Kenton County team, 

Welcome to the August edition of the Kenton County Chronicles! What do you think of this newsletter? Is there anything you would like to see less or more of? Reply to this email with your feedback. 

In this month's newsletter, you will learn: 

• how to receive tuition reimbursement; 
• recent team accomplishments and employee milestones; and
• why your paycheck increased in July.

What to know: Kenton County's tuition reimbursement program

Interested in furthering your education? 

The Kenton County Fiscal Court will reimburse full-time employees the cost of tuition for attending an accredited college, university, vocational education school or for taking extension courses from an accredited college or university, with certain conditions outlined here. 

How much will the County reimburse me?

• 100% of the cost of tuition at the current Northern Kentucky University (KY resident) undergraduate level rate per credit up to a maximum of 12 credit hours per calendar year. See current rates.

How long do I need to be employed with the County before applying for tuition reimbursement?

• You can apply for tuition reimbursement on day one. 
• However, if you leave voluntarily prior to five years after receiving education or training benefits, you shall reimburse the County according to a payback schedule. For the full schedule, please refer to the reimbursement policy.

Can the tuition reimbursement be used for any degree level?

• Yes, the program covers undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees from an accredited college or university. However, for employees seeking a graduate-level degree, the reimbursement rate is capped at the undergraduate level.

What type of courses can I take?

• Courses must be necessary for maintaining or improving the basic skills required for your current job or for enhancing your productivity and overall job performance.

How do I apply for tuition reimbursement?

• Submit your written application to your department head before the semester starts.
• Include the name of the school, period of attendance and course(s) for which you seek approval. Your department head will review your application, provide a recommendation and forward it to the Assistant County Administrator.
• Requests must be submitted before the start of the semester.

How do I get reimbursed?

• After the semester, complete the Tuition Reimbursement Request Form with proof of grades (must be a passing grade in a Pass/Fail situation or a "C" grade or better), tuition paid and the approval memo. Submit the form and documents to your department head for approval, then to the Assistant County Administrator for processing.

What expenses are not covered by the tuition reimbursement program?

• The program does not cover the cost of books, materials, special fees, parking or other related expenses.

If you have additional questions, contact Lauren Heck or Kelly Baker from Human Resources. 

Where did this gift card come from?!

In last month's edition of the Kenton County Chronicles, we asked you to guess Treasurer Kurt Greivenkamp's first job.

The answer? Kurt's first job was a bagger at Kroger.

Rhonda Ritzi, recreation programs coordinator, was this month's big winner, taking home a gift card to Graeter's Ice Cream! Thanks to everyone for playing. Keep an eye on future newsletters for an opportunity to win a prize. 

*Disclosure: Gift cards were donated to the Kenton County Fiscal Court; no County funds were used.

Get to know Sam Williams: Our July Employee Spotlight

Sam Williams is the recently promoted parks services crew leader for Kenton County Parks & Recreation. 

Prior to joining the parks team, Sam worked in the public services division doing road maintenance for Kenton County Public Works.

Learn about Sam and his new role here.

Team accomplishments: Recent celebrations from Kenton County

Kenton County Detention Center leader promoted to Chief Deputy

Several team members from the Kenton County Detention Center showed their support at the swearing-in of Kenton County's new Chief Deputy of Operations Trey Smith.

Smith is no stranger to KCDC. He has been with our team for a decade, starting as a deputy and most recently serving as captain.

Congratulations, Colonel Smith, on your well-earned promotion.

Kenton County Animal Services finds homes for 54 pets during adoption drive

Kenton County Animal Services participated in Bissell Pet Foundation's Empty the Shelters event from July 11 to 16. 

Overall, 54 animals were adopted during the event, including: 

🐶 28 dogs;

😸 25 cats; and

🐇 one rabbit.

That's a 217% increase from the five-day period in the prior week!

For County team members searching for their new best friend, head over to bit.ly/MeetOurPets. 

Treasury, Technology Services teams implement new financial system

After more than a year of planning, Kenton County has officially switched to Oracle's NetSuite for Government.

This new software provides centralized invoicing, purchasing workflows, electronic approvals and many other benefits. Making the switch required a MASSIVE overhaul of how we previously did things, impacting all of our departments.

Kudos to the teams for their perseverance and collaborative problem-solving throughout this transition.

Baby boom

The Kenton County team welcomed several new (and cute) faces this month. Congratulations to all our team members on the newest additions to their households.

• Jordan Buster, with KCECC, welcomed Dominic (top left)
• Officer Travis Bryson of KCPD welcomed Lila (top right)
• Deputy Joshua Cobb of KCDC welcomed Brelan (middle left)
• Officer William Snider of KCPD welcomed Jett (middle right)
• Todd Schulkers, deputy director of Kenton County Homeland Security & Emergency Management, welcomed his granddaughter, Cosette (bottom)

Team member milestones

The Fiscal Court approved three new hires and one promotion in July. 

New hires

• Justin Kreiner, mechanic, Public Works
• Kristen Withrow, parks technician 1, Parks & Recreation

The Kenton County Detention Center approved two promotions in July. 

Promotions

• Glenna Knight, promoted to Sergeant
• James Smith, promoted to Sergeant

Additionally, two KCDC deputies hit their six-month milestone. 

• Dep. Justin Moore
• Dep. Collin Pomplio

Connect with your fellow employees — access the staff directory.

Save the date!

You should have recently received an email confirming the date for this year's Employee Awards Banquet. Join the rest of the Kenton County team on Friday, Nov. 1, at the Gardens of Parks Hill for a casino night.

We'll have food, your favorite casino games, prizes and awards recognizing those employees who've hit new milestones in their careers with Kenton County.

Keep an eye out for more details in the coming weeks.

What's Happening: Fiscal Court

You might have noticed your paycheck increase last month. That’s because the Fiscal Court approved a 3.1% cost-of-living raise for all employees, effective July 1. 

In other moves this July, the Court approved the demolition of three buildings neighboring the Kenton County Government Center. This is part of the beginning phases of construction for our new parking garage. To learn more about that project, head over to here: bit.ly/CovParking 

Day in the Life: Parks & Recreation

Did you know that our parks technicians sometimes tackle snow removal on public roads? 

For Jamie Schierer, our newest "Day in the Life" participant, driving in the snow was terrifying when she first started with the County. Now, she enjoys it.

Jamie, an 18-year team member, has managed Lincoln Ridge Park for most of her career here.

Get an inside look at a day in the life of a parks services technician in the video above.

Next up: Kenton County Police Department