# Urban County Council Work Session - August 30, 2022 > Auto-transcribed civic record · August 30, 2022 - **Permalink**: https://meetings.lexingtonky.news/meeting/5635 - **Source video**: https://lfucg.granicus.com/player/clip/5635?view_id=14&redirect=true - **Date**: 2022-08-30 - **Last revised**: August 30, 2022 - **Length**: 11,436 words > ⚠️ **Auto-generated content.** Audio from the official Granicus video was auto-transcribed with OpenAI's open-source Whisper large-v3-turbo model, run locally by The Lexington Times. Structured facts were extracted with GPT-4o; the narrative summary was written by Anthropic Claude. Verbatim wording may contain errors. See [methodology](https://meetings.lexingtonky.news/about/methodology) or [report a correction](mailto:editor@lexingtonky.news). --- ## Meeting Overview The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council convened on August 30, 2022, at 3:00 PM in the Council Chamber at 200 E. Main Street, Lexington, Kentucky, with Mayor Linda Gorton presiding. The council addressed three agenda items during the session, including docket approval and rezonings, a street dedication matter for Warrenton Woods, and consideration of a sustainable growth study. All three items on the agenda were approved by the council. The meeting included three motions and votes, and the council heard from three members of the public during the public comment period. ## Attendance All council members were present for the August 30, 2022 meeting. **Present:** • Mayor Linda Gorton • Council Member Kay • Council Member Moloney • Council Member Ellinger • Council Member J. Brown • Council Member McCurn • Council Member Lamb • Council Member Sheehan • Council Member Kloiber • Council Member Worley • Council Member F. Brown • Council Member Baxter • Council Member Bledsoe • Council Member Reynolds • Council Member Plomin **Absent:** None **Late:** None The meeting achieved full attendance with all 15 council members and the mayor participating. ## Votes and Decisions The council conducted three votes during the August 30, 2022 meeting, all using voice vote procedures. **Approval of Docket and Rezonings** [timestamp: 02:00] Council Member Ellinger motioned to approve the docket and rezonings, with Vice Mayor Kay providing the second. The motion passed by voice vote with no opposition recorded. **Amendment to Remove Sidewalk Requirement for Warrenton Woods** [timestamp: 45:00] Council Member Sheehan made a motion to amend the proposal by removing the sidewalk requirement for the Warrenton Woods development. Council Member Baxter seconded the motion. The amendment passed by voice vote with no recorded opposition. **Approval of New Business Items as Amended** [timestamp: 50:00] Council Member Plomin motioned to approve the new business items as amended, seconded by Vice Mayor Kay. This vote resulted in passage but with one dissenting voice vote from Council Member Worley, who voted against the motion. The remaining council members supported the measure. All three votes were conducted as voice votes rather than formal roll call votes, with the exception that Council Member Worley's opposition to the final motion was specifically recorded. The meeting proceeded efficiently through the voting process, with most items receiving unanimous or near-unanimous support from the council members present. ## Budget and Financial Actions The meeting addressed two significant financial contracts totaling $57,500 for professional services. **Grant Consulting Services Contract (Resolution 0828-22)** The board approved a $7,500 contract with Strategic Funding Group, Inc. for grant consulting services related to the preparation of the FY22 HUD Continuum of Care Supplemental Application. This contract will support the organization's efforts to secure federal housing assistance funding through the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Continuum of Care program. **Professional Services Agreement (Resolution 0848-22)** A $50,000 professional services agreement was approved with Stantec Consulting, Inc. for an update to the 2021 Existing Conditions and Growth Trends Report. This substantial contract represents the majority of the financial commitments made during the meeting and will provide updated analysis of current conditions and projected growth patterns in the area. Both contracts were presented as individual resolutions requiring board approval. The Strategic Funding Group contract focuses on specialized grant application preparation services, while the Stantec Consulting agreement involves comprehensive planning and analysis work to update existing municipal planning documents. These expenditures reflect ongoing commitments to both securing external funding opportunities and maintaining current planning documentation for future development decisions. ## Public Comment Three residents addressed the council during the public comment period, with two speakers focusing on sidewalk requirements in the Warrenton Woods neighborhood and one supporting the city's growth planning efforts. **Warrenton Woods Street Dedication** John Woodall spoke on behalf of his neighborhood regarding the Warrenton Woods street dedication [timestamp: 03:00]. Woodall requested that the council waive the sidewalk requirement for the dedication of their streets to public use. The neighborhood is seeking to transfer their private streets to the city's responsibility. Billy Walters followed with additional concerns about the sidewalk requirement [timestamp: 10:00]. Walters expressed specific worries about how sidewalk installation would impact his property, noting that the project would require construction of a retaining wall and the removal of existing trees on his land. His comments highlighted the practical challenges individual property owners face when sidewalk requirements are implemented in established neighborhoods. **Sustainable Growth Planning** Brittany Rothmeyer addressed the council regarding the city's planning initiatives [timestamp: 20:00]. Rothmeyer voiced her support for the Sustainable Growth Task Force's ongoing work and praised the Growth Trends Report. She emphasized the importance of making data-driven decisions when it comes to managing the city's development and growth patterns. The public comments reflected two key community concerns: infrastructure requirements for existing neighborhoods seeking city services, and support for comprehensive planning efforts to guide future development. The Warrenton Woods speakers highlighted the tension between city standards for new infrastructure and the practical challenges of retrofitting established areas, while Rothmeyer's comments demonstrated community engagement with the city's long-term planning processes. ## Contested Items Two significant issues generated substantial debate during the August 30, 2022 meeting, drawing opposition from residents and council members respectively. **Warrenton Woods Sidewalk Requirement** The most contentious item involved strong community opposition to a proposed sidewalk requirement for street dedication in the Warrenton Woods neighborhood. Residents voiced concerns about the financial burden the requirement would place on property owners, arguing that the high costs associated with sidewalk installation would create an undue hardship. Additionally, community members expressed worries about how the sidewalks would affect the established aesthetic character of their neighborhood, suggesting the requirement could fundamentally alter the area's appearance and feel. The opposition highlighted the tension between municipal infrastructure standards and existing neighborhood preferences, with residents advocating for their community to maintain its current streetscape without mandatory sidewalk additions. **Sustainable Growth Study** The second major point of contention centered on the Sustainable Growth Study, which sparked heated discussion among council members. The debate focused on concerns about the reliability and completeness of the data underlying the study. Council members questioned whether the information presented was sufficiently accurate to support informed decision-making. The discussion revealed significant unease about moving forward with adopting the study when council members felt they lacked complete information necessary for proper evaluation. This disagreement reflected broader concerns about the thoroughness of the research and whether the study's findings could adequately guide future growth-related policy decisions. The heated nature of the discussion suggested fundamental disagreements among council members about both the study's methodology and the wisdom of proceeding without addressing the identified data gaps and accuracy concerns. ## Docket Approval and Rezonings [timestamp: 02:00] The council addressed the docket approval and rezonings during this portion of the meeting. Council Member Ellinger and Vice Mayor Kay were the primary speakers on this agenda item. The discussion centered on the approval of the docket and various rezoning matters before the council. A notable aspect of the proceedings was a motion to place an item on the docket without requiring a public hearing, which represents a procedural decision that allows certain matters to move forward more expeditiously through the council process. The council ultimately approved the docket and rezonings as presented. The specific details of individual rezoning cases or the particular item that was