Music Thank you. I'm going to go to the next video. Thank you. Thank you. I'd like to go ahead and call to order the May the 10th, 2022 Council Work Session. And I would like to, I've asked the vice mayor if he would make a motion to move the proclamations to the front of the meeting so that employees can go ahead and go after that. Thank you, Mayor. Yes, I move to move the three proclamations that are on our agenda to the top of the agenda, so move. Second by Council Member Reynolds. Is there any discussion? All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right. Thank you. That passes, and thank you very much, Vice Mayor. All right. Thank you so much. Well, it's no secret that small businesses are the backbone of Lexington's economy. Running a small business is tough, but we have some special small business people right here in our community. The U.S. Small Business Administration has named not one but two Lexington Small Businesses 2022 Kentucky Small Business Week Award winners. Are Gwen and Ron here per chance? The Everleys? Many of you know them. Okay. Well, first, Gwen and Wren Everly of J. Renders Southern Table and Bar were named Kentucky Small Business Advocates of the Year. The Everlys have owned and operated J. Renders since 2012, initially starting as a food truck business before adding a brick-and-mortar location in 2016. Since its inception, J. Renders has offered delicious food and great service. The Everleys couldn't be with us today, but I wanted to recognize them for all their hard work and advocacy for small businesses in our community. We have a proclamation we'll be delivering to them soon, so congratulations to Gwen and Wren. Sure. Council member, they're in Council Member Bledsoe's district, right? They are. They are right there in Beaumont, right outside of CLS. They are phenomenal. The business is fantastic. They have live music several nights a week. One of the first people to really expand their patios into the parking light during COVID to have and accommodate more people. And they're phenomenal advocates, not just for Commerce Lexington, but for small businesses in Fayette County. and they've made a real big name for themselves statewide as being advocates to the industry. And they're just great, great people who live in the area who have been just phenomenal community leaders. So I'm very excited for them. I'm happy to deliver this with you if you want to. Very, very good. And we actually had a press conference in their parking lot when we were getting ready to do the expansion during COVID. Thank you very much. Second, we're honored to be joined today by Abby Jones. Will you come join me? Thank you. Of Abby Jones Consulting. Abby Jones Consulting has been named the 2022 Kentucky Home-Based Small Business of the Year. A licensed engineer and surveyor in six states and counting, Abby has grown her business and now has 15 employees. The business serves nine states and has operated remotely since its inception. which Abby says uniquely prepared them for the struggles of the pandemic. Weren't you smart? Additionally, the business is a certified woman-owned small business, and 50% of its employees are women. Way to go. So now I have a proclamation to read and then would like to invite Abby to say a few words. And this is Abby Jones Consulting Day. Whereas Abby Jones Consulting, a firm that provides land surveying and civil engineering, was founded in 2011, and whereas the U.S. Small Business Administration named Abby Jones Consulting the 2022 Kentucky Home Base Small Business of the Year, And whereas Jones has demonstrated how to effectively, successfully run a company remotely, as much of her workforce has transitioned to working from home, and whereas as the president of a woman-owned small business, Jones has prioritized empowering women and making opportunities accessible to everyone through her hiring practices and as a leader. leader. Now, therefore, I Linda Gorton, Mayor of Lexington, do hereby declare May the 10th, 2022, Abby Jones Consulting Day in Lexington. Congratulations. Thank you so much. I'll say just a few words. Thank you so much for this opportunity and this recognition. I hope to be on your agenda again soon as we'll be submitting on an RFP and then we'll be able to talk about a different type of award but I did want to say that my firm has staff from $17 an hour to $90,000 a year so we provide excellent long-term careers and I do mean careers not just jobs we are working to get people licensed in a career in land surveying because 70% of the land surveyors are over age 70 and there's just a tremendous need for that as the times are changing and we're working hard on that we have three land surveyors in training and soon to have a fourth so out of 800 active land surveyors in the state we're going to then have six which is pretty great so thank you very much very nice you want to get a picture with the council bring your confirmation we'll get a photo with the council Thank you. Thank you. please come join me don't be shy Yeah, come on, scoot on up. Crowd the winners. Fill it all in. Public safety is the most basic, the most fundamental building block of any city. Without strong, community-focused, professional public safety, a city cannot be successful. Not a successful place to live, work, or raise a family. The women and men who serve Lexington in law enforcement are truly special. They work long hours, late, late hours, weekends, holidays, very hot days, very cold nights, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. They serve those in need and do so in a professional and compassionate manner. Whether it's combating violent crime, addressing the drug problem, providing victim assistance, or responding to major