# Council Work Session - August 18, 2015 > Auto-transcribed civic record · August 18, 2015 - **Permalink**: https://meetings.lexingtonky.news/meeting/3743 - **Source video**: https://lfucg.granicus.com/player/clip/3743?view_id=14&redirect=true - **Date**: 2015-08-18 - **Last revised**: August 18, 2015 - **Length**: 10,319 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 Council convened on August 18, 2015, at 3:00 PM in the Council Chamber on the 2nd Floor of the Government Center, with Mayor Gray presiding. The council addressed 10 agenda items during the session, covering a range of municipal business including rezoning matters, budget amendments, and both new and continuing business items. The meeting included 23 motions and votes, demonstrating active deliberation on various issues before the council. No public comments were recorded during either of the designated public comment periods for issues on the agenda or matters not on the agenda. The council successfully approved items including the meeting summary and new business matters, while receiving informational presentations on requested rezonings, budget amendments, and reports from both council members and the mayor. ## Attendance The following members were present at the August 18, 2015 meeting: **Present:** • Stinnett • Moloney • J. Brown • Akers • Gibbs • Farmer • Evans • Scutchfield • F. Brown • Mossotti • Henson • Bledsoe **Absent:** • Kay • Lamb No members arrived late to the meeting. A total of 12 members were present and 2 members were absent. ## Votes and Decisions The council conducted 23 motions during the August 18, 2015 meeting, with nearly all passing unanimously. The meeting began with a motion by Stinnett, seconded by Farmer, to enter closed session pursuant to KRS 61.810(1)(c) for discussions regarding potential litigation, which passed unanimously. The council later returned from closed session on a unanimous motion by Stinnett and Farmer. Several administrative items received unanimous approval, including: • Approval of the August 13, 2015 council meeting docket (motion by Henson, second by Scutchfield) • Approval of the July 7, 2015 summary (motion by Farmer, second by Mossotti) • Approval of budget amendments (motion by Farmer, second by Mossotti) • Approval of new business (motion by Farmer, second by Akers) The council addressed multiple ad valorem tax rate decisions. Stinnett motioned to adopt ad valorem option 1 for all general services fund categories, seconded by F. Brown, which passed unanimously. Similar unanimous votes approved ad valorem option 1 for urban services fund taxes and rates for the conservation and soil district. One notable exception to the unanimous voting pattern occurred with the extension office ad valorem rate. Stinnett's motion, seconded by Farmer, passed on a roll call vote with 11 ayes and 1 nay. The council scheduled two public hearings: one for ad valorem tax rates at the August 27, 2015 council meeting (motion by Stinnett, second by Farmer) and another for the Thistle Station TIF on August 27th at 6pm (motion by Akers, second by Evans). Committee referrals included sending retention and detention areas maintenance and enforcement issues to the Environmental Quality & Public Works committee (motion by Scutchfield, second by Akers). One motion was withdrawn: Henson's proposal to place the fire station location study into the Planning & Public Safety committee for presentation. The meeting concluded with unanimous approval of the Mayor's report (motion by Farmer, second by Stinnett) and adjournment (motion by Farmer, second by Bledsoe). ## Budget and Financial Actions The council addressed several financial items and budget amendments during the August 18, 2015 meeting. **Contract Actions:** • **Resolution L0979-15**: Approved a contract extension for the Driver's Education Program with the Fayette County Attorney's Office at no additional cost ($0). • **Resolution L0986-15**: Authorized an agreement with the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet for a 2015 tire collection event, allocating $5,000 for the program. • **Resolution L0988-15**: Approved the Mayor-Council Plan for Continuity of Government at no cost ($0). **Personnel and Budget Amendments:** • **Resolution L1011-15**: Approved abolishing a Staff Assistant Sr. position and creating a Community Program Coordinator position, resulting in a budget increase of $1,379.99. • **Resolution L1012-15**: Authorized the creation of a part-time Records Management Assistant position, adding $15,079.82 to the budget. The total financial impact of these actions amounts to $21,459.81 in new expenditures, primarily driven by personnel changes and the tire collection program. The two position-related amendments represent ongoing operational adjustments to staffing needs, while the tire collection event reflects environmental program funding. The Driver's Education Program extension and Continuity of Government plan were approved without additional financial commitments. ## Public Comment - Issues on Agenda During the August 18, 2015 meeting, a public comment period was held to allow community members to speak on issues listed on the meeting agenda. This agenda item provided an opportunity for public input before the governing body proceeded with their scheduled business items. The meeting included a designated time for public comments specifically related to agenda items that would be discussed during the session. This format allows residents and stakeholders to share their perspectives, concerns, or support for matters that the governing body planned to address. No specific speakers, comments, or issues were documented in the available meeting materials for this public comment period. The item was classified as informational, indicating that it served as a forum for public input rather than requiring any formal action by the governing body. This type of public comment period is a standard practice in government meetings, ensuring transparency and providing citizens with an opportunity to participate in the democratic process by voicing their opinions on matters that may affect their community. ## Requested Rezonings/ Docket Approval During the August 18, 2015 meeting, the agenda included a discussion item regarding requested rezonings and docket approval. However, no requested rezonings were approved during this session. The item was presented as an informational discussion, with no specific speakers identified for this particular agenda item. No detailed presentations or debates were recorded regarding specific rezoning requests or docket items during this meeting. The outcome of this agenda item was purely informational, with no formal actions taken on any rezoning requests or docket approvals at this time. ## Approval of Summary The board considered approval of the summary from the August 11, 2015 Work Session. The summary was approved without recorded discussion or debate. **Outcome:** The summary of the August 11, 2015 Work Session was approved. ## Budget Amendments During the August 18, 2015 meeting, the Budget Amendments agenda item was addressed as an informational discussion. No budget amendments were approved during this session. The item appears to have been included on the agenda as a standard procedural matter, allowing for potential budget modifications to be considered if needed. However, no specific amendments were presented for consideration or debate during this meeting. No speakers were identified as participating in discussion of budget amendments, and no concerns or issues were raised regarding the city's current budget allocations or the need for modifications to existing budget line items. The outcome was purely informational, with no action taken on budget amendments at this time. ## New Business The meeting addressed new business items during this portion of the proceedings. The agenda item was categorized as a discussion topic and resulted in approval of the matters presented. No specific transcript timestamps were available for this section of the meeting, and detailed information about individual speakers or specific topics discussed was not provided in the meeting documentation. The new business items that came before the body were ultimately approved, indicating that any matters raised received favorable consideration from the participants. *Note: Limited detailed information was available for this agenda item in the meeting records.