The City of Morehead took action on police procedures and affordable housing at the November 13 council meeting.
Updates to the Morehead Police Department’s standard operating procedures bring the city’s policies in line with state regulations. Officials said one change modifies the police disciplinary process to align with KRS 15.520, which has to do with complaints against officers.
Another change updates the department’s sexual assault policy, concerning the use of DNA samples. Morehead’s Chief of Police Derrick Blevins said KRS regulations state DNA evidence from victims cannot be run through CODIS, the FBI’s DNA database, if the person is not a suspect in the case.
The final changes are to the department’s officer awards. Blevins said the department will no longer award the officer who issues the most traffic violations or drug arrests.
“You want people doing things for the right reasons – not necessarily, you know, ‘If I write a bunch of speeding tickets, I’m gonna get traffic officer of the year,’” said Blevins. “We want them writing speeding tickets that need to be written. So, it just is a little better, I think.”
A housing resolution passed by City Council authorizes the city to apply for a 2023 Kentucky Community Development Block Grant on behalf of Frontier Housing. Officials said the grant would help fund the Morehead Parkview Multi-Family Apartment Project, a 40-unit complex which will be located at the property adjacent to the Splash Pad in City Park.
Stephanie Cooley, the Director of Real Estate Development at Frontier Housing, said the authorization was required because CDBGs can only be requested through local government. She added that Frontier Housing is able to match the grant amount, so the city’s responsibility would be administrative, not monetary.
“So, we have applied for other funding,” said Cooley. “We applied for the low-income tax credit through Kentucky Housing Corporation, and we have been awarded. We are trying to fill the funding gap along the way, so we’ve applied for Federal Homeland Bank Money to work on filling that gap. And that’s why we’re working on the CDBG as well.”
The CDBG would provide Frontier Housing with $1 million. Cooley estimated the total cost of the Parkview apartment project would come to about $10 million.
Follow the links below for more information on actions taken at the November 13 City Council Meeting.
Morehead Utility Plant Board provides water treatment update
Two new members appointed to Morehead TIF Board