# Council Work Session - May 26, 2008 > Auto-transcribed civic record · Council · May 26, 2008 - **Permalink**: https://meetings.lexingtonky.news/meeting/502 - **Source video**: https://lfucg.granicus.com/player/clip/502?view_id=14&redirect=true - **Date**: 2008-05-26 - **Body**: Council - **Last revised**: March 1, 2026 - **Length**: 6,146 words > ⚠️ **Auto-generated content.** Audio from the official Granicus video was auto-transcribed by OpenAI Whisper-1. 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 Urban County Council convened on May 20, 2008, at 3:00 PM in the Council Chambers on the second floor of the Government Center, with Vice Mayor Gray presiding over the session. The Council addressed three main agenda items during the meeting, focusing on zoning matters, budget considerations, and transportation updates. The Council took action on requested rezonings through docket approval and considered several budget amendments, both of which received approval from the body. Additionally, members received an informational presentation on the LexTran budget report, providing insight into the public transportation system's financial status. Throughout the meeting, the Council conducted three formal votes and heard from two members of the public during the comment period, allowing for citizen input on matters of community concern. ## Attendance The Council meeting on May 26, 2008 had strong attendance with 14 members present and one absence. **Present:** • Vice Mayor Gray • CM Blevins • CM Stevens • CM Ellinger • CM Gorton • CM Stinnett • CM James • CM Crosbie • CM Beard • CM Henson • CM Lane • CM McChord • CM Myers • CM Blues **Absent:** • CM DeCamp No members arrived late to the meeting. With 14 of 15 council members in attendance, the meeting had sufficient quorum to conduct official business. ## Votes and Decisions The Council took action on three motions during the May 26, 2008 meeting [timestamp: 00:00]. **Zoning Change - 160 Pasadena Drive** CM Blevins motioned to place an ordinance on the docket for May 22, 2008 without a hearing to change the zoning from Single Family Residential (R-1C) to Professional Office (P-1) for 0.16 net acres at 160 Pasadena Drive. CM Stevens seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. **Zoning Change - 128-130 West Tiverton Way** CM Beard motioned to place an ordinance on the docket for May 22, 2008 to change the zoning from Highway Business (B-3) with conditional zoning to Highway Service Business (B-3) with modified conditional zoning for 4.00 net acres at 128-130 West Tiverton Way. CM Ellinger seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. **New Business Items A-K** CM Stevens motioned to approve new business items A through K. CM James seconded the motion. The motion was decided by voice vote and passed, with CM Gorton voting against the measure. All three motions were approved, with the first two receiving unanimous support from the Council. The third motion regarding new business items had one dissenting vote from CM Gorton, while the remaining council members voted in favor. ## Budget and Financial Actions The Council addressed two significant financial matters during the May 26, 2008 meeting. **Grant Acceptance** The Council considered Resolution 259-08 for accepting an $88,000 grant from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet for the Biodiesel Fuel Storage Tank Project in FY2008. This grant funding would support the city's biodiesel fuel infrastructure development. **Transit Partnership Agreement** Resolution 266-08 involved approving a Memorandum of Agreement between the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government (LFUCG) and LexTran regarding bus shelters. This contract establishes the framework for bus shelter operations and maintenance responsibilities between the two entities, though no specific dollar amount was associated with this agreement. Both items represent ongoing efforts to enhance the city's transportation infrastructure and services, with the biodiesel project supporting alternative fuel initiatives and the LexTran agreement addressing public transit amenities for residents. ## Public Comment During the public comment portion of the May 26, 2008 Council meeting, two speakers addressed the Council regarding issues not listed on the meeting agenda [timestamp: 00:00]. **Speakers:** • Justin Morgan - spoke about issues not on the agenda • Lewis Cobb - spoke about issues not on the agenda Both speakers utilized the public comment period to bring forward matters that were not included in the formal meeting agenda. The specific details of their concerns and the topics they addressed were not detailed in the available meeting records. The public comment section provides community members an opportunity to address the Council on matters of public interest, whether or not those items appear on the official meeting agenda. ## Contested Items The May 26, 2008 Council meeting featured one primary contested item that generated heated discussion among council members. **9-1-1 Fee Increase** The most contentious issue of the meeting centered on a proposed increase to the 9-1-1 emergency services fee. Council members engaged in heated discussion regarding both the necessity of the fee increase and its potential impact