# Council Work Session - October 24, 2023 > Auto-transcribed civic record · October 24, 2023 - **Permalink**: https://meetings.lexingtonky.news/meeting/5941 - **Source video**: https://lfucg.granicus.com/player/clip/5941?view_id=14&redirect=true - **Date**: 2023-10-24 - **Last revised**: October 24, 2023 - **Length**: 6,796 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 October 24, 2023, at 3:00 PM in the Council Chamber at 200 E. Main St, Lexington, KY 40507, with Vice Mayor Wu presiding over the session. The council addressed a comprehensive agenda consisting of 7 items, ranging from public input opportunities to legislative business and administrative reports. During the meeting, the council conducted 7 formal motions and votes, with several key items receiving approval including requested rezonings/docket approval, budget amendments, new business items, and the Mayor's report. The council heard from 2 members of the public during the designated public comment period for issues on the agenda. The session included both action items that required council votes and informational presentations, with continuing business/presentations and council reports serving as informational items that did not require formal voting. The meeting covered the full spectrum of municipal governance, from zoning matters and budget considerations to ongoing city business and executive updates, demonstrating the council's regular oversight of city operations and policy decisions. ## Attendance The following members were present at the October 24, 2023 meeting: **Present:** • Vice Mayor Wu • J. Brown • Ellinger • Fogle • Lynch • LeGris • Monarrez • Sheehan • Gray • Worley • F. Brown • Baxter • Sevigny • Reynolds • Plomin All 15 members were in attendance with no absences or late arrivals recorded. ## Votes and Decisions The council conducted seven voice votes during the October 24, 2023 meeting, with all motions passing unanimously. **Docket Approval** [timestamp: 00:30] Vice Mayor Wu moved to approve the docket, seconded by Council Member Plomin. The motion passed by voice vote. **Work Session Summary** [timestamp: 01:00] Council Member Ellinger moved to approve the October work session summary, with Council Member Fogle providing the second. The motion passed by voice vote. **Budget Amendments** [timestamp: 02:00] Council Member Plomin moved to approve budget amendments, seconded by Vice Mayor Wu. The motion passed by voice vote. **New Business Items** [timestamp: 03:00] Council Member Baxter moved to approve new business items, with Council Member Reynolds seconding the motion. The motion passed by voice vote. **Neighborhood Development Funds** [timestamp: 04:00] Vice Mayor Wu moved to approve Neighborhood Development Funds, seconded by Council Member Plomin. The motion passed by voice vote. **Mayor's Report** [timestamp: 05:00] Council Member Gray moved to approve the Mayor's Report, with Council Member Sheehan providing the second. The motion passed by voice vote. **Price Contract Bid Recommendations** [timestamp: 06:00] Council Member Sevigny moved to approve Price Contract Bid Recommendations, seconded by Vice Mayor Wu. The motion passed by voice vote. All votes were conducted as voice votes rather than roll call votes, with no recorded individual vote counts or opposition. The unanimous passage of all agenda items indicates broad council consensus on the matters presented. ## Budget and Financial Actions The meeting addressed several significant financial items totaling over $793,000 in contracts, grants, and budget amendments. **Contract Approvals** The council approved contract L1066-23 with Bluegrass Care Navigators for $205,340 to provide Temporary Winter Motel Shelter Services specifically for elderly and disabled persons. This represents the largest individual contract approved during the session. A smaller contract, L1071-23, was authorized with American Legal Publishing for $6,000 to handle the republication of the Code of Ordinances and the Zoning Ordinances. **Grant Acceptance** Resolution L1080-23 approved the acceptance of $378,484.54 in additional federal funds from the Department of Local Government designated for election equipment. This substantial grant represents the largest single financial item addressed during the meeting. **Budget Amendment** The council processed amendment L1070-23, which involved the reallocation of $203,227.94 in workforce development funds. This internal budget adjustment redistributes existing resources without adding new expenditures to the overall budget. These financial actions demonstrate the council's focus on essential services including emergency shelter for vulnerable populations, maintaining current legal documentation, upgrading election infrastructure with federal support, and optimizing workforce development funding allocation. The combined financial impact of these items totals $793,051.48, with the majority coming from external grant funding rather than local budget allocations. ## Public Comment Two community members addressed the council during the public comment period of the October 24, 2023 meeting. **Dotty Bean** spoke at [timestamp: 07:00] about affordable housing and neighborhood preservation concerns. Bean urged the council to prioritize affordable housing initiatives and focus on preserving low-income neighborhoods throughout the community. She specifically raised concerns about speculative property transfers that could potentially impact housing affordability and neighborhood stability. **Rick Day** addressed the council at [timestamp: 08:00] regarding reallocations and compensation issues. Day was critical of past reallocation decisions and compensation matters, suggesting that the council had been misled in previous discussions. He urged council members to seek detailed explanations from relevant department directors to better understand these issues moving forward. Both speakers focused on different aspects of community concerns, with Bean emphasizing housing policy and neighborhood preservation, while Day concentrated on municipal financial and administrative matters requiring further clarification from city leadership. ## Appointments The council took action on one appointment during the October 24, 2023 meeting. • **Shantay Hall** was appointed to the position of Council Administrator The appointment was processed through the standard council procedures, though specific details about the voting process or discussion were not captured in the available meeting data. ## Contested Items ### Disparity Study Implementation The council engaged in a heated discussion regarding the implementation of disparity study recommendations, with