# Urban County Council Work Session - May 14, 2013 > Auto-transcribed civic record · May 14, 2013 - **Permalink**: https://meetings.lexingtonky.news/meeting/2988 - **Source video**: https://lfucg.granicus.com/player/clip/2988?view_id=14&redirect=true - **Date**: 2013-05-14 - **Last revised**: July 16, 2026 - **Length**: 5,548 words > ⚠️ **Auto-generated content.** Audio from the official Granicus video was auto-transcribed with OpenAI's open-source Whisper large-v3-turbo model, run locally by The Lexington Times. Structured facts were extracted with GPT-4o; the narrative summary was written by Anthropic Claude. Verbatim wording may contain errors. See [methodology](https://meetings.lexingtonky.news/about/methodology) or [report a correction](mailto:editor@lexingtonky.news). --- ## Meeting Overview The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government held a meeting on May 14, 2013, at 3:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber on the 2nd Floor of the Government Center. Vice Mayor Linda Gorton presided over the session. The council addressed 10 agenda items, including public comment periods, rezoning requests, budget amendments, and various business matters. Five motions were voted on during the meeting, and five public comments were heard from members of the community on both agenda and non-agenda issues. The council approved several items including the summary of previous proceedings, new business, continuing business and presentations, and adjournment. ## Attendance **Present:** Linda Gorton, Julian Beard, Shevawn Akers, Chuck Ellinger, George Myers, Bill Farmer, Harry Clarke, Kevin Stinnett, Chris Ford, Jennifer Scutchfield, Diane Lawless, and Ed Lane **Absent:** Jennifer Mossotti **Late:** Diane Lawless ## Votes and Decisions The following motions were voted on and passed during the May 14, 2013 meeting: **Approval of May 7, 2013 Work Session Summary** [timestamp: 00:03:10] - Motion by: Chuck Ellinger - Second by: George Myers - Outcome: Passed by voice vote **Approval of New Business Items** [timestamp: 00:04:12] - Motion by: Chuck Ellinger - Second by: Julian Beard - Outcome: Passed by voice vote **Amendment to Transfer Building Inspection and Code Enforcement** [timestamp: 00:07:27] - Motion by: Linda Gorton - Second by: Diane Lawless - Description: Transfer of Building Inspection and Code Enforcement from the Division of Public Safety to the Department of Planning, Preservation and Development - Outcome: Passed by voice vote **Approval of Neighborhood Development Funds (NDFs)** [timestamp: 00:09:01] - Motion by: Kevin Stinnett - Second by: Shevawn Akers - Outcome: Passed by voice vote **Motion to Adjourn** [timestamp: 00:42:27] - Motion by: Kevin Stinnett - Second by: Linda Gorton - Outcome: Passed by voice vote All votes were conducted by voice vote with no recorded abstentions or dissenting votes. ## Budget and Financial Actions The meeting included authorization for several financial actions and expenditures: **Grants and Federal Awards** * Authorization to submit a grant application to the Bluegrass Area Development District for operation of the Senior Citizens Center in FY 2014 in the amount of $257,067 (L0439-13) * Authorization to accept an award from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency for a fire prevention project in the amount of $18,128 (L0489-13) **Contracts and Purchases** * Authorization to execute Change Order No. 1 to the Agreement with R. B. Jergens Contractors, Inc. for the Haley Pike Landfill Closure Contract 82-2012 in the amount of $484,075.29 (L0453-13) * Authorization to approve a sole source purchase of design services with ECSI LLC for the Northland Meadows Arlington Phase 5C Project in the amount of $22,500 (L0462-13) **Intergovernmental and Administrative Actions** * Authorization to execute an Interlocal Cooperative Agreement among counties comprising the Bluegrass Area Development District for continued operation of and participation in the Bluegrass Workforce Investment Board (L0466-13) * Authorization to transfer the Division of Building Inspection and the Division of Code Enforcement from the Department of Environmental Quality and Public Works to the Department of Planning, Preservation and Development (L0467-13) * Authorization to amend Section 21-5 of the Code of Ordinances to create one position of Probation Unit Supervisor (Grade 113E) and five positions of Probation Officer (Grade 110N) in the Division of Community Corrections (L0479-13) ## Public Comment **Haley Pike Landfill Closure Change Order** Council Member Ed Lane raised questions about a $484,075.29 change order for the Haley Pike Landfill Closure, requesting information on the size and justification of the proposed change order. [timestamp: 00:04:42] **Food Truck Pilot Program** The food truck pilot program generated discussion among multiple speakers regarding its implementation and potential impacts. Bill Owen, president of Lexington Center Corporation, expressed concern that food trucks operating at the front of Heritage Hall would negatively impact six retail businesses currently leasing space at Lexington Center. [timestamp: 00:29:27] Council Member Diane Lawless clarified that the food truck task force had reached consensus on the program but was awaiting approval from the Parking Authority. She emphasized the importance of gathering public input on the proposal. [timestamp: 00:26:35] Council Member Bill Farmer