on residents and businesses. The debate focused on questions about whether the current fee structure was adequate to support emergency services operations and what financial burden an increase would place on the community. Council members raised concerns about the timing and amount of the proposed increase, though specific details about the exact fee amounts or the positions of individual council members were not captured in the available meeting data. The discussion highlighted the ongoing challenge of balancing essential emergency services funding with fiscal responsibility to taxpayers. The 9-1-1 fee increase represented a key decision point for the council in determining how to adequately fund critical public safety infrastructure while managing the financial impact on the community. The outcome of this contested item and any final vote results were not specified in the available meeting information, though the heated nature of the discussion suggests this was a significant policy decision that required careful consideration by all council members involved. ## Requested Rezonings / Docket Approval [timestamp: 00:00] The Council considered several motions to place rezoning ordinances on the docket for May 22, 2008, without requiring a public hearing. Multiple council members participated in presenting these rezoning requests. Council Member Blevins, Council Member Stevens, Council Member Beard, and Council Member Ellinger each made motions to add specific rezoning ordinances to the upcoming docket. The structured approach allowed each council member to present their respective rezoning requests in an orderly fashion. The rezoning requests were processed as routine docket items, with the council members moving to place the ordinances on the May 22nd agenda without the standard public hearing requirement. This procedural approach streamlined the process for what appeared to be non-controversial rezoning matters. All motions to place the rezoning ordinances on the docket were approved by the Council, allowing these items to proceed to the May 22, 2008 meeting for formal consideration and potential adoption. ## Budget Amendments [timestamp: 00:00] The Council considered budget amendments for the current fiscal year during the May 26, 2008 meeting. The item was presented as an ordinance requiring Council approval. Council Members Ellinger and Crosbie served as the key speakers during the discussion of the budget amendments. The amendments addressed adjustments to the city's fiscal year budget, though specific details of the proposed changes were not detailed in the available materials. The Council ultimately approved the budget amendments following the discussion. The item proceeded through the standard ordinance process and received the necessary votes for passage. The approval of these budget amendments allows the city to implement the fiscal adjustments as outlined in the ordinance for the remainder of the fiscal year. ## LexTran Budget Report Rocky Burke presented the LexTran budget report to the Council [timestamp: 00:00]. The presentation focused on the transit system's current financial status and operational performance. Burke highlighted increased ridership numbers, indicating growing demand for public transportation services in Lexington. The report detailed budget allocations for the transit system's operations and outlined how funds were being distributed across various operational areas. The presentation was informational in nature, providing Council members with an overview of LexTran's financial position and ridership trends. No specific budget figures or ridership statistics were detailed in the available meeting materials. This agenda item served as a routine update to keep the Council informed about the performance and financial status of the city's public transit system. No formal action was taken following the presentation. --- ## Decisions - **Motion** — passed (0-0): Place ordinance changing zone from Single Family Residential (R-1C) to Professional Office (P-1) for 0.16 net acres at 160 Pasadena Drive on docket for 5/22/08 without a hearing - **Motion** — passed (0-0): Place ordinance changing zone from Highway Business (B-3) with conditional zoning to Highway Service Business (B-3) with modified conditional zoning for 4.00 net acres at 128-130 West Tiverton Way on docket for 5/22/08 - **Motion** — passed (0-0): Approve new business items A-K --- ## Full transcript So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So Yes Yes Okay Okay Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes okay So We have a motion then and a second We're voting on it As To put on without a public hearing at this moment All right All in favor please say aye All opposed no Motion carries Vice Mayor Yes We got one more Move the number 13 on without a public hearing Second Motion and second to add number 13 To the docket without a public hearing All in favor please say aye All opposed no Motion carries Any more Yes okay All right We did we get Yeah we did budget amendments Yes sir Vice Mayor you need to make a motion to approve the docket As it is please Okay Chair entertains a motion to I so move There is a motion and a second Is there any conversation about it All right all in favor please say aye Aye All opposed no