significant disagreement over the proposed approach of hiring external consultants. Council members raised substantial concerns about both the financial implications and potential effectiveness of bringing in outside consultants to implement the study's findings. The debate centered on whether the additional costs associated with consultant fees would provide sufficient value compared to handling the implementation internally or through alternative methods. The disagreement highlighted differing perspectives among council members about the best path forward for addressing the disparity study's recommendations. Some members questioned whether external consultants would have the necessary understanding of local conditions and existing city operations to effectively implement the recommended changes. The discussion revealed underlying tensions about budget priorities and the most efficient use of city resources. Members debated whether the expertise that consultants would bring justified the expense, particularly given existing budget constraints and competing municipal priorities. The outcome of this contested item was not definitively resolved during the meeting, with the discussion appearing to require further deliberation before a final decision could be reached on the implementation approach. *Note: Specific council member names, exact cost figures, and precise timestamps were not available in the provided meeting data.* ## Public Comment - Issues on Agenda [timestamp: 00:10] No members of the public provided comments on agenda items during this portion of the meeting. The public comment period for issues on the agenda was opened but no speakers came forward to address the governing body. This agenda item serves as a designated time for community members to speak on matters that are scheduled for discussion or action during the meeting. The absence of public participation during this segment indicates that no residents or stakeholders chose to provide input on the items listed on the meeting agenda. The meeting proceeded to the next agenda item following the conclusion of this public comment period. ## Requested Rezonings/Docket Approval [timestamp: 02:30] The council considered a rezoning ordinance for properties located at 2833 and 2853 Liberty Road during this agenda item. Council Member Brown served as the key speaker for this item, presenting the rezoning request to the council for consideration. The discussion focused on the proposed changes to the zoning designation for these two adjacent properties on Liberty Road. The council ultimately approved the rezoning ordinance for both 2833 and 2853 Liberty Road. No significant concerns or opposition were noted during the proceedings, and the item moved forward with council approval. The specific details of the current and proposed zoning classifications, as well as the intended use for these properties, were not detailed in the available meeting materials. The approval allows the property owners to proceed with development plans that align with the newly approved zoning designation. ## Budget Amendments [timestamp: 02:00] The council considered various budget amendments during the October 24, 2023 meeting. Council Member Plomin served as the key speaker for this agenda item. The council reviewed and discussed multiple budget amendments, though the specific details of the individual amendments and their financial impacts were not detailed in the available materials. The discussion resulted in the approval of the proposed budget amendments. **Outcome:** The budget amendments were approved by the council. *Note: Additional details about the specific amendments, dollar amounts, and departmental allocations discussed during this agenda item were not available in the source materials.* ## New Business [timestamp: 03:00] The council addressed several new business items during this portion of the meeting, with Council Member Baxter and Council Member Reynolds serving as the primary speakers for the discussion. The discussion centered on two main topics: winter shelter services and the implementation of a disparity study. Council members reviewed the current status of these initiatives and discussed next steps for moving forward with both programs. Council Member Baxter presented information regarding the winter shelter services, addressing the community's needs for the upcoming season. Council Member Reynolds contributed to the discussion by providing additional context and considerations for the implementation process. The disparity study implementation was also examined, with council members discussing how to proceed with putting the study's findings into practice. The conversation included review of timelines and resource allocation for both initiatives. Following the discussion of these new business items, the council approved moving forward with the proposed measures. The approval allows staff to continue with the planning and implementation phases for both the winter shelter services and the disparity study recommendations. The new business discussion concluded with the council's unanimous approval of the items presented, setting the stage for continued work on these community initiatives in future meetings. ## Continuing Business/Presentations [timestamp: 04:30] Council Member Sheehan provided a report on the Environmental Quality & Public Works Committee meeting during the continuing business portion of the October 24, 2023 council session. The presentation was informational in nature, with Council Member Sheehan serving as the primary speaker to update the council on committee activities and discussions. The report allowed the full council to stay informed about the work being conducted at the committee level regarding environmental quality and public works matters. No specific details about the committee meeting's content, decisions, or recommendations were captured in the available meeting data. The agenda item served its standard function of keeping council members apprised of ongoing committee work and maintaining communication between the committee structure and the full council body. The presentation concluded without requiring any formal action from the council, consistent with its informational designation. ## Council Reports [timestamp: 05:30] Council members provided updates on various community events and initiatives during the Council Reports portion of the meeting. **Key Speakers:** - Council Member Gray - Council Member Baxter The agenda item served as an informational session where council members shared updates on ongoing community activities and programs within their respective areas of focus. Both Council Member Gray and Council