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Council approves electric and gas franchises, accepts $167,000 state grant and appoints code-enforcement member
Summary
Fort Thomas council approved nonexclusive 10-year electric and natural gas franchise ordinances, accepted a $167,000 Kentucky Transportation Cabinet grant for James Avenue resurfacing and appointed Sean Donald to the Code Enforcement Board; the solid-waste rates ordinance received a first reading.
The Fort Thomas City Council approved two ordinances to create nonexclusive 10-year franchise agreements for electric and natural-gas utilities, voted to accept $167,000 from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet for James Avenue resurfacing and appointed Sean Donald to the city’s Code Enforcement Board during its August meeting.
The clerk read Ordinance O10-20-25, authorizing a nonexclusive electric franchise to place transmission and distribution facilities within the public right of way for 10 years and preserving the city’s right to impose a franchise fee of up to 5% of gross receipts. The council voiced its approval; several members answered "aye." A separate ordinance, O11-20-25, established the same terms for a nonexclusive natural-gas franchise.
Clerk reading: "An ordinance creating and establishing for a nonexclusive . . . franchise to the placement of facilities for the transmission, distribution, and sale of electrical energy" and similar language for the natural-gas franchise appeared on the agenda and was read aloud as part of the record.
The council also considered Resolution R0062025, a memorandum of agreement with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to accept $167,000 toward the James Avenue resurfacing project. Council members asked whether the work would affect the swim-club frontage and whether the city owned all portions of the affected roadway. The clerk acknowledged those questions but urged the city not to miss the funding opportunity; council approved the resolution by voice/roll call.
Municipal Order MO14-20-25 appointed Sean Donald to the Fort Thomas Code Enforcement Board. The clerk noted Donald’s presence, and the appointment was approved after a motion and second.
Ordinance O12-20-25, a first reading to set service charges for solid waste and curbside recycling for 2025–2026 (with an option for an additional two-year term), was read for the first time; no final vote was recorded at the meeting.
What happens next: The franchise ordinances and resolution passed as recorded; O12 will return for later consideration as a subsequent reading. The James Avenue grant acceptance allows the city to move ahead with project planning and coordination with KYTC; council flagged the need to confirm exact work limits at the swim-club frontage.