suggested that public input should be heard before the motion is made the following week, allowing for potential changes to the program based on feedback received. [timestamp: 00:27:46] Council Member Ed Lane supported moving forward with the pilot program as a six-month test. He emphasized the need to learn from feedback and cautioned against getting bogged down in details during the planning process. [timestamp: 00:28:17] ## Contested Items **Food Truck Pilot Program** A business representative raised concerns about the proposed Food Truck Pilot Program, specifically regarding food trucks operating at the front of Heritage Hall. The representative expressed worry that this placement would negatively impact existing retail tenants at Lexington Center. The primary concerns centered on economic sustainability and increased competition for the current retail businesses in the area. **Street Light Funding Options** An extensive and heated discussion took place regarding proposed funding mechanisms for street lights. The central point of contention was a proposed 1% franchise fee increase intended to finance street light improvements. Multiple participants raised concerns about the fairness of this funding approach, its potential impact on commercial properties, and questions about the long-term viability of the proposed funding model. The debate reflected disagreement over whether this was an appropriate and sustainable method to address the street lighting needs. ## Public Comment – Issues on Agenda [timestamp: 00:03:10] No public comments were made on issues on the agenda during this portion of the meeting. Mr. Mundy confirmed that no members of the public wished to speak on the agenda items under consideration. ## Requested Rezonings / Docket Approval [timestamp: 00:03:41] No docket items were presented for approval during this agenda item. The meeting proceeded with this section marked as informational only, with no rezonings or docket approvals requiring action. ## Approval of Summary The summary from the May 7, 2013 work session was presented for approval. [timestamp: 00:03:10] Key speakers on this item included Chuck Ellinger and George Myers. The summary was approved unanimously by voice vote. ## Budget Amendments No budget amendments were presented for discussion or vote during this agenda item [timestamp: 00:04:12]. ## New Business [timestamp: 00:04:12] The New Business agenda item included multiple authorizations for grants, contracts, and transfers. Key speakers on this item were Chuck Ellinger and Julian Beard. The new business items were presented and discussed before being put to a vote. All items included in the New Business section were approved unanimously by voice vote. ## Continuing Business / Presentations [timestamp: 00:09:01] During this agenda item, the council addressed several presentations and continuing business matters. **Neighborhood Development Funds** The Neighborhood Development Funds (NDFs) were presented and approved unanimously by the council. **Budget and Committee Summaries** Two summaries were presented and discussed: - Budget Committee of the Whole (COW) Summary - Social Services & Community Development Committee Summary **Key Speakers** The following individuals participated in this portion of the meeting: - Kevin Stinnett - Shevawn Akers - Linda Gorton - Chris Ford **Outcome** The Neighborhood Development Funds were approved unanimously. ## Council Reports During this agenda item, council members presented reports on several topics of interest to the community. **Living Arts and Science Center** A report was presented on the Living Arts and Science Center. **Police Week and Officer Appreciation Week** Council members provided information regarding Police Week and Officer Appreciation Week. **Zota Report** A report identified as the Zota Report was presented to the council. **Food Truck Pilot Program** The council discussed a food truck pilot program, which included public input from attendees. This item generated discussion among council members and members of the public. **Key Speakers** Reports were presented by Linda Gorton, Shevawn Akers, Chris Ford, and Pete Cassidy. **Outcome** This agenda item was informational in nature. The council received updates on these various initiatives and programs without taking formal action. ## Mayor's Report Mayor Jim Gray did not present a formal Mayor's Report during this meeting. Instead, he made a brief announcement regarding Beth Mills' induction into the University of Kentucky's Social Work Hall of Fame. [timestamp: 00:40:08] This agenda item concluded with an informational outcome. ## Public Comment – Issues Not on Agenda [timestamp: 00:26:05] During this portion of the meeting, the council invited public comments on issues not included on the formal agenda. Several council members raised concerns regarding the food truck pilot program. **Key Speakers** The following individuals spoke during this segment: - Ed Lane - Bill Owen - Diane Lawless - Bill Farmer **Issues Discussed** The primary topic of discussion centered on the food truck pilot program. Council members expressed concerns about the potential impacts of this program on existing retail businesses in the community. Additionally, speakers emphasized the importance of ensuring adequate public input and community engagement before proceeding with or expanding the pilot program. **Outcome** This agenda item was informational in nature, with