BY CINDY SCHROEDER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
CRESCENT PARK -- The days of small Northern Kentucky governments meeting in floral shops or firehouses may soon be a thing of the past.
Thanks to new state legislation, Fort Mitchell and Crescent Park are considering a possible merger, and other Northern Kentucky cities may follow suit.
"I think it's just logical in the coming years that you're going to see some of these smaller cities merge with each other," Fort Mitchell Administrator Bill Goetz said. "You won't see three or four big cities, but I don't think we'll have as many smaller cities."
Taylor Mill (population 7,400) recently had the Northern Kentucky Area Development District study the feasibility of that Kenton County city annexing neighboring Ryland Heights, a rural city of 278 that meets at the firehouse.
However, officials of both cities say merger talks are preliminary at best.
In Campbell County, the cities of Cold Spring (population 3,600) and Crestview (population 350) met last month to discuss whether a merger issue should go on the November ballot. Officials failed to reach a consensus after a two-hour public meeting.
In the case of Fort Mitchell (population 8,000) and neighboring Crescent Park (population 421), Fort Mitchell has been providing police, fire, public works and emergency medical services to the city for about three years, Mr. Goetz said.
However, the new law making annexations easier did not take effect until Wednesday, when most of the legislation adopted by the 1998 Kentucky General Assembly took effect.
"We may have done (a merger) sooner, but there was no legislation in existence that would have allowed us to do it in an efficient manner," Mr. Goetz said.
"I'm only doing what I think is best for Crescent Park," said Maston Ward, the city's 18-year mayor. "I think it'd be a plus. I don't see any minuses whatsoever."
Under the new law, both cities must adopt ordinances before Aug. 11 spelling out the intent to dissolve Crescent Park and have Fort Mitchell annex the former sixth-class city.
If the ordinances are adopted, the issue would be placed before Crescent Park voters in November. If Crescent Park voters approve the referendum by a simple majority, then Fort Mitchell City Council would adopt another ordinance accepting the annexation.
The mayors of the two cities are asking their governments to approve the union with the following conditions:
The annexation would take effect July 1, 1999, at the start of a new fiscal year.
Fort Mitchell City Council would start the process to add two new zones to its zoning ordinance that would mirror Crescent Park's two existing zones. The zoning would be assigned to the Crescent Park area if and when the union with Fort Mitchell occurred.
All assets and liabilities of the city of Crescent Park would become the property of the city of Fort Mitchell, and all Fort Mitchell tax rates now in force would apply to Crescent Park residents.
"Their one tax rate is about equal to our three tax rates," Mr. Goetz said. "They may have to pay about $30 more (a year) for trash collection, but they would get twice-a-week pickup, plus recycling. Now they get only once-a-week (garbage) pickup."
If the merger occurs, Crescent Park residents would be able to use other Fort Mitchell city services, including its recreational programs and facilities, Mr. Goetz said.
While some Crescent Park residents have expressed concerns about losing their identity, Mr. Ward said they need only look at another Kenton County neighbor.
"Covington annexed Latonia years ago, and that area hasn't had an identity problem," Mr. Ward said. "People still consider it Latonia."