events. The teamwork and cooperation that exists among Lexington's many law enforcement agencies are the keys to having a safe city. We are very lucky to have all of the partners we have, some of whom are represented here today, and to have the strong relationships we share. Not all cities experience this joint effort mentality in public safety, and most cities would be very jealous to see how law enforcement works together in our fine city. National Police Week is a time to recognize all of the men and women in law enforcement in our city. So it's my pleasure today to present this proclamation. And let's see, Chief, Sheriff, I've got to present this to someone, right? Come on up close. Whereas in 1962, President Kennedy established National Police Week, and whereas he also set aside May 15th as National Police Officers Memorial Day, and whereas we appreciate all the members of our law enforcement community who make many sacrifices and face daily challenges to keep our city safe. Now, therefore, I, Linda Gorton, Mayor of Lexington, do hereby declare May the 11th through 17th, 2022, National Police Week, and recognize and salute the members of our criminal justice community. Lexington Police Department, Fayette County Sheriff's Office, Fayette County Public Schools, Division of Law Enforcement, University of Kentucky Police Department, Transylvania University Department of Public Safety, Bluegrass Airport Department of Public Safety, Fayette Commonwealth's Attorney, Fayette County Attorney, United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky, Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, United States Marshal's Office, and United States Secret Service. These are all of our partners. Congratulations and thank you to all of you for the good work that you do. Yes. Thank you. Thank you. Yes. Would you like to say anything? You don't have to bend over. Thank you all for that. National Police Week is set aside to mark time and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifices and those who sacrificed their bodies for this profession. When we wake up in the morning, it's all about service. And I have to say that for our partners because it's very unique to have a sheriff, DEA, US Attorney's Office, county attorney, commonwealth attorney, all these people here focused on the same goal. And we all have a community spirit, and you don't get that everywhere. Most of the time, especially for the federal people, you don't see them anywhere. But I'm telling you, I've been here for over 33 years, and they always show up. They've always been there, and I don't think that happens everywhere. As many of you know, I was an undercover narcotics detective for a long time, so I have a close relationship with the DEA, and thank Mr. Jerry Smith for being here. Sheriff Witt has always been one of my dearest friends and a mentor to me. And Mr. Shearer, who is now the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District, who didn't bother to tell anybody, and he kept it quiet. But, you know, like I said, I was a detective, so I found out. Police week is a very important and special week for us. And I just want to say our fraternal order of police is having a ceremony tomorrow at 1230 out at Phoenix Park by the memorials. So if you're free at 1230 tomorrow, please come out and show your support and respect. Thank you. Thank you, Chief. with the council photo everybody Smile. Finally, right now, do we have some of our, let's see, commissioners? Yes. Well, we're doing, do we have code enforcement, building inspection? Come on up. That's it. I couldn't remember when the people would come today. All right. Safe buildings are another important component of a safe community. It's National Building Safety Month. when we renew our commitment to strengthening our buildings so residents are safe. City employees in building inspection and code enforcement are the people who assure us of safe, sustainable, affordable buildings. It's not an easy job, and I think it's almost routine for them to have people on all sides of an issue unhappy with them at the same time. Sometimes that's what it takes to keep people safe. So it is my pleasure today to present this proclamation. Whereas during National Building Safety Month, we renew our commitment to strengthening our buildings so our residents are safe, and whereas modern building codes include safeguards to protect the public from natural disasters and hazards such as snowstorms, tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, as well as man-made disasters caused by substandard construction practices, and whereas our local code officials assure us of safe, sustainable, and affordable buildings that are essential to our prosperity, and whereas safety for all building codes in action is the theme for building safety month 2022, encouraging everyone to raise awareness about planning for safe, sustainable construction, career opportunities in building safety, understanding disaster mitigation, and energy conservation. Now, therefore, I, Linda Gorton, Mayor of Lexington, do hereby declare May 2022 Building Safety Month in Fayette County. Congratulations to all of you, and thank you for your good work here today. I'll give it to Cash. You can pass it around. And first, I'd like to ask Environmental Quality and Public Works Commissioner Nancy Albright to say a few words. Building inspection is in her department. Thank you, Mayor, and thank you for this opportunity. I wanted to say that when I met Dewey, when we got reorganized and building inspection came into our department, that was always one of the things that wasn't obvious to some of us at first, because the obvious piece of our department is the public infrastructure piece. And it