* ## Continuing Business/ Presentations During this portion of the August 18, 2015 meeting, the council received informational presentations covering two main topics: Neighborhood Development Funds and committee summaries. The presentations were designed to provide updates on ongoing municipal activities and programs. The Neighborhood Development Funds presentation likely covered the status of community development initiatives and funding allocations for local neighborhood improvement projects. Committee summaries would have provided updates on the work and recommendations from various municipal committees. These presentations served an informational purpose, allowing council members and the public to stay informed about current city programs and committee activities. No formal action was taken on these items, as they were presented for informational purposes only. The specific details of what was covered in each presentation, including financial figures, project updates, or committee recommendations, were not captured in the available meeting documentation. Similarly, the names of the presenters and the duration of each presentation were not recorded in the extracted meeting data. This agenda item represents the council's regular practice of receiving updates on ongoing municipal business and maintaining transparency about city operations and committee work through public presentations during council meetings. ## Council Reports Council members provided reports on various topics during this agenda item. Based on the available information, this was an informational discussion where council members shared updates and reports with no specific action required. The session served as an opportunity for council members to communicate relevant information to their colleagues and the public. No specific speakers, topics, or outcomes were documented in the available materials for this portion of the meeting. This agenda item concluded without any formal decisions or votes being taken. *Note: Detailed information about the specific reports presented and speakers was not available in the source materials. Readers interested in the complete discussion are encouraged to review the full meeting recording.* ## Mayor's Report No report was given by the Mayor during this agenda item at the August 18, 2015 meeting. ## Public Comment - Issues Not on Agenda The meeting included a designated period for public comments on issues not listed on the agenda. This agenda item provided an opportunity for community members to address the governing body on matters of public concern outside of the scheduled discussion topics. No specific transcript timestamp or detailed information about individual speakers or comments was available in the provided meeting materials. The item was categorized as informational, indicating that no formal action was taken in response to the public comments received. This type of public comment period is a standard component of government meetings, allowing for community input and ensuring public participation in the governmental process. The agenda item served its intended purpose of providing a forum for citizen engagement on matters not otherwise addressed during the meeting. ## Adjournment The meeting was formally adjourned with no additional discussion or procedural matters addressed. No specific speakers were identified during the adjournment process, and no transcript timestamp was available for this portion of the proceedings. The adjournment concluded the August 18, 2015 meeting without any outstanding business or follow-up items noted in the record. --- ## Decisions - **Motion** — passed (0-0): enter closed session pursuant to KRS 61.810(1)(c) for the purpose of discussions regarding potential litigation - **Motion** — passed (0-0): return from closed session - **Motion** — passed (0-0): approve the August 11, 2015 summary - **Motion** — passed (0-0): approve new business - **Motion** — passed (0-0): table new business item C - **Motion** — passed (0-0): neighborhood development funds - **Motion** — passed (0-0): refer into the Environmental Quality & Public Works Committee the maintenance of bike trails and sidewalks - **Motion** — passed (0-0): refer into the Planning & Public Safety Committee the discussion of drones - **Motion** — passed (0-0): Approve cancel special Council meeting on August 24, 2015 - **Motion** — passed (0-0): reschedule the Special COW scheduled on August 20, 2015 at 4:00pm, for minimum wage discussion, to September 10, 2015 at 4:00pm - **Motion** — passed (0-0): refer community gardens and market gardens into the Planning & Public Safety Committee - **Motion** — passed (13-1): refer the Design Excellence ZOTA to Planning & Public Safety Committee - **Motion** — passed (0-0): place the downtown design excellence standards and guidelines into Planning & Public Safety Committee - **Motion** — passed (0-0): place on the docket for the August 27, 2015 Council meeting, under first reading resolutions, a resolution amending resolution 247-93 to annex 211 West Maxwell Street into the South Hill Residential Permit Parking District - **Motion** — passed (0-0): refer to the Planning & Public Safety Committee an examination of enforcement of snow removal on private sidewalks - **Motion** — passed (0-0): adjourn at 5:23pm --- ## Full transcript We have scheduled a closed session at the beginning, and Vice Mayor Kaye has a motion related to that. Thank you, Mayor. I move that we go into closed session pursuant to KRS 61.810.1C for the purpose of discussions regarding potential litigation. So move. Motion by Vice Mayor Kaye, seconded by Council Member Fred Brown. Is there any discussion? All right, unless there's objection, the council will now enter a closed session. And for those in the audience, we'll be back as soon as we can. Thank you. Thank you. ¶¶ Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. All right. Thank those of you who stayed with us for your patience. We are, Council, the work session will reconvene. And, well, actually, a motion to reconvene. A motion by Council Member Kaye, Vice Mayor Kaye. Is there a second to return to open session? Second. Second by Council Member Massadi. Is there any discussion? All right. Without objection, we return to open session. Next on our agenda is docket approval. There's no council meeting this week and no rezonings that I'm aware of. So that allows us to move on to approving the summary. Is there a motion to approve the summary of the work session? No, ma'am. Motion by Council Member Scotchfield. seconded by Council Member Farmer. Is there any discussion on the motion? All right, if not, then we can vote. All in favor, please say aye. Aye. Opposed, no. Motion carries. Next are budget amendments. There are no budget amendments this week. It takes us to new business. Is there a motion to approve? No move. Second. Motion by Council Member Farmer, seconded by Vice Mayor Kay. Is there any discussion on the motion? If you'll please sign on. Councilmember Farmer. Thank you, Mayor. Mine is on the item on page 8, which I guess is item C, the authorization to sign the Mayor Council Plan for Continuity of Government, which, in my opinion, is not in evidence in this packet, so I can't vote on it until I can see it. So I need to see it. Commissioner Baston is... I'm sorry, I missed part of the question, I think. He was saying that... It's a statement. It's not here. The packet is incomplete in relation to this item of business. If you're going to ask us to vote on something, it needs to be in here, and it's not in here. There's a cover sheet for it, and it samples that the following documents are attached. The mayor slash council plan of continuity of government. I don't mind to take it up, but I need to see it before I can take it up. Was that submitted? That's good. See? We'll have a... Or let's... We're not setting a docket. We'll table it. I would move to table this until it's properly formatted. Okay, we're okay with that. We'll make sure that you get those. I apologize for not being in there. All right, just a motion to table item C until you get the data, the information. Is there a second? Second. Second by Council Member Massadi. Is there any discussion? All right, if not, then we can vote. All in favor, please say aye. Aye. Opposed, no. Motion carries. Thank you. Thank you, Council Member Farmer. That's all who signed on for new business. That means we can vote. All in favor, please say aye. Aye. Opposed, no. Motion carries. Continuing business and presentations is next. Is there a motion regarding the NDFs? Motion by Council Member Scutchfield, second by Council Member Henson. Is there any discussion? All right. If not, then we can vote. All in favor, please say aye. Aye. Opposed, no. Motion carries. Next is the summary of the General Government Committee by Council Member Land. Thank you, Mayor. The General Government and Social Services