Located in
Campbell County, Kentucky, Fort Thomas is an attractive, residential
community with outstanding schools and city government. Established
in 1867 as District of the Highlands and renamed Fort Thomas
in 1914 for the Army Post that was in operation here. Fort Thomas
lies along a bluff overlooking the Ohio River and Cincinnati,
Ohio.
The City of Fort Thomas is a Fourth Class City operating under
a Mayor/Council form of government. The mayor is directly elected
for a four (4) year term of office and serves as the executive
authority for the City. The Board of Council is comprised of
six (6) members, all directed at large for two (2) year coterminous
terms of office. The Mayor presides at all Council meetings,
is responsible for various executive duties and represents the
City as the chief elected official. The Board of Council serves
as the legislative authority for the City. City Council is responsible
for the review and approval of major policy initiatives, enactment
of ordinances and regulations, approval of the budget (submitted
by the administration) and similar legislative duties. The Board
of Council is also structured with six (6) Council Committees
including Public Safety, Finance, Public Works, Recreation, Law-Labor-License
and Utilities and Buildings.
The day-to-day responsibilities
for management of city operations is delegated to the City Administrative
Officer (CAO) who is appointed by and serves at the pleasure
of the Mayor and Board of Council. The CAO is directly accountable
to the Mayor for all management and operational affairs of the
City. The CAO works with seven department heads, the Assistant
to the CAO and the City Clerk, who comprise the city’s management
team and have oversight responsibility for all daily operations.
The City’s workforce consists of sixty-nine (69) full-time
employees who provide a full range of municipal services to 16,495
residents, as reported by the 2000 census conducted by the United
States Census Bureau.
The City’s annual
General Fund operating budget is approximately $7,000,000 which
underwrites expenditures associated with personnel, equipment,
supplies, insurance and other consumable items. The City also
maintains an approximate $500,000 annual Capital Improvement
budget utilized to fund capital improvement projects such as
street resurfacing, sidewalk replacement and storm sewer maintenance.
