gonna let you know. Anyway, he was at a funeral today in Elizabethtown, and I told him already if you got him on the cell phone, tell him not to rush. We'll be okay. We probably ought to, we'll go ahead and convene the meeting and then when the mayor gets here, he can preside. So it's the same thing as last week, right? Same deal? So the docket, the approval, the docket has still been printed? Is that what? Yes. Okay. All right. First on our agenda today for the work session is a public comment regarding issues on the agenda. Is there any public comment for issues on the agenda? All right. Hearing none, we can, item number two, the clerk just advised me that they're still printing materials for the docket, so that'll be, we'll come back to that. Next on the agenda is approval of the summary. I move approval. There's a motion and a second to approve the summary. Is there any discussion? Hearing none, we can vote. All in favor, please say aye. Aye. All opposed, no. Motion carries. Number four on our agenda is budget amendments. Pages 18 through 31. Is there a motion? Move approval. There's a motion to approve budget amendments. And there's a second. Okay. Is there a discussion? Budget amendments, yes. Okay. Council Member Gordon, you're about to have a comment. Yes. You're about to have a comment, yes. Right. It looks like you're about to have a comment. Yes, ma'am. I had a question. What? I already had an opportunity to talk with, let me find it here, with Charlie Martin about this one budget amendment for almost $38 million. It's on page 18 of the packet. And I think it's Journal 23-260, second from the bottom, the rather large sanitary sewer construction budget amendment. And I really am not 100% sure I understand this and wondered if, Commissioner Coe, can you explain why we have about a $38 million budget amendment? Right. It actually is a cleanup amendment. There was revenue recognized in the sewer fund from the proceeds of bonds that were never sold. So it was something that came over from the old system, and actually the folks that work in the sewer fund have been fighting this the whole time. This does not change a thing about what their plan is to do, how they intend to spend their money. They've been having to ignore this. So it truly is just cleanup. It doesn't change anything about their revenue or their expenditures. These bonds that counsel authorized, and when were they? In 2006. We authorized them. 2006, but they weren't sold. And there is no reimbursement resolution. So they never should have been added to revenue. I guess I don't quite understand that. We authorized them. Yes, you did. Do you know when the decision was made not to sell the bonds and why that was made? That was before I came. Sorry. It kind of, my understanding, and this is just, I've talked to several people about this. My understanding is that's kind of something that happened more than once. Isn't that right? That there was an action by the counsel, and then the bonds were never sold. But that wasn't the first time. Right, Charlie? So this is a paper. This is strictly a paper deal. At this point now, it is strictly a paper issue. It has the revenue. We have no intention of selling those bonds because now we are looking at a different way of moving forward. Right. So we don't intend to sell against that 2006 authorization. And so that's why this item is a budget amendment. Right. Well, this does make me wonder if we need to have some kind of accounting to counsel of when we pass a reimbursement resolution or when we authorize sale of bonds, then can you give us an update of, I mean, I know that you tell us in meetings when the bonds will be sold, et cetera, but I think we probably need to see some sort of accounting on a regular basis, whether it's — Well, in fact, I did provide that to counsel during the lien committees on where we are right now. And we do intend to bring something forward to you, probably to budget finance on a monthly basis with the other kind of reports that we'll be providing to try to really stay on top of 2009. Okay. We'll make that part of all of that that comes forward. Okay, I think that would be very helpful. I agree. I was kind of shocked, quite frankly. And it's unusual for there to be an authorization and then not a subsequent reimbursement resolution. Right.  Well, if we have that update, then we can know what we've authorized, what's been sold, et cetera. That's right. That's on a regular basis. Yes, ma'am. We'll provide that. Okay. Okay, great. Thank you very much. Let me apologize for being a little late today. As I think Vice Mayor Gray may have indicated to you, I was asked to serve as a pallbearer in a funeral in Elizabethtown today. And it took me just a little longer to get back than what I was anticipating. The person who passed away was a Pearl Harbor survivor. And so it was a particularly meaningful opportunity for me to participate in that funeral. And I appreciate your allowing me to run a little late. If I understand correctly, we're on budget amendments right now. Are there any other questions, or do we have a motion pending to approve the budget amendments? All right. Any further discussion? Then those in favor of approving the budget amendments, please indicate by saying aye. Aye. Opposed, no. Motion carries. It's also my understanding that we need to go back and pick up the docket approval at this point. And thanks to the assistance of our clerk, I understand there are four items, three items rather, which may involve a public hearing. Item number four under ordinances for second reading on page one. And then on page five, ordinance number 24, ordinances for first reading, and ordinance number 26 as well. We need to make a determination as to whether or not there will be public hearings on all of those, if I understood correctly. I believe there is a person here and unfortunately, since we didn't have the dockets copied, the public doesn't have a docket, but there's an item on that's a zone change for East 3rd Street, and there was a constituent that maybe wanted to request a public hearing for that. Mayor, if I may. Yes, Council Member James. Yes, it's item number four, and there is a constituent here that would be an objector on item number four. And, Council Members, you should have received an e-mail, and some of you have corresponded with me regarding the possible dates that I proposed for the hearing, but the constituent is asking for a public hearing regarding item number four. And we have a date. We have two possible dates for your consideration, the first being July the 8th, which at that time we're proposing to have the public hearing after the council meeting. And the other option is July the 7th. And those dates have been confirmed through the clerk's office that that would be the appropriate timing. I guess if there's someone here that would like to speak regarding this, would this be the appropriate time, or should we select a date? It would be an appropriate time to speak with regard to the hearing date. Okay. Yes. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Hanley Ingram with Stahl Keenan. Nice to see you this afternoon. That is correct. We do need to just briefly address the date for that public hearing. The two dates I heard were July 7th and July 8th. I just want to let you all know on the 7th, the applicant and the lead attorney handling the matter, Rena Wiseman, are both going to be out of town and unavailable. So it's our strong preference to conduct that hearing on the 8th, if you so desire. Is there any objection from the council to conducting the hearing on the 8th? And what time are we talking about? It would be about 7.30 or 8.00. Is that how we usually do that? 8.00? I would suggest you set it for 7.00, and that way it can follow any time after that. And that way, if you get through with the council meeting before 7.00, then you can go. There's no lag time. Is there any objection to 7.00 on July 8th? All right. We'll mark item 4 for hearing on July 8th, 7.00 p.m. Thank you very much, Mr. Mike. Thank you. Mr. Ingram? All right. Council Member James, you want to put that in the form of a motion to have a special meeting on the 8th at 7.00? I make a motion to hold a special meeting on July 8th at 7.00 p.m. to hear the issue related to the zone change at 135 through 139 East 3rd Street. I have a second. Council Member Myers, any discussion? Those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Opposed, no. Motion carries. I have Council Member Stephens on the list of speakers here. I had an amendment, a resolution placed on the docket, if it's appropriate to read it at this time. Let me, let us take care of these public hearing issues for just a moment, and then we'll come back to you. Council Member Crosby? I make a motion to put number 24 under ordinances on the docket without a public hearing. Second. I have a motion by Council Member Crosby and a second by Council Member Ellinger to put item number 24 on the docket without a hearing. Any discussion? Those in favor, please say aye. Opposed, no. Motion carries. Council Member Blues? Mayor, I move to put number 25 on the docket without a public hearing. So moved. Second. 25 or 26? 25. All right. I have a motion by Council Member Blues and a second by Council Member Gordon to put 25 on the docket without a hearing. Any discussion? Those in favor, please vote aye. Aye. Opposed, no. Motion carries. Mr. Mayor? Council Member DeCant? Yes. On number 26, I think if Mr. Scott will come up, there is a request for a public hearing on number 26. Hello. My name is Joe Scott. I was an objector in the MARV 2008-9 Hugh Bennett and Roland Vaughn. We would request a public hearing on that. I've discussed with the attorney, Dick Murphy, on the other side, a possible date of Tuesday, August the 19th at 6 o'clock p.m. Does any member of the Council have any objection to a hearing on the 19th at 6 o'clock? If not, we'll entertain a motion to hold. I'll make such a motion, Mayor. Council Member DeCant, is there a second? Second. Second by Council Member Crosby. Any discussion? Those in favor of holding a hearing on item number 26 on August the 19th at 6 p.m., let it be known by saying aye. Aye. Opposed, no. Motion carries. Council Member James? Mayor, the clerk has informed me that my motion should have stated public hearing and not special meeting. Can that be a friendly amendment? Unless there's some objection from the Council, we'll modify the summary accordingly. Thank you, Mayor. Council Member Stennett? Move to put number 27 on without a public hearing. Second. We have a motion by Council Member Stennett to put item 27 on without a hearing. Second by Council Member Gordon. Don't look a thing like it. Any discussion? Those in favor of putting item number 27 on the docket without a hearing, please indicate by saying aye. Aye. Opposed, no. Motion carries. I move to place number 28 on without a public hearing. I'm sorry, did you say without a hearing? Yes. And I have a second from Council Member Gordon. Any discussion? Those in favor of putting item 28 on the docket without a hearing, please indicate by saying aye. Aye. Opposed, no. Motion carries. Any further motions with regard to the proposed docket? Mayor? Council Member Lange? I want to add a motion. Okay. I move to place on the docket for the Thursday, June 12, 2008, Council meeting a resolution authorizing and directing the Mayor, on behalf of the Urban County Government, to execute a Purchase of Services Agreement with Kentucky World Trade Center, Lexington, Inc., for fiscal year 2008. So moved. Second. I have a motion by Council Member Lange and a second by Council Member Ellinger to put a motion on the docket authorizing the Mayor to execute a Purchase of Services Agreement with World Trade Center. Any discussion? Those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Opposed, no. Motion carries. Dr. Stevens? I hereby move to place on Thursday night's docket a resolution authorizing initiation of condemnation proceedings in Fayette Circuit Court by the law firm of Stites & Harbison PLLC on behalf of the Lexington-Fayette County Airport Board to obtain all or a portion of the property located at 4478 and 4480 Sales Road, Lexington, Kentucky, Fayette County, with all costs associated with the condemnation to be borne by the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Airport Board. Second. It was a second by Council Member DeCamp, I think. All right. If there are questions, Mr. Lovely, Chairman of the Board, is here to answer any. All right. Any discussion? Council Member Gordon. Dr. Stevens, have we heard about this before? I'm not sure what this is. No, we have not heard about this before. The airport is, as you know, has been funded to build a new runway, and the property along Versailles Road is necessary to enable them to do that. This property was recently reacquired by other parties, and their asking price is significantly above what the appraisal is. So the airport board and their attorneys think that if we can put this in court, we might get a quicker resolution to the problem through the action of the court. Do you or does Mr. Lovely have a map you could show us to show us exactly where this is? I don't have a map, and I don't know if Mr. Lovely does either, but I know that he can eloquently describe its location. Okay. That would be second best. Thank you. Well, I do not have a map. It is the property that actually where the crash site was. At the end of the runway, it's the farm adjacent to, what would that be, the west side of our present runway, and the general aviation runway. It actually will be a relatively friendly condemnation. I don't think, my understanding is there will not be any objection to the taking. It's just a question of trying to figure out what price we should pay for that property. And did you say or can you say how much property it is, how many acres? The answer is no, unless it's at the end of this property description. Considerable. 