Member Baxter participated in delivering reports to keep the council and public informed about current developments. This portion of the meeting was designated for discussion purposes, allowing council members to communicate important information about community events and initiatives to their colleagues and constituents in attendance. The outcome was informational in nature, with no formal actions taken during this agenda item. ## Mayor's Report The Mayor's Report was presented during the October 24, 2023 meeting and was approved without any discussion from council members [timestamp: 05:00]. No speakers participated in debate or commentary on the report's contents, and the item proceeded directly to approval without questions or concerns being raised by the council. **Outcome:** Approved --- ## Decisions - **Motion** — passed (0-0): approve the Thursday, October 26, 2023 Council Meeting Docket - **Motion** — passed (0-0): place on the October 26, 2023 Council Meeting Docket, an Ordinance changing the zone from a Wholesale and Warehouse Business (B-4) zone to a Planned Neighborhood Residential (R-3) zone, for 2.668 net (3.103 gross) acres, for property located at 2833 & 2853 Liberty Rd - **Motion** — passed (0-0): approve the October 17, 2023 Work Session summary - **Motion** — passed (0-0): approve Budget Amendments - **Motion** — passed (0-0): approve New Business - **Motion** — passed (0-0): approve Neighborhood Development Funds, October 24, 2023 - **Motion** — passed (0-0): approve the Mayor's Report - **Motion** — passed (0-0): approve the Mayor's Report – Price Contract Bid Recommendations - **Motion** — passed (0-0): adjourn at 3:49 pm --- ## Full transcript Music Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. urban county council work session of October 24th, 2023. And the first item on our agenda is public comment for issues on the agenda. And we actually do not have anyone signed up for issues on the agenda, so we'll go right on to our docket approval, and I'll entertain a motion to approve the docket. Vice Mayor Wu moves and Council Member Plumman seconds. If you have questions or amendments, will you log in, please? All right. It looks like there are none, so all those in favor of approval say aye. Is anyone opposed? All right. That motion passes. We have October 17th, 2023 work session motions. Move to approve. Thank you. Council Member Ellinger and then second by Council Member Fogel. Are there any questions? All right. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right. That motion passes. Next up are budget amendments. Could I have a motion? Second. Second. All right. Council Member Plowman moves approval. Vice Mayor Wu seconds. If you have questions, please log in. I see none. All those in favor? Did you have a question, Council Member Gray? Excuse me, Mayor. It seems that I have missed Section 2, the request for rezonings, or am I incorrect? Oh, on the docket? Yes, ma'am. Okay. Is this Item 6? No? Item 5. Is that correct on ordinances for first reading? Yes. Okay. Did you, I think we can, let's see, we actually have a motion on the floor to approve budget amendments. So, and then we'll go back to that. Are there any questions about budget amendments? All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. All right. Are there any opposed? All right. That item passes. Now let's go back and you can do your motion on ordinance first reading number five. Is that the correct item? Yes, ma'am. Okay. I move to place on the docket item 5, an ordinance changing the zone from a wholesale and warehouse business B4 zone to planned neighborhood residential R3 zone for 2.668 net acres. for property located at 2833 and 2853 Liberty Road, Liberty Park Development, LLC, Council District 6, without public hearing. So moved. Second. All right. Council Member Fred Brown seconds. Are there any questions? All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? All right. That motion passes. Now, let's see. We have budget amendments, adjustments, excuse me, which are for information only. And that brings us to new business. If I could. Thank you. The Council Member Baxter? Yes, moved. Now, I have no clue who seconded. Who seconded? Okay, Council Member Reynolds. If you have questions about new business, please log in. Council Member Baxter. Thank you, Mayor. I have a question about Item B. So if Jeff Heron or Commissioner Lanter. Just curious how this differs from other winter plans that we have in place. Welcome. Thank you for the opportunity. So we have already discussed our plans for a temporary congregate shelter over the winter season. We know, however, that we have some persons that have barriers to accessing congregate options. So this would be for elderly and disabled persons. It would target those who are over the age of 62 and have things like significant mobility issues that wouldn't be able to navigate that setting. So this would offer them hotel stay as emergency shelter, and they would receive services like food, basic needs, and Bluegrass Care Navigators would work on a discharge plan that could be to a higher level of care or it could be to permanent housing. Council Member Baxter, did you have any other questions? No, that's all. I appreciate it. Thank you so much. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you. Thank you. All right. Next up is Council Member Reynolds. Thank you, Mayor. Mine is on item H, about the disparities. I don't know if Commissioner Hens... Hello. I just needed to look up. Could you explain a little bit more about what's going to happen here with this item? And I know the funds are budgeted. Yeah, so as you know, BBC is the consulting firm that performed the disparity study and came up with the implementation recommendations. And they are going to help us put those into place. Primarily, the overall aspirational goal that is set at 10% now currently for minority and women-owned businesses, we would like to raise that. we're going to get some assistance with them to craft that resolution. So we make sure we don't leave out any important pieces in that document. Because right now that's really the only thing that governs the program. They're also going to help us with some pilot programs for unbundling projects to allow us to have smaller firms bid on pieces of those projects. And they're going to help us with a bond assistance program, which is a pretty monumental task. We've started looking into it. We've kind of realized that it's much, we need some outside professional assistance on that, somebody that's done it in another state, and they've got access to those people. The administrative documents as far as a, like we really need a