At the March 3, 2026 Highland Heights City Council meeting, Mayor Greg Meyers opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by approval of the February 3, 2026 meeting minutes with five of six council members present. The evening began with the swearing-in of Audrey Rowland as the city’s newest police officer—the first new hire the department has sent to the police academy in at least 15 years. Chief Bill Burke highlighted her background as a Campbell County High School graduate, NKU criminal justice student, Kentucky Army National Guard military police officer, and veteran of Operation Atlantic Resolve. Rowland will begin a 20-week academy program in April, followed by 14 weeks of field training. Council also presented Steve Crawford with the city’s Good Neighbor Award, recognizing decades of service on Planning & Zoning, Board of Adjustments, comprehensive planning efforts, university negotiations, and his role in recruiting civic leaders.

City Administrator Michael Griffin presented a detailed financial overview supporting completion of Phase One of the Commons at Highland Heights green space project. With projected payroll tax revenue increases of approximately $4.5 million over six years and roughly $2.5 million remaining after accounting for major obligations such as the Sunset Drive realignment ($356,000) and U.S. 27 sidewalk project ($609,185 city share), council approved Municipal Order 04-2026 accepting a bid of $875,305.15 to complete amenities surrounding the pickleball courts. Features include a paver entry plaza, bocce court, fire pit gathering area with seating wall, children’s play area with hillside slide, cornhole and foosball stations, picnic groves, hammock area, and additional tree plantings, with completion targeted for fall 2026. Council also approved Resolution 01-2026 authorizing participation in an Enterprise Fleet Management program to replace four police vehicles per year over the next three years, keeping patrol vehicles three years old or newer. Additional actions included appointing Lucy Burns to the Tree Commission (Municipal Order 05-2026) and approving Resolution 02-2026 updating the Northern Kentucky SWAT interlocal agreement to reflect leadership and governance changes.

Department reports included discussion of traffic enforcement and speeding concerns on Sunset Drive, ongoing recruitment efforts as the department remains one officer short, code enforcement activity updates, seven February snow events handled by public works, the May 15–16 city clean-up event, and the March 21 “Bunny on Board” recreation event. Council tabled further action on an investment policy pending development of additional internal controls and received an update that Northern Kentucky Water will move forward with 2026 water main design work on Bon Jan and Towanda. The March 17 council meeting was officially canceled before adjournment.

This summary was generated using AI based on the provided transcript.