitted for the part-time public works position and they are being considered presently.
Mr. Kremer also proposed a “Salt Storage Lot” to be placed on a lot owned by the city at 1876 Union School Road, stating the need for a local place to store the salt for easy access. City would pave a driveway and install a square pad on the property. Approved
Municipal Order NO. 2025-45 Salting and Snow Removal: currently Ground Systems Inc. is servicing Union with salt and snow removal. Ground System was approved to continue rendering this service.
Economic Development report by Kimberly Tuyn: Ms. Tuyn will meet with the Boone County Planning Commission to discuss updates regarding the Union Town Center.
Communications Report by George Mefford: The 4th Annual Bourbon in the Bluegrass will take place October 4 from 3 to 7 p.m. at Farm Haven, 10259 Tadpole Lane Union, KY. Several vendors will be there and two bands are scheduled. This is a free event.
Ribbon cutting ceremony for the new McAlister’s Deli in the Promenade is September 8 at 10:30 a.m. Boone County Senior Picnic is September 10 at the fairgrounds. Tickets are required in advance.
Chick-Fil-A grand opening is scheduled for September 25 at 10 a.m.
Legislation Report given by Attorney Greg Voss:
Ordinance 2025-09 2nd Reading: adopting a supplement to the code of ordinances of the City of Union. Approved.
A motion was made for the current part-time Code Enforcement Officer to be put on the payroll instead of being a contract 1099 employee. After discussion of the pros and cons to the city it was also approved.
Other Presentations
Mr. Scott Noel from the Summit Corporation spoke about his frustration with the contractor building the Union Town Center. Summit is the developer for the project. He complained that the building contractor is coming to the city with needed permissions for overages and changes instead of working through Summit. He plans to have a “recalibration” meeting with the builder. He said Summit works on the city’s behalf to keep costs under control and accountability for expenditures.
Mr. Shawn Blankenship also spoke about his frustration and disappointment in the direction the Promenade has taken. No upscale eateries, the coffee shop plans fell through, and now they are considering adding a day care. The leadership agreed wholeheartedly with his speech and said they still have hope that in the future the businesses they had hoped for will become a reality.
This meeting adjourned at 7:50 p.m.
Reporter’s note: residents are invited to attend these meetings and time is allotted for anyone who wishes to speak his or her opinions or pose questions. It is a great way to know what exactly is going on in the city and learn how things operate. Also, it is great knowing who your commissioners are, how they vote and what they stand for. Come and learn and let your voice be heard.