Committee met on July 7, 2015. The approval of committee summary was approved on the committee approved the May 5, 2015 meeting summary unanimously. The Workforce Investment and Training Update, because it was time-sensitive, was reported out during the July 7, 2015 work session. The next item, Ordinance 271-2009, Oath of Office for Boards, Agencies, and Commissions. Ms. Meredith Nelson, Council Clerk, gave a presentation of the Oath of Office for Boards, Agencies, and Commissions. She stated that the ordinance directed all appointees to take an oath of office before taking office. The proposed amendment to the ordinance will require an oath by affidavit form, which must be completed and returned within 60 days of Council confirmation. And the language requiring the Council Clerk administration of the oath is stricken. The notarization requirement is also proposed for amendment to allow for witness in lieu of notarization. There was significant committee discussion regarding the necessity and enforceability of the ordinance. There was committee consensus that additional history and discussion is necessary before moving forward with the action related to this matter A motion was made by councilmember Gibbs to postpone the item until the September 1st 2015 Committee meeting and seconded by councilmember Bledsoe the motion passed without dissent The next item was still towers location approval and revenue Miss Barbara Akers from the division of planning presented relevant provisions of KRS related to cell tower approvals which provides for statewide uniform application process and a 60-day timeline for local government action through the Planning Commission. She discussed the difference in approval processes for requests to locate towers on public and private property and presented location criteria and design standards for cell towers. Mr. Roger Damon with the Department of General Services discussed General Services' role and the approval of cell towers on government property. General Services reviews applications, coordinates review with other departments, and coordinates the lease drafting process. In response to a question from Councilmember Lamb, Commissioner Reed stated that cell towers should not be approved without significant study and consultation, and he spoke in favor of a CAO policy addressing the issue. There was no motion on that item. And then the items in the committee, two referral items were removed from committee, the workforce investment and training, and cell towers location approval and revenue. and then the meeting adjourned at 250. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you, Council Member Lamb. Next on our agenda is the summary of the Environmental Quality and Public Works Committee meeting. Council Member Farmer. Thank you, Mayor. First, I need to thank the council clerk for coming in and showing me how to pull up on the granicus here the actual motion or verbiage to go along with the item of business I was asking about. I was unaware of that great opportunity. but I still would like to have had it in the packet I look forward to reading it shortly all right environmental quality and public works committee meeting June 16th I'd ask councilmember Senate to share this meeting in my absence I appreciate him doing so they met and approved the previous summary and moved into a lengthy discussion about the neighborhood traffic management program which is one that has been underutilized during some tough budget times over the last several years, and now we're kind of getting back into it. So several people were new to the topic. Others were familiar with it. It was an excellent discussion. And then the final line of that section was there was further discussion about adding additional funding for traffic calming devices during the budget process. There was no motion taken. The third item of business was the so-called traffic signal system, where Dow Hoskins Squire provided an overview of the existing traffic signal system. She stated that there are a total of 377 signalized intersections in Fayette County, of which 137 are owned by the LFUCG, and all signals are maintained by the LFUCG. Then we had a nice discussion following that about some of the work going on, in my opinion, some of the similar work going on there in terms of what some of our opportunities are, the same way we've been surveying our our streets to see what opportunities we have other than just to repave them. That item also ended without a great discussion but with no motion. The last item on the agenda was the Division of Water Quality Projects report which Charlie Martin always does a great job of bringing us up to date as he did today during our meeting. And then the gravamen of the meeting was item 5 where a total of 8 items were removed from committee. And that completes my report. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you, Councilmember Farmer. All right, next on our agenda is an update on the historic courthouse rehabilitation project by Jennifer Warrenma. Hello, how's everybody? Thank you for having us. Tyler was supposed to be presenting to you, but his wife is having a baby right now. So I'm going to step in for him this afternoon, and we wish him the best of luck if he's watching. I think you might be. So it's been since March where you've seen us on this project. We came to you during the budget season and talked briefly, so we appreciate you letting us come and give you an update where we've been and where we're going. Just to recap, I wanted to introduce you to Barry Alberts and Holly Wiedemann, who are our development agents that we brought on board back in the spring. And they'll be here to help me out if there's specific questions that I may not know the answer to, but I'll do my best. All right. So today we're just going to talk about how we got here, an overview of the work we've completed or we have currently in progress, an overview of the tax credit program, the structure, how this deal is going to look, our next steps, and then we'll take some questions from you. So we've kind of been through this before, but really what we want to stress today is that where this building is placed in town and how important it is to save it. We've sort of been through this. We know it's this unique architecture. It's in a really unique place downtown, and it's a central component to our nationally registered downtown commercial district. and we all sort of know the vibrancy and everything that's going on around it in the area. How we got here. So our conditions assessment that you all saw back in the spring told us the building can be saved. It's not beyond repair, but that time is of the essence. And, of course, the longer we wait, the more expensive it gets. And one person quoted it's a million more dollars every year we wait. And so don't hold me to that, but we have sort of thrown that number around. And so essentially the building can be saved. We've done some shoring and some different things that you all have funded last fiscal year. The reason we want to do it now is that there's this state historic tax credit that we've told you about. And Holly and Barry are experts in this field and will answer specific questions if you have them after my presentation. But essentially we have an opportunity right now to leverage money that we wouldn't normally have because the state has a program. We're going to get into that here in just a minute. But you all have allocated through the budget process $22 million, which we know is not enough to save the building. So essentially this is crucial, this extra money through the historic tax credits to get the project done. We met with Council Member Stinnett back about a month or two ago, and he had sort of asked a great question, and we dove into it more. Why don't we just give that $22 million to somebody else and let them do the building, and we don't have to deal with it? And it was an excellent question. And so we went back and we sort of talked with Holly and Barry about that and our legal counsel and our money people, Tyler and Commissioner Omara. And really what it boils down to is that there's not, the building has a really, it's really unique. It looks very large, but there's not a lot of square footage in the inside. And so for a private developer, even with the $22 million, their return on investment would have to be so high. The rents they would charge, we may not be able to get anybody in the building and keep them in the building. So essentially, we'll get to why the tax credits work and why we're going to try to do this approach. Let's see. Okay, so since we came and talked to you all at our workshop in