added to the docket without a public hearing were not detailed in the available materials, but the overall outcome indicates the council found the proposals acceptable for advancement. This agenda item represents routine municipal business involving land use and zoning decisions that are fundamental to city planning and development processes. ## Warrenton Woods Street Dedication [timestamp: 45:00] The council considered a resolution regarding the dedication of streets in the Warrenton Woods neighborhood to public use. The primary issue under discussion was a request from Warrenton Woods residents to waive the standard sidewalk requirement as part of the street dedication process. Council Member Sheehan and Council Member Reynolds were the key speakers during this agenda item. The discussion centered on whether the city should grant an exception to its typical infrastructure requirements for accepting private streets into the public system. The residents' request sought to have their neighborhood streets transferred to public ownership and maintenance without installing sidewalks, which would normally be required under city standards for public street dedication. This type of waiver would allow the city to take over responsibility for street maintenance while exempting the neighborhood from the sidewalk installation requirement. The council ultimately approved the resolution, granting the requested waiver for the Warrenton Woods street dedication. This decision allows the neighborhood streets to be accepted into the public street system without the residents having to install sidewalks as a precondition for the dedication. The approval means the city will assume responsibility for ongoing maintenance and upkeep of the Warrenton Woods streets, while the residents avoid the expense and disruption that would have been associated with sidewalk construction throughout their neighborhood. ## Sustainable Growth Study The council considered a resolution regarding the Sustainable Growth Study during the meeting [timestamp: 01:20:00]. The discussion centered on the accuracy of data within the study and the importance of maintaining current information through regular updates. Council Member Bledsoe and Vice Mayor Kay served as the primary speakers during the deliberation of this agenda item. The conversation focused on ensuring the study's data remained reliable and reflected current conditions affecting sustainable growth in the community. Key concerns raised during the discussion included the need for ongoing data accuracy and the establishment of a framework for regular updates to the study. The speakers emphasized the importance of maintaining current and reliable information to support informed decision-making regarding sustainable growth initiatives. The council ultimately approved the resolution related to the Sustainable Growth Study, indicating consensus on moving forward with the proposed approach to data management and study maintenance. --- ## Decisions - **Motion** — passed (0-0): approve the August 30, 2022 Council meeting docket - **Motion** — passed (0-0): place ordinance #19 (An Ordinance changing the zone from a Wholesale and Warehouse Business (B-4) zone to a Planned Neighborhood Residential (R-3) zone, for 2.22 net (3.39 gross) acres, for property located at 2651 Sandersville Rd.) on the docket without a public hearing - **Motion** — passed (0-0): approve the August 23, 2022 work session summary - **Motion** — passed (0-0): approve budget amendments - **Motion** — passed (0-0): approve new business - **Motion** — passed (0-0): amend item p to remove the sidewalk contingency - **Motion** — passed (0-0): remove item d under continuing business/presentations - **Motion** — passed (0-0): approve neighborhood development funds - **Motion** — passed (0-0): approve the Sustainable Growth Study Resolution, including an amendment to remove “framework” as cited in the title section of the resolution and to remove “both the Evaluations Framework and” as cited in the 6th paragraph of the resolution (as approved at the June 21, 2022 Planning and Public Safety Committee meeting) - **Motion** — passed (0-0): refer rental and income discrimination to the General Government and Social Services Committee - **Motion** — passed (0-0): approve the Mayor's Report - **Motion** — passed (0-0): go into closed session pursuant to KRS 61.810(1)(c) for the purpose of discussing proposed or pending litigation - **Motion** — passed (0-0): return from closed session - **Motion** — passed (0-0): adjourn at 4:53pm --- ## Full transcript We're gonna find one One that really screams I've been searching for the daughter of the devil himself I've been searching for an angel in white I've been waiting for a woman who's a little old And I can feel her but she's nowhere inside Ooh, all the best will blind you In between the wrong and the right Oh, come and run behind you Swear I'm gonna find you one of these nights I'm going to find you. We'll get you, baby, one of these nights. One of these nights. One of these nights. You can feel it. You can feel it. One of these nights. Cover up your hands. You swear I'm gonna stand tonight. One of these nights It's so dark, so dark One of these nights One of these crazy, crazy, crazy nights One of these nights Swear I'm not a friend to come One of these nights I don't want to say I'm a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash on a crash I'll hold you and touch you and make you my woman. I'll give you my love with sweet surrender. Tonight our hearts will beat as one And I will hold you, touch you Make them my woman tonight There's something in your eyes I see A pure and simple honesty Hold me in your arms tonight Fill my life with pleasure That's not what's this prayer She's tired This moment's eyes to treasure Hold me in love tonight We'll make it last forever When the morning sun appears we'll find our way together I believe you when you say that you love me know that I won't take you for granted Tonight the magic has begun For issues on the agenda and we have a number of people signed up for on the agenda and perhaps one signed up for items not on the agenda. So we'll go right ahead and start. And the council rules are that when your name is called, you'll come to the podium and state your name and your council district for the record, and you'll each have three minutes to speak. And I'll let you know when your three minutes are up. unfortunately. So first on the list is Jenny Fowler. May I take my time to John Woodall? Thanks. To John Woodall. Yes. All right. Thanks, Jenny. I appreciate that. Now next on the list, hang on just a second. You're way at the bottom of the list. I missed a meeting. Okay. They put me at the top. There could be other people who cede their time. I don't know that. Okay. Well, I'm not formally representing the neighborhood in this. Okay. All right. Hang on just a moment. Next is Craig Fowler. I saved my time. There you go. See, three more minutes. You wouldn't have known that if we'd have gone on. That's what I'm afraid of. All right. Next is Billy Walters. I would like to use just a little bit of my agreement. I don't know if that's possible. Okay, so you would like to wait. Okay, we'll put you down after the other folks. Stephanie Monson. All right, John, you're done. You have 12 minutes from other people and your own three minutes. So you have 15 minutes. And if you want to go ahead, state your name and your council district, please, and we'll put the timer on. Thank you, Mayor. Welcome. My name is John Woodall for the record. Thank you, Madam Mayor and ladies and gentlemen of the council for hearing us today. It looks like I've successfully been jackpotted here. I'm not here in official capacity today representing the applicant as you might normally see me, but as a resident of 3121 Warrington Wood Wind and District 5, which is Councilman Sheehan's district. The item on your agenda today pertains to my neighborhood's desire to dedicate our streets to the public, so for the city of lexington to take over our our streets i have actually lived in this neighborhood with my family my wife and and three children and getting smaller all the time or the house is getting bigger all the time i guess um chris cashman back here and i were talking about being empty nesters i'm not there yet but we're closed um i've lived in this neighborhood since 2008 and before that lived in the Palomar side of town and then I actually grew up in this neighborhood. My parents, Jerry and Sonia, would all still live in this neighborhood. We just celebrated my dad back there's 80th birthday in the neighborhood, big time. And prior to that time, lived over on Monta Vesta. that was in 1972. This neighborhood was actually developed in 1977. And I bring up the Monta Vesta play because all that property was part of Dr. Warren's old farm. And in fact, when I was a kid, Dr. Warren's cows used to get out and run through my mom's rose garden. That was always fun to watch my dad deal with that. But in any event, this neighborhood, Like I said, it was developed in 1977. We moved in in 1980. There are approximately 43 homes there now. We weren't the first home in the neighborhood, but there weren't too many before us. It was heavily wooded. This was an old, like I said, part of Dr. Warren's farm. He had cattle and so forth. Those of you that are familiar with St. Ives know how many ponds and so forth were there. And when I was a kid, that was still a farm. My