122, looks like it says in the property description, 122 acres. There are certain exceptions of 8 or 10. I think the number is 117 acres, but somewhere in that vicinity. Okay. Thank you very much. Any further discussion? Seeing none. Those in favor of adding to the docket a resolution authorizing condemnation proceedings on the property located at 4478 and 4480 Versailles Road for the airport board, please indicate by saying aye. Aye. Opposed, no. Any further motions with regard to the docket? If not, we'll entertain a motion to approve the docket as amended. I have a motion by Councilmember Myers to approve the docket as amended, and a second by Councilmember Gordon. Any discussion? Those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Those opposed, no. Motion carries. If I understand correctly, we're now ready for the items of new business. Is that correct? I have a motion by Councilmember DeCamp and a second by Councilmember Blevins to approve the items of new business. Any discussion? Councilmember Blues. Thank you, Mayor. I've got a question about Item U. Paula King, Commissioner Helmer here. My question has to do with the match funds for this grant and also whether this grant is for all of Fiscal 09. It's not our Fiscal 09. It's the Federal Fiscal 09. Okay. There are no matching funds required. These funds that are requested here in local funds is what we move from the general fund to the grant to make the program whole. Basically, instead of us just charging the lunches to the grant, we charge all of the costs for the program to the grant, and that's what this local funds represents. I see. So we're covering that. Yes. And that would be the same for Item W. That's for the full? That's correct. For the full year. For the child care program. Yes, sir. Thank you. You're welcome. Any further questions? Councilmember James. Thank you, Mayor. My question is on Item E. Commissioner Cole. This is Cole. Yes. My question is just simply, it says funds are budgeted, but it doesn't give reference where. Do you have an account or anything? It's part of the reimbursement resolution, the bond fund that you approved for the continued implementation with STARS. This is where we have the team now that's doing human capital management. So it's being paid for out of that bond account. Okay. Thank you. And Item I. I don't know if you want to answer that one as well. It has to do with the asphalt paving at Southland Park. I apologize. I wasn't able to ask in advance this. We usually try to touch base, but I didn't have time. Again, the same question. It says funds are budgeted, but it doesn't give reference as to where funds are budgeted, unless I missed it. I think this is part of the maintenance budget in parks. So this is just the amount that is in that account. It's a larger account than what it's not just set up for this project. So you just have a general maintenance fund for paving? We have general maintenance funds in parks, and this would come out of that. Okay. Thank you very much. That's all I have, Mayor. Any further discussion? Seeing none, those in favor of approving the items of new business, please indicate by saying aye. Opposed, no. New business items are approved. We're now ready for the Services Committee report. Thank you, Mayor. The Services Committee met on June 3rd. We had two items on the agenda. The first one was on the graffiti issue, and David Barbary spoke to that, and they reviewed the ordinance with consulting with the county attorney's office and the police department. They increased the width of the items from a quarter to three-eighths. Officer Gaines, who is here if there's any questions, went over the draft ordinances, and I have a motion to bring forward, a motion by Councilmember Henson to place the ordinance created in Section 14-3.1 through Section 14-3.3 on the docket, seconded by Councilmember Myers. Motion was passed, so moved. I have a motion and a second by Councilmember Crosby. Any discussion? Those in favor, please say aye. Opposed, no. Motion carries. And a second motion by Councilmember Henson to make the effective date of Section 14-3.3 be effective October 1st, 2008, seconded by Councilmember Myers. So moved. I have a motion by Councilmember Ellinger and a second by Councilmember Myers. Any discussion? Those in favor, say aye. Opposed, no. Motion carries. The second item on the agenda was the employee auto usage and reimbursement. Commissioner Cole gave an overview in a PowerPoint, and there was considerable discussion from Councilmembers, and there was a motion that came out by Councilmember Blevins for the Administration to come back with a policy that affirms the needs they have, such as rental car aspects and for employees to carpool to meetings when they can and defer action on ordinances for now. Second by Councilmember Lane. I move this forward. Any discussion on the motion? Those in favor, please say aye. Opposed, no. Motion carries. Thank you, Mayor. We adjourned at 3.08. That's all. Thank you. Thank you very much. I understand we now have a presentation by the Habitat for Humanity's group. Ms. Childers. Mayor. I invited the Habitat for Humanity to come visit our council today because we've had a lot of discussions about affordable housing, so I'd like to thank Rachel Childers, who's the Executive Director, for making a presentation to us. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Mayor and Councilmembers, for having us here today. Lexington Habitat's mission is simple, decent, affordable housing. There you go. We do that through a program that I think has three distinct characteristics. The first is that we do extensive education for our homeowners. They go through 20-plus weeks of education, everything from financial budgeting to how to program the thermostats in their home. We have significant participation in the sweat equity program that you hear about that includes not only their classes, but them working on their own homes and homes for other people. And it's a mortgage program. It's a no-interest mortgage, but this is a homeownership program that is not a handout but a hand up. We've been around for a little over 20 years. We were incorporated in 1986. This year we're going to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the dedication of our first home, and by the end of this year we will have served over 300 families in this county. And we have repeatedly been in the top 1% of U.S. affiliates in the number of families served, and that includes the number of families that we serve here in Fayette County plus those that we serve in other countries through our Tithe program. Our program has a significant impact. Over 90% of our families have either paid off their mortgages or remain in their homes. We think that's a pretty good success rate for a low-income homeownership program. The economic impact in this county is significant. Over $17 million over our 20 years have been added to the property tax base. The goods, services, and payroll that goes along with that is also significant. There are numbers out there about that, but I think they're kind of funny numbers so I don't like to use them. As far as the community impact, last year we had over 100,000 hours of volunteer labor, and that is equal to 50 full-time equivalent employees, so we have a significant volunteer base supporting our program as well. We build in four primary areas, Winburn, the East End, West End, and Georgetown Street. That's primarily Districts 1, 2, 5, and 6. A little bit of information. There's considerably