March, we've procured a development agent, which is Holly and Barry. We did receive state approval of our eligibility, and then just two weeks ago, we received federal approval on the Part 1. So that's sort of the first step in the tax credit certification process. Holly actually told us that in her experience, we got approval on the Part 1 faster than she'd seen before, which was good news. And I think a lot of people at both the state and federal level are probably very excited about this project in this building. We also drafted and advertised the architectural RFP, and this is the A&E RFP. We received nine proposals on July 27th, and our selection committee met on August 6th. and both Councilmember Gibbs and Councilmember Scutchfield served on that with myself, Tyler, John Sheed, and Brandy Berryman, and David Barbary is serving as our legal counsel. So we had our interviews yesterday, and we've narrowed it down to two very exciting firms. We have some further questions and some things, so we hope to bring you all a proposal, a firm. I want to say next week, but don't quote me on that. We do have some questions we need to ask. So we had a great five-and-a-half-hour meeting yesterday, and we were really excited with the three firms we brought in to interview. So we also have drafted and advertised a legal RFP, which is due. We received back the responses. We got four responses, and we're going to have our selection committee meeting on Thursday. And we hope to bring those to you in coming weeks, whoever we decide to go with on the legal RFP. We're also advertising an accounting RFP, and you're probably asking why do we need legal and accounting when we have those in-house? These are specific historic tax credit experts who we will bring on board to help us through this process. Essentially from here to the closing and moving tenants in, they will be with us every step of the way. Holly and Barry have also helped us go through those proposals and have guided us in an ex-officio manner, which has been a big help. We also received the two brownfield grants worth $212,000. Those are for remediation. And Jumsheed, I don't think, has determined yet where in the building those will be used. Maybe the rotunda, but he has not made that determination yet. Okay, so we'll talk just briefly about tax credits. We went through this in some detail with you all at the workshop. But essentially, this gives us an opportunity to use private money to finish this building. So instead of the urban county government giving over $30 million towards the project, we gave 22, and we're going to leverage that with some private money. Of course, there's strict adherence to specific standards when you go in and do this, and that's why Holly and Barry are with us. So every step of the way, everything the architect proposes, they're going to be working side by side with the architect to make sure that we are doing the proper things in the building that allow us to qualify for these programs. Now, the key point, and Paul Schoeniger in the council office wanted some more information on this about a week or two ago, I don't know if it was distributed, but essentially the state program started July 1, 2015 and has a 24-month window. So every bit we can capture of expenses in that time, qualified expenses, we need to capture them so we can get as much of that money as we can. It has a $6 million cap. The federal maximum is a 20% of the project cost but has no cap. So we're going to get in a little more detail on that here in just a bit. So essentially what Stacey has passed out for you all is the structure. And Sally and I have heard from many of you throughout this process sort of what does this look like. And we all know that the LFUCG cannot utilize tax credits because we are a nonprofit. We do not have taxes we pay. So we sort of have to do something innovative and interesting. And that is we have to sort of form this historic courthouse general partner. And what this group is, is it's it with the tax credit investor. They form this Historic Courthouse Landlord, LLLP. They can use tax credits, and so that's why we have to form this group. And we just found out two weeks ago that the Historic Courthouse general partner, the board of that group, can be made up of LFUCG employees, which was huge news because we didn't know if it would have to be all private citizens, if it would be a hybrid, or if it would be all LFUCG. So we haven't determined those board members yet, but Sally is working on that, and we'll have more information as we go forward. So just keep in mind as we go through the rest of the afternoon that this is the for-profit entity that can utilize these tax credits. That's very important. And this just sort of talks about that. The general partner, again, this just talks about we know now that that board can be appointed by the LFUCG, So you all will see that membership and we'll have to appoint it and it will consist of LFUCG representatives And Sally asked me to stress today that that will and probably should include some of you So in your capacity as council members Okay, so now the historic courthouse landlord This is the entity that will be there in that center circle and that's why passed out so you can look at that as we move through But essentially, they are going to execute operations, and they're going to manage our tenants, leasing, and maintenance of this facility as we go forward. So they will procure the construction contract, and we will move everything that we've done as the LFUCG currently over to this body to manage and execute as we move forward. Because that board and the LFUCG as we know it right now have to be different in the sense that they're operating as the for-profit. it it's very confusing it's taken many many many months to understand it but we if there's specific questions we have david barber here he can help with that okay so the next steps we will award this a e contract this is going to initiate the schematic design phase why this is important as as soon as we get the architectural contract signed they will start working with holly berry and then our internal design internal project management team to work with tenants think about uses and they're going to be designing around those those items this is crucial this project has to sort of work together with an exterior work some internal work and some roof replacement so we can start spending money and capturing as much of those expenses as we can so we can use them for the state historic tax credit. So we will be working on a design, working with potential tenants, and we'll also be doing some work on the exterior as we move forward, again, to start spending some money so we can get some of this captured. Now this says next steps, evaluate and determine potential uses, and solicit potential tenants. But our development agents for some time, a couple months, I think, have been working with and talking to potential tenants of the building. There's lots of interest, of course, where it's located, and it's an interesting structure, and it's in a great location. One thing you all need to keep in mind is that 51% or more of the building has to be leased by a private entity for any of this to work. So the LFUCG can't move, and we can't take up 51%. It has to be 51% private entities. And as we move forward with the accounting and legal that I mentioned in the earlier slides, they are going to always be looking at the operational costs, what rents are we going to get, how much is it going to cost to run the building, and what is the gap? Is there a gap? Essentially, there cannot be a gap, or these tax credit investors won't want any part of this project. So I don't want to say rest assured there won't be a gap, but if there is a gap, we don't have a project as we move forward. And so that's to spend that large amount of that bond that you approve through the budget. Essentially, you'll see coming up the legal and accounting RFPs. They'll be coming to you probably mid-September. and we will also be using those legal services to help us create the general partner and the LLLP and the accountant is going to help us with all of our financial projections and all of our planning and financial projections that the investors will use as they consider this project. Again, we sort of touched on this, but the board of directors will be appointed and you all will have to approve that. All of the contracts, the development agent, the architectural firm, All of those will transfer to that entity and the bond proceeds will also transfer to that entity and the board will determine How the money is spent in those types of things, but it