Motion carries All right Now we can move down to number 5 new business I move approval of new business Dr. Stephens moves and there is a second Is there any Comment Council Member Gordon Yes Vice Mayor thank you very much Thank you very much Is David Lucas in the house Or Someone from public safety Commissioner Bennett On item H we sort of Vetted this a little bit This is the Increase to the 9-1-1 fee We kind of Vetted this in our links discussion The previous couple of hours And I just wanted to Ask one question On page 50 Where the detail is This proposal To increase the fee The 9-1-1 fee by 4.5% Annually Excuse me An adjustment of 4.5% Annually The first thing I wanted to know Is I think I understood in our Links meeting that the increase Is to adjust The fee because the numbers Of people with land lines are going Down Is that correct Even though The administration I believe Expressed that We're looking at some state legislation To take the fee Off of land lines There's no sunset to this Correct If we move the fee from land lines To some other vehicle for collection There would have to be an ordinance passed by council Anyway at that point to do that And that would be the appropriate time to remove then the fee From the phone lines So it would be all one action By the council to take it off one Potentially one utility And put it on another So that's the reason there is no sunset There is no certainty as to when the legislation That would authorize it would pass And then no Date specific that the Current fee would sunset Okay and it would be retroactive To June I mean be Active June 1st Yes that would give us a full Years collections in fiscal 0-9 Okay thank you You're welcome Councilmember Beard Yes commissioner You might explain Primarily the public Why we can't Put that fee on cell phones There is currently a fee on cell phones To the extent There is a fee levied on cell phones Though it's done by state statute And it's centrally administered and collected At state level The fee is also set by statute Currently at 70 cents per cell phone per month The council has no ability To increase that fee Nor decrease it but obviously Decreasing is not the issue today But the council only has authority over Landlines currently So we have no flexibility with cell phones As far as the cell phones I think the public needed to know that To understand the other side of the coin That's right thank you You're welcome Councilmember Henson I have a question regarding J So The rate increases Yes Is the I assume the ALS is advanced life support Yes Is that $50 The current rate for level 1 correct Or is that a typo That is a typo Okay The current rate For ALS 1 is $350 Not $50 It should be $350 Yes that was an error Do you know what the average Rates are for the state of Kentucky I do not I have some representative Rates from around the area I don't have the entire state That's fine Okay I was just wondering Because they seem like they are substantial Increases Even though they are not impacting Most of it would be paid By medical insurance Medicare Some other provider One of the reasons that the rate Increases are fairly substantial Is that the only rate Increases that Lexington Has had since 2002 Is kind of an annual built in Increase which is based on the Percentage increase in the Medicare Reimbursement rate Which has been fairly insignificant The rates themselves The underlying rates have not been revisited Since 2002 Is the last time council established Kind of what the base rates are for these things As you are well aware medical rates Have gone up substantially But they still have the charges That other jurisdictions Surrounding us as well as within the region Have imposed Actually over the past few years We have been kind of dragging down The Medicare reimbursement rates For other communities in the region Because they do that kind of based on A regional average of the fees Imposed by the counties Ours has been substantially below the average So we have really been dragging down Some of the other counties too So we have been paying By medical providers and Medicare And in order to get into the Medicare Recalculation On an ongoing basis we need to go ahead And get these rates increased So they can get factored into the Medicare Reimbursement rate in future years Thank you You're welcome Council Member Blevins Thank you Vice Mayor I have a question on item A Commissioner Kelly if you could help us out This is a slightly unusual situation Where we're going to get our grant match From a private entity And my question I have two questions for you The first one Who will own the structure Once it's purchased We would own it I'm not sure what the arrangement is I don't know if it's a lease Or whether it's providing space Or what it is But we would own it Once it's purchased Except it's federal funds For the purchase of a large biodiesel storage tank So I assume someone's going to own it And I assume that's us That's correct I just don't know about the lease Or what the arrangement is with Riley Oil For the placing it on their property Second question is where will this be physically located At Riley Oil down on Manchester Street It will be in Fayette County I'd understood in other conversations It might actually be in Madison County As being