brother and I used to sneak over there and go fishing a lot, sometimes when we were supposed to be in school. Sorry, Dad. But this was all part of the same farm. It was the topography of our neighborhood as much as it was then when Mr. Sadler developed the subdivision. I know it was designed to have an agricultural or rural type of a feel to it. It still has that. There's a great tree canopy in the neighborhood. A lot of us have gone to great lengths to improve our properties, especially in light of the emerald ash borer. I know my own probably lost a lot of trees and had to put a lot of that back. Our streets are in good shape now. Now, the issue is this came about in 2004. The council at that time saw this and approved the streets to be dedicated. However, for whatever reason, it didn't happen at that time. I think maybe there were some improvements that had to be made, and that didn't happen. So the actual dedication was never effectuated. At that time, that current council did not require sidewalks as part of the dedication. And that's what all the interest is here for while my neighbors are here. We want to dedicate our streets to public use. But having sidewalks in this particular neighborhood, I understand what the regulation says. I understand why staff proposed it. That's their job. That's what they're supposed to do. I deal with them all the time. As you all know, they're very diligent. But you all have the opportunity to exercise the waiver here, and it just makes no sense to put sidewalks in this particular neighborhood. It didn't happen in the woods when that particular neighborhood was dedicated to public use. There's no sidewalks over on Old Dobbin Road. There's none in McMeekin Place. the preliminary estimates to put sidewalks here at landowner expense was $330,000, and that's way, way low. Due to the existence of the proximity of where our utilities are in our front yards, gas lines, water lines, just the amount of trees that would be lost itself is a crime. Many of the homes like the Walters home, Billy will tell you, I mean, it would create a, you'd have to put in a retaining wall and that type of thing. Like I said, I've lived in this neighborhood off and on 1980, from 1980 until I graduated from high school. And then again, you know, since 2008, I've either, you know, rode my bicycle. My kids have ridden their mechanical vehicles, then bicycles, then cars, ran, played, walked, you name it. During COVID, our neighborhood was very active because it's not a neighborhood of through streets. It is a neighborhood of cul-de-sacs. It is very inviting. So we had a lot of walkers, a lot of pedestrians, a lot of bicyclists, Chuck. It's a good place to get the burn out at the end. Never the whole time I've lived there has there ever been any any accident near miss of any type whatsoever. So some neighborhoods I would say where you're talking about through streets and a public thoroughfare where the high speed limit, I get it, but but not this one. And so that's all that we're asking of you is that you take the streets in but wave off the sidewalk requirement. If you can't do that, just tell us so that we can pull our application. We don't want to do that to our neighborhood. So I could say more, but I appreciate your time. I know how busy you are. I know my neighbors might also have some things to say, but we've got a great neighborhood, and we're awfully proud of it. We appreciate Council Member Sheehan's help with this issue. Thank you. Thank you very much. Billy, did you want, John did not use all his time. Did you want to use your full three minutes? So it's your turn. We don't bank time overnight. Welcome, if you'll say your name and your council district. Thank you. I'm Billy Walters. I live at 3132 Warren Woodwind. That is the longest street in our neighborhood. I live on the side of the road that you are proposing sidewalks for. Warren Woodwind is truly a wind. As you enter our neighborhood, it appears level, but the road truly winds down a hill. And my house is perched at the side of the street on top of this hill. To put in a sidewalk level with the street, I'm going to need a retaining wall across 150 feet in front of my house that's going to take out my mailbox. Six birch trees, much more landscaping. Also along this line is a gas line that runs my kitchen. Electricity, dog fence, water, a sewer access manhole. All of that would have to be relocated above the proposed, I think, seven feet where the sidewalk would be. In effect, taking out my entire front yard. I have a circular drive in front of the yard, also a driveway that connects to that, that runs to the back of my house where the garage is. I'm not sure how you get a car of that anymore if a sidewalk is cutting through my driveway. And I'm just one house on this side of the street that is on a hill. You're talking about many more houses that are going to have this issue, and some have more permanent structures there than I do. So this is going to take place, this type of construction is going to take place down one half of the neighborhood and decimate it. Our neighborhood is a magical place. It's really beautiful. We have lived there for 14 years. In 2011, as part of the letter we submitted to the council, I submitted pictures. We were written up in the newspaper for the Halloween decorations we would put inside and out. We have trick-or-treaters galore. We are a target neighborhood for trick-or-treaters because it's so beautiful. And we take pride in our neighborhood and we make it look even more beautiful at the holidays. Because of this article, it drew notice from the state. I was given a citation by the House of Representatives signed by Greg Stumbo and our representative, Susan Westrom, praising our neighborhood for its beauty and for its friendliness to the community. To take out half of the neighborhood beauty is just going to ruin the effects. And there are no words for the change that will take place if sidewalks are required. I've raised three children in that house. My youngest there, when we moved in, was four. They've ridden bikes, learned to drive. We've walked many a dog. And just please request a waiver of sidewalks. Thank you very much. Thank you. Next is, and I apologize if I skewer your name, Darcel Thieves? And you can correct it at the podium. I have conceded my file to Chris Patrick. To whom? Chris Patrick. Okay, very good. Next is Alphonse Thieves. All righty. Andy Henderson. Welcome. Good afternoon. Delighted to be here. I am Billy's neighbor. We reside in Councilman Sheehan's district. I'm also requesting a waiver on the sidewalks, but I'm coming at you from the idea of stormwater. We purchased our property in 1986. If you look at the map, we're 3136. We moved in in 1989. We've lived there for over 33 years. We decided a few years ago to plant some trees in the back, but the problem is, the stormwater problem, Megan Wood Circle has a drain that dumps into the backyard of my neighbors. And so since 1977 during a storm that water is deposited into my neighbor's yard, subsequently into my yard, and then several other yards downstream. We decided we couldn't plant a tree because of the problems. I eventually ended up with speaking with Greg Luback and worked with the city and we were awarded, awarded us in 2020 a neighborhood incentive grant to repair this. City funded just over $49,000. We funded over $12,000. I thought we could just bury the pipe, put it underground, and push it down the hill. Can't do that. Lessons learned. Slow down water. Give it a chance to infiltrate the soil. So presently there is a channel that meanders through the back to slow it down, and there's a rain garden in my yard that I'm responsible for the care of. It has helped stop much of that problem. If you put sidewalks in, water will flow very quickly on sidewalks, plus you're taking out extensive vegetation that captures and retains water. The safety issues, again, also, we're three children in that area. They all grew up there. I'm the one who put in the letter to you. I used to run, and now I walk in that neighborhood almost daily. I drive it daily. I've never had an issue. I love our neighborhood, and I just request that you waive the sidewalk requirement. Thank you. Thank you very much. Chris Cashin, and you'll have nine minutes, which includes your three minutes. Welcome. Thank you. I appreciate the opportunity to be here. I'm Chris Cashin, 5th District, 3109 Warren Wood. I appreciate ceding your time to me. I didn't know I was going to speak, so I'm not going to try to rehash things. unlike Andy I didn't run because the hills are pretty steep but as Mr. Woodall said I'm now an empty nester I just like to well we've been there about 10 years nine or 10 years I lose track of time sometimes raised three children there as of about 10 days ago I'm now an empty nester so I do walk more in the neighborhood I walk pretty much every day And you've heard from the neighbors about, obviously, the water issues, which are significant. You've heard about the expense, which, of course, is significant, too. You've heard about the aesthetics of the neighborhood, how it would change it. And I'll just echo those comments. There are a lot of very nice mailboxes. There are a lot of fire hydrants. There are a lot of trees, a lot of stuff in the way. You can tell the neighborhood was never designed to have sidewalks. sidewalks. But aside from those issues, aesthetics, water flow expense, safety is the