took me a little while to catch up to the fact that the less obvious but just as important is the public safety piece of private infrastructure. And that is one component where Dewey is a key player in the Division of Building Inspection. They take that role very seriously and every day, day in and day out, work to make sure our citizens are safe no matter where they are. So the other thing I would just like to tie into something that Chief Weathers mentioned that I think I've also come to realize in my three years here is how well all of the folks behind me work together. Now, we all tend to get confused as to exactly who does what when it comes to private infrastructure. They don't, and they manage that conversation very well between their different components. So it makes our job a little easier knowing that they're out there doing their jobs. Thank you. Thank you very much, Commissioner Albright. Now we're going to hear from Cash Olshevi. Come on up. He's our Director of Code Enforcement, and as you all know, Code is now part of the new Department of Housing Advocacy and Community Development. And welcome, Cash. We were just out on a visit together last week, weren't we? Yes, ma'am. We won't say where, but to a property. And it was fun. Oh, it was great fun. I want to thank the mayor and the council for taking the time to issue a proclamation for Building Safety Month. I'm not sure all of you know the extent of it, but it's actually an international campaign to raise the awareness of the importance of building codes. The federal government just issued their presidential proclamation on April 29th. This proclamation will join that group of proclamations from all across the globe. So you are enjoying and we take this opportunity to recognize and raise the profile of people you don't otherwise think of when good things happen. We are not there. And the reason it's not there is because we've done our jobs and nothing's happening. And I would be remiss to say that we also have fire prevention represented here because they perform our Kentucky standards of safety and property maintenance inspections on commercial buildings with us. and that we also have grants and special programs inspectors that do our rehabilitation. And all those are governed by state building codes to the repairs we order, to the new buildings, and so on and so forth. So it is a group of over 70 employees engaged in as building safety professionals, including our support staff. So we appreciate this moment, this 15 minutes of fame to remind ourselves why we're here and that we exist. and this is just a small token that we truly do appreciate. Very good. Thank you very much. Let's get a photo. So I want to recognize, he's somewhere back there, our new commissioner of the Department of Housing Advocacy, Charlie Lanter, who now has code enforcement in his department. So would you all like to get a picture with the council? Oh, yeah. Thank you. Thank you so much. Next we'll have public comment for issues on the agenda. And I have a couple people signed up, but I don't know if you're speaking to issues on the agenda. I think there are issues off the agenda. Okay. Billy, you're signed up. Okay. So we will get to that at the end of the meeting. Thank you. There are no rezonings or docket today. And so I would entertain a motion to approve the May 3rd work session summary. Second. Thank you, Council Member Sheehan. And second was Council Member Baxter. Are there any questions? All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. There are no budget amendments. Could I have a motion, please, to approve new business? Motion approved. Thank you. Council Member Ellinger moved. Council Member Plowman seconded. And if you have questions, will you please log in? All right. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? Okay, that motion passes. and next I'll call on Councilmember Lamb for the General Government and Social Services Report. Thanks for waking me up over here. Sorry. This is the General Government Social Services Committee from April 12, 2022, Summary and Motions. The meeting started at 1 p.m. and all committee members were present. The first item was the approval of the March 8, 2022 Committee Summary. A motion by Council Member Legree approved the summary and was seconded by Council Member Reynolds, and the motion passed without dissent. The next item in committee was the language access, and Mrs. Jennifer Sutton presented on Council Member Reynolds' item for improving language access at LFUCG. She shared information on the need to increase website translation options, tools for first responders, develop a crisis communication plan with the Division of Emergency Management, Global Lex, and the administration, as well as explore pay increases for multilingual employees. employees. To add a website translation feature that is compatible with LFUCG's website will cost $28,000 for FY23 and will allow for 94 language options. Pay increases for multilingual employees will be revisited after the compensation study has been completed. The next item was the NAMI, National Association of Mental Illness update. Honorable John Tackett, Fayette District Court Judge and Mrs. Jennifer Van Van Ort Hazard presented an update of the Fayette County Mental Health Treatment Court. It was created in 2014 with the help of LFUCG and the Office of Homelessness Prevention and Intervention. Judge Tackett shared how COVID-19 had impacted their services and how they adapted to the challenges. Mrs. Van Ort Hazard shared the successes of the program and introduced Fayette Mental Health Court's new aftercare program. Additionally, Ms. Van Ort Hazard shared the community savings and return on investment. The next item was the