located here is my understanding Okay thank you that's all I needed Any other Council Member Gordon Thank you Vice Mayor Commissioner Bennett I have one more grant Question about This is police Maybe there's a police Officer who wants to answer it How are you I just had on page 5 I didn't quite understand This is the Second Police grant And it says This equipment Which is the robot For the hazardous devices unit This equipment is to improve safety of personnel I understand that And to prepare Improvised explosive devices Can you explain Why you're making those Or is that an error I would think that's an error Is it to Rather than to prepare them To dispose of them I say dispose It is okay Alright that explains that Thank you And then I had one last question About item K And it's not public safety It's Parks So we might Do you still have the Roaming microphone Yes Council Member Gordon Thank you Commissioner On item K These positions Are all There are several positions Here where Parks is abolishing positions And creating new positions All of which are At higher grades And they involve Quite large Salary increases And at this time in the year I just wondered if you could Since each one is A few thousand dollars To several thousand dollars If you could help me understand The reclassification And What What that's about And why it's coming forward now This is actually reclassifications That went through the Mercer process back in November They normally would have come to you In January We were concerned about funding at that time And we held them And now we've decided that we need to go ahead and put them through So the reclasses Weren't just done They were done in November So on each of these then Has there been Some sort of Some sort of process Where there's an audit On each job What the person does All but I believe Two of them going to the ESP Program so is there documentation That all of these people Spend 100% Of their time on the ESP Program There is documentation On what these folks do That's the PAQ and that's part Of the Mercer process And the folks that are listed here Are ESP for the most part I think there may be two exceptions in here Two were listed as Recreation specialists They were just part of the group That went through the Mercer process In November So you have If I wanted to see it I could go back and see That each of these people Who's an ESP coordinator Or ESP supervisor or manager Is spending all of their time On that That's correct Okay thank you Quick follow up to that Not to Commissioner Cole But to Joe Is this the last of the reclassifications From the Mercer committee since it has been dissolved Are there any other ones out there To the best of my knowledge this is the last patch Yes sir Thank you sir Any other questions All right we're ready to vote We have a motion and a second don't we All right All in favor All in favor New business as Recorded please say aye Aye All opposed no I'm a no on item H So all opposed no And we Recorded then All in favor All opposed no I'm a no on item H So the motion carries Or the new business passes And we can move on now to Roman numeral 6 Which is Presentations And first on our Agenda is the corridors committee Dr. Stevens Thank you vice mayor The corridors committee met in its regular session On the third Tuesday of the month But somehow or another it got on the 13th This last month But none of us could remember when we set the schedule Up last year why we changed it So if anybody missed it We'll be back to our Regular meeting time next month On the third Tuesday We discussed the Three transportation enhancement grants That are now being administered By this committee One is to Partner with the state highway department Which is constructing a roundabout At the junction of Alexandria and old frankfort pike And this will Eliminate they believe A hazardous intersection And it plans to be Landscaped appropriately As an entrance feature to old frankfort pike One of our favorite Historic trails And the corridors committee From a previous grant Has money to help build A dry stone fence along the southwest Corner We also have a Grant to Help Plant some vegetation And other features such as fences And so forth For sales road In preparation for Its entrance into our city For equestrian games We do have a request From a citizen To change the name of the For sales road to the Harst capitol boulevard And we've asked the citizen to come next month To tell us what he's thinking about that is But And of course we would involve anybody else That is interested in that The new town pike Is Also has a grant As everyone probably knows The state highway department plans to Redo the Highway from the interstate To citation To new town pike Or new circle road I'm sorry From interstate to new circle road In After the games are over And that will convert it to a six lane highway With bike paths And quite extensive Construction of property along both sides So we do not plan To use any of the grant money To do a significant Changes along that part of the road Because it will come down in a few years We're going to concentrate Primarily from the new circle road Into main street To see what we can do to Improve the Appearance of that street In preparation for the games We Talked again about