no formal action taken. The comments provided input for the council's consideration regarding the food truck pilot program and its effects on local businesses. ## Adjournment The meeting was adjourned by motion of Kevin Stinnett, seconded by Linda Gorton, with no objections. [timestamp: 00:42:27] --- ## Decisions - **Motion** — passed (0-0): approve the summary - **Motion** — passed (0-0): amend item E to state that the Division of Building Inspection and the Division of Code Enforcement, along with all authorized positions and incumbents, will transfer from the Division of Public Safety, not the Division of Environmental Quality, to the Department of Planning, Preservation, and Development - **Motion** — passed (0-0): approve the new business items - **Motion** — passed (0-0): approve the Neighborhood Development Funds (NDF) - **Motion** — passed (0-0): adjourn --- ## Full transcript Music Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. This is good conversation and underway. I always want to encourage that and at the same time try to follow our timetable. So, looks like we have a quorum or one emerging with Council Member Lane approaching his chair and Council Member Farmer. Steve, Council Member Kaye, has already occupied his. There we go. There we go. All right, so I'll call the meeting to order. This is a meeting of the work session of the council. And on our agenda first is public comment issues on the agenda. Mr. Mundy says no one wishes to speak. Okay. Thank you, Mr. Mundy. Oops. There we go, Vice Mayor. That's all right. We adjust to calamities. All right. That's good. All right, so next on our agenda is docket approval. There is no docket to approve this week. We have a motion by Council Member Ellinger, seconded by Council Member Myers to approve the summary. Is there a summary of the work session on May 7th? Is there any discussion on the motion? All right. Hearing none, then we can take a vote. All in favor, please say aye. Aye. Opposed, no. Motion carries. And next on the agenda, budget amendments. There are no budget amendments to be presented today. There is a motion by Council Member Ellinger to approve new business and a second by Council Member Beard. Is there any discussion on the motion from new business? All right. Council Member Lane first. Council Member Lane. Thank you. I'd like to have some information on item B under new business, which is a change order in the amount of $484,000. Mr. Maloney, maybe, or someone else. All right. That's within the Department of Public Works. So Mr. George Milligan looks like he has approached the podium to answer or comment. So, George, this is on item number B. This is the final change order on the closing of Phase 4 of the Haley Pike landfill. As you can see, it's a pretty hefty change order. What we found is this landfill is being closed in four sections. The first three sections were closed approximately ten years ago. When we went in and started excavating, we found a few things that weren't supposed to be there. And we found that we had to move additional land in order to do the cap. It was larger than what we had anticipated. The quantities, the final quantities that you're seeing there, the earthwork was determined by a survey of both sites prior to construction and then a survey after the closure had been completed, and that's where those quantities came from. In addition, part of this, we had 47 leachate breakouts on this landfill while we were attempting to close it, and that's the reason for it. The project is still under budget, and it is quite a bit under what was the original engineer's estimate a couple of years ago to do the project. The changes, were they established by an engineering firm? Yes. We took and had an engineering firm several years ago had actually written the closure procedure for it. prior to construction we put out a bid for inspection and preparation of the closure documents it was awarded to a different engineering firm so we actually had two sets of eyes that looked at this project and they were the ones who did all the surveying and quantity estimating and final quantity numbers I think that answers my question I thought maybe there was something like this but 484,000 change order, that's a heavy load to carry. Yes, it is. Yes, it is. But thanks for your work on that. Yes, sir. Thank you, Mr. Lane. Vice Mayor Gordon. Thank you, Mayor. I suspect my colleagues have already noted this, but on item E, the item states that we're transferring building inspection and code enforcement from environmental quality, which I suspect they don't know that they had it. They're actually being transferred from public safety. And although this doesn't, I think, require a motion, according to law, I'm going to make a motion to amend item E to state that we are authorizing transfer of building inspection and code enforcement from the Division of Public Safety to the Department of Planning, Preservation, and Development. Motion by Vice Mayor Gordon and second by Council Member Lawless. Is there any discussion on the motion? All right. Hearing none, then we can take a vote. All in favor, please say aye. Aye. Opposed, no. Motion carries. Thank you, Vice Mayor. All right. If there are no further comments on the motion, then we can take a vote on the motion to approve new business. All in favor, please indicate by saying aye. Aye. Opposed, no. Motion carries. All right, that allows us to move