# Police and Fire Pension Fund Board Meeting - December 10, 2019 > Auto-transcribed civic record · Board · December 10, 2019 - **Permalink**: https://meetings.lexingtonky.news/meeting/4916 - **Source video**: https://lfucg.granicus.com/player/clip/4916?view_id=14&redirect=true - **Date**: 2019-12-10 - **Body**: Board - **Last revised**: February 6, 2026 - **Length**: 2,391 words > ⚠️ **Auto-generated content.** Audio from the official Granicus video was auto-transcribed by OpenAI Whisper-1, with speaker labels folded in from Granicus closed-captioning. Structured facts were extracted with GPT-4o; the narrative summary was written by Anthropic Claude Sonnet. Speaker labels and 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 Police and Firefighters Retirement Pension Board held a meeting to address various pension and benefit matters for current and former public safety personnel. The board conducted business on seven agenda items, taking seven votes during the session. No public comments were heard during the meeting. The board primarily focused on approving various retirement benefits and disability claims for police and fire department personnel. Key actions included approving a ghost town purchase for Kevin Clemons, granting widower's benefits for Stanley Hitchner, and approving service retirement for Jason Shoemate. The board also approved disability benefits for two individuals: Eric Campbell and Jeffrey Blanton. Additionally, the board approved December disbursements and received an informational class action report. All actionable items brought before the board were approved, demonstrating unanimous support for the pension and benefit requests presented. The meeting appears to have been routine in nature, focusing on the board's core responsibilities of administering retirement benefits and disability claims for Lexington's police officers and firefighters. ## Attendance **Present:** - Chad - Susan - Commissioner Armstrong - Lieutenant Connolly - Firefighter Abel - Trey - Tommy - Mayor **Absent:** - Larry **Late:** - None Eight members were present for the Board meeting, with one absence recorded. No members arrived late to the proceedings. ## Votes and Decisions The Board conducted seven votes during the meeting, all of which passed by voice vote. **Treasurer's Report** Commissioner Armstrong motioned for approval of the treasurer's report. The motion passed by voice vote. **Ghost Town Purchase** The Board approved a ghost town purchase for Kevin Clemons. The motion passed by voice vote. **Widower's Benefit** The Board approved a widower's benefit for Stanley Hitchner. The motion passed by voice vote. **December Disbursements** The Board approved disbursements for December. The motion passed by voice vote. **Service Retirement** The Board approved a service retirement for Jason Shoemate. The motion passed by voice vote. **Disability Case Review** The Board approved sending Eric Campbell's disability case to a third physician for additional review. The motion passed by voice vote. **Disability Approval** The Board approved disability benefits for Jeffrey Blanton at the appropriate percentage. The motion was seconded by Trey and passed by voice vote. All motions were conducted as voice votes with no recorded individual vote counts or roll call votes. No transcript timestamps were available for the voting portions of the meeting. ## Budget and Financial Actions The Board received one financial report during this meeting regarding the district's retirement plan assets. • **Retirement Plan Valuation**: The Board was informed that the current value of the retirement plan stands at $785,890,885.99. This informational item provided Board members with an update on the total assets held within the district's retirement system. No specific action items, vendor payments, or budget resolutions were presented for Board approval during this portion of the meeting. The retirement plan valuation appears to have been shared as part of routine financial reporting to keep Board members informed of the district's pension fund status. *Note: Specific transcript timestamps were not available for this financial discussion.* ## Ghost town purchase for Kevin Clemons The board considered and approved a resolution regarding a ghost town purchase related to Kevin Clemons during this meeting. This item was listed as agenda item 1 and was presented as a resolution requiring board action. Limited details were provided in the meeting materials about the specific nature of this ghost town purchase or Kevin Clemons' role in the transaction. The board discussion and any presentations made regarding this item were not captured in the available transcript excerpts. The board ultimately approved the resolution related to the ghost town purchase for Kevin Clemons. No specific concerns or opposition were documented in the available meeting materials. **Outcome:** Approved *Note: Specific transcript timestamps and detailed discussion points were not available in the provided meeting materials for this agenda item.* ## Widower's benefit for Stanley Hitchner The board considered agenda item 2, a resolution regarding the widower's benefit for Stanley Hitchner. The board discussed the matter and voted to approve the widower's benefit for Stanley Hitchner. No specific details about the discussion, concerns raised, or the nature of the benefit were provided in the available meeting materials. The resolution was approved by the board. *Note: Transcript timestamps are not available for this agenda item, and detailed discussion points were not captured in the provided meeting materials.