There's the LIQRBX behind Waffle House in Dry Ridge and another one in the plaza next to Food Lion.

 

Didnt know about the bolded one, thanks.

Liquor sales, Ark...probably not the key issues to growth and business expansion.

 

Having seen these issues play out around the Central Ky counties I will ask:

 

- Have any of the incorporated areas annexed any county areas to expand other services that may not be in the county (sewer, other utitilities, police, etc.)?

 

- Has county re-zoned any significant parcels for housing? If not - why would anyone need businesses in the county.

 

- If they have re-zoned is it low-density (1+ acre lots) or high density (0.25 arce lots)? Again, if low density - the people to support 'county' businesses will not be there.

 

- Is there solid 'no growth/expansion' group? Do they have money? Thinking about Woodford County. The horse folks do not really want any significant growth/expansion there - and they have the means to keep it from happening. Grant similar?

 

Just some random thoughts on issue. Building a tourist attraction of any sort and opening alcohol sales are not necessarily the keys to sustainable growth.

Liquor sales, Ark...probably not the key issues to growth and business expansion.

 

Having seen these issues play out around the Central Ky counties I will ask:

 

- Have any of the incorporated areas annexed any county areas to expand other services that may not be in the county (sewer, other utitilities, police, etc.)?

 

- Has county re-zoned any significant parcels for housing? If not - why would anyone need businesses in the county.

 

- If they have re-zoned is it low-density (1+ acre lots) or high density (0.25 arce lots)? Again, if low density - the people to support 'county' businesses will not be there.

 

- Is there solid 'no growth/expansion' group? Do they have money? Thinking about Woodford County. The horse folks do not really want any significant growth/expansion there - and they have the means to keep it from happening. Grant similar?

 

Just some random thoughts on issue. Building a tourist attraction of any sort and opening alcohol sales are not necessarily the keys to sustainable growth.

 

Have to defer to green"thumb" on the first two, but my .02:

 

The red is a pacifier so the blue can operate in peace.

Liquor sales, Ark...probably not the key issues to growth and business expansion.

 

Having seen these issues play out around the Central Ky counties I will ask:

 

- Have any of the incorporated areas annexed any county areas to expand other services that may not be in the county (sewer, other utitilities, police, etc.)?

 

- Has county re-zoned any significant parcels for housing? If not - why would anyone need businesses in the county.

 

- If they have re-zoned is it low-density (1+ acre lots) or high density (0.25 arce lots)? Again, if low density - the people to support 'county' businesses will not be there.

 

- Is there solid 'no growth/expansion' group? Do they have money? Thinking about Woodford County. The horse folks do not really want any significant growth/expansion there - and they have the means to keep it from happening. Grant similar?

 

Just some random thoughts on issue. Building a tourist attraction of any sort and opening alcohol sales are not necessarily the keys to sustainable growth.

 

I dont believe we have any incorporated areas in the County, unless there are some defined areas in Williamstown and Dry ridge city limits, but they would be small if there were any.

 

To my knowledge nothing has been rezoned (significate parcels) other than two farms that the owners past away and they had to rezone to split the property to the family. There are multiple subdivisions that started up right before the houseing bubble and still sit empty or with only small number of lots used.

 

I wouldn't say there is a no growth/expansion group. Heck there are plenty of areas that had business at one time that are now empty that could be used without expanding into the farm/residential areas.

 

 

The biggest issue is the leadership in the county (and cities) just sit on their hands and are waiting for stuff to come to Grant Co. It aint coming, unless you try to bring it. Go back into the ARK thread, and read the response from the Williamstown Mayor about how they couldnt figure out why there hasnt been an uptick in business in Williamstown since the ARK opened. There is nowhere for anyone to go and spend their money. Downtown Williamstown is more of a morgue than a city, and right off the exit, unless you need gas, your aint finding anything.

Have to defer to green"thumb" on the first two, but my .02:

 

The red is a pacifier so the blue can operate in peace.

 

...

 

The biggest issue is the leadership in the county (and cities) just sit on their hands and are waiting for stuff to come to Grant Co. It aint coming, unless you try to bring it. Go back into the ARK thread, and read the response from the Williamstown Mayor about how they couldnt figure out why there hasnt been an uptick in business in Williamstown since the ARK opened. There is nowhere for anyone to go and spend their money. Downtown Williamstown is more of a morgue than a city, and right off the exit, unless you need gas, your aint finding anything.

 

Sounds like the power brokers are happy with status quo.

 

The McDs and Wendy's probably make a bunch a money there - its the best midpoint stop between Lex and Cincy. I can attest the quality of the Waffle House at 4:30 a.m. in the morning when running ahead getting up to CVG.

 

The location could be great for 'bedroom community' to both Lex area and Cincy/NKY but a modern retail complex with mix of stores, resturants would be needed - something like Brannon Crossing in Jessamine or Hanburg in Fayette.

Sounds like the power brokers are happy with status quo.

 

The McDs and Wendy's probably make a bunch a money there - its the best midpoint stop between Lex and Cincy. I can attest the quality of the Waffle House at 4:30 a.m. in the morning when running ahead getting up to CVG.

 

The location could be great for 'bedroom community' to both Lex area and Cincy/NKY but a modern retail complex with mix of stores, resturants would be needed - something like Brannon Crossing in Jessamine or Hamburg in Fayette.

 

We had the outlet mall, but in time that fizzled.

Grant should have been wet long ago. As others have said, last time a lot of those drinkers didn't vote. Their own fault on that one. I know 15 people that live in grant county and they all drink alcohol. And they have for the last 20 + years. They just purchased their drink in another county. Living in a dry county never stopped them from drinking. So Grant was just missing out on the tax dollars in my opinion

We had the outlet mall, but in time that fizzled.