our Possible grant that might be Received to do some sidewalks On tates creek pike This has turned into a controversial topic And has been a Controversy for a number of years Since this has been under discussion We will not know about that grant until later This year One of the principal things that our Committee works with are trees We have downtown trees Which were provided to us by the Triangle foundation Several years ago And as you may have noticed They've all leafed out I think this year And look pretty good However we need to maintain them The tree wells need to be worked Trees need to have the proper care And there's no money in the budget For that to be done So the carters committee is Looking around for Funds And The Forest estimates Will be necessary To maintain the Downtown trees So this may be a topic for us to Discuss before we finish with the Budget The We did have an interesting Situation out on newtown pike If you recall there's a Tree board was having a seminar Several saturdays ago At the holiday inn And when the meeting was over And all the people involved With trees were leaving they noticed That there was a crew out on newtown Pike cutting down the trees in front of Denny's these were trees that had been Planted some years ago by the carters Committee and were all about a foot In diameter Very nice trees And so our foster went up And met with the crews Taking them down and they said well The property owner denny's had Requested hired them to do it They had no permit And so now we're Working with the state highway department To see if they will cite the property Owner who had them taken down And passed when this has been done We've been able to get them to put trees Back in when they're illegally Removed if you have a tree in The right-of-way in front Of your house or business You have to have a permit From the forester to take it down If you want to plant one you need a permit And it has to be a certain species So those are the kind of things we talk About at the carters Committee all suggestions Street change names and so Forth are welcome and we're Scheduled to meet again on the third Tuesday of june thank you Thank you Dr. Stephens next Report is Intergovernmental committee Councilmember james thank you vice Mayor Intergovernmental committee met on may the 13th we had Three items of Discussions the first Being boards and commissions And that was Postponed for until the june Meeting by administration Requests so if you were looking forward to that Discussion just tune in on june The 13th to check out that Informative Discussion our second issue Was the grievance Procedure which was brought Forward into the intergovernmental committee Leslie jarvis gave A powerpoint presentation Would talk which talked about the history Of our current grievance Procedure and we found out that it's Been about 30 years since that Ordinance our current ordinance has Been updated so it was It was agreed there was about time to Take a look at it and what was Suggested by human resources is That they conduct a survey Surveying Lfucg Staff directors Management on How they feel about the grievance procedure how It's working now how could it be improved That sort of thing and Human resources will Put together that survey the Surveys will actually be Submitted Through, my office as the intergovernmental chair And tallied Logged and Presented back to the intergovernmental committee For review so that we can Excuse me figure out how We make any changes to the Grievance procedure Our third Item was the council Standing committees councilmember Myers talked a little bit of background About the standing Committees it is felt That some council members Feel the committee structure needs to be More effective and more efficient We Heard a little bit from our staff Regarding how Some committees work in other Cities some are Completely ad hoc so That as issues arise They form a committee And council members or committee members That are interested in that particular topic Can meet to discuss that issue Some cities Or some municipalities have More than just what We have we have four standing Committees they have several Committees on Many many issues Meet More frequently and with fewer members And are able to complete Those processes and have Those discussions in smaller settings Which seems to be more efficient For those cities in doing so So we talked about that What was suggested Is that we form a Subcommittee to talk About what our committee should look like It sounds silly but we're hoping it'll work It was my recommendation as the Chair that we Form the subcommittee by utilizing The chairs of each of our existing Standing committees and have This as a starting base and Maybe through that discussion we're able To move forward And bring back to the intergovernmental Committee some ideas Of how to revise Our current standing committee structure And That and then the meeting adjourned At 1 36 and that was it Thank you vice mayor Thank You councilmember james Next on our On our agenda Is the Proclamation For the Emergency medical workers And councilmember gordon Will read the proclamation And i believe ask chief hendricks to join Her Thank you vice mayor Welcome chief Will you come stand beside me Yes I'm very pleased as a Healthcare