* ## Class action report Chad Hancock presented a report on class action lawsuits involving the plan during this agenda item. The presentation was informational in nature, providing the Board with updates on ongoing legal matters affecting the organization. Hancock indicated that these class action reports would be provided to the Board on a monthly basis going forward, establishing a regular reporting schedule to keep Board members informed of any developments in litigation matters. The agenda item was structured as a presentation rather than a discussion item requiring Board action. No specific details about individual lawsuits, settlement amounts, or legal strategies were included in the available meeting materials. This represents part of the Board's ongoing oversight responsibilities regarding legal and financial risks facing the organization. Regular reporting on class action matters allows Board members to stay informed about potential liabilities and legal developments that could impact plan operations or finances. The outcome was informational only, with no votes or formal actions taken by the Board on this item. ## Disbursements for December The Board approved the disbursements for December as listed on the meeting agenda. This resolution passed without recorded discussion or debate from Board members. **Outcome:** Approved *Note: No transcript timestamps are available for this agenda item, and no specific speakers or discussion details were recorded in the meeting materials.* ## Service retirement for Jason Shoemate The board approved the service retirement for Jason Shoemate, with an effective date of December 8th, 2019. No additional details about the discussion, speakers, or deliberation process were available in the meeting materials for this agenda item. The resolution was approved as presented. ## Disability for Eric Campbell The Board considered a resolution regarding Eric Campbell's disability case during the meeting. The agenda item involved a decision to seek additional medical evaluation for Campbell's disability claim. After deliberation, the Board approved sending Eric Campbell's disability case to a third physician for further evaluation. This decision suggests that previous medical assessments may have been inconclusive or that additional expert opinion was needed to properly evaluate the disability claim. The resolution was approved by the Board, indicating unanimous or majority support for obtaining the additional medical review before making a final determination on Campbell's disability status. *Note: Specific transcript timestamps, detailed discussion points, and speaker identifications were not available in the provided meeting materials for this agenda item.* ## Disability for Jeffrey Blanton The board considered and approved a disability determination for Jeffrey Blanton during this meeting. The resolution addressed establishing Blanton's disability status at an appropriate percentage level. **Outcome:** • The board approved the disability for Jeffrey Blanton at the designated percentage No additional details were provided in the meeting materials regarding the specific percentage determined, the nature of the disability, or any discussion that may have taken place during consideration of this item. The resolution passed without recorded opposition. *Note: Specific transcript timestamps are not available for this agenda item.* --- ## Decisions - **Motion** — passed (0-0): Approval of the treasurer's report - **Motion** — passed (0-0): Approval of ghost town purchase for Kevin Clemons - **Motion** — passed (0-0): Approval of widower's benefit for Stanley Hitchner - **Motion** — passed (0-0): Approval of disbursements for December - **Motion** — passed (0-0): Approval of service retirement for Jason Shoemate - **Motion** — passed (0-0): Approval to send Eric Campbell's disability case to a third physician - **Motion** — passed (0-0): Approval of disability for Jeffrey Blanton at the appropriate percent --- ## Full transcript Thank you. I'd like to go ahead and call to order the Lexington Fayette Police and Firefighters Retirement Pension Board. What is the official name of this? I'm reading off of the top. That's the official name. That's the official name. Good. Okay. First up, we have the treasurer's report, which I think Chad is here to present for us. Good morning. Good morning. You should have in your packet all the various financial statements, comparison from September to October of the plan, as well as the bank statement and the fund reconciliation of the flow of activity through the fund. Also you should have the letter of transmittal. And as we have mentioned several times this morning, the value of the plan is $785,890,885.99, which compares to last month of $777,947,247.44. This is, by the way, an all-time high for the plan. So yay. Let the good times roll. Yay. That's excellent. Are there questions about the report? I'd like to congratulate Chad on his work on this. You all have set the bar high. Now we need to keep it going, right? I believe this needs a motion to approve. All right. Commissioner Armstrong, move. Do I hear a second? Second. All right. We have a second. Is there discussion? All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Is there a second? Second. Is anyone opposed? That motion passes. Thank you very much, Chad. Susan, I'll ask you to go ahead and roll us right through all these next items, please. Yes, ma'am. We've got new business. Item number one is ghost town purchase for Kevin Clemons. I need a motion to approve. Second. We have a motion and a second. Is there any discussion? All right. Seeing none, all