more information in your bags that we have put out at your places, but there are three key points I want you to remember today. Point number one is Jackie. Jackie lives alone but has lots of grandchildren. She likes to come to her home. She works two jobs to pay for a tiny apartment whose doors don't close, whose toilets don't flush, and that is infested with vermin. Point number two is Beverly. Beverly's last child at home is a woman in her late 30s with Down syndrome, and Beverly takes her daughter with her to work every day to a horse farm where she cleans. Point number three is Leroy and Venita. Leroy and Venita are raising their six grandchildren because their daughter was murdered, and all of these families are able to do it because of Habitat. I want you to think about those three points, but I want you to think about them times 11,000, because there are 33,000 families in Fayette County who fall below 60% of area median income, and that is the population we serve. I want you to think about those three families because our program is not about numbers. It is about families. How can you help? Well, there are some ways. Our two primary needs are families, so we'd like for you to spread the word about Habitat. It's difficult for us to find families who qualify for our program because it is a very stringent program when it comes to eligibility criteria. We need funding. You all have been very generous with your neighborhood grant program, thanks to Member Lane. I encourage you individually and with other organizations with which you have affiliation to give to Habitat. And as part of that, with the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, I invite you to look carefully and think deeply about how that Affordable Housing Trust Fund can help these families in Fayette County, not only those we would serve, but that the other folks who serve housing needs in this county do. Specifically, we need land. Land is expensive. It's hard to come by. You all have been very generous to date. We would hope you would continue to do that, not only in the gift of land itself, but in processes that would allow us access to properties that may be abandoned. The other area is processes. We jump through lots of hoops for permitting, zoning, planning, licensing, those kinds of things. Abbreviated processes, shortened time frames would certainly help us when we have access to land, but we need to subdivide and do those kinds of things in order to build. Louisville has a model where they have a one-stop shop for these kinds of things. That would not only benefit Habitat, but our citizens in general. I think everyone would be happy to come downtown and do something with land and not have to go multiple places. The third area has to do with waste diversion. We divert about 6,000 tons of waste from the landfills each year in this county. That's through our restores. We have two locations where we sell donated building materials, furniture, and household goods. That keeps a lot out of the landfill. Part of that program is deconstruction. It's a new program where we will go into someone's home, and if they're remodeling, we'll take their cabinets out, we'll sell them in our store. We can do everything from a simple remodel takeout stuff to taking a house down to its foundation where we pull out anything that is salvageable and saleable and sell it in our restores. The funds then help Habitat, and it keeps it out of the landfills. There are three other areas where we believe we could partner with the city that would help with waste diversion. We could partner with you on the e-waste program. We could do some work with paint bulking, and we could also do some work with mulching. That would be furniture we can't sell, leftover building materials we could mulch and do some things with that. So as I said, keep it brief. I've tried to keep it brief. I'll be happy to answer any questions you have. I do want to introduce you to my senior staff who are here with me today. Adam Bradshaw is our construction director. Dana Stefaniak is our resource development director. April Smith, family services director, and Mark Little, restore director. Thank you very much for your time. Like I said, I'd be happy to answer questions or meet with you individually at another time, whatever you'd like to get more information. Thank you very much for coming. Any questions from members of the council? Council Member Stephens. What sort of land inventory do you have now? Right now, we do not have enough land to build the houses we want to build next year. We've probably got between 10 and 14 lots that are ready. Then we have several others that are in the process of subdivision, combining, that kind of thing. Did you say this year or next year? For next year. This year, we're serving 17 families. They have all chosen lots that we had in inventory. But going into next year, we do not have enough land to serve the families we hope to serve next year, between 17 and 20. So that's what your usual build is every year, 17 and 20? We've been doing 15 to 20 on average over the last number of years. Over 20 years, 300 families, I think that comes out. So you need land. We need land. Thank you. Council Member Gordon. Thank you, Mayor. I have a comment and then a question. You showed 321 Ash Street, which is my friend Kay's house, and that was a woman's build. That's right. And I actually helped build that left-hand wall. And it's the first time I've ever helped build and raise a wall and frame a house. And I learned a lot. And I wanted to put a plug in because we have another woman's build coming up, I believe, the end of July. It starts July 25th. We do. So I'd really like to challenge the women of the community to build another house. And councilwomen in particular, let's get on board. We don't have to go every day, but maybe we can lend our muscles and help to the project. It's a really neat thing. And I always like to see the women's builds especially and to learn myself. We let men volunteer too. Yes. So any time any of you would like to volunteer, we'll let you work on a house. There were a couple men around for that build. Chuck just volunteered, I think. I wanted to ask you on the processes, is the Louisville model specifically aimed at habitat? No. My understanding of it is it's how they have consolidated those areas across the board for anyone. We'd be happy for it if it were just us, but I think everybody would be happier if it were for everyone. No, you mean for all. For all folks who want to do those kinds of things. Certainly there are circumstances where nonprofits like Habitat could benefit from an abbreviated process that might not work for the general public. Okay. But a lot of things could be combined and abbreviated that would serve the general public. Okay. Well, if there are some, it seems to me maybe our planning committee could, some of us could talk with you and see what your ideas are to help the nonprofits in terms of the process and permitting and all of that. So I'll look forward to doing that. Thank you. Any other questions? Council Member James. Rachel, it's good to see you again. We spent a lot of time together talking about affordable housing. I appreciate you doing your presentation today. Is 15 to 20 about your maximum capacity, regardless of how much land you have, or what can bring you above that level? There are two things. The two primary needs I mentioned are families. We could have all the land, but if we don't have families who qualify, then there's nothing we can do with it. So families and funds, if you have enough money, you can buy land anywhere in Lexington. But we are at capacity for our current budget and our current staffing levels. 