Kenton County team members,
Welcome to the December edition of Kenton County Chronicles.
Today, you'll:
- gain clear guidance on what to do if an incident involving injury or property damage happens at work;
- learn how to participate in our gift card blitz; and
- celebrate team accomplishments from November!
Reporting workplace incidents and accidents
We understand accidents happen. And while we work to avoid them, here's how you should respond if an incident causing bodily harm or property damage happens to you at work:
In all incidents, notify your first-line supervisor immediately. Work with them to ensure the details are accurate and the appropriate forms are completed on time.
All incidents require completing an Incident/Accident Report. If there is an injury, a Workers Compensation - First Report of Injury must also be completed. Submit both to Human.Resources@kentoncounty.org within 24 hours. Furthermore:
🩹 If an employee is injured at work:
- Include pictures of the incident/accident if possible.
📄 If a visitor or citizen is involved in an incident on County property:
- Provide full details of what happened, who was involved and where it occurred.
- Include pictures of the incident/accident if possible.
🚓 If damage occurs to County property or vehicles :
- Contact the local police at the scene if the incident involves a County vehicle.
- Submit a copy of the police report to Human Resources as soon as it’s available.
- Include pictures of the incident/accident if possible.
🛠️ If damage occurs to someone else’s property:
- Inform property owner the incident report will be submitted to Human Resources.
- Direct property owners inquiring on incident to the Human Resources office.
Note: The Safety Committee may review certain incidents, especially motor vehicle accidents. Comply with any recommendations or actions resulting from their review.
For assistance or more information, contact Kelly Baker or Lauren Heck.
Employee Spotlight: Wendy Bridges, Office of the Treasurer
Wendy Bridges is a tax clerk for the Office of the Treasurer's Business Services team.
Since joining Kenton County in 2014, Wendy has been an essential part of the team, processing business license applications, scanning important documents and assisting business owners with their questions. Her strong attention to detail and ability to connect with the community make her a standout employee.
Outside of the office, Wendy and her husband Keith enjoy playing euchre, spending time with their daughter Jordan and caring for their two dogs Winston and Miller.
Team accomplishments: Recent celebrations from Kenton County
Sergeant Kiser wins industry award
Amy Hess (Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet), Sgt. Billie Jo Kiser, Det. Jill Stulz (Kenton County Police Department)
Congratulations to Sgt. Billie Jo Kiser, training sergeant for the Kenton County Detention Center, on winning the Kentucky Women's Law Enforcement Network (KWLEN)'s Member of the Year award.
Sgt. Kiser is a nine-year veteran with KCDC, overseeing our training academy and recruitment and retention efforts. She is a leader among her field and embodies the Kenton County team's dedication to our community.
(👀 And if one phenomenal leader isn't enough, check out Det. Jill Stulz with the Kenton County Police Department on her right. Det. Stulz serves as the organization's president.)
American Legion recognizes Sgt. Ryan Roessler
Sgt. Ryan Roessler, who leads the Bureau of Investigations unit for the Kenton County Police Department, was awarded the Medal of Police Leadership Heroism in November.
This award recognizes law enforcement leaders who demonstrate selfless service and consistently go above and beyond their typical duties for the betterment of their agency and, most importantly, their community.
Sgt. Roessler is the second KCPD team member in recent years to receive this honor, following Sgt. Charles Duncan in 2021.
Thank you, Sgt. Roessler, for your exemplary service to our community.
Art in the Park wins Outstanding Program award
Patrick Manning (KRPS) and Rhonda Ritzi
Rhonda Ritzi with Parks & Recreation earned the Outstanding Program Award from the Kentucky Recreation and Park Society for launching Art in the Park: Come All, Create!
Developed with Art Equals, this event series at Pioneer Park offers activities like straw weaving and sun printing, combining outdoor fun with artistic expression and community connection.
The award was presented at the KRPS State Conference at Lake Barkley State Park, recognizing Rhonda’s innovative contributions to local recreation.