one thing I'll talk about. And I don't think anyone in this room, any of the neighbors will say there is any concern about safety within the neighborhood by not having sidewalks. Having three children there, having seen many other children there, young children in the neighborhood now, riding bikes, walking. We have groups of dog walkers at all times of the day. Never a safety concern. So I just want to echo everyone's sentiment that from a safety perspective, we don't feel the need. And I thank you for your time. Thank you very much. Next is Michelle Corbett. Welcome. I will be very brief. I'm Michelle Corbett. I'm on the board of the HOA for Warrington Woods Street Maintenance Association. We reached out and met with Liz at the beginning of this. The only information that hasn't been presented to you is one more additional neighborhood that has set a precedent. Frank Sadler developed the Woods subdivision, which is city-owned and developed in a very similar area. And so if you need another precedent, look at the Woods subdivision and we're Warrington Woods. But I've lived there since 2005, walk every day, and love my neighbors and love our neighborhood. Thank you. Thank you. We have one more signed up for issues on the agenda. Brittany Rothmeier. Welcome. Thank you, Mayor. Brittany Rothmeier, Executive Director of the Fade Alliance. And I am just here to once again voice the Fade Alliance's support for the Sustainable Growth Task Force and the work coming out of that that includes the Growth Trends Report that you all will be hearing about today. This work really offers us as a community an exciting opportunity to let us focus on how we can use our land to meet the needs that we have and our community goals instead of just how much land that we have. We believe that if we fail to take action on this Growth Trends Report, we are really working to undermine the objective research and the buy-in from across the community that it will take to move Lexington County, Lexington Fayette County and our discussions about growth forward. The growth trends report that's coming out of the task force is really an excellent database tool to inform and guide the conversation we're going to continue to have about growth and form one aspect of the growth puzzle that we face here in Fayette County. And it's a critical piece and tool that we've not had before. It provides facts that will more accurately inform the bigger picture, including conversations about affordability, equity, quality of life, and more. The numbers in this report can be updated routinely as our land gets absorbed, and it opens the door for an annual development summary, which can show how much land we've absorbed in these different areas on an annual basis. We know that how much land we have isn't the only criteria that we'll be using to discuss what we might need for future growth, but understanding what we have is one key step, a critical first step to a more objective process about overall growth. And most importantly, the Growth Trends Report provides data that we can all review, that will be routinely updated, that's unbiased and objective, so we all know how many acres of land we have to work with and what we need to do with those acres to meet our needs and goals. It puts us on the same playing field, working from the same data set, so we can all make informed decisions about our future. Some are going to disagree with it because the data may not say what they want it to say, but we can't let that opposition distract us from the task at hand, and that's to have an objective process by which we evaluate growth moving forward. Will the data need to be updated? Yes. Will additional factors need to be considered along the way as our community goals change? Absolutely. But the opportunity here from this work lies in how it can give all community members the same information about how much land we have and the development potential of the thousands of existing acres that are vacant inside the current urban services boundary to meet our needs. When we don't eventually have a sufficient amount, it sets us up to make informed decisions about what considerations should be our next step in discussing expansion and all the complications that come along with it. If we want to work for a sustainable and equitable future, we should look to this data as an opportunity to make informed choices together. Thank you. Thank you very much. Is there anyone who wanted to speak who didn't get to sign up for issues on the agenda? All right. That completes our list. And next on the agenda is docket approval and rezonings, if I could have a motion. Second. All right. Council Member Ellinger moves approval. Vice Mayor Kay seconds. And are there any questions? Any amendments? All right. Okay, Councilmember McCurran. Thank you. Thank you, Mayor. I move to place on the docket item number 19, ordinance changing the zone, a wholesale and warehouse business before zone to a planned neighborhood residential R3 zone for 2.2 net acres for the property at 2651 Sandersville Road without a public hearing. So move. Second. Member Reynolds seconds. Are there any questions? All those in favor say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. Anything else for the docket? All those in favor of approval with the amendment say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. Thank you. Next is the summary of August the 23rd, 2022. Could I have a motion to approve? So moved. Second. Council Member McCurron moves. Council Member Plowman seconds. Any questions? All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. Next is budget amendments. Could I have a motion? Move approval. Vice Mayor Kay moves approval. Council Member Baxter seconds. Now, if you have questions, please log in. Any budget amendment questions? All right. All those in favor of approval, please say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right. That motion passes. New business? Could I have a motion? So moved. Council Member Plumman moves approval. Is there a second? Vice Mayor Kay seconds. If you have questions, will you log in, please? Council Member Worley. Thank you, Mayor. Commissioner Albright, could you come up on item N, please? Yes, sir. Thank you. You and I had a brief conversation about this item last week, but it's interesting that about the same time as this came up, I had a constituent that lived in the Liberty Todd's Road area that was calling about some water runoff issues and some particular maintenance issues. I don't know exactly what the completion, to accept these upon completion of the Transportation Cabinet's recommendation of maintenance prior to transfer. But I would just ask that we go take a look at some of these and we can get you the information from my constituent and make sure that some of those items are added to what the transportation cabinet will improve or maintain before we take over those roads. Don't want to find ourselves in a situation that down the road we have to say sorry, that was the state's issue. But when we had an opportunity to keep it their issue. I understand, yes sir. We do still have that opportunity and I'll get that information and forward it to them. Thank you very much. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you. Council Member Sheehan? Thank you, Mayor. My item is Item P that I would like to discuss. So as you have heard from the neighbors today in Warrington Woods, they are under consideration to convert their streets from private to public, but have concerns over the condition to add sidewalks. This condition was added by the planning commission on July 14th, just last month. And I don't generally like to go against the recommendations that we get from planning commission or anything that comes from our staff, but I also represent the neighborhood. And we are allowed to consider conditions or amending conditions that would be burdensome on a neighborhood making a request. As you heard, this neighborhood and this process has been, this has been years in the making. dating back almost 20 years and the 2004 council actually approved the acceptance of these streets without sidewalks. The neighborhood found out in 2019 that that process had not been completed and they weren't actually converted to public streets. So they re-initiated that process and when I came into office, my first meeting with them was in January of 2021. So I've been working with them also for almost two years now. I sent you all an email yesterday with all of the documentation that has been collected through this process. And supplements the information that you have in the packet today. A couple things that I would like to point out. In working through this process, the neighborhood remained unaware of a sidewalk condition that was going to be imposed later. They were actually given a memo in December 2021 from LFUCG that had a section in it that said, the Department of Planning is concerned that sidewalks do not exist along any of the streets within the request. But with that said, traffic volumes are sufficiently low on each of the streets, such that vehicle pedestrian conflicts should nevertheless be minimal. So they have been proceeding through this process expecting that that was not going to be an added condition. They were given, we were given a estimate for the price of these sidewalks to be 333,000 as a minimum. Then I found that one of the streets was actually left off of that estimate. So that estimate has