on to continuing business and presentations. And the first item on our agenda is the NDFs. Is there a motion? Council Member, motion by Council Member Stennett, second by Council Member Akers. Is there any discussion on the motion? All right, hearing none, then we can take a vote. All in favor, please say aye. Aye. Opposed, no. Motion carries. Next on our agenda is a summary of the April 30th Budget Committee of the Whole meeting by Council Member Stennett or Vice Mayor Gordon. Vice Mayor Gordon. Thank you, Mayor. Just a brief run-through of this summary. the Budget Committee of the Whole did meet on April 30th, and the two items on our agenda were to have a review of the mayor's proposed budget and the baseline approaches as well as a streetlight presentation. And so Melissa Luker, the acting budget director, gave us an overview of the mayor's proposed budget. And basically, the administration received $309 million in total general fund operating requests, and this included $6.2 million of new requests. The original revenue estimate for the general fund was $290 million in February of 2013. And the mayor's proposed budget, just in brief, includes a 2 percent raise for all non-sworn employees. Filled positions are budgeted at 98 percent, and vacant positions are budgeted at 75 percent. And 107 new positions were requested from the divisions, and 24 new positions are funded in the proposed budget. Eight of those new positions funded are formerly grant positions that the urban county government would include in its budget. And the other item on that is that licenses and permits make up 84.2 percent of our general fund revenue, and personnel costs for urban county government are 64.4 percent of our expenses. Public safety accounts for 55.5% of general fund expenses. And the second item on the agenda was the streetlight presentation. And the mayor's proposed budget is requesting a 1% increase in the franchise fees to help fund the deficit, I guess we'll call it a deficit, in the streetlight fund. There are 30,925 streetlights in Fayette County, in case you want to add that to your trivial pursuit items. And the total cost of those is $6.5 million. We receive revenue of $4 million for the streetlights, so there's a net loss of $2.5 million in the streetlight program. And there was quite extensive discussion, which goes on for pages 22, 23, 24, 25 in your packet, of various ways of funding our streetlight program, everything from increasing the tax for that urban service fund to a discussion of a fee and also lots of discussion about the increase in the franchise fee to help pay for those streetlights. I would encourage everyone to read the summary to get all the intricate details and the numbers for this fund. There were no motions, Mayor, that have come out of this, and our next Budget Committee of the Whole meeting is May the 21st. All right. Thank you, Vice Mayor. Next on our agenda is a summary of the April 30th meeting of the Social Services and Community Development Committee by Council Member Beard. Oh, Council Member Ford. Thank you, Mayor. The Social Services and Community Development Committee met on April 30th. The meeting was called to order at 11.02 a.m. All members were present. Also present were Council Member Clark and Henson. A motion to approve the March 19th summary was made by Councilmember Stenet, seconded by Councilmember Alligar, and it was approved. We had three items of agenda discussion. The first was the adult and tenant service overview. Commissioner Beth Mills of Social Services introduced Connie Godfrey, who serves as our Director of Adult and Tenant Services. Ms. Godfrey gave us a review of the many programs they offer in adult and tenant services, including emergency financial assistance, landfill sewer assistance programs, hot water heater replacement, sidewalk replacement, tree removal assistance, rapid rehousing and homelessness prevention programs, and the Newtown Pike neighborhood social services component. She also talked about the upcoming move or transfer of the indigent burial assistance program from their division to our Fayette County Coroner's Office. There was discussion of Ms. Godfrey in regards to how Adult Attendant Services will correlate work in concert with the Office of Homelessness and how it may impact their office. The second agenda item was the Social Service Needs Assessment. We were visited by Dr. Diane Loeffler of the U.K. College of Social Work and Dr. Jenny Wilson of the U.K. Martin School. They were accompanied by graduate students in those respective colleges to give us an update on the social service needs assessment that they are undergoing. The students gave a very impressive report of their activities, which includes their interviewing of the 21 partner agencies in this past fall of 2012. They also identified 55 other stakeholders for which they have or will interview. They discussed the preliminary emerging themes of the needs assessment thus far, which include poverty, employment, transportation, housing, health care, mental health, English as a second language, and substance abuse. Dr. Loeffler stated that the students will provide the committee an update in August and provide a final report in October. I think most of that activity is now shifting from the College of Social Work over to the Martin School. Council Member Kaye stated that the purpose of the research would be to enable the administration in