20 would put us at about capacity. We would love to grow beyond that, but we're going to have to do some things in order to locate families and get funds in order to accomplish that. Well, I do appreciate all that you currently do. And, look, I will help with the planning committee and with Council Member Gorton to pursue any method of increasing your impact on community. Thank you. Thanks. Council Member Peart. Thank you, Mayor. I've heard some astounding figures, I guess, or numbers about where we rank in the nation as far as numbers of bills. Do you happen to know those numbers off the top of your head? Usually in the top 20. The last report Habitat International sent out was based on data, I believe, from 2005, and we were in the top 20 from that year. For a community our size, that still is pretty amazing. It is amazing. Second question involves the 100 percent. Is it 100 percent mortgage, or how does the mortgage work, interest-free mortgage? We have two notes. The first note, it's been different amounts over the years. Right now it's $65,000, and that's the amount we use for them to actually pay. They pay the first note. The second note is the difference in that first note and the actual appraised value of the home. That's a silent second, and it is forgiven on a prorated basis over the last half of the mortgage. So as long as they stay in the home for the full term of the mortgage, they don't ever pay anything on that second note. The cost essentially is $65,000 for the house, roughly? Depending on how you define cost. It's in that range. The cost of land, site development, and the actual materials and subcontractors is in the range of between $60,000 and $65,000 on average. When you add construction staff and overhead, of course, it goes higher than that. And the term of the loan is? The term of the loan is 20 to 30 years. Our mortgage is a variable mortgage, so it's 18 percent of gross income. So what we do is take that principal amount, divide it into $65,000, and that determines the term of the mortgage. Thank you very much. You're welcome. Council Member Lane. Yes, I was wondering, in the last 20 or so years, how many properties have you received, if any, from the Urban County Government? Have we offered any surplus properties for you to use? You have. That would be the answer to that question. April, do you know? Most of the land we've gotten has been through the HOPE VI projects. It's not a small number. I mean, it's a nice number, but, you know, more is better. I'm sorry, I don't know that. Sorry, Mayor, do you think it would be appropriate, maybe they could talk to somebody in our real estate area, about any surplus that they could look at, or do you have any idea about that at all? Well, we have been trying to work with Habitat to make particularly some properties available along Georgetown Road. They're welcome to talk with whomever in our properties area to take a look at it, but we have lots of excess property. Okay. We're in the process right now. The Keller Court property, we're part of that program. We've got four lots that you all are giving us now that have been parks on Alabama and Eddy Street. So there is, like I say, there's been a good flow, but ask, ask, ask. I noticed that Joe Kelly is behind you there. He may have a comment for you. You've got a deed for me? I can speak to that question. Okay. Charlie Bolin has been working with the Housing Authority folks, and we had provided a list of 37 lots that ‑‑ Our HOPE VI, right? That's right, through the HOPE VI program. Regrettably, I think only 11 of those were buildable lots for various reasons. So we continue to look for additional properties that we have, but they have to meet their standard and they have to be buildable. And they don't want to spend a lot of money on site prep, so that's part of the criteria as well. So I just thought I'd share that with you. That is all. That is all true. Thank you, Mayor. That's all of my questions. Anything further? All right. Thank you very much, Ms. Childers. Thank you. We're now ready for council reports. Council Member Blevins. Move approval of NDF, please. I have a motion and a second by Council Member Myers to approve the NDF. Council Member Stennett. Thank you, Mayor. I have three late additions that did not get on the list there. I just want to add those. One was for Northern Cal Ripken. It's $900 in support of the teams I represent in Lexington, nine of them across the region. Two, Grills Fast Pitch Softball, $250, represent their team here in the region. And Westwind Shetland Neighborhood Association, $749 for Tree Plain and Liberty Park. I'll accept those as a friendly amendment if that's all right with Council Member Stennett. All right. Any further discussion? Those in favor of approving the NDF as amended, please indicate by saying aye. Opposed, no. Motion carries. Council Member Gordon. Thank you very much, Mayor. I just wanted to announce an effort that's ongoing by a coalition of folks from Urban Government and Central Baptist Hospital UK. In September, we're going to be doing a major push in Fayette County and the region on Buckle Up Bluegrass. That's the name of our program. And we have a lot of exciting things that will be happening in relation to that. But one of the things I wanted to mention in public is that we are calling on all aspiring young songwriters, 25 and under. If you're 25 years old or younger, we would like you to submit a CD, one minute in length or less, and we would like for you to have a very clear seatbelt message to Buckle Up. And the winning entries are actually going to be performed by local celebrities on our TV stations in the fall. That's one of the elements of our Buckle Up Bluegrass push. The website, if you want to know more about it, is www.buckleupbluegrass.com. And first place winners will win laptop computers, and second place will be iPods. So we encourage our young folks to enter their performance CDs in this good effort. And we have two very well-known sports figures in Fayette County who will be performing their rap on TV, and I can't wait to see that. So it's going to be a good month for Buckling Up and for awareness. Thank you. Council Member Blues. Thank you, Mayor. I just have one announcement, and that's the next meeting of the Windburn Neighborhood Association, 6 p.m. Monday, June 16th at ML King Park Community Center. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you. Council Member James. Thank you, Mayor. I'm very excited to announce tonight and Thursday night two very interesting meetings, the first being tonight at 6.30. It's the Central Sector Small Area Plan public meeting. Very exciting project. We've been waiting for a long time for this to happen, where a community can come together and decide what do they want their community, their neighborhood to look like zoning-wise, character-wise, and to play a part in making those decisions. And that presentation will come forward to council a little bit later as a possible update to the comprehensive plan. So tonight at 6.30 at the Dunbar Center, please join us for the Central Sector Small Area Plan public meeting. And on Thursday, very similar, and this is the East End Small Area Plan. And this one's going to be a community celebration, kind of get-together, and basically a talk session. You'll have an opportunity to just stand up and talk about what you think about community and what changes you want to see, what you like about it, what you'd like to see stick around, what you'd like to see go. And a very important meeting there at 5.30 at the Charles Young Center. Hopefully, if weather permitting, we'll be outside for that. And we'll follow up the East End meeting with a Saturday morning session where we'll kind of summarize a little bit, and it'll be a more formal setting. We'll see some visuals and select what we like and don't like about streetscapes and land use and things such as that. So tonight at 6.30 at Dunbar Center, and on Thursday night at 5.30 at East End at Charles Young, and again on Saturday morning at Charles Young, and that begins at 9 a.m. on Saturday. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you very much. Any other member of the Council wish to make a report? Seeing none, we'll move on to the Mayor's Report. I've circulated some prospective appointments. A motion to approve would be in order. Second. I have a motion by Council Member Crosby and a second by Council Member Ellinger to approve the Mayor's Report. Any discussion? Those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Opposed, no. Motion carries. We have now gotten to the point where we're ready for public comment on issues not on the agenda. And I have two people who have signed up. Neil Chetik, is that correct? Mr. Chetik, if you would step to the microphone, you'll have three minutes. Thank you, Mr. Mayor and Council Members. My name, again, Neil Chetik. I'm a local author. I also work as a part-time instructor at the Carnegie Center. And actually, what I was here to do was to let you have the hot-off-the-press copies of our brochure that's for our summer programs. I was hoping that you would share that with your constituents in whatever way possible. Most of you know about our writing programs. We also have a lot of summer youth programs for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. We've got some foreign language. If you're interested in learning Spanish or French, we offer those kind of programs. We have individual tutoring for kids, including low-income tutoring, and individual mentoring for people who are interested in becoming better writers or getting something published. So we really just wanted to let you see this, give it to you, put it directly into your hands. I put a copy of my card on it, so in case you would like to ask any questions at any point as you look through it, we'd be glad to answer it. Obviously, this is connected with the fact that you have been supporting us for many, many years at the Carnegie Center, and we hope that you'll continue to do so in the next couple of weeks as you go looking through the budget. If you have any questions now, I'll take them. Otherwise, I'll quit with a minute 30 to go. Thank you. Any questions for Mr. Chethik? Thank you very much. Appreciate your coming. And the last person I have listed is Debbie Tester. Ms. Tester, if you'd step to the podium, you'll have three moments, three minutes. Hi. My name is Debbie Tester. I'm the treasurer of the CSEA. And I just want to speak on the budget, that the government is not unified because of the budget, because of the collective bargaining unit for police, fire, and community corrections, the non-bargaining employees. I also need the world of work raised as promised by the ordinance. We have to pay the higher gas prices, our utility bills, higher groceries, just like the collective bargaining employees. I have a family to raise, child care to pay, and yet I'm looking at not getting a raise. The civil service employees have low morale, but we do our job well. I am asking you to look deep inside the budget and give everyone a raise. It means a structure movement so all can get a raise. And also I was looking in the training announcement book, and it says that there is a class on staying free union. And I'd like to know how we can be staying free union when police, fire, and collective bargaining is a union. Any questions? Any questions? All right. Does anyone else wish to address the council? Mr. Cobb. Thank you, Mayor. Peace and love to the council. I met and spoke with the mayor five or six times. When I first spoke with the mayor, he gave me something to figure out, to sign, basically what I wanted to talk to him about. And I told him the number one issue that I had at that time, it was about two and a half years ago, was arrogancy, and primarily white arrogancy in this town. Being an African American in this town, I have to be careful. I have to show love to all nations. But I was just overwhelmed with how arrogant a nation of people could be, and I prayed about it, and I read the scriptures, and some of the things that I see in everyday life, I see it in Lexington, and it's going to destroy us. Y'all can't keep walking by people, act like they don't exist. You can't keep going like this. Everybody matters. Lexington is in the crossroads right now. We ain't had no major tornadoes. We ain't had no major storms. We had a snowstorm. But if we don't change our mind and our attitude about each other, we ain't going to be able to last long. Ain't nobody in this room better than me, and I ain't no better than nobody else in this room. We got people coming in for 2010. Y'all better tell them before they get here they're going to have to respect everybody, whether it's Mexicans, blacks, Latinos, Palestinians. We got to change the way we think in Lexington. Lexington ain't just for white people. Lexington ain't just for black people. Lexington's for all people. And I beg y'all, be the council that changes that. Because this generation is not going to have it. We're not going to have it. We're not going to sit by and watch everybody else get blessed and we be spectators. I'm saying this out of love. We've got to pass some laws, help everybody. We've got to have a genuine concern for everybody. If you don't, we ain't going to make it. Peace. Thank you, Mr. Cobb. I think we have one other individual. Step to the microphone and give us your name and address, please. Thank you, Mr. Mayor, members of the council. My name is Clive Pohl. I'm an architect here in Lexington with Pohl Rosa Pohl. And I came today to speak with you about a couple of things, really, two issues that share one basic principle with regard to planning. The first has to do with the power poles that the University of Kentucky has erected to begin