already gone up for the neighborhood. And we aren't, honestly, as they provided examples, aren't even meeting the standard as a city, but we are expecting the neighborhoods to pay this cost for these sidewalks. This neighborhood has some infrastructure and design features that would impact this cost. So with these, oh, and I will say they are ready to accept all of the other conditions that have been imposed. So removing parking from one side of the street for safety concerns. They have to replace some concrete that is on one of their streets with asphalt to make the driving surface consistent. They have to pay to replace all of the street and traffic signage to make sure that it is within our regulations. And they have had to pay for some other pieces of this process to have a plat designed and some other things. So they are committed to all of those other conditions, but they are asking us to consider this sidewalk condition to be removed. So I'm going to make that motion for my neighborhood. So with all of these considerations in mind, I move to amend item P under new business items, which authorizes the acceptance in Warrington Woods subdivision to remove installation of sidewalks as a condition for acceptance of the private streets into the public street system. So moved. Second. Councilmember Baxter seconds. Is there any discussion of the motion? And if you'll raise your hand since we have folks logged in for other issues. Councilmember Reynolds and then Councilmember Fred Brown. Thank you, Mayor, and thank you, Councilmember Sheehan, for your comments. I just wanted to add a few comments. I'm in complete support of sidewalks on our streets and our subdivisions, on our main streets, as many places as possible where it is safe. I'm also in support of complete street type policies. That being said, sometimes we have neighborhoods that have unique situations or that weren't designed easily to add sidewalks. And I think in this case, this is a unique situation. In addition to that, I think that as a city, and this is something I've been saying for a long time now, we need to have a sidewalk fund. We have no fund right now that is solely designated to making connections in this city for sidewalks or for adding sidewalks. In the past, we've had some funds set aside, and we don't have that now. So I don't think it is fair to be asking a neighborhood to pay for that sidewalk infrastructure when we have so many connections that we ourselves should be making. We have lots of places that need connections. We have places where sidewalks aren't safe. We have places that we don't have sidewalks. And I know it's challenging to find those funds, but I just encourage us to come up with a way to do that in the future. And that is why I'm going to support this amendment. And I just wanted to share those few comments. Thank you. Thank you. Councilmember Fred Brown. Thank you, Mayor. I guess one of the questions I have is a little bit different taking on this. Why is the, and I know you did it a few years back, why is this subdivision wanting the streets into the city now? I think I know the answer, but can anybody answer that for me? Maybe Liz. I can answer. In my conversations with the neighborhoods, it's the street maintenance. They have actually had wanted to have some small repairs done and are even having trouble getting contractors to commit to that because it's such a small project. So if the, and they are paying taxes just like everybody else is paying that come into our city budget. So they feel that it would be easier to have the streets maintained and they would, with, if they come under the city. So might need somebody from finance or someplace. does this add to their property tax basis? They wouldn't add. They're in a taxing district three, but that doesn't cover paving for anybody. So it wouldn't change the taxes that they're paying because the taxing... It's not going to cost them any more, but it's going to cost the government to pave those streets, correct? Yes. Okay, so that's an incentive, obviously, for them to have streets under the government situation. I've got a little problem with that to some extent because really we're transferring costs. That they've been taking care of these streets for a number of years and now we have to take care of them. I have a little bit of problem with that. I don't have a bit of problem with sidewalks. If the subdivision doesn't want sidewalks out there and they're happy with it and they're kind of an enclosed subdivision, I don't have any problem with that. But I do question where this cost allocation becomes and I don't know that we even received that from the government, what it would cost to keep that or maintain those streets and cul-de-sacs. Thank you. Thank you. Did anyone else have a comment? Councilmember James Brown? Thank you, Mayor. And I just have a quick question and it may have been addressed already. But so there currently doesn't exist any sidewalks. Are there curbs in the neighborhood, or is it that conditioned that kind of just levels off and creates a little drainage area? There is a specialized curb in that neighborhood that has been assessed that allows the stormwater to drain through. So it's not a traditional curb. Okay, so then my next question is, so the tax district that they're in, does that provide street cleaning, street sweeping services? It does not. They're in Tax District 3, which provides really just the waste management. Okay. All right. Thank you. Are there other questions, council members, to the motion? All right. Seeing none, all those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right. That motion passes. Now, we are still on new business. And, Council Member Fred Brown, are you, did you have a new business item? No. That was it. Okay. Very good. Are there any other questions about new business? Council Member James Brown. Thank you, Mayor. I got a question about item R. And this is in regards to funds for this sidewalk design. Hey, Director. So do we only have funding for design for this project or is construction money also available? We have SLX dollars program all the way through construction. We're also working with DWQ because there's some major storm upgrades that need to happen at the same time because all of M&A feeds to this area. So we're going to have to basically make some major stormwater upgrades as well as the sidewalk upgrades as we go so that we are able to handle the stormwater that comes off future M&A projects. Okay. But it's funded all the way through construction. Yeah, and I appreciate all the attention and the efforts in regards to these improvements in that area. I just wanted to make sure that once we got past design, there was funding to do the construction part of it. Yes, sir. Thank you. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you. Are there other questions about new business? All right, seeing none, all those in favor of approval as amended, please say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? No on cue. We have one no vote on cue. All right, those items pass. Vice Mayor Kay. Thank you, Mayor. At the request of the administration, I am going to move to delete item D under continuing business and presentations, so move. Is there a second? Second. Council Member Plumman seconds. Any questions? Council Member McCurn. Vice Mayor, thank you. Vice Mayor, was that item B or D? D. D. D, thank you. D as in dog. Any questions? All those in favor say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. Next up is neighborhood development funds. Could I have a motion? I approve. Thank you, Councilmember Ellinger. Councilmember Sheehan seconds. Any questions? All those in favor say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. First I'd like to call on Councilmember Bledsoe, who has budget finance and economic development. Thank you, Mayor. The meeting started at 1.03 PM. Our first item was the approval of the June 25th committee summary. We then welcomed our three economic development partners for an annual update. Aaron Persley, President and CEO of Euphrates International Investment Company, shared about Euphrates International Sustainable Development Goals, announced the new international partnership and provided return on investment data to the committee. Thoreau and Tyra, Jenna Greathouse, and Betsy Dexter provided an update from Commerce Lexington about community minority business development, the Business Education Network, and business retention and development. Ed Holmes and Anissa Franklin of EHI Consultants provided an overview of opportunity zones in Lexington. Ms. Franklin discussed community benefits arrangements, which are partners between developers and community members to identify the needs of the community. Next, the BFED committee selected an overview of LFUCG Arts Investment for the Division Review Program in the review. And the following items were removed from committee. Legislation impacting the budget, one-time salaries and no pay for non-ARPA qualified personnel, the Central Kentucky Jobs Fund. The January financials were provided by the finance team in February, and they are included in the February 8, 2022 summary we endured at 241. Thank you. Thank you very much. Any questions for Council Member Bledsoe? All right. Thank you. Next is planning and public safety. Council Member James Brown. Thank you, Mayor. Planning and Public Safety, June 21st, 2020, report out summary. This is the report out