Lexington History Museum presentation. Mr. Timothy Burcham gave an overview of the history of the Lexington History Museum. LFUCG helped create the museum in 1997 with the museum officially charted in 1998. He shared that the current space is not large enough to house their entire collection, and they are looking for a temporary space. The museum went through a strategic planning process in 2021 and are requesting $1.6 million from LFUCG over the course of three years to help the museum to become reestablished. The next item was CivicLEX public engagement update. Executive Director Richard Young gave an update on CivicLEX's effort. On gathering feedback on public input, CivicLEX conducted two surveys, one for the public and one for LFUCG employees. Young shared the Civic Lexus draft recommendations on how to improve the process, such as restructuring when public input is received by Council, adopting user-friendly technologies for legislative tracking, and others. And there were no items that were removed from the committee, and we adjourned at 3 p.m. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you very much. Does anyone have questions for Council Member Lamb? All right. Thank you. Council members, it's time if you have a council report to go ahead and log in. Council member Maloney. Thank you, Mayor. This morning I had the opportunity, along with Council member Plowman, we went to the Fisher Home out there on Leastown Road. And some of you all have not been out there. If you go out there, you see a building being built in front of the veterans, and that's going to be a house. and it's going to be an incredible opportunity for helping people who have had a lot of problems that are going to the hospital and have nowhere to go. This is going to be set up for the family members and the patient to be able to stay in this house. And one example was given today that there was a lady that a couple months ago was sitting out in the parking lot, and she spent everything she had to get in the hotel for $5,000, lost all her income to stay with her husband. And it's sad that we had to wait this long, but it is an amazing story. We heard some great stories, and I'm excited to see it come to Luthington and for the veterans who have done tremendous to keep things for this country. And I'm glad we're giving back. And so if you all get a chance, go by and see it. It's going to be amazing. Thank you. Thank you. Council Member Sheehan. Thank you, Mayor. Last night was the Idle Hour Neighborhood Association meeting. One of their new efforts has been to create a new neighborhood newsletter that they deliver around to the 500 homes in their area. They walk it around, which is kind of an amazing effort. But they also are trying to get word out to their residents on their new social media accounts. They have a Facebook account, Idle Hour Today, and an Instagram account, Idle Hour Neighborhood, that they are asking for the residents in their area to follow. They really do a great job with recognizing their neighbors. They do a yard of the month club recognition, which is really fun. And they post this on their social media accounts, so you can see that. But they have added now also a tree of the month club, not club, but recognition. So that was kind of appropriate for them to add that because last night at their neighborhood meeting, Trees Lexington was also there to talk about planting and caring for trees. So I thank Trees Lexington for being there to educate us about trees in the community, and I'd allow her for the recognition and the work that they do in their neighborhood. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you. Council Member James Brown. Thank you, Mayor. I just have a few announcements. It looks like it's going to be a busy week for our Department of Social Services. Tomorrow they're going to have a nonprofit capital grants program informational workshop webinar at 1.30. This is the program that we put American Rescue Plan funds towards nonprofits to have capital requests. So for any additional information, I think they can find that on our website or contact Theresa Maynard and the Department of Social Services. And then also the Summer Youth Job Training Program has additional slots available, and they're going to have open registration tomorrow, May 11th, from 4 to 7. And it looks like the Audrey Grievous Center. There's additional information on our website, and I know we have a lot of youth in this community that are looking for summer opportunities, and this is a great opportunity for them to get involved and get engaged. And then, Mayor, I'll just take, if council allow me, a moment of personal privilege just to recognize my oldest son, James Jr. He's going to graduate and receive his master's this coming Friday from Kentucky State. He's going to receive his master's in aquaculture. So last week, Charmaine and my youngest son had the privilege of going and watching him do his thesis presentation to his professors. And I think that's probably one of the most proudest moments I've ever had in my entire life. So just kudos to him for sticking with his education, being dedicated and diligent, and we look forward to celebrating with him this coming Friday. So thank you. That's wonderful. Congratulations to you, the whole family. That's wonderful. Very nice. Councilmember Baxter. Thank you, Mayor. I was just saying I can't top that. Come on. But I will say that Mother Nature seems to be cooperating this weekend, And so I am excited to finally get to host my food truck Friday in Chileto Park. As I've said before, it will be up in Chileto Park by the baseball fields that are closest to the basketball courts, 6 to 9 p.m. We will have all of the food, well, maybe not all, but