will sort of leave this entity and enter into that entity Okay, so that's a lot of information. I hope I did it in 15 minutes And so we'll take any questions that you have and I'll sort of call on our project team if there's something I can't answer They'll come up and answer All right, I'll just let you, since you can see the horseshoe yourself, Jennifer, why don't you just go ahead and call it. Any council members, just hold up your hand if you've got comments or questions. All right. Well, it looks like you've done an effective job with the presentation, Jennifer. Thank you. Sit down quickly. Go. Hurry. All right. Thank you. Turn the slide off. Next on our agenda, council reports. If council members will just sign on, and then I will call on you for council reports. First is Council Member Maloney. Thank you, Mary. I've got a couple things I want to – first of all, I want to place in the Environmental Quality and Public Works Committee maintenance of the bike trails and sidewalks, because I remember back in the length I mentioned map money possibly be used, and I think it's been kind of moved around, and I'd like to get a little bit to come up with the straightening out, so move. Motion by Council Member Maloney, second by Council Member Scotchfield. Is there any discussion on the motion? All right, if not, then we can vote. All in favor, please say aye. Aye. Opposed, no. Motion carries. Councilman Maloney. Thank you, Mayor. Today I was going to bring up an issue that I also went to the airport board for a meeting, and they also have an issue with it, and that is drones. As you all know, that is the drones that are, as everybody, if I mispronounced it, I'm sorry, because I don't have one. But anyway, I've been watching the news, and this is a major problem with terrorist attacks, and also they're using these kind of drones to drop drugs in jails. And I just want to be sure that our public work guy, we have a lot to make sure that doesn't happen. Also, I found out that it is against FAA rules to have a drone within five miles of the airport. So if we're downtown here, we would not be allowed to have one unless the FAA approves it. And, for example, yesterday when you all opened up, when UK opened up the Lummi Drive, they had a drone flying across. The FAA found out about it. It was illegal. And I just want a lot of people to know that we need to educate this. So I don't know if it would be wise. I would like to put this in the committee because the airport is taking this as a high-risk issue, and the FAA is really concerned about it. And I don't know if it's possibly, should we put it in public, I mean, public work? No, not public work. Public safety. I'm just wondering if that should be where we place it. And they're willing to come and also would like to be involved with this, to be proactive on these things. And I think it also will have our police and fire and all them to be involved, too, because this is going to be a serious issue. So I don't know if that's a good place to put it, but they do want to be involved. And I'd like to make a motion that we put this discussion in public safety. So moved. Motion by Council Member Maloney. Second by Council Member Henson. Is there any discussion? Council Member Fred Brown. Maybe it's premature, but you do have a lot of individuals probably in Fayette County and probably close. If you're talking about a five-mile, I didn't know we had a five-mile restriction. But I know there's a lot of individuals out there that have drones, those little ones with cameras. And I don't know where they live or where they're operating, and I'm not going to confide on any that I know of. but I think certainly with this being in committee, we need to get some information on this. And there's a problem. And if you watched the golf tournament over the weekend, they had drones on that, which was great, but there's going to have to be a place. We're going to have to set some policies, I think, down the road. And I just wanted to follow up on that. As long as it's outside of five miles, it can be used any way you want. But inside five miles, if you're going to use it for business purposes or anything like that, the FAA will work with you, and you've got to have a contract with the FAA to make this work. And what we're dealing with here, if you've got a lot of high school footballs that fly these things around that are not legal, and you've got Dunbar, which has happened to be real close to the airport, that is a big concern to a lot of people. And also, I was going to bring it up for another reason, because of what the jail, that's the new thing now. People are using these and dropping their drugs around, and it's a new way to go. And I just know that's going to be another job that the police are going to have to monitor. And I think the citizens of Fayette County need to know the rules, too. So I think it's wise that we have this foot out there. Okay, any further discussion on the motion? All right, if not, then we can vote. All in favor, please say aye. Aye. Aye. Opposed, no. The motion carries. Council Member Scutchfield. Thank you, Mayor. I have been asked to make a motion that the special council meeting scheduled for August 24th for the disciplinary hearing be canceled. So moved. Thank you. Motion by Council Member Scutchfield. Where was the second? Second by Council Member Bledsoe. Is there any discussion on the motion? All right. If not, we can vote. All in favor, please say aye. Aye. Opposed, no. Motion carries. Councilmember Stenet. Thank you, Mayor. Last Tuesday, I brought up the issue of our special Cal meeting for Thursday night. In the event of Councilmember Lane's passing, there was no representative for the 12th district. I didn't make a motion last Tuesday because there were a few of you absent, but I think it would be appropriate to reschedule the Cal meeting on Thursday night, given the importance of the issue so that the 12th district is represented at that meeting for that discussion so I'll make a motion to reschedule it for September the 10th which is a council meeting night at 4 p.m. before the council meeting so move most by council members standing second by council member Fred Brown is there any discussion on the motion vice mayor Kaye yes thank you a question for legal this has been noticed information has gone out about it it's It's now scheduled for, obviously, two days from the present. Are we within our legal bounds in changing this? Yes. Open meetings typically concerns itself with calling a meeting, not canceling one. And since this is a committee meeting, not a council meeting, there's no issue if you want to switch that date. It will have to be noticed like a special meeting. Thank you. I guess even though it's legal, I still question whether we need to do it. People are expecting to have this meeting. A lot of people have been told about it. I don't see that delay by three weeks is going to make a substantial difference. The person who comes on in the 12th district will be able to catch up. There's been a lot of meetings about this already. They'll be able to watch those. They'll be able to watch this meeting. They can attend this meeting if they're interested in that seat. I just think that there really is not a good reason to delay, and so I will oppose the motion. Thank you. Thank you, Vice Mayor Kaye. Council Member Gibbs. I agree with the Vice Mayor, and I just want to emphasize, I hope probably a lot of you folks have seen the e-mail chain going around. There's a lot of people planning to be here on Thursday, and I don't like when we cancel something on short notice and give the public the impression that we're trying to avoid something. So I think it's kind of late to cancel. I prefer to go with it. And they can certainly, the new person for the 12th, they'll certainly be able to vote on the issue. As Steve said, they can see it on TV. I don't think it's good enough reason to delay. But thank you. Thank you, Councilman Gibbs. Councilman Maloney. I'm going to support this motion for one reason, that the agricultural is outside in the 12th district, and this has a huge impact on the 12th district for the minimum wage. And I think whoever takes this position should be there from the beginning, and I think this is an opportunity that all of us to be in there, and it will have an impact whatever comes out of this. So I support and I look forward for the new person on the 12th district to come in, and I think the 12th district person, whoever it is, knows this is an issue. whoever it's going to be. They've been following it for the last year and they also know how important it is for the farmers out there who have