summary, sorry. Since August 23rd meeting was canceled, I wanted to go ahead and provide my report out so these items can move forward. The meeting was called to order at 1.01 PM. Our first item on the agenda was the approval of the April 19th, 2022 committee summary. There were no additions or corrections and the summary was approved without dissent. Next, we had a presentation of the sustainable growth, which was provided by Mark Butler, project manager for this study. He mentioned that the goal for the study was to create a data-driven process and set goals and objectives, but the goal was not to identify land for preservation or expansion. The study will be updated on an annual basis to serve as a resource for growth management decisions and to track vacant land and growth trends. Most of the discussion centered on the framework, vacant land, and how often the data should be updated. After a lengthy conversation, the committee agreed to bring the resolution forward. Motion by Council Member Bledsoe to approve the Sustainable Growth Study Resolution, including an amendment to remove framework as cited as the title section of the resolution and to remove both the evaluations framework and as cited in the sixth paragraph of the resolution. Seconded by Council Member Ellinger. Motion passed without dissent. On behalf of the committee, I so move. Is there a second? Second. Council Member Plumman seconds. Is there any discussion? Council Member Bledsoe? Thank you, Mayor. Yes, I just wanted to follow up. if Mr. Atkins, if you wouldn't mind coming to the podium. We made some promises at the last meeting about the data from that being cleaned up and ensuring that it was right before we passed this on to the docket. And I just wanted to know if you've made progress this summer in ensuring that data is maybe improved. We did a couple of meetings with Commerce Lexington on their concerns on some of the properties. Stantec did change some of those. there were some that didn't get changed just because of the categories that they were in. One of the difficulties Stantec has is properties change over time. What you may do today, it may, Imani's a good example. It was a church, now it's a part of the school system. But yeah, they did meet, they did update it, and we'll continue to scrub it through this process of the money that was on the docket. So today's docket for the $50,000 for Stantec will allow them to continue working on the data as a part of that. That process should take, they have said, about six months from the time the contract is awarded. Thank you. That's what I wanted. I just want to make sure we heard it on the record. Thank you. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you. Councilmember Kloiber. Thank you, Mayor. I know that when we had this discussion, there was also a lot of talk of the goal for work group that we put together. I know they're hard at work. I just want to say that this laying a foundation for them to partner with and for us to see what that is going to be, I think that's a good way for us to go forward. I'm excited to see what comes out of the goal for work group and that they've been working on it all summer long. But I think this is the next step in order to make sure that we get something tenable moving forward. So, thank you. Thank you. Council Member Worley. Thank you, Mayor. I, just as Mr. Atkins just said, you know, property changes over time, numbers change, data changes, and that's why I've always been a little hesitant with this particular study that all of the numbers are still not there yet. Now, to Council Member Bledsoe's question, allocating money to continue that work and continue moving forward I think is important, and I think we're at a step that we do need to move forward. while I still have concerns about the level of adequacy of the data, and I have concerns about the assumptions made in the report and how that may have skewed or been used to evaluate the data. That being said, that task force did a lot of hard work, and we now have the Goal 4 task force, and we do need to move forward. I'm in a position now that I'm okay to move forward. I feel like I just have to express some hesitancy given some of the assumptions used and the fact that the data is not quite there yet. But with that being said, I know my colleagues on the Planning and Public Safety Committee, I had a prior personal engagement in that last meeting and wasn't able to be there. And I trust their work because I followed through with what the previous discussion we had in the meeting before. So I'm trusting my colleagues here and moving this forward, but with significant reservation. Thank you. Thank you. Council Member Maloney? Thank you. I echo what my colleagues, Councilman Worley and Clover said. I do have concerns when you read this that says, a resolution recommend adoption of the elections that's up to date with growth study. And when I read that, it makes it sound like it's all passed. And we're not even halfway done with it. And I appreciate you all continue to work. It's all going on. But to me, when you bring something, it should all be done. Because it seems like we're going a little bit, I'm kind of going off track here a little. And it seems to me that we've already passed it. And I mean, I know what you're saying and I agree with you, but I kind of think to me that I have concerns that we might be sending a mixed statement that we are kind of done, but we're really not. And I just don't like to pass things that are not 100% done. And I appreciate y'all's committee and it should be hopefully when you all get your committee done and new recommendations, then you come back with some kind of resolution, everybody agreeing with everything. But to do it halfway and to sit there, are we really sending the right message? To me, I know some of you all may disagree with that, but I just look at it from that first sentence that we're passing something that I don't feel like it's quite done. So I'm not ready to support this. Thank you. Thank you. Vice Mayor Kaye. Thank you, Mayor. So I appreciate the comments about the concerns about the data and reservations about the message that might be sent. So I think it's important to clarify really in two ways. First of all, the report from the Sustainable Development Work Group, a task force, and from Stantec as the consultant, was in two parts. The first part is solely about the data. It's a list of their best shot at what land is actually available for development within the urban service boundary and only within the urban service boundary. That data, as we've heard, has been cleaned up a little bit already and we are contemplating a contract so that on an annual basis that data will continue to be monitored and assessed and to ensure us that it's adequate and accurate. That's one part. The second part of that report sets out a framework for assessment of the meaning of that data. This motion excludes that second part of the report. I want to repeat that. The second part of the report is not included in this motion. All that we would be approving today would be the data part. And I think as a number of people have said, it's important for us to move forward with the data that we have, with the understanding that we will continue to assess it. So we're not sending a message that we are done or anything like done. What we are saying is that we need to go forward with the data part of it. So I'm in support of this motion. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you. Does anyone else wish to speak to the motion? All right. All those in favor of the motion, please say aye. Is anyone opposed? We have one no vote. That motion passes. Next is council reports, if you'll log in, please. Oh, I'm sorry, you weren't finished. You got a little more to go. All right, finally we had a presentation on PDR and public benefit provided by Councilmember Kloiber. He began an overview of the PDR program which is intended to preserve agricultural land and prevents development on that land in perpetuity. He reviewed the zoning process for PDR land which includes an application, a public hearing, and a zone change for development. Due to time constraints, there was no discussion on this item. PDR and Rural Land Management Board are expected to review this presentation and report back to the committee later this year. Our meeting was adjourned at 2.55 PM and that concludes my report. Thank you. Are there any questions for Council Member Brown? All right, thank you very much. Now we're ready for council reports. If you'll log in please. Council Member Plowman. Thank you, Mayor. I have two brief items. Tomorrow at 430 at Veterans Park is the rescheduled dog park ribbon cutting. So I wanted to let you all know that. Hopefully it won't rain tomorrow, but plan on that. Love to have you there. Council Member Lamb and I will be there because we both share that area right there by Veterans Park. And then also get on board. I know I've mentioned it before. I get on board is training for folks that want to sit on a board. It's an eight week program. It's free and they're going to have their, September will be starting the new class and it will be in person for the first time in a few years. One of the nice things about Get On Board 2 is after the training, you are placed on a board that you are passionate about. In terms of, you could either get on the Humane Society or you could do a Health and Human Service Agency. So it's pretty