concert with Council to improve our decision-making process. The third and final item was the Bluegrass Workforce Investment Board Interlocal Agreement. CAO Sally Hamilton discussed the activity, her discussion with officials from the Kentucky State Workforce Investment Board, the invitation of Mayor Gray to meet with folks at the Bluegrass Ad. She also indicated that she and Commissioner Beth Mills will be meeting with the staffers at the Bluegrass Ad and hoping to become more involved in the Workforce Investment Board. Council Member Myers spoke to the recent Attorney General's opinion in regards to the relationships between area development districts and local units of government. It was consented among consensus for the mayor to go ahead and execute the interlocal agreement. She indicated that she would start the blue sheet process for that interlocal agreement to be signed, and we did have that on our docket today. We discussed committee items in the docket. There were no further motions, no motions. The meeting adjourned at 1235. That concludes my report, Mayor. Thank you, Council Member Ford. All right. That allows us to move to next on our agenda, Council Reports. If you council members will please sign up electronically. And first is Vice Mayor Gordon. Thank you, Mayor. Just a couple of items. um uh mayor gray and councilmember Ford and I had the distinct privilege to attend the grand celebration this morning of the living arts and science center and the progress that they're making in their their expansion and it is just to put in a word it's awesome and if you have not been over to the living arts and science center to see the plans the latest plans it's going to be a phenomenal building in our community which I think will bring people from other places who just want to see the building this 1800s building sitting right next to and connected to the modern building and so I thought that was very exciting and appreciated mayor your comments and Councilmember Ford your comments the other item I wanted to mention council members is that the long anticipated Zota report is in your mailboxes it's in binder which is for your edification and nighttime reading this week and on May the 28th Don Robinson who chaired the task force is going to come to make a presentation on it. So I appreciate your patience on that. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you, Vice Mayor. Council Member Massadi. Thank you, Mayor. Just wanted to recognize a couple of our groups in public safety this week, both police and corrections. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation which designated May 15th as Peace Officers Memorial Day, and the week in which that date falls is Police Week. Decades later, it's now known more commonly as National Police Week. This week, eight of Lexington's Division of Police motorcycle officers will perform escort duties for the families of fallen officers at related ceremonies in our nation's capital, and all of their expenses for the trips were generously donated. We are very fortunate to live in a community with such a dedicated group of public safety professionals as we have here in Lexington. I would like to say thank you for all that you do to protect and provide for our safety in our city. Mayor, tomorrow is May 15th, Peace Officers Memorial Day, and I would like to take this opportunity to now recognize and honor those officers who have paid the ultimate sacrifice, including 23 fallen officers from public safety agencies here in Lexington in our city's history. Each of these losses reminds us that our safety and freedom come at a great cost. Our community owes a debt that can never be repaid to those who give their lives in the line of duty. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you, Council Member Massadi. And secondly, also this week is Officer Appreciation Week at the Fayette County Detention Center. Community Corrections is holding their Officer Appreciation Week at the Fayette County Detention Center. Officials at the jail are conducting week-long activities to express their appreciation for the essential work performed year-round by our city's Community Corrections officers. And I would also like this opportunity to recognize and thank these dedicated men and women for their service. Day after day, the Fayette County Detention Center staff works with a little fanfare, supervising the incarcerated, and we certainly do appreciate the job they do. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you, Council Member Sadi, for those very appropriate remarks. Council Member Akers. Thank you, Mayor. First, I wanted to share a few announcements happening in my district. This weekend, Saturday is a super busy day, beginning with Founders Day at McConnell Springs. It will be held from 10 to 4. That's located on Redmond Lane off of Old Frankfort Pike, and there will be lots of free family activities to celebrate Lexington's history in the McConnell Springs. Secondly, Speak Peace to Violence will be held at the corner of Price Road and Georgetown Street at the First African Baptist Church Mission House. Again, I believe that begins at 10 a.m. There will be speakers and then followed by the march, and they'll march through the neighborhoods, finishing at the park, and that was organized by the youth of the church in response to the violence in the community, and they're just going to do a community awareness peace