at the corner of Cooper and Nicholasville Road. These poles, I think, as many of you know, were imposed upon the community and the employees and staff of the university. And there's a huge groundswell of objection. My intent in being here today is to lodge a formal complaint about the way in which that was undertaken and the way in which those poles were imposed upon the community. As you know, there's a phase two portion of that project that will bring those same oversized power poles onto Woodland Avenue. In a time when we are planning on many levels in many corners of our community to bury power poles for many reasons, health reasons, aesthetic reasons, this seems like many steps backward. And so I just want to lodge a formal complaint with the council about that with hopes that we might prevent the phase two portion of that project. I have some doubts that we will be able to insert ourselves between phase one and phase two, but I'd like to engage that possibility. The principle that carries over to other projects currently underway that is cause for concern for me, there is a privacy in the planning and design of the bridge on the new town pike extension. Myself and several other property owners have a vested interest in that bridge, as the rest of the community does. And we have asked on many occasions. We are design professionals. We have a structural engineer as part of our group, part of the ownership. Two architects and real estate people as part of the partnership. We've asked to be involved in the conversation to be at the very least brought up to speed with respect to the design and have been kept entirely out of the loop. And so as the power poles have evidenced, when planning and design occurs in private, disaster is very often the end result. And my concern is that this bridge will be another disaster, and it will be too late for us to effect change if we wait until it's built. So the purpose of my visit in 15 seconds, to lodge a formal complaint about this way of planning and the habit of designing in private. I'm happy to take questions if you like. Thank you, Mr. Pohl. Anybody have any questions for Mr. Pohl? Council Member Gordon. It isn't really for you, but my question is, Mayor, could we get some sort of an update on the plans and what is going on with the new town pike bridge? Maybe at a council work session. Sure. We'll arrange a presentation for you as soon as we can get that scheduled. The Mayor. Council Member Lane. Yeah, also, I just had a question. Could you be more specific about what your concern is about the bridge? Is it the size, the load-bearing capacity, the design, the location? What are the issues? The Mayor described a mandate to make that an iconic bridge, if you will. I don't think that was the word you used, but the idea was that it should be a strong piece of design. I have complete faith in the engineering community to size the beams and to solve the pragmatic needs of that bridge. I do not have any faith in their ability to design a bridge that speaks about Lexington's future in the way that a visible bridge of this kind can. The railing, the lighting, the attachments of various kinds, whether they are, in fact, plantings. There's a whole range of issues that good design could impact. So that's at the heart of my concern. Okay. The other question I have is that, of course, the State Highway Department is responsible for construction of that. Have you had discussions with them and they're totally nonresponsive? Yes, we have. We've submitted letters on multiple occasions expressing interest dating back to the end of last year and have had no response to those requests. Okay. Well, I'd appreciate it if you would send me a copy of your letter and I'll try to work on it myself. I'd be happy to do that. Thank you. Thanks, Mayor. Great. Cleave, thanks for coming today. I think it illustrates that, you know, when an issue like this, we are passionate about it, as you are about this property. In case you all don't know, Cleave and his brother, Graham, are architects here in town doing some really commendable work. I actually did meet with Barry and, I mean, I assume we're talking about the same general property. Yes. And Commissioner Kelly has met. And I think what this is illustrating is the level of anxiety that a lot of people have about the design of these really, really important pieces of infrastructure, whether they're buildings or whether they are bridges or whether they are roads that are going to be shaping the next 100, 200 years. And the last conversation I had with Barry was a week ago, and I said, hey, Barry, did you get an engineer to represent you on this, because the tough thing here is just what you described. There is no anxiety associated with whether or not the engineered structures are going to be adequate. The issue is the intersections, how those intersections, for example, that Newtown Pike intersection with Manchester, that's what we're talking about, right? That's exactly right. It's huge. Yeah. It's a very big deal. I didn't know you guys were going to be here, but when you're here, it's like, well, you know, we're exhausted with worrying about this, and we're still real worried that it's going to be done in a way that is going to be sensitive to pedestrians. It's going to be inviting to the public. It's going to be really what it can be to bring people into that area of town, right? Exactly right. Can I speak one more time, very briefly? I just simply want to make a point that the mandate for the Newtown Pike extension has been to be pedestrian-friendly and of a certain scale, so that it does have all of those amenities that we all want for our city. Though, very often, the engineering folks, who are very capable individuals, are making decisions based upon fill slopes and how those fill slopes will be mowed or not mowed. They have nothing to do with the overarching mandate, and this is just another example of that kind of short-sighted planning. Thank you very much. I appreciate it. Go ahead. The mayor and I were just suggesting that it might be appropriate, after this conversation, that that group that met earlier, Barry, Don, maybe get together. Councilmember Lane suggested perhaps an interest in this as well. I think that the main takeaway here, though, is there is everyone, no one that I've talked to about this issue within the administration is adverse or not in favor of doing this in the best way. But I think what Cleave just illustrated is, you know, it's a real sensitive deal there, and they're just not – a lot of folks just aren't real sure or confident that we're getting the level of awareness and sensitivity that that just so deserves. So maybe, Don, if that's okay, we'll suggest another powwow for that. Okay? Great. I think we have another speaker. Yes. Thank you, Mayor and Council, for this opportunity. I'm John Mickler. I'm president of the Aylesford Neighborhood Association, and it's in that capacity that I speak to you all today. And I wanted to follow Cleave. The issue that seems to be before the Transylvania Neighborhood Association and the Aylesford Neighborhood Association is the power lines that go down Euclid