professional to be reading This and presenting this proclamation To all to whom These presents shall come Whereas emergency medical services Are vital public services And whereas the Members of emergency medical Services teams provide Life saving care to those in need 24 hours a day 7 days a week And whereas access to quality Emergency care Dramatically improves the survival And recovery rate of those who Experience sudden illnesses or Injuries and Whereas the emergency medical Services system consists Of specially trained physicians Nurses medical Technicians paramedics Firefighters educators Administrators and others And whereas the members of Emergency medical services teams Engage in thousands of Hours of specialized training And continuing education To enhance their life saving Skills and whereas It is appropriate to recognize The important accomplishments Of emergency medical Service teams by Designating emergency medical services Week now therefore Jim newberry mayor of the Fayette urban county government Hereby proclaims the week of May 18th through 24th 2008 as emergency Medical services week With the theme extraordinary People extraordinary service And i encourage The community to observe this Week with appropriate programs Ceremonies and activities And it's signed jim newberry mayor And chief we thank you And all of our paramedics And support people Thank you very much Thank you I'd like to Allow some of our Folks here As an emt since 1973 in this state i Predate paramedicine So i Have a true vested Interest in the provision of Emergency medical care not only in the State but in this community as well We have Evidence that the fire department Was transporting patients via horse Drawn ambulances as early as 1898 and So far as we know that's been a Continuous operation when it was Operated out of short street and Later to third street Where station one of course houses Emergency care one we've asked the crew Of emergency care one Few folks who come up As, well Our shift supervisor And the ems chief Battalion, chief mike griven And i'd like to Share this with them lieutenant Williams is our Paramedic of the year from last year and i thought it most appropriate that he should be the one to To, receive that that honor directly and i'd like to express our Appreciation to the crew of ec1, where i spent 10 years of my career and It's still the busiest unit in town as it has been for the 31 years that i've known something about it and we appreciate their Service and i hope that if you've never been in one i hope you never have to be in one but if you It's done the best in lexington it is anywhere in the country and i believe that with, with all my heart and Participate in support in that effort as best we can, and thank you all for all your support in making that a possibility Thanks, chief on our agenda next is the proclamation Recognizing corrections officer appreciation, day and Director ron bishop, was here earlier and he had to leave and he wanted to take that proclamation with him so he could share it And mr. Green, was kind enough to give it to mr. Bishop and give him eric's Our excuses excused absence so, we want to recognize Them as, well those all who work in the department of corrections Here for the gut here for the city Next on our agenda following is the item number e which is the lextran budget report, and mr. Rocky, burt rocky, is there recently relocated The general manager of lextran to lexington welcome Thank you vice mayor yes members of council good afternoon Take the opportunity to thank you for allowing us to come here and present our budget to you folks this afternoon What i'm gonna be speaking to is hopefully the packet of information that you have looks like this This is an overview of the budget that, we presented to our board and was approved several weeks ago The first thing i want to talk a little bit about are just some of the accomplishments that lextran has had in this past year Obviously the biggest thing it's near and dear to us is over five million boardings in 2007 14,000 passenger boardings daily and that represents a hundred and thirty three percent increase over the last three years which is just Phenomenal when you look at transit systems around the country so we're very proud of that fact In addition to that we had to add 17 new buses to accommodate all those new passengers Rocky, excuse me just a second you think, we can get this on the Screen is it y'all have a slides of it don't have slides of it okay? Thanks, i'm sorry The next thing i wanted to mention is the fact that We have a just recently I guess perfected an agreement to put new shelters in place around the city When i showed up, we had several shelters that had been in storage for quite, some time and there were lots of issues with Getting permits and right-of-ways and things like that to put our shelters but Working with the city, public works department we've been able to rectify that problem and Recently installed eight shelters and by the end of june we'll have 15 more new ones up And i also like to mention the fact that if you've ever been, by the location there on loudon avenue there's a significant Renovations going on we're building a, new, fuel and wash facility, which should be done probably About august time frame