forced their opinion about this. So they're going to have to represent those folks too. So I would look forward to that. Anyone, any further discussion on the, anyone else wish to speak to the motion? Council Member Stennett. I'll just reiterate, the mayor has until September 2nd to appoint a new person to the 12th. So this is after that. The new person will be seated and we've rescheduled what bothers me about some of the comments is we rescheduled two other topics until after the new appointment is made and you're telling me that this issue is not important enough or doesn't deserve the respect from the 12th district but those other two topics which aren't even near the value that this has with our community I just don't buy that argument and we put off the ZODA we put off design excellence until after this as a group and this is no different this is a very important issue and it needs representation All right. Thank you, Council Member Stennett. Council Member Sadi. Thank you, Mayor. I appreciate the sentiment, Council Member Stennett, and I think all of us would appreciate, in Mr. Lane's absence, that someone would either support or not support the position he had. but we've been talking about this topic since March, and it's been delay after delay, and I think whoever's going to fill the seat in the 12th District certainly knows the issues, certainly knows if they haven't, they've not been watching the news or anything that the media has portrayed, so I think we have an obligation to go forward. This is an important issue. If you all had a chance to look at your email today, Birmingham, Alabama, supported a minimum wage ordinance today, So I think there is a sentiment not only on this council to move forward, but the sentiment with the public to move forward. We've been delaying this issue long enough. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you, Council Member Massadi. Does anyone else wish to speak? Council Member Henson. I just wanted to speak to the motion that even delaying this public meeting, And whether we make a decision to raise minimum wage or not, it wouldn't go into effect until July of next year. So I don't see the reason that we shouldn't go ahead and postpone this meeting and give the 12th district representative an opportunity to be here as well. So thank you, Mayor. I will not I will support the motion. Vice Mayor Kaye, I guess I just have one other question. Do we know that the appointment will be made by September 10th? Has to be. And then I guess one other comment. the comment that they want this person to be there from the beginning, that's too late. This train has already left the station. We've begun this conversation. They can't be here at the beginning. The beginning is already over. We are in process. I just think it would be unfortunate to disappoint the people who have expected to have this conversation on Thursday night and to give him short notice on the on stopping it. So thank you, Mayor. Thank you, Mayor. Is there any further discussion? I have a question. I thought there was no public comment. Council Member Maloney? I thought we were going to discuss the ordinance as a council as a whole. I didn't think this was going to be open to the public. They could come and listen, but I didn't think it was a public comment. It's not for public comment, but people might want to watch and are expecting to see that conversation on Thursday night. There's no public comment. You're right about that. I agree with you. I would be upset if we hadn't set this for people to come up and speak, but if they're not speaking, I don't have a problem with that. All right. Is there any further discussion? All right. Council Member Lamb. I struggle with this, too, because I actually was dealing with this last two weeks ago when we were talking about the Recreation Zota. And again, it is out of respect for the passing of Mr. Lane and also out of respect for the constituents of the 12th District. I know we have at-large members right now, but 12th District constituents do not have representation right now, and nobody can deny that. That is a fact. Now, I know that we have had many conversations. We have listened to a lot of public input, which is grateful. But this is really the first time that this council as a whole will come together and discuss this ordinance in the first. So I think that we need to take that into consideration. And I do support this. I think that we need to have 15 members up here representing this entire city in order for us to discuss this matter. and I urge my colleagues to it's not that we're trying to put it off to not deal with it it's that we want to make sure there's proper representation for our entire county on this council during this very important conversation thank you Mayor thank you Council Member Farmer thank you Mayor the right thing to do on this issue is to delay this conversation It just, it shouldn't take place without a representative in the 12th district. It shouldn't really, I mean, it shouldn't take place without Ed, but we can't change that. I know that if Ed were here, he'd want to make sure that his district was represented. And I know since this issue has been recalled from committee by a majority of the council, action is going to take. I think the term, the train has left the station is more than accurate, unfortunately. I think that Council Member Lamb's point is very good. We are now down to the vetting finally of the potential ordinance. Something that we have not had before at all. In exchanging texts with Council Member Lane, to me he said I am totally against minimum wage being set for all businesses in Fayette County. There's more to that. I don't need to divulge it to you all. But I just think that we need to make sure there's a representation for the people of the 12th District during the remainder of this conversation. And I will be voting for the motion. Thank you. Thank you, Council Member Farmer. Any further discussion? Council Member Evans. I wasn't planning on speaking. but appreciating all the comments that have already been said. This is not just a 12th district issue. It's a citywide issue. I think the changes that we've made on previous issues, the ZODA, that would impact the 12th district probably more significantly than anybody else. So I think there was a true reason to change that or at least hold off on it. This is an issue that we all know about. We all have our opinions. Whoever comes in is going to have an opinion. We just heard, you know, Council Member Lane's opinion. So I just have concerns that, you know, we're waiting for one person, albeit a council person, but we have an entire city that's been waiting for this. even if they just get to come and listen, it's been the public has been waiting. And I think that is who our first duty is to. It's to the public. This is a meeting that's been set. Other council members are correct that this is something that people have been waiting for. People plan on coming and have arranged their schedules to do so. So I think we would be doing the entire city an injustice if we didn't just go ahead and have this meeting. and I'm not in support of this motion for those reasons. Thank you, Council Member Evans. Any further discussion? Council Member Gibbs. I just want to reiterate that two days is very, very close notice. A lot of people are planning to come. There's going to be a lot of really upset people. Maybe if this motion passes, the people who vote in favor of the motion could serve as a welcoming committee for the people who show up at 4 o'clock on Thursday. and I'll say that only half jesting I mean people are going to be very very upset how are we going to communicate this to the public this meeting's been set for a very long time the 12th district is not going to be left out when it comes to a vote on this the 12th the 12th district will be represented and I really feel that it looks bad for us to change things on very short notice and I'm very concerned about that I'm more concerned about that than you know The 12th district will have their say. There's no question. Thank you. All right. Thank you, Councilman Gibbs. All right. Is there no further discussion? Councilman Lamb. I have one question, and it would be for the law department. If we go ahead and go forward with Thursday night's Committee of the Whole and the appointment of the new 12th district comes forward and this gets reported out and comes to the council in the normal process, would the new appointee have to recuse himself, him or herself, from the vote on that issue? No. No? Okay. Thank you. Thank you, Council Member Lamb. All right, if there's no further discussion, then