BY CINDY SCHROEDER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
EDGEWOOD - Mayor John Link, who opposed a 1995 proposal to consolidate services shared by Kenton County and its cities, has suggested that Edgewood consider a future merger with neighboring Crestview Hills.
Mr. Link asked Edgewood council members to think about a possible merger, as the group discussed future building needs at a special meeting Monday.
"It was just basically an idea that I threw out to (council) to consider sometime down the road," Mr. Link said. "I don't see it happening tomorrow, next week or even next year. But it's something we might want to look at in the long term."
Although Mr. Link fought countywide consolidation of cities when it was proposed by former Kenton Judge-executive Clyde Middleton several years ago, he said this would be "a friendly maneuver."
"The county was going to go ahead and merge you, no matter what," Mr. Link said. "There was no opting out. This would be more like friendly talks between two cities."
Mr. Link said Crestview Hills (pop. 2,800) already contracts with Edgewood (pop. 9,100) for part of its fire and life squad services, and he said the cities have worked together on recreational programs. He said he sees a merger as containing the escalating costs of services, such as police, fire and emergency medical services, as well as sharpening the skills of public safety workers.
"The more they stay idle, the less expertise they have," Mr. Link said. "Do you want to go to a heart surgeon who's only done five hearts, or the one who's done 100?"
While several Edgewood Council members said the idea of a merger might have merit in the future, most Crestview Hills Council members dismissed it outright.
"There's no big push to (merge), but it's something that should be thought out," said Edgewood Council member Bill Grady. "With the cities so close to each other, and so similar, it just seems that over the years, there's a potential for (merger) to happen."
Outgoing Crestview Hills Mayor Hal Ries and Mayor-elect Paul Meier said that residents in their city showed their distaste for merger on Nov. 3, when they rejected a council candidate who had proposed merging Edgewood and Crestview Hills.
Mr. Ries said various Edgewood officials have proposed merging the cities during his 13 years as Crestview Hills' mayor, but nothing has come of it.
"We've got the lowest tax rate in Northern Kentucky," Mr. Ries said. "We have no insurance tax, no garbage collection fee, and we have more development than any city around. Our people would scream to high heaven (at a merger)."
Mr. Meier, who's currently a Crestview Hills Council member, agreed.
"I don't think they have anything that we can gain, except maybe a park," Mr. Meier said, referring to Edgewood's Presidents Park.
While Crestview Hills does bid out services such as fire protection, Mr. Meier said that his city "is able to get its services at a lower rate than what Edgewood can provide to its citizens."
Crestview Hills Councilman Frank Sommerkamp Jr. said "nothing is so perfect that it can't be better," but he didn't know of any Crestview Hills residents pushing for the consolidation of the cities.
Mr. Sommerkamp said he would favor a merger of services to save money, before considering an actual merger of governments. "That way, you don't take any identity away," he said.
Mr. Link said he sees the identity issue as less of a factor today, as more people move into the two cities from outside Greater Cincinnati.
"What would we call the new city?" he repeated. "I don't know, maybe something like Crestwood or Edgeview."