it's about 75 percent complete and In addition to that we'll start phase two, which is More renovations building an administration facility it's remodeling and then phase three of that will be a Adding, some maintenance, bays and that sort of thing Do i have something to change the next go to the next slide okay I'm not sure you have that page in there the next thing i wanted let's see hold on maybe you do yes you do that's That's correct the next slide that i want to look at is just a month by month Graph, showing the increase in ridership and you can see it Every month of this past, year it's been a significant increase over at the same time last, year for example The month of may, we were showing like a 16% increase over over last, year so again it's just significant and i guess you know With the price of fuel that's probably contributing a lot to that as, well but but We've been working really really hard to restructure our routes and make them more efficient So i think that's, also attributable to the hard work we're doing over there the next page This is a an actual Summary line item line item summary of our budget and i guess the bottom line to it is that for next, year Our budgets about 16% above, what it was this past, year and Looking, down that all the various line items the things i would draw your attention to is Fringe benefits is up about 18% and those are health care costs and bear in mind a lot of these Increases in the fringe benefits or we're required to do that because of labor contract, we have with our with our union Materials and supplies is up about 28% that is a function of or a Response to a lot of our buses are going out of warranty so we're having to take care of that maintenance ourself pay for the parts Diesel fuel as you all would imagine is up significantly 57% As an example this past, year, we budgeted $2.75 a gallon for diesel fuel and with this budget, we've taken it up to 425 The other fuel represents the gasoline that, we use which is not they, don't use a lot of gas but but it's still significant Going on down the page Purchase transportation is up almost 31% and purchase transportation, is the contract that, we have with Red cross for the wheels paratransit operation, and the reason that's going up is they've increased ridership as Well we pay, we pay, by the passenger and in addition to that they Use a lot of gasoline so their fuel prices have gone up as, well so they pass that along to us And those are the significant increases i just would you know the things that have gone down They're really not much except the leases and rentals you can, see that's down almost 21% And that's simply a function of us turning back in some buses that, we had leased from cincinnati and some vans that We purchased early on to help with the ridership but, we've been able to turn those back in So that in a sense is you know. You can, see it's you know. Roughly close to $21,000 budget 16% over last, year We could turn to the next page you These are just some more budget assumptions key assumptions i wanted you to have a chance to look at May, not mean a lot to you but it's it's significant fixed route hours or 184,000 hours of ridership Of hours for ridership and the ridership itself is 2.1 million A lot of people wonder what our service is like with university of kentucky, we have over 9,000 hours of service there Represents 670,000 passengers and that represents about 40% of our ridership so it's very very significant The wheels cost, which is the fair transit operations 3.2 million service ridership 167,000 and there i'm showing that the price for diesel fuel at four dollars and twenty five cents a gallon And a lot of folks wonder how, big, we are we got 176 employees at Lex tran and of course when you looked at the fringe benefits and salaries that's it's important I'm turning the page Where, we get our money from our mass transit revenue, which is obviously the property tax close to 16 million dollars We have lots of federal assistance 1.8. Million dollars this coming, year, some state assistance and and then of course Included the capital expenditures in there of 8.5. Million dollars this coming, year and just to Drill a little deeper into that i thought it was important to let you know, where that 8 million is going to be spent Basically, we've got Capital maintenance costs this is where, we do for bidding maintenance on the buses it's about 2 million dollars for that Facility renovations as i mentioned to you is about 5 million dollars We're getting ready to do a, new, comprehensive operational analysis, this, year, which is where We'll hire a consulting firm to come in and help us look at our system and I guess Better prepare our routes look at, new, service do those sorts of things so that's about a hundred fifty thousand dollars for that And then we'll be buying several benches and shelters this coming, year as, well and then there's a few other things there's Some software that, we plan on purchasing and some minor Expenses but that's essentially the gist of the capital if you turn the page there we go Just again highlighting the significant impact for the the Operating budget the health insurance Purchase transportation and diesel fuel So those are some key areas that just want to make sure you