turnkey. So you can go to the plenary, or actually just Google Get On Board and All the information will come up. Thank you, Mayor. You're welcome. Councilmember Bledsoe. Thank you, Mayor. I have a couple of things. First, Steve, if you could put those pictures up on. Great, so on Friday night, the Moondance Foundation had a phenomenal concert. Councilmember Baxter, Councilmember Maloney were both there. And it was, you can see from this crowd, it was packed and this was before it started. There were people dancing all night long and it was a beautiful night. I just want to say thank you to Celeste and Amber, who do a phenomenal job ensuring that the concerts there are what the people want. And they clearly want them. It was a phenomenal night. And then it's also sponsored and assisted by the Friends of Moondance, which is the Moondance Foundation board. And if you'll go back one more to this one. So the Moondance Foundation is presenting the British Invasion. It's September 10th and 4 to 8 p.m. They're going to have three different British rock tribute bands. I would love to tell you that I did like a Q&A with people about who, I'll just say I did it badly. That's the best way I can describe it. I tried to do a Q&A on like the Who and some other British bands, but I didn't really listen to a lot of British bands myself. So it was a little challenging for me, but the group was very excited. And the money is a ticketed event. They're $12 each. You can get them by going to LFUCG's website. 10 and under are free. And then they're going to have food and children's events. It'll be a great time. All the money raised from this event will help provide more shade and playground equipment at Moondance. So that will be a lot of fun. Please join us there. We'll have a great time. Secondly, I was glad today in the BFED committee to have our adoption policy updated. I think it's important that we support the families that are working through the adoption process. As you can see in the last year, we had a number of new families, like three times as many this last year than in previous years, want to do that. And so I'm very pleased we as a city are committing to supporting them in that process. One thing that we've continued to talk about is how we think about other ways to support families. And so I'm formally placing into the BFED committee paid family leave as another way we can consider supporting and supporting our families in a variety of different ways. And so we'll report that out and deal with it in the budget committee. A third, I have a number of things, I'm really sorry, going on. I appreciate, Mayor, you asking our internal audit board to look at what happened with some of our finances over the weekend. And I think it's important, just as a reminder, the internal audit board is actually people that are on council, Council Member Fred Brown and Council Member Baxter serve on that board, as well as others outside the government. And our director of internal audit board actually reports to the board. He does report to the mayor or to the CEO. and I think that's an important way of making sure we're looking at this very carefully and I'm curious and excited to see them you know go through that process and that's a good thing and then lastly you know as I was going to moon dance on Friday and hearing reports of what happened at Fayette Mall and other places it's exceptionally unsettling that's the word I have it's unsettling and you know my dad used to say nothing good happens after 10 having teenage children myself now I understand that's very true and I have new respect for that but you don't expect some of the things we're seeing in our community to happen in broad daylight at the mall. That's a different level of threatening. I don't know how else to say it. It's very unsettling. And I don't have answers to that. I know we as a community continue to talk about it. We continue to address it. I know Divine's working on it. But when individuals have a lack of respect for the community that they live in and that's what this is a lack of respect for life for everyone that's a different that's not as easy as it to address and it's going to take more than just arresting people and serving them we have a serious problem on our hands and it's going to take accountability from the parents of people from property owners from business owners from everyone really accountability has to be passed around the table because it's I'm not okay with it the community is not okay with it and we have to do better and that we need to do better so thank you. None of us are okay with it and what one of the things we're seeing is that people are settling their disagreements with guns We see it all over the country. This is a huge change for our society. It used to be you talked to someone and settled your disagreement through conversation. And so this is a new way of thinking for young folks and young adults that we've never seen before in our nation. So thank you for bringing that up. Council Member McCurn. Thank you, Mayor. Quite a bit happened this weekend, but one thing I did want to highlight and congratulate are the 29 inductees that were inducted into the Veterans Hall of Fame for the Kentucky Veterans Hall of Fame. I did want to thank some of my colleagues, Council Member Sheehan, Council Member LeGrie, Vice Mayor Kay, Council Member James Brown, Council Member Ellinger, and Council Member Reynolds for coming out to the dinner. I think this was the best attended council member representation we've ever had at this dinner. So I was thrilled to see a packed table. I think this was the highest turnout that the event has ever seen, so I'm thrilled for that. And moving forward with some other veteran events coming up here, I'm chairing a subcommittee for veteran events. And we're trying to highlight the Veterans Festival in November. So we're looking right now for anybody who can partake, whether it be a food truck vendor, a veteran owned business. If you have a car that you'd like to put in the cruise in show or any resources that are focused for veterans, you can email us at lexingtonveteransconnection at gmail.com or you can visit us on social media as well, Lexington Veterans Connect on Facebook and on Twitter, it's LexVetsConnect. So, thank you. Thank you. Council Member Reynolds. Thank you, Mayor. First, I just wanted to thank the Mayor for the press conference today that we had at Christian Towers, announcing the second tower that they're building and the renovation of their current units. Those are affordable housing units for seniors. And the new tower will also have some availability for people with disabilities over 18. So I'm really excited about that. It is literally in my backyard and they have been good neighbors to the community. And I'm just glad that they're fulfilling a need that we have for senior affordable housing. And they've partnered with the city on some of those funds. So that was a great event this morning. And then, I know I say this every week, but there is a farmer's market tomorrow from 4 to 7 in Gardenside Plaza, in combination with Lexington Farmer's Market and Greater Gardenside Association. And the exciting thing is that they have decided to extend the farmer's market, and that will go through September 14th. So tomorrow, the Wednesdays between tomorrow and September 14th, the farmer's market will be there. And the 16th is going to have a huge celebration there in Gardenside Plaza for Mexico's Independence Day. And it is called Viva Mexico. And that is in combination with Casa de Cultura, Greater Gardenside. And some of our neighborhood funds went to go to that event as well. So we will be dancing and there will be music and there will be food. So come out for that event on September 16th. And lastly, I want to mention that my colleague, Kathy Plumman, is having her birthday today. And so I just wanted to say what a wonderful opportunity it has been to work with her over the past three and a half, almost four years, and that she is another year young. So I hope you enjoy your day in meetings with us. Thank you, Mayor. You're welcome. Happy birthday. Councilmember Fred Brown. Thank you, Mayor. Yes, I wanted to announce, I'll get it here. Please join me and one Lexington for the Gainesway Community Forum on gun violence next Tuesday, September the 6th at 6 PM. And you see the flyer on the screen there. This is going to be held at Tate's Creek High School. Just come and learn about what the city and community partners are doing to combat gun violence in our neighborhoods. Members of the law enforcement community will be present to answer some of your questions and concerns. And we'd like to have a real good turnout. That particular area, Center Parkway, Gainesway area, we always have some problems and we want to address those as quick as possible. So you would, if you come inside the new Tate's Creek High School, if you haven't been out there, you just park in the front parking lot and enter through the front part of the building so you get a chance to see the new school also. So we hope we can have some good participation and get some neighborhood feedback and learn anything else we can about the violence on gun violence. Thank you. Thank you. Councilmember Kluber. Thank you. With the weekend we've just had, that's been mentioned with the violence, the shootings in broad daylight, the mass shooting that we experienced, I know that it can be, seem like a really