march. Lastly, on Saturday as well, Metathorpe Neighborhood Association will be hosting or coordinating a Great American Cleanup in the neighborhood, so anyone interested in participating should meet at the community center at 10 in Metathorpe on Saturday. Lastly, last week I mentioned that I would report out what came from our recent food truck work group And I sent via email to all the council members, work group members, concerned community members today, the drafts, ordinances that have come from that. And I just wanted to share a little bit of information. I'm not seeking action on any of this today, but I just wanted to share with everyone what was agreed to. A six-month pilot project that would involve seven zones identified in the downtown area that would allow for operation of food trucks between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. After 10 p.m., food trucks could operate on any public street parking. There was legal street parking between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m., provided that they are 100 feet from any property zoned residential and 100 feet from a business that is open for business unless they have permission of said business or unless they're located across the street from such business. The two ordinances include regulations pertaining to safety of pedestrians, regulations regarding food trucks, recycling, making sure that they don't contaminate our streets and roads, as well as fees for operating and permitting and fines for violating the provisions of the ordinance as well. And I will present or make a motion, I guess, next Tuesday at work session to put this on the docket for the 23rd council meeting. All right. Thank you, Council Member Akers. There may be some questions or comments regarding this. Vice Mayor Gordon. Thank you, Mayor. I first want to say I appreciate that you took on the leadership of chairing this task force when you were brand new. Secondly, I wondered when are you, I know the task force requested input from the parking authority. When will we see that input? Yes, I'm sorry, I forgot to mention that. On Thursday, I will be presenting these two ordinances to the board of the parking authority at their board meeting. if they approve the hours of operation or use of the metered spaces during the daytime hours then what you have before you will come before council next week. If they do not approve it then we will shift and regroup from there. And bring changes or would the task force meet again to look at the changes? Previously we had proposed allowing use of the spaces only after 5 p.m. so that it wouldn't interfere with the parking spaces during the day. So I assume that's what we would go back to, and we could meet again or just get consensus with the council members of the work group. Okay, and then I was wondering, Council Member Akers or Mayor, when would be the appropriate time to have input from the public who may want to speak to this? Would that be next Tuesday when you move to put it on the docket? I think that would be appropriate. Would that be the appropriate time to be sure everybody's had input? There are people here today, I think, who want to speak to it, which I suppose we could do. I don't know. They've signed up for public comment. Okay. Okay, thank you. All right. Yes, ma'am. Thank you. Council Member Lawless, you would speak to this question or this issue. All right. I was under the impression that it was approved by those council members, the majority of the five council members that are on the work group, but that it was awaiting approval by the parking authority. And things have changed, as they always do with these task forces. And thank you, Siobhan, for all your tireless work. And so I just want to say that the parking authority still has to approve the daytime parking, and I'm not clear about what was decided about those spaces as it first come, first serve, et cetera. And that certainly is a very big issue if the parking authority does permit these. Thank you. Council Member Farmer? Is this for Council Report or you should speak to the issue? I was just going to tag on the issue we're taking up. Go right ahead. Thank you. I just think it would be intuitive to the process if folks are here to give input on this this week before a motion is tendered, it would be well to hear from those people now rather than wait a week because they may have input that may change, alter, or in other way influence our discussion of this legislation. So that's just all I wanted to add on that. Thank you, sir. Point well taken. and Mr. Lane, do you wish to speak to the food trip? First, I'd like to thank Councilman Vickers for her initiative in moving this forward because it's been dragging and you did a good job on that. The other thing I want to just say is that this is a pilot program for six months and I'm sure it's not going to be perfect, but the idea is to try the program out and see how it works and then when we get feedback, we can then modify the program to make it even better. So I hope we don't get too bogged down on too many maybe details, and maybe we need to keep moving forward on this. Thank you. All right. Thank you. Thank you. At this suggestion of council members, if anyone is here today who wishes to speak to this issue, this would be an appropriate time. And, Mr. Owen, you know the protocol. There's a three-minute. Yeah, I've been here. Yeah. I haven't been here for a