Hello Kenton County Employees!

We hope you had a wonderful holiday season. To jumpstart the new year, we're launching a monthly employee newsletter to keep you informed, connected and engaged with the various activities, accomplishments and plans within Kenton County.

In today's newsletter, we're diving into: 

• how to best use our employee portal; 
• highlights from 2023; and
• recent employee successes.

Employee portal power: Find answers, fast

Think of the Kenton County employee portal as your go-to employee resource hub – a streamlined, efficient way to access a wealth of information at your fingertips.

A guided tour through the portal

At the very top of the home page, you'll discover three tabs that lead to key assets:

1. Documents: Find the important documents and forms you need to do your job and manage your employee benefits, all categorized by department. 
2. Staff Directory: Ever wonder who to contact or need a quick introduction? This directory is your roadmap guiding you to the right contacts within Kenton County. 
3. Human Resources: For everything from benefit queries and new hire paperwork to job openings and more, this is your hub for all HR-related information.

Back on the home page, you’ll find the central icons that include links to the everyday essential sites, such as the Employee Access Center, Premise Health and Timekeeping (UKG). 

Just below, the Quick Access links direct you to frequently sought information for needs such as workers' compensation, FMLA and Vision Reimbursement Request. 

Next is HR Connection, where you can find the latest news, updates and reminders. For example, take a look at the employee spotlight article for December featuring Billy Ray, animal control officer & livestock investigator. 

Three commonly asked how-tos found in the portal

1. How to add or remove dependents on your medical plan
2. How to request vision reimbursement
3. How to view 2024 insurance rates

Coming soon from human resources

Payroll will be integrated into UKG during the next phase of implementation. UKG is a human resources information system that allows us to streamline processes, organize employee-related data and manage the recruitment process.

Year of progress: 2023's Fiscal Court highlights

2023 was a remarkable year for Kenton County, showcasing a multitude of accomplishments across our departments and through pivotal legislative and infrastructure developments.

Department achievements

• Animal Services: Adapted to increased animal intake, culminating in a highly successful adoption drive in December with the Bissell Pet Foundation, which resulted in 93 adoptions
• Detention Center: Achieved a significant 20% reduction in jail population, reflecting our commitment to efficient and humane correctional management.
• Emergency Communications: Enhanced our emergency response capabilities through the expansion of RapidSOS software, enabling our team to track the location of police officers' body cameras.
• Emergency Management & Homeland Security: Continued technological advancements in our emergency operations center, ensuring we're well-prepared to handle any crisis that may arise.
• Human Resources: Concluded a compensation study, leading to an average salary increase of 6.56% and modifications to the county's wage scale.
• Parks & Recreation: Enhanced our community spaces, including new pickleball courts and renovated tennis and basketball courts at Richardson Road Park.
• Police Department: Continued to prioritize community safety and completed a new annex building for police and emergency communications in Independence.
• Public Works: Marked the year with the largest fleet vehicle replacement to date, key bridge repairs and major structural improvements to roads and facilities.
• Technology Services:  Implemented critical cybersecurity enhancements and security upgrades, ensuring the safety and efficiency of our technological infrastructure.
• Office of the Treasurer: Successfully transitioned the county’s occupational fee rate and limits for 2023 and communicated additional changes for 2024.

Noteworthy legislative updates

• Property tax cuts: The Fiscal Court approved legislation to lower the county’s property tax rate to the lowest level since 2003.  
• Occupational fee rate change: The Fiscal Court approved legislation to adjust occupational fee rates to create a more competitive revenue system and relieve the burden on property owners.

Major infrastructure and economic development projects

• Parking garage: The Fiscal Court secured $15M in funds from the state to build a multifunctional parking facility at the Kenton County Government Center, where Al. Neyer and Urban Sites will build new apartments.
• OneNKY Center: The Fiscal Court allocated $10M in funds for the OneNKY Center in Covington, which will include a new life sciences lab and consolidate regional organizations, enhancing operational efficiency and regional development.
• Sims Furniture building: The Fiscal Court dedicated $3M to acquire the former Sims Furniture building in Covington. While the project is still in its infancy, the goal of this site is to create a regional entrepreneurship center called SparkHaus.

Watch the "Year in Review" video from Judge/Executive Kris Knochelmann below:

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Recent employee news

Public Works and Parks & Recreation celebrate Roads Scholar graduates

Four Kenton County employees participated in the Kentucky Transportation Center's Roads Scholar and Road Master training programs.

Congratulations to our 2023 Road Scholar graduates: 

• Chad Frost (Parks & Recreation)
• Brandon Hegge (Public Works)
• William Paul Kelsay (Public Works)
• Jackson Webster (Public Works)

The Roads Scholar and Road Master training programs were developed to increase the skills of Kentucky's transportation workforce. Employees are trained in the basics of construction and maintenance as well as communications and management practices. To graduate, our team members attended nine courses, gaining more than 50 professional development hours. 

Kenton County's Emerging Leaders complete professional development course

In 2023, the Kenton County Fiscal Court partnered with Thomas More University's College of Business to provide a new training and professional development opportunity called Emerging Leaders for our employees to enhance their leadership skills and prepare them to take on new challenges. 

The six-part course covered a wide range of topics, including how to motivate teams to achieve a common goal, navigate conflict and engage team members to produce their best work. 

In total, 15 participants completed the course, representing seven Kenton County departments in addition to partner agencies.

Kenton County Police Department celebrates Capt. Chris Pittaluga's graduation from the Southern Police Institute

Capt. Chris Pittaluga graduated from the 150th Administrative Officer’s Course at the Southern Police Institute on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023.  

This rigorous 12-week program is designed to develop informed, effective, ethically and technically competent law enforcement managers who are capable of assuming positions of leadership in their respective agencies.  

The Administrative Officers Course brings together law enforcement leaders from across the United States to collaborate on how to improve law enforcement.  Less than 1% of law enforcement professionals graduate from this course.  

Kenton County Detention Center celebrates academy graduates

The Kenton County Detention Center graduated six deputies from its 57th academy in November.

This two-week program provides in-depth training on a variety of topics, from first aid and CPR to searches and firearm training. 

Deputy Thamann, far left, was recognized as this cohort's honor graduate. Thamann achieved an overall score of 97% across eight tests included in the program, marking the highest overall score.

Remembering Hilton Humphrey

Hilton Humphrey had a long and honorable career in public service, serving 21 years at the Kenton County Detention Center in various leadership roles, retiring as lieutenant in 2022.

Lieutenant Hilton then returned to KCDC as accreditation manager, working for the county until his death on Sat., Dec. 17, 2023, at the age of 54.

Visit Lieutenant Hilton's obituary to learn more about his life and legacy.