 

Ahead of its time in my opinion. Not enough population to sustain such a place. With Lexington having the same stores, and florence having allot of the same things, who needed to go to dry ridge other than people that were close? And those " outlet stores'' aren't any cheaper than the same version any where else most of the time.

I do expect the place in question to make a comeback soon.

Looks like county officials are having a hard time spending all those liquor taxes.

 

Grant County holds meeting to discuss financial trouble | WKRC

Looks like county officials are having a hard time spending all those liquor taxes.

 

Grant County holds meeting to discuss financial trouble | WKRC

 

Is the vote the problem ? If not this is irrelevant.

Looks like county officials are having a hard time spending all those liquor taxes.

 

Grant County holds meeting to discuss financial trouble | WKRC

 

I don't know the specifics in this case, but Kentucky is stringent on alcohol tax revenue generated being only used in the form of enforcement of alcohol related expenses. You can't tax on alcohol and buy a new pickup for the Public Works' staff.

We had the outlet mall, but in time that fizzled.

We just got screwed with the outlet mall. At the time there were 2 major outlet mall chains. I can't remember the name of the one that came into GC but it obviously doesn't exist anymore. The other one was Tanger. They both wanted it. We just made the wrong choice.

Residents vent anger as Grant County raises taxes, avoids bankruptcy

 

Grant County residents have tired of bad publicity.

 

As people filed into the Grant County courthouse in Williamstown Thursday night, many shook their heads. Earlier this week, Bloomberg had written a story about the problems at the Grant County Jail, entitled “A Kentucky county is an economic prisoner to its own jail.”

 

Scandals have kept Grant County in the local news for years. The county has also garnered national headlines for the Noah's Ark theme park, Ark Encounter.

 

That disappoints Doug Jackson, who owns a horse farm in Williamstown and is active in the local Democratic Party.

 

“We’ve worked hard to keep it going, keep the county up, and keep the good name” Jackson said. “But we haven’t got a good name no more.”

 

Residents on Thursday vented to the Grant County Fiscal Court just before they voted 3-1 to impose a 2 percent tax on the wages of people who work in the rural county.

 

If they didn’t impose the tax, the county would have run out of money June 1. That would have meant the state of Kentucky would have taken over county government to raise taxes and make budget cuts as the bureaucrats would see fit.

 

Residents who addressed the fiscal court Thursday night said they understood this. But they lost faith in their government.

 

Local coffee shop owner Bren Murphy didn’t mince words once she stepped up to the podium in the fiscal court chambers.

 

“My comments are not directed at the judge-executive,” Murphy said. “It would be better spitting in the wind.”

 

She directed her comments instead to the three magistrates on the fiscal court. She urged them to not approve the tax increase, because she doesn’t trust the numbers that the judge-executive has released on what the tax will generate. She’d rather the state take over the county where she feels there at least a chance it would work out better.

 

“I feel you have two pistols,” Murphy said. “One is fully loaded with bullets soaked in poison. That’s what the county holds. The other is Russian roulette, that’s the state.”

 

Judge-executive Steve Wood sat silently and listened to the criticisms. After the meeting, he told The Enquirer he’s been open about the county’s situation and their plans. He said he’s got a large base of support. He said most of the people who complain are the usual suspects.

 

“There’s a silent majority; I’ve got all kinds of letters of support,” Wood said. “There may be mistrust, but that’s strictly with what they tell each other. I don’t have a problem with me and my magistrates at all. I think we work well together.”

 

Wood’s tenure as judge-executive has been rough. Two months after taking office, a video surfaced of Wood telling sexist jokes while talking about possible replacements for a 25-year veteran payroll clerk. It's been downhill since. That touched off a feud between him and newly elected jailer Chris Hankins that almost led to the jail closing.

 

The state pulled prisoners out of the jail as the building deteriorated. The state pays a $31.34 per day per diem to counties. The counties use that revenue to pay for jail operations. Jail management estimates that the debacle has cost the county more than $1 million.

 

That brought the fiscal court to Thursday, where they voted to implement an occupational license tax, which taxes people on wages and work done in the county.

 

All workers would be subject to the tax on wages. A number of Northern Kentucky cities and counties levy a similar tax, including Covington, Newport, Boone County and Campbell County.

 

The occupation license tax would scale back to 1.5 percent when it brings in a total of $2.5 million in revenue. It would then drop to 1 percent when the county can accumulate a $1 million surplus in its general fund.

 

People who work in Dry Ridge will have to pay both the city’s 1.25 percent occupational license tax and the county’s 2 percent tax. Dry Ridge Mayor Jim Wells had tried to work out an agreement where both the county and city would drop their tax to 1 percent so the residents would pay the same combined 2 percent as the rest of the county. The fiscal court did not approve it.

 

Business owners said this will be tough on employees. Keith Kinmon said he’s worried about how it will affect his six employees who work for him at his business, Kinmon Steel in Dry Ridge.

 

He said it puts the tax burden on the small percentage of people who work in the county.

 

“I think they could have structured it different to where everybody could have accepted some of the burden,” Kinmon said. “I think they put all the burden on 25 percent of the people, which is the working man.”

 

The county will still have to look at cuts for the next fiscal year's budget, probably to the tune of $700,000, Wood said. It might mean not refilling four vacant sheriff's deputy positions, leaving the sheriff's department with nine deputies instead of the 13 they had at the start of the year, he said. Fees to rent county parks will rise and equipment, such as sheriff's cruisers, won't get replaced, he said.

 

Despite the tumultuous past two years and uncertain future, Grant County residents still love their home.

 

“I’ve been a lot of different places, and I always come back here,” Kinmon said. “I love coming here.”

We can not get to the next election fast enough.

Sigh, the saga continues.