Avenue. And it's another one of those situations. I want to separate, though, the planning for the power lines, which happened without any dialogue with the neighborhood or the city, and the issue of the power lines on the street. I think we've all been informed about planning in private and how that can be damaging to relationships. I'm not sure that was the major issue here at this time that I want to bring up, which is about the power lines. And I want to just keep it in the forefront because I know that UK has bought these towers and they, you know, if I could see into the future, I would see that these probably will end up being placed on Euclid. I hope there will be some sort of alternative. I know that many of the neighbors are much more upset about it than I am. What I see and what I just wanted to briefly bring up today is the level of concern about these power lines on Euclid Avenue, to me, brings forth the fact that there's a lot of people concerned about Euclid Avenue and Woodland Avenue and what they look like. And if you take just a moment to think, that's a major entry to the University of Kentucky with one of our two, to Chevy Chase and Taze Creek, beautiful neighborhoods. And we have this street that is just, it's basically concrete and blacktop. And I think as we begin to look forward about what we want our city to be and to look like and to benefit everyone, the university, the residents, and attract people to the city as tourists and whatever, that Euclid Avenue is an important artery and one to consider the whole picture, not just putting power lines to feed the university campus on them. And that's basically what I came here to say and I want, I'm sure that this will be something, I know this has been on across your desk, Mr. Mayor, and I appreciate your answer to that and I just want you to know that we're all watching this very closely. Thank you. And let me just say I appreciate very much the approach you and the members of your Neighborhood Association have taken in dealing with the whole situation, John, so thank you. It's been very appropriate. Council Member Palouz. Thank you, Mayor. For me, a real question here is how really does this happen? How is it that without, apparently without public knowledge, without widespread awareness, you know, huge power lines can be installed on our city streets? Can anybody just do this? Yes and no is the best answer to that. Under a right-of-way ordinance, before major construction of this nature can go forward in our rights-of-way, the utilities have an obligation to notify us as to what it is they are planning to do. At the end of the day, we have a very limited ability under the right-of-way ordinance to deny those permits, but we have conditionally denied the permit for this particular project in an effort to try to get some additional information from UK and as of earlier today when I received an email from Bob Wiseman at UK, I'm under the impression that sometime within the next couple of weeks we ought to have some feedback from UK about some alternative ways of putting the power lines out. There are certain parts of UK's campus where they have the unilateral right to do whatever they please. The UK campus is not subject to our planning and zoning ordinances. So the poles that have already been erected along Cooper Avenue and in the general area to the south of the medical center complex are poles which were beyond the purview of anything urban county government can do, just because it's on UK's campus. However, we do have some ability to have some input with regard to the construction of the power lines along Euclid and Woodland Avenue, and that's what our discussion has been. I have had numerous conversations with people from the University of Kentucky about the manner in which this has moved forward and my personal dissatisfaction and more significantly disappointment with the fashion in which it has been handled. Dr. Todd, I think, shares that concern and we have talked about some ways to avoid the problem coming up in this fashion in the future, but we are where we are on this project. Bob Wiseman has had some conversations with the folks in the Aylsford and Transylvania Park Neighborhood Associations, both, I believe, and I am hopeful that when UK reconsiders the alternatives for going down Euclid and Woodland, we'll see some improved options made available to us. Thank you, and I really appreciate that explanation and that glimmer of hope that your work and UK's cooperation will have a happy result here. I doubt it will be entirely happy for some people because there are a substantial number of folks who would love to see those aerial utility lines placed underground. The cost of doing that is approximately $8 million, and it is a remarkably expensive proposition to put those utilities underground. That said, I hope we will find some more aesthetically pleasing ways to construct the utility facilities that we all benefit from, so we'll see, hopefully within a couple of weeks or so. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Council Member Duquesne? Yes, I would like to just add to that that, you know, this is in the 3rd District. We're very disappointed that we worked hard to keep a line of communication open with the University through our town gown and other efforts, and we did not hear of this. This has been in the planning for them for well over a year. They've even bought the posts. I didn't hear about it until less than a month ago. So, you know, I just hope we're not in a situation here where we can't make some compromise instead of being in those situations that we often hear in building inspection, you know, oh, we're so sorry we didn't let you know and ask forgiveness instead of really trying to work out a solution of mitigating the intrusion in this residential neighborhood of these posts. And so I know the Mayor has been keeping me up to date on it, and I hope that we will come up with something that will not be as intrusive as the initial plans which I saw, which I think are, myself, are very unacceptable for one of the major streets in Lexington, both two major streets, Woodland and Euclid. So just to assure those people who are watching, not only from the neighborhood but throughout the city, I think that we will be looking at this closely and hopefully we'll come up with something that's better than what's presented. And I'm just sorry we didn't have a little more time to work this out, but it's the last minute now, and they're telling us that we'll hold up the progress of building the hospital. But I think it's important to also hold up anything that will be a negative intrusion into our city. Thank you. Council Member Beard. Just one comment, and that is to maybe remind the University how accommodating we were on Closing Row Street. And whether that has any leverage, I don't know, but it maybe needs to be said. Anything further? Is there a motion we adjourn? I have a motion from Council Member McCord and a second by somebody. Council Member Lane. All in favor of adjourning, please indicate by saying aye, opposed, no. Motion carries. Hi, Mayor. I'd like to make a motion to re-convene. Thank you.