those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? Thank you. That passes. Item number two, widower's benefit for Stanley Hitchner. I need a motion to approve. So moved. Second. We have a motion and a second. Is there any discussion? All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right. That passes. Item number three is a class action report that Chad Hancock's going to go over for us. It's something that we can run monthly now. Okay. Thank you. Again, we've had discussions with Lieutenant Connolly and Firefighter Abel about class action lawsuits that the plan might be involved in. What I've done is I've told them I would reach out to Northern Trust, which is our custodian, and find out how we get involved in this. They have a very robust class action division. Something they have set us up to do within the platform of their custodial internet site is we are now able to run a report that will show any class action lawsuits that the plan is involved in that they have filed on our behalf. So what you have in your packet is this report. Just briefly, I'd like to go through it real quick. We ran this from the beginning of our relationship with Northern Trust in 2016 until the end of November. What it shows is we have two class action lawsuits going on right now. One of them, if you see the first one, is within our Newberger, our old Newberger plan that we had, or fund manager, that was individual securities. Event status, they have notified everybody that is involved with this class action. It also has the time period that this class action is taking place. In other words, when those securities were involved with this. And then it has a filing deadline and some other information. What will happen is, for both these, the other one is Mackay Shields, as things progress, they will update the status of these until it gets to a settlement, and then we will have our amount paid that is given to us. I don't know when that will be, but what I propose is running this on a monthly basis, and if there's any change, providing that to you for the next month's meeting. If there's not, I'm not going to include anything, I don't think there's any reason to keep showing the same report. But on a yearly basis, either in December or January, regardless of any activity, run that report as well to see if there's anything going on, just for informational only. But I will run it at the end of December. If there's any change, I will put it for the docket, and if there's not, I'll leave it out. I propose we can put on the agenda class action, no change, just so you know, if that's acceptable to everybody. All right, let's have some questions or comments. I think that probably answers our question, and I think that's a great plan. If there's no change, there's no need to inform us, but just knowing that somebody is looking, I think, is what we were looking for. So, I appreciate your work on that. No problem. Do you want to have the update annually, or? Definitely. I think that's wise to do anyway. I think so, yeah. And if there is a change in that month, then you submit that, and we'll have it in the agenda on the report. Okay. And that way, we do have a record of it as well. Okay, all right. Do we need to... Does that require a motion? I was just going to say, I think we ought... It doesn't require it, but do you want it in the record? I think with our discussion here, I mean, our board meetings are recorded that it would be on record. All right, very good. Thank you. Any other comments about this? All right, good work. Thank you very much. Next on the new business agenda is disbursements for December. They're listed on your agenda. I need a motion to approve. So moved. Second. We have a motion and a second. Are there any questions or comments? All right, seeing none, all those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? That motion passes. Retirements, disabilities, and resignations. We have a service retirement for Jason Shoemate that should be division of fire. Retirement affected December 8th, 2019. I need a motion. All right, we have a motion and a second. Is there any discussion? All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? That motion passes. Disabilities, Eric Campbell, division of fire. Medical report is completed and distributed. I need a motion. The motion on the floor is to send this to a third physician. Is there any discussion? All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? That motion passes. Next on the agenda for disability is Jeffrey Blanton, division of police. Medical report is completed and distributed. I need a motion, please. So moved. All right. Appropriate at the appropriate percent. Okay, we have a motion to approve, setting at the appropriate percent. Is there any discussion? Who was the second? Trey. Trey. Thank you. Is there discussion? All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right. That motion passes. Next is tributes. Gene Hughes-Hitchener, division of police. Passed away on November 3rd, 2019. Joseph McClain, division of fire. Passed away on November 11th, 2019. Are there comments or tributes? Yes. Yes. I had the honor of working with Gene when I first came on. Of course, there wasn't a lot of women in patrol at that time, and she was. And she was an excellent person to be with. She was always a great backup you didn't have to worry about. And unfortunately, she got injured and left here on a disability, but she still was very active with the police, the retiree organization, and all that. So our condolences to Stanley and her family. Thank you. Any other tributes? Mayor, I also had the pleasure of working with