kept in mind if we turn the page This is just a pie chart that shows you essentially a revenue stream 79% of that is our property tax and followed, by the federal assistance and then and then passenger revenue turning the page Lastly, again, this is just the reverse of that this is our expenses and you can see that 54% of our operating expenses for for salaries and then followed closely, by the paratransit operation and then our diesel fuel costs So that is a quick summary of the lextran budget be happy to answer any questions Councilmember blues thank you vice mayor thank you mr. Burke yes sir You mentioned you're you're, gonna be Purchasing more more shelters next, year that is correct yes sir do you have a number on on that No, not at this time you know it we've got i guess thirty thirty five thousand dollars to set aside for shelters and Depending on the you know the direction, we go you we can Buy off the shelf type shelters that, we have now and those are relatively inexpensively you can probably get those three four thousand dollars a Piece but our board is looking at you know, do we want to continue to do that or? Or look at different type of shelters, which might be more expensive possibly involve The public in some way helping fund these shelters we've had lots of people for example approach us and say We would like to participate in the purchase of a shelter but, we wanted to look, like this Of course the arts in motion have been working with us quite a bit on the the one stop for example the bottle stop So, we may be able to do more things like that but right now, we've set aside thirty thousand For something at this point i know a lot of with more people You know riding the buses it I'm hoping that we can you know it can increase the number of shelters and what about benches Yes, sir that's another thing again When i came here i just was again a little little surprise that, we don't have didn't have benches and Again, with our budget we're gonna try to work that in there you know Typically a shelter is placed based upon you know boardings and lightings so the more you have you put a shelter there and then You kind of scale back from that but, again it's it's my plan to put more benches and shelters out there yes sir the amenities Are really needed Thank you i just have one more quick question than that You know looking ahead and and and looking at rising expenses do you do you see any fair increases in the in the offing You know our staff and board we've talked, about that to some some degree The, main thing that's that's really hurting us as Well as all transit systems is the the cost of diesel fuel if we hadn't have had that huge hit this year Probably, wouldn't been much of an issue for us but with it going up you know We've at least considered and talked some about it but at this point in time we're not prepared to go to the The folks and increase that i looked at the other day did a survey and lextran at a dollar You know bus fare $30 for a pass it's About average maybe a little bit on the low side when i look at transit systems around the country in the region in the same size as ours But but if you if you look at the newspaper and some of the the transit magazines that we look at Majority of the transit systems around the country are are increasing fares this summer because of this as is the airlines and everybody else Well let's hope, we can Stick to that dollar as long as possible because it's a good deal for You know for the public and the more riders the better yes sir i agree thank you very much Councilman, james thank you vice mayor thank you mr. Burke for your presentation a couple of questions are you at full fleet right now as far as your buses are concerned Do you have all that you need to have Yes, ma'am we do we're you know with purchase of the 17 buses and the service that, we have out there right now We do have enough As i mentioned this comprehensive operational analysis that, we do i have a strong feeling that that that there will be more service recommended It's, also, my desire to do more park-and-ride express service so with that We may come to the point where we're going to need more buses so 2010 is when We would probably be looking at adding more buses okay, and i know when miss cruz Was here we we talked a lot, well at least some of us talked with her about Really, aiming towards, some type of hybrid bus at, some point and and getting that be thinking about that So i hope that you will continue thinking In that same path especially with diesel fuel Cost as they are and kind of the drive and the push for For us to be a green city and to be as friendly as we can to the environment so i appreciate that continued thought Yes, ma'am it's on our radar Great, and you said phase one of your Capital improvements is about 75% What about phase two and three when do you see those starting and ending and and full completion that your Office there sits right in my district some everybody's always, asking, me when are they gonna come when what's it gonna look Like, when they're done and when's it gonna be complete We talked, about that just matter of fact that our staff meeting today phase one like i said should be finished By august and of course you can see in the budget, we've we've allocated