while, but I'll try and be brief. I've had a good memory, though, I'm sure. Thank you for the opportunity to speak about this. Our concern, I'm Bill Owen, president of Lexington Center Corporation. Our concern is that we have six food vendors in the shops at Lexington Center, three of whom are here today, Gene Stefaniak of COSE, Reza Tamaji with Arby's, and Mike Borza with Subway. Collectively, those six businesses pay and rent other charges about $150,000 a year to Lexington Center Corporation. We are purposeful in trying to drive business that comes to public expositions and or conventions to patronize those businesses. my concern is that food trucks at the very front door of heritage hall between jefferson street and felix between 7 a.m and 10 p.m are going to be counterproductive to the sustainability of those businesses and that's the concern that we would voice and want you to take under consideration thank you thank you bill does anyone else wish to speak to this question all right Hearing none, then we can move on to council reports. I believe Councilman Ford, you signed up. Yes, sir. Thank you, Mayor. Yes, sir. I have just two announcements. The first announcement is that the first district council office will be hosting another district-wide neighborhood association leaders meeting. That meeting will be held on next Tuesday, May 21st, at the Northside Library on Russell Cave Road. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. And the focus of that meeting will be the fiscal year 2014 budget and its impact, Mayor's proposed budget, and its impacts on neighborhoods. I think we've invited and confirmed that our acting budget director, Melissa Luker, will be there. And we're looking forward to seeing all the neighborhood associations from across the district. It's intended for, of course, presidents and officers of the neighborhood, but anybody who resides in the 1st District is welcome to attend. The second announcement I have is also neighborhood associated related. And we as council members know that we now have over 250 neighborhood associations and they provide a solid basis for our constituency work in regards to council members. The Northside Neighborhood Association has a distinct honor and history of being the oldest neighborhood association of the over 250 in our city. It was first organized in 1951, and this coming Sunday, they're going to hold, which I think is an annual event, the 2013 Historic House and Garden Tour throughout the Northside neighborhood district. Mayor, if the council will oblige, we're honored to have the president of the esteemed neighborhood, Mr. Pete Cassidy here, and he wants to come and give a personalized invitation and information in regards to the historic tour. Yes, sir. Mr. Cassidy. Pete, please come forward. Mr. Mayor. Vice Mayor. Classmate Lane. And all the other members of the Urban County Council. I am president of the Northside Neighborhood Association. Harry, how are you doing? and have been active in the association probably since about 1971. Obviously it was not there in 1951 when it was founded. A lot of you probably were not even here then. Let me tell you why it was originally started. Julian I know was here. He was here a couple years longer than I. One of the main problems that was faced in the north side was right after New Circle Road, well, actually before New Circle Road and then following New Circle Road being built. We had 18 wheelers coming down Broadway all day long, every day. We had 18 wheelers coming across 4th Street, 3rd Street, 2nd Street, and Main Street. And one of the main reasons for founding the Northside Neighborhood Association was trying to enforce the truck route which was devised by Circle 4. In addition to that, of course, we were trying to preserve the oldest neighborhood, pretty much the oldest neighborhood in downtown Lexington. We've been through a lot of turmoil over the years, but right now things are going pretty well. And a lot of that is due to the cooperation we've had through the various agencies of the Lexington-Faylor Urban County Government and this body. And we appreciate it and thank you for that. One correction for what Chris said. Once upon a time, the Northside Neighborhood Association had this tour every other year, biannually. It's been a pretty good while since we've had one. It's becoming very difficult to get people to allow their houses to be open so that a bunch of strangers can come through. But we are this year. We started it again. We have 16 sites. We're very proud of those sites and welcome all of you to come. I think each of you received a letter from one of our directors, Winn Meeker, inviting you to come and providing you with an arm or a wristband. If you go to Transylvania, Morrison, Old Morrison, they'll give you a brochure of all the sites that are listed in the map, and we would welcome you to come this Sunday afternoon from noon to five. I have one other thing I'd like to add. Excuse me. I have another thing I'd like to add. Maybe not one. I'll be very quick. Keep in mind as you're walking through that neighborhood, especially 2nd, 3rd, Grads Park, some of Upper, some of those areas closer to town, these houses were built before we had indoor plumbing. They were built before we had electricity. They were built before we had gas. And these houses that still exist now, they were built. And when we did get electricity, we got maybe like a 50, what do you call it, 50 watt or 50 volt box. I mean, you know, they didn't have any fans. We didn't have any gas, I mean, electric ovens. We had no air conditioning, so you didn't need anything except the light bulbs. So keep that in mind as you go through here to see how these homes have been adapted to today's electronic age and technology age. One other thing I think you'll find really interesting, and some of you, Linda in particular, if I'm not mistaken, are a little bit more interested in this than others, and that is we have a beautiful garden, several gardens, on the tour. One of them is at 424 West 3rd, right across the street from me. It's a house owned by Jennifer Graddick and Robert Sanders. they have a beautiful garden in their backyard. It's worth the, well, you're not going to be paying for your tickets, but if you have some neighbors that want to see a beautiful garden, tell them to spend $15 and buy a wristband. This garden was designed by P. Allen Smith. He's from Arkansas. He's the host of two public television programs. I'm probably the only person in the room that's not familiar with Mr. Smith. But I will tell you that the two public television programs are P. Allen Smith's Garden Home, P. Allen Smith's Garden to Table, and he has a syndicated 30-minute show, P. Allen Smith Gardens. He received his training in England and really is one of the noted garden designers in the United States, in the world. He will be signing copies of his books at 424 West 3rd on Sunday afternoon. So if you're interested in gardening, that in itself will be a good reason to come. We invite you all. The north side, as you know, is right here contiguous with downtown. We're a vital part of downtown Lexington. We have worked closely with you and want to continue to work closely with you. we'd like for you to see the beauty of our area, which is pretty unique in the city of Lexington. Thank you very much. Look forward to seeing you on Sunday afternoon. Thank you, Pete. Thanks so much for all you do. Yes, sir. I'm going to leave, but that's all right. All right. Permission doesn't need to be requested, but it's sure granted. All right. Council Member Henson. He's a hard act to follow. But just very quickly, I wanted to thank everyone that was involved in getting the inmate labor reinstated. I think we've all used it, and I really think it makes a difference for our city. So I appreciate the joint effort between streets and roads and corrections. and in all honesty we couldn't have found a better person to work alongside the inmates than rob allen so thank you thank you councilman henson anybody else all right then that allows us to councilman lawless thank you mayor i apologize just real quickly of course there are a lot of things going on downtown The weather's beautiful. The parks are blooming. Please pick up cigarette butts and trash as you have your walks around downtown in the neighborhoods. And also, a week from tonight, the North Elizabeth Street area, South Elizabeth Street area, and Seven Parks. I'm hosting an organizational neighborhood meeting at 6 p.m. a week from tonight at the church on the corner of Forest Drive and Forest Park. and Audubon. So if anybody wants any details, please call my office or email me at DLawless, L-A-W-L-E-S-S, at LexingtonKY.gov. Thank you. Thank you, Councilor Lawless. All right. That takes us to Mayor's Report. There's no Mayor's Report today, but I do have a quick announcement. This has been quite a month for our own Beth Mills, Commissioner of Social Services. On Thursday, Beth will be inducted into the University of Kentucky's Social Work Hall of Fame. So let's give Beth a hand quickly. I don't think she's here. She's not here, but vicariously she gets it. Well, many of us know her history, her commitment, her passion for social work and those in our community. She began her career right here in 1978 as a social worker on the Kentucky Adult Protective Services team here in Fayette County. She moved on. As we know, you've heard her from that podium talk about the passion that she has for our senior citizens. She was the first director of our Senior Citizen Center and then the Division Director of Adult and Tenant Services. Took a stint away from local government at the University of Kentucky's College of Social Work and then back to us in City Hall in 2011. And that's her induction into the Social Work Hall of Fame will be on Thursday night at the Boone Center. and Beth also became a grandmother just a little bit ago on May the 8th to Rosa Beth. Rosa Beth was born on May the 8th. So congratulations to Beth. All right. Vice Mayor, did you have? Yes. One more quick thing. Counsel, there was quite a large folder of NDF requests being passed, and they only just got here. so several council members haven't had the opportunity to look at them yet so maybe they could be passed again next week since we're almost finished with our meeting. Thank you. All right. Thank you, Vice Mayor. I see Billy Mallory in the hall today. She gave me kind of a heads up on Beth's big award earlier in the week. All right. Is there anything else? Mr. Mundy, I think Mr. Cullen is here, but he's not going to speak. All right. Then if there's nothing further to come before the council, is there a motion to adjourn? Council Member Stenet offers a motion to adjourn, seconded by Vice Mayor Gordon. Unless there is an objection, we will stand adjourned. Thank you. Thank you.