not only Gene Hughes, but with Joe McClain. I met Gene very, very, very early on in my urban county government career, and she was absolutely everything Tommy described. I also had the pleasure of not working with, but knowing Joe McClain. He was on a different platoon than I was, but was well thought of and an excellent firefighter. On behalf of this board and the urban county government, I'd like to express our condolences to both families. Thank you. Did you have something? I'd just like to recognize Jeff Blanton and his service to the police department. Never had the honor of working with you, but I do know that you've been dedicated and worked hard and this wasn't a choice to go. So I wish you well in whatever the next phase of life brings you. Chief? I, too, want to say something, especially about Gene Hitchner and Joseph McClain. When people join the Division of Fire and the police department and then leave, I think it's a great testament that their legacy is still remembered and appreciated the way it is. For Jeff, you've been a solid, not just a solid team member for the police department, but a solid person and a good man. You will be missed. I know you're retired. We still hope to see you around. Thank you. Are there other tributes? I will just echo all of the good things that have been said. I think Gene Hitchner, although I did not know her, must have been one of those women breaking the glass ceiling at a time when women, as you said, Tommy, when women weren't doing this very much, she did. That's admirable. And the service of Gene and Joseph. And then, Jeff, thank you so much for your service to our community and our people and the dedication that you've shown. Thank you. We appreciate it. Next on the agenda are subcommittee updates. Tommy has the continuation of benefits as well as the legislative subcommittee. Do you have any updates? The continuation of benefits, we met. We have a couple of complaints that we are investigating. We will be sending out some letters and we're also waiting for some information to get back to us. So everything is right now pending that information, which will be back sometime after the first of the year, and then we will meet again and see what information we've come up with and make a decision on what we want to do. On the legislative subcommittee, it was nothing new was added. It's the same packet that we have been trying for about three years or so to look at, and it was the unanimous feeling of all the members is that we want to see how Frankfurt is going to react in this session. So we're just going to kind of hold back and see what the feeling is at that point. If it looks promising, then we will meet again and then bring the packet back to the pension board. Frankfurt is going to be an interesting place, isn't it? That's what we... I think everybody is waiting to see. Thank you. I'd like to see us go ahead and put that on the agenda for January. We've received information that it may not be inappropriate to try and do it this time, so I think we ought to probably discuss it in January. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. All right. The organizational subcommittee, Larry is not here today, so there will be no update. Last item on the agenda, is there any additional information? I have two issues. One is, do we need to discuss... I know it's not on the agenda, but do we need to discuss the draft report from Kavanaugh MacDonald? I was going to bring that up to see if we want to put that on the agenda for January, and do you want Todd Green to come in to present as well? I definitely think we should have it on the agenda for January, because I know it impacts your budgeting needs. We want it there, too. And then I'll defer to the board on whether or not Todd Green needs to be here. I didn't have any particular questions based on what I read. I didn't see a need for him, but I wanted to see what the board felt about him coming in or not coming in. We have some murmurings of, we don't think so, over on this side. I'll just put it on the agenda, because I want it to be sent out as a draft form for you all to review before I put it on the agenda. So it'll be on the January. Okay, very good. Thank you. Secondly, I'd like to welcome Tanya Walters. I think she's technically a traitor, but not completely, because she left the police department and one of my units. Oh, no. I thought we'd gotten over that. No, no, no. We won't get over that. She won't forget. It might take him a while. It's going to be at least 12 months before I forget about that. So I'd like to welcome her. And I'm just curious. I know there had been a little bit of discussion about office space, and I'm just curious where that stands as far as investigating appropriate location facility. Are we there yet? Oh. It's with, yes. Still working on it? Yes. Yes. I know there's been a lot of moving parts. Thank you for that. Yes. Welcome. Yes. They'll get over it eventually. Is there anything else for the good of the whole here? Yeah. I'd like to make, never know whether to do this during tributes or at the end, but congratulate Lieutenant Shoemade on his retirement on behalf of us at the board, I guess, and the fire department as well. He's a great guy to be around. One of the first exposures I had when I came on the job, and a good fireman. Thank you for your service, and I hope you enjoy retirement. Yes. Very good. Anything else? A motion to adjourn? So moved. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. I'm trusting no one's opposed. Thank you all very much. Still not a record, Mayor. Nope. No, no. Not even close. Thank you. Thank you.