Covington holds public hearing on common consumption area; commission suspends public-comment time limit

The Board of Commissioners of the City of Covington, Kentucky held a public hearing Oct. 21 on a proposed common consumption area. By unanimous consent the commission suspended its 30-minute time-limit rule for public comment, allowing an extended comment period, the minutes show.

Mayor Ronald L. Washington opened the hearing at 6:03 p.m.; City Clerk Susan Ellis recorded the roll and confirmed a quorum with Commissioners Tim Acri, Tim Downing and James Toebbe present and Commissioner Smith attending remotely. Staff members listed in the minutes included City Manager Sharmili Reddy, City Solicitor Frank Schultz, Finance Director Bre Gaffney and other department leaders.

The minutes record that public comments began at 6:16 p.m. and concluded at 7:00 p.m.; the hearing itself was closed at 7:20 p.m. The minutes do not include verbatim public-comment text or identify individual speakers in the public-comment period. The record does show that the suspension of the 30-minute rule was approved with unanimous consent but does not show a formal vote or ordinance adoption on creating a common consumption area during the meeting.

After the hearing the commission recessed at 7:20 p.m. and reconvened for a caucus meeting at 7:27 p.m. Mayor Washington adjourned the regular meeting at 7:56 p.m., and the minutes were later approved on Oct. 28, 2025.

No formal action to adopt or reject a common consumption-area ordinance is recorded in the minutes of this meeting; the transcript reflects only the hearing, the extended public-comment period, and procedural motions to recess and adjourn.