we can vote on the motion. All in favor of the motion, please indicate by saying aye and voting electronically. Opposed, no. Motion carries. All right. Now as us to move on with more council reports, Vice Mayor Kay. Thank you, Mayor. I've got three motions. The first has to do with community gardens and market gardens, and I circulated an email to folks and also a little bit of information in hard copy form, and I moved to place the issue of community gardens and market gardens in the Planning and Public Safety Committee. So move. Motion by Vice Mayor Kaye, seconded by Council Member Henson. Is there any discussion on the motion? All right, if not, then we can vote. All in favor, please say aye. Aye. Opposed, no. Motion carries. Thank you. Vice Mayor. And then secondly, I move to place the ZOTA for design excellence in the Planning and Public Safety Committee. This is a revised version which was circulated to Council. this would allow us to have full discussion of both the zone text well I'll just make the zone 10 I've got a accompanying motion but this would be allow us to have a full conversation in the planning committee about the zone text so move place it in planning and public safety motion by vice mayor Kaye second by council member Henson is there any discussion council member Maloney. I'm not going to support this motion. I'd like to put it in the committee as a whole. I mean, as a council of the public hearing for the Zota discussion, and I think it should be in front of everybody, and I just don't feel like this should be going into, this has been going on for a long time, too. And it's going to take, we're going into committee, and I think by, to me, I consider this as almost like a zone change. even though it did come from planning for recommendation I really feel that it should be considered like a zone change and I'd let everybody be able to have to be there to hear it and then we make that decision there putting it in a planning committee I just am not going to support that it seems like it takes a while to get out of those things and it's something I feel that we need to get back on track so I will not support the motion any further discussion on the motion council member lamb i guess my question is um i've been kind of doing some homework on this recreation zoda so i've been trying to understand if there is a change that change to a text amendment that hasn't physically gone through the planning commission that we discuss it has to go back through the planning commission and i'm just asking for clarification if this change has already been reviewed by the planning commission or vetted by the planning commission because it's my understanding that and i'm trying not to be confusing here which is very difficult but if there is a text amendment change that the council seeks and the planning commission has not already had discussions on that change then it has to go back before the Planning Commission before it comes to us. Does that make sense? Yes, my understanding from law is that that's not required, and I'd be happy to have, I don't know who's here from law, who I spoke to about this, but Keith, thank you. This is the design excellence zone text. This is not about the recreational zone. no no sir I was this is design excellence it is also a zone text amendment but this is design excellence I was simply using the recreation Zota as an example I was not stating that it was you know I just I understand but there was a confusion thank you so council member Lonnie thought it was something else. That's what. All right. Keith. And this is a confusing area. This would be for purposes of consideration by the council. What Vice Mayor Kay is proposing would be a substantial change to what was previously looked at. It is not for purposes of having to go back to the planning commission for reconsideration if that change is made. So depending on the nature of a change, It would have to go back to the Planning Commission. What's being proposed by Vice Mayor Kay would not require that to go back to the Planning Commission. And I understand that that's confusing, but sometimes those issues are. So what you're saying is the Planning Commission, and I realize you're not the attorney for Planning Commission, so I take that into consideration, but what you're saying is the change that has been proposed by Vice Mayor Kay has already been vetted by the Planning Commission. No. Obviously, the provision that is being changed has been vetted by the Planning Commission, but what Vice Mayor Kay is proposing is to reduce an amount of time that a body is permitted to hold something in abeyance to postpone it, and it's not significant enough to require to go back to the Planning Commission. okay so if it's okay all righty thank you thank you all right any further discussion on the motion council member maloney okay to the good to get a clarification here this is design excellence that you tried to push through a couple months ago and we had a little problem this is what you're trying to bring it back into the committee with some changes on this. Now, the changes on this, is it going to help the developers that came in here that had complaints and concerns, and also is it going to be like, for instance, I was told if we passed what you originally had, we wouldn't have been able to build the movie theater. Is that, do those changes happen? Councilmember Maloney, the intention is to put it in committee and to have that conversation so that the concerns that you're raising and others will be able to be addressed. But I thought to put it back in the committee, there had to be changes. There is a change. Law has advised me that that's a substantial enough change to put it back in committee. And that is before the copy of the zone text with the changes before you. So what change was it? The date? Is that all you changed? The date? No, no, no, no. Oh, okay. You set aside what they find the right page. On page 27.9, under Action, the change would be from a period in terms of activity, a reasonable portion of a period of time not to exceed one year would be deleted, 120 days unless a longer time is agreed by the applicant would be added. That's the change. All right, is there any further discussion on the motion? All right, then we can vote. All in favor of the motion, please indicate by saying aye. And voting electronically. Opposed, no. Motion carries. All right. Motion carries. I have one more. One more. This is the companion piece to the zone text. I move to place the downtown design excellence standards and guidelines in the planning and public safety committee for the same reason, so that those who have concerns about what's in that text will have an opportunity for full discussion of those issues. So I move to place the downtown design excellence standards and guidelines in the planning and public safety committee. So moved. Motion by Vice Mayor Kay, second by Council Member Akers. Is there any discussion on the motion? All right. Hearing none, then we can vote. All in favor, please say aye. Aye. Opposed, no. Motion carries. All right. Council Member Fred Brown. Yeah, we're back on regular council report. We're back on regular council reports. I would like to write. Yes, sir. The traffic engineer, Dal, if you'd come to the – I've got a question, just really a clarification. I'm seeing some new signs yellow with curves or squiggles or bars and with – in, I think, the 5th District for sure. and uh the question there is these are yellow signs and they do have mileage most of the three i think i saw was 30 miles an hour that is not law is it those are warning signs those are warning so it has to be the regular white and black sign right is a regulatory sign so i'm not going to get pulled over for going 35 in that no it's just warning you and that The speed is the advised speed to take around the curve. So I guess the follow-up on that is why are we doing that? Is that from complaints, complaint-driven? Not necessarily. I mean, it could be, but it's for safety purposes. So those are curve warning signs or windy road signs, and then you post the warning speed if it's more than 10 miles below the speed limit. So if the speed limit's 45, but you should only go 30 around the curve, then that's when you post the warning speed. Otherwise, you don't post the warning speed. So we will be seeing more of these signs throughout the... It's possible. Okay. Thank you. Thank you, Council Member Brown. Council Member Gibbs. Thank you, Mayor. I have two motions to make. The first is I move to place on the docket for the August 27, 2015 council meeting under first reading resolutions, a resolution amending