a lot of the food trucks that couldn't come last Friday, they will join the ones we already had scheduled for this Friday. So there will be tons of food options now, along with some live entertainment and what looks to be a very beautiful evening. So I hope to see everybody there 6 to 9. And then on Saturday at 1 p.m., we will have the Wellington Labyrinth dedication. So I hope you guys can come out and experience that really neat and unique part of our community. So thank you, Mayor. That's great. Thank you. Does anyone else have a council report? No? All right. There is no mayor's report today. So now we'll have public comment for issues not on the agenda. And I believe we have two people signed up and Billy Mallory is giving her three minutes to Michael Wilson. So, Mr. Wilson. If you will please state your name and your council district and you'll have six minutes. Welcome. Thank you. I wanted to make sure I had at least that much time this time to finish. Thank you for the education last week, Vice Mayor. I appreciate it. I forgot a lot of things I have forgotten. I hope to be reassured I will remember in due time. Yes, Madam Mayor, I sure will. That was my introductory type something. Okay, I had to go through that. My name is Michael Wilson, Michael A. Wilson. I live at 317 Wilson Street. Glad to be here this morning, this afternoon, and glad to greet each and every one of you. And of course, glad to see you, Mayor. Didn't get to see you the last time I was here. I was told that this would be an opportunity to address some things that were not on the agenda, that relate to the fact that the budget amendments, budget, and et cetera, that sort of thing. This is you all's last meeting prior to break, so I wanted to make sure I got an opportunity. Is that not correct? I just want to make sure that's okay. You have four minutes and 53 seconds left. Oh, okay. I'm sorry. Yes, the podium's yours. That was my introduction. Okay, that's all I got is four? You have 446 left. Okay, thank you, Madam Mayor, and thank you, Council, for this opportunity. I'm here this afternoon to just say that I'm aware of the fact that the council has appropriated $12.5 million as a wish list. And I understand how that works. I was counting around here. It sounds bad, wish list. It sounds like something from Mitch McConnell or something on Washington Hill or something. But it's an opportunity for the council to see things in their district and to kind of deal with those things. And I realize how important it is. And it helps the city as well as that particular district. I'm in the first district. That's what I'm running for, too. Okay. Didn't want to mention that. But then, of course, it's my understanding also that there has been $10 million appropriated for affordable housing. That's not right. That's not correct. Okay, so it is. Okay, so, and I'm glad to hear that that is happening because we have some basic needs as far as affordable housing is concerned. I do want to also interject, however, that a city like Louisville has appropriated $100 million for affordable housing. But then it's a lot larger than us, although we think we're better than them. But then I would also mention the fact that I understand that there are other things that are outstanding that I at least want to mention. And I don't want to take away from wish list items. But then, of course, there are ways to appropriate other dollars for other things through the mayor's office, amendments, budget amendments, if I'm not incorrect, and et cetera, that sort of things. And I came to understand that when I was under Scotty Bachelors, mayors can always find money for whatever they want to do. I know Scotty always did. Always did. So, you know, I'm hoping that what can happen is that at least there are some monies that would happen for rental assistance. I know there's something there, and that's really important, given some things that have happened in our community and that sort of thing. Of course, they had the balloon release last night. Glad to see some of the council members there for the children that were killed by their mother. And that was really a beautiful thing. I'm glad that that happened. It just brings to mention, it needs to be mentioned, that we need to deal with some things as how ineffective our police can be in some situations as well. And then, of course, we hope that the monies can also be found. And I know that Opportunity Village is on the agenda for RIP. I'm sorry, I'm boring some of you, the mayor. Basically, RIP, the Opportunity Village, is supposed to go through the request for proposals and that sort of thing. And we only hope that you all will be favorable towards that because if that were open, that might have been able to provide some services for this particular situation and some other situations. And we always need to remember as a government, a governing body, that some of the things that we do in this arena are life and death decisions. And we need to think clearly and totally about those things and be able to help individuals, because you don't know what somebody's dealing with or laboring with and what can happen as a result. So I hope I didn't use up my four minutes, Mayor. And I do appreciate the opportunity to speak, and I'm sorry I took up so much time with my introduction. Good to see you, Councilman Brown. Wish you all the luck in the world. After I served, he served and done an admirable job. Good job. Thank you, Madam Mayor. Thank you, Vice Mayor. Thank you very much. We have no one else signed up to speak, so now would be the time for a motion to adjourn. I'm sorry, who moved? Council Member Maloney. All right, all those in favor, say aye. We are adjourned. Thank you very much. Thank you.