big issue. And there's not a lot that here from this seat, the council can do. There's no ordinance that we can pass. There's no resolution we can make that's going to have a definitive impact on that immediately. We can just take incremental steps to try to address the problem. So one aspect of that problem is about affordable housing and housing affordability we have in the city. So to that end, I'd like to put something into committee that's been brought to us before into the general government and social services committee. This is about rental income discrimination. It's just the idea that we should try to get people into housing as much as possible, and we should try to prevent discrimination on that subject. So we've seen legislation like this happening around the country, and it's something I think we should look at here. So while we are looking for change and hoping that things in our city will get better, we can start to take these incremental steps to address underlying issues. So moved. Thank you. Councilmember Maloney seconds. Are there any questions? Council Member Reynolds. Thank you. Are you referring to requiring everyone to accept Section 8 vouchers? No, that's not the intention. People who are in the Section 8 program obviously accept Section 8 vouchers. We've seen things like in Louisville and elsewhere to differing degrees that are trying to make it so that the source of income is not a reason to discriminate from allowing someone to have housing. So if someone can provide proof that they have, if they have the funds in order to rent from you at the rate that you are willing to rent to, then we will not allow for discrimination on those grounds. So, again, it's something I think that we should discuss and talk about. There's a lot of nuance, as you're saying. I know Louisville passed something recently that had a lot of discussion around it. I think it's something that we should talk about here. Discussion of people's income? No discrimination based on their income? Because currently they're not allowed to discriminate based on where their income is from. We do not have an ordinance which applies that across the board here. Okay, I'm trying to get at what the item is. Yes, and I'm happy to pass along examples of this ordinance elsewhere, But I really just want to start the conversation about what we can do in order to prevent discrimination based off of source of income. Source of income. Okay. Thank you for clarifying. Any other questions about the motion? Comments? All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? That motion passes. Council Member Maloney. Thank you, Mayor. I just passed all of my colleagues this coupon for Avalon. So we're new airlines, and I'm on the airport board, and I think you all heard a little bit about it. But we're having a $22 off on a round trip. So for example, it costs you $56 to go to Orlando and also $56 round trip to go to Tampa Bay. But if you get $22 off, it's going to cost you $36. So the good news is we're not competing with Cincinnati, we're not competing with Louisville. And they come directly to Luttonton. And I believe we're going to have some more flights coming in later. So I just want you all to try to get this out to the folks out there that during the Christmas holidays, they can probably go down to Florida or some place for about 35 bucks, guys. That's pretty cheap and cost me 35 bucks just to get out of Luttonton with my car. So I think you might want to look into that. So I want to pass that out to make sure you tell all your friends that you can, that'd be their Christmas gift. Now, back to serious note, and I know we had a bad weekend. We had nine shootings the other day, seven of them were women's. And that really concerns me. And I've talked to many people over the weekend. A lot of people afraid to come downtown and very concerned about coming unsafe all over and like for instance Fayette Mall and even during the day. I've said it before, I think it's a crisis. It's a big crisis. And I know some of the administrations, some I don't think it is, and some of my colleagues may don't. But when I go out, I've never seen more people talk about this. I went the other day to the anniversary of the McAlpin. Everybody came up to me talking about how dangerous it is and how they don't come downtown. And if they do, they'll come at five o'clock and get out of there as quickly as possible. A couple weeks ago, I brought up to you all that we were very short. Now, at that time, we were 108 sworn officers. I want everybody down the stage, sworn officers. Today, we're 115 sworn officers. Now, they're counting people that are in training that are not sworn officers and knocked it down in the 80s and 90s. These are sworn officers. We got 150 that can retire today. To me, this is a big problem. And I asked a few weeks ago that we probably have to look at the collective bargain and ask them to open it up. And I'm also understanding, and I want to be proactive on this because not only we might want to open up theirs with a correction, which is a shortfall, and also buyers having some problems. And I know everybody don't like to talk about collective bargain, but I like to be proactive instead of reactive. And we always wait until the last minute to open up our contracts. But to me, this is a serious problem. And Mayor, I know it's everybody. You may be different parts of town, may not be talking this, but everywhere I was the other day, people are willing to pay the police whatever you've got to take. And I heard that in some cases, we're the fourth highest paying police force in Lexington. Number one is the school. Number two is the University of Kentucky. Number three is the airport, and we're fours. I've been hearing that we should be number one. These are our heroes. I'm worried about the fire department. If we continue to get short, these guys will probably be on a first response. And are they safe? I don't know. I worry about this. And I know everybody don't want to talk, some people don't want to talk about it, but the community is talking about this. And I know you're all hearing about it. Because everywhere I go, this is the big problem, especially the Fayette Mall. that was a that's a good I mean you're starting to spread out everywhere but to hear seven women was shot the other night back and I know this is domestic violence month and maybe what the police if we were full capacity we may not have a lot of those people shot so we are a long way from getting there and I just think whatever it takes to get there the public has told me pay them and that's That's why I asked it, and I know I keep bringing it back at the broken record, but this is a crisis. And I know, Mayor, we don't want to talk that word here, but when you go out everywhere in town, that's all I hear. People will not come downtown. So thank you all. Thank you. I would like to respond to a couple things, Councilmember Maloney. The shootings you mentioned at the stadium were at 145 in the morning at a private party. Now, I'm going to go back to what Council Member Bledsoe said. Your mother said 10 o'clock. Most people think anything after midnight is, nothing good happens after midnight, right? There are details about each of these that are specific to them. And I think the paper has said that. It was a private party and it was 1.45 in the morning. And I would venture to say everybody in this room was asleep that night at 1.45 in the morning. The second thing is what happened after we closed our collective bargaining agreements. All of those, every one of those entities that you mentioned waited until our bargaining agreements were closed and then they raised their pay. and this is it was very frustrating for us because everyone on both sides of our bargaining bargained in good faith and when we closed and had our new salaries then those other entities including many other counties and the federal medical center raised their pay after our bargaining was closed. And so that is just a detail that some of you may not have known. And it was very frustrating for us because we spent, and I say we, we had a team of people who spent months and months and months in bargaining. And everyone with the unions and And the management were in this in good faith. And we could not control what every other entity did once we were settled. So with that, I appreciate your comments. With that, we do have a mayor's report. If I could have a motion. So moved. Thank you. Councilmember Plumman moves. Councilmember Sheehan seconds. Are there any questions? All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. Now, I don't believe there's anyone signed up for public comment for issues not on the agenda, but could someone confirm that? No? Okay. Okay, thank you very much. Then I believe Vice Mayor Kay has a motion. Thank you, Mayor. I move that we go into closed session pursuant to KRS 61.8101C for the purpose of discussing proposed or pending litigation. So move. Council Member Plumman seconds. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? All right. We are going into closed session. Thank you. Thank you. To come back into open session. Second. Council member James Brown moves, council member LeGree seconds. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes and now we are ready for a motion to adjourn. Second. Thank you, all those in favor say aye. Aye. Anybody opposed? We are adjourned. We have our council meeting at 5 o'clock. Thank you.