Resolution 247-93 to annex 211 West Maxwell Street into the South Hill Residential Permit Parking District. So moved. Second. Motion by Council Member Gibbs and a second by Council Member Henson. Is there any discussion on the motion, Council Member Farmer? Two questions. Thank you for providing the map. Although it's hard to read. It is hard to read. So this would affect the block that's in the light pink mark B2A. grab your mic jake you want to grab your mic there turn it on there you go thank you sir you can see where the x is i got you is the property and there's no parking on that side of the street and there's no uh there are no there are meters across the street so he can't park there and he doesn't have a driveway and so this would open up the you know the pinkish area is permit parking, it would allow him to park on one of those, to buy the permit for $10, whatever it is, and park in that area. So it's kind of one property that is kind of in a very tough spot. It makes it a little more contiguous, too, it looks like. All right. Very good. Thank you, sir. Thank you, Mayor. Any further discussion on the motion? All right. If not, then we can vote. All in favor, please say aye. Aye. Opposed, no. Motion carries. and the second one is i moved to place into the planning and public safety committee an examination of the enforcement of the private sidewalk snow removal ordinance so moved motion by councilman gibbs and second by councilman henson is there any discussion on the motion all right if not then we can vote all in favor please say aye opposed no motion carries Thank you. Council Member Gibbs. Council Member Akers. Thank you, Mayor. I had a couple updates to share announcements. First of all, I am restarting, I guess, sort of the meet your council member event. And in addition to meeting me or talking to me about issues or questions you have at City Hall, I'm also inviting different state legislators. And so this month's guest will be State Senator Reggie Thomas. We will meet tomorrow night, August 19th from 6 to 8 at the Metathorpe Community Center on Larch Lane, and refreshments will be provided. So if you have any questions regarding the state budget or traffic issues for the state or anything for me, please join us tomorrow night in Metathorpe at 6 to 8. And then Thursday night, August 20th, Douglas Park and the communities and neighborhood organizations there are hosting free movie nights, the last one of the summer at Douglas Park. And that is Thursday, August 20th. Activities begin at 6 o'clock in the park, and then the movie will begin at dusk around 9. And this week's movie is Big Hero 6. So that event has gained a lot of popularity over the summer, so I hope to see even more people there this week. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you, Council Member Akers. Council Member Lamb. Thank you, Mayor. I just wanted to announce that tomorrow, Wednesday, August 19th at 1030, we'll be officially opening the pickleball courts at Kirk Levington Park. and I don't see where Commissioner Reed is back there. And Division of Parks and Recreation, they've done a phenomenal job at bringing these forward, and I'm really excited to see that the courts are already being filled with players. Yesterday morning they were out playing already, and I look forward to this new feature to our park system, and thank you so much. Thank you. Council Member Lamb, Council Member Farmer. Thank you, Mayor. Just a couple of things. This coming Thursday morning will be the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the grand reopening of the Kroger on Shinaway that's been enlarged. So that will be right around 8 o'clock, and I'll look forward to seeing folks there for that. In returning to new business, I don't see that the council was kind enough to a table. After reviewing it on the pad here and before it comes back, it is written so that as opposed to using the names of the posts that people are in, it uses actual people's names. And I'm wondering about does it have to be assigned to person or to post? And we don't have to discuss that now. It's just something that came to my mind in looking at the way it was drawn. So thank you for that discussion when it comes forward. Then I don't know. I know some of you know that today is Robert Redford's birthday, if you read the paper this morning. Robert Redford's 79 today. I'm not. Robert Redford? Redford's birthday. And, of course, closer to home, Willie Colley Stein's birthday is today. Willie Colley Stein did a great job. Let's see. Andy Samberg today. Edward Norton. So, I mean, Mary, are you familiar with this list? I was wondering why you're being so nice today. Why I was being so nice? And this is nice? No. You're going into dangerous territory. There's a banner up downstairs in the office, in the Sands ballroom, that congratulates the mayor on his birthday today. There we go. And I will tell you that I didn't know how old he was, but my mom was very certain of how old he was. That's right. His mother is very attentive. And then surprised me with the number. But congratulations, mayor. Thank you, sir. I'll shake your hand. birthday on home. I appreciate that. Thank you, Council Member Farmer. I thought I was going to get away. Thank you, Council Member Farmer. It looks like that's all who signed up for Council Reports, and that allows us to move on to the Mayor's Report. And there is no Mayor's Report this week. That allows us to move to public comment for issues not on the agenda. And I I believe Deacon John Wesley Williams is here. To this great mayor of Lexington, Kentucky, and this great council, two years ago, I exercised. I walked on the Legacy Trail. So I was appalled when I saw the rebel flag. I was walking. What it is, it's the trail. And then what it is, the Lexington Recreation Department has put a, had a rebel flag there. So two years ago, I called the Recreation Department, Lexington Recreation Department. I could not get anything done. I called my council member. The first district, I don't know if this man was here or not, but I did call. I never received a call back. So I called the mayor's secretary, Mayor Gray, Sister Staub, Miss Staub, I think is her name. And she was very nice, and she helped me. And Brother Brown helped me. So finally, they removed the rebel flag. They removed this flag. And the reason why I tried again was because of the massacre of my people in Charleston, South Carolina. So I said, I'm going to try it again. So they did remove it. But this is what the Recreation Department did. They put down the Fort Sumter flag, which shows a separation of the United States of America. I don't like that. The United States of America has never been separated. The South was separated, but not the United States of America. The reason I'm here is because when you step, they got it and the Fort Sumter flag together, which I don't know if y'all know what the Fort Sumter flag, I didn't know what it was either, but I had to, you know, look it up. This is disrespect to the men of World War I and World War II. These are the greatest American soldiers that have ever lived on the face of the earth. Not only did they save all of us, World War I, World War II veterans saved the whole world. This is history. This is the truth. So what I'm asking the council today, I'm asking that you all ask the Lexington Recreation Department to remove this flag. Where people, when they walk, they can walk on that great flag, the greatest flag in the world. This is real. My people served in the United States Army, World War I and World War II. And it's one other thing I want you to remember. The flag of the United States of America should never hit the ground. And the reason why it should never hit the ground is because when one of those soldiers got killed or got shot, they picked that flag back up. I want to thank you for listening. I'm going to ask that you make this recreation department do what's right. Take that off. Don't allow people to do this job flag. And I want to thank you, Mayor. Mayor, you have been a great mayor. I'm 67 years old. This is the first time that I have known a mayor to start the conversation about the Confederate, about these statues down here, and about these flags. And to say this, I don't see many rubber flags in Lexington, Kentucky. and thank each and every one of you all for listening. Thank you, Deacon. Thank you so much. All right, unless there's anything further to come for the council, I'll ask for a motion to adjourn. Motion by Council Member Stenet, second by Council Member Scotchfield. Unless there's objection, we are adjourned. 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