Three Kenton County team members achieve Road Master certifications
James Ballinger (KYTC), Paul Kelsay, Adam Ryan, Travis Workman, Brandon Hegge, Spencer Stork. Photo provided by the University of Kentucky.
Brandon Hegge, Paul Kelsay and Travis Workman completed the Road Master Training Program this year, adding 95 hours of specialized training to their toolkits.
These programs, offered by the Kentucky Transportation Center, focus on transportation and infrastructure maintenance - essential skills for keeping Kenton County’s roads in top shape.
Their efforts demonstrate the commitment our Public Works team brings to serving the community every day. Way to go, Brandon, Paul and Travis!
Public Works, Parks & Recreation complete annual snow and ice training
From left to right: Anna Miller, Spencer Stork, Travis Workman, Jamie Schierer, James Rider, Justin Kreiner, Adam Ryan, Brandon Hegge, Shane McQueary, Kris Siegert, David Jump, Paul Kelsay, Sean King, Matt Schmidt, Bradley Creech, Richard Cecil, Brandon Stinson, Michael Glenn, Kristen Withrow, Brandon Seiter, Mark Kordenbrock, Scott Hansman, Brennan Scott, Tom Hurtt, Gabriel Barth, Shaun Lauderman, Jeremy Lynn, Anderson Vernet, Sam Williams
As we enter the winter season, our snow and ice removal team completed all its prep work and training. Their training was put to good use during our first snow and ice event in mid-November.
Together, these crews maintain over 200 miles of County roads and the roadways in Kenton County parks. We're grateful for their hard work in keeping our roadways safe.
Kenton County participates in regional hazardous waste collection event
Melissa Grandstaff, solid waste coordinator, teamed up with Boone and Campbell counties to host this year’s Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event.
This large-scale effort makes it easy for residents to safely get rid of items that shouldn’t go in the trash. Thanks to this collaboration, 805 Kenton County residents helped properly dispose of items like:
🔋 393 batteries
📺 516 electronics
⚠️ 369 hazardous materials
🛢️ 243 gallons of oil/antifreeze
A big thank you to everyone who participated and helped make this event a success!
KCECC team members share their gratitude for one another
Our folks at the Kenton County Emergency Communications Center created a thankfulness board to write notes of gratitude to their teammates.
What thoughtful ways does your team recognize one another?
Annual appetizer contest winner revealed
Sarah Marksberry, Meg Erpenbeck and Jolene Wendt
Meg Erpenbeck, communications manager, claimed the top prize in this year’s BRYAN competition, hosted by the Office of the Treasurer.
This annual event, hosted by the Office of the Treasurer, invites Kenton County team members who work at the Government Center to bring, you guessed it, really yummy appetizers in November.
The team member whose appetizer gets the most votes wins the Traveling Trophy—in Meg’s case, sausage balls.🍽️
Cross-team Shoutout
Recently construction at 1840 Simon Kenton Way necessitated cutting off the building's Internet access briefly to relocate lines. This impacted several of our departments, with Kenton County Animal Services feeling it most acutely since it would still be open.
As a result, our team from Technology Services stepped in to create a work around to keep our shelter operational during the down time.
Here's what KCAS Director Kelsey Maccombs said about the experience:
"We're really grateful for our Technology Services team for how proactively they tackled this outage. Everything worked seamlessly and we were able to easily get our operations going."
Team member milestones
The Fiscal Court approved one new hires in October.
- Robert Bayer, school resource officer, Kenton County Police Department
- Ed Butler, school resource officer, Kenton County Police Department
- James Kokell, parks services technician I, Parks & Recreation
The Kenton County Detention Center is celebrating three team members in November who hit their six-month milestone.
- Dean Gollar, deputy
- Cerena Snow, deputy
Connect with your fellow employees — access the staff directory.
Day in the Life: Kenton County Government Center
What happens every day at 1840 Simon Kenton Way?
🎥 Join Kenton County Judge/Executive Kris Knochelmann as he walks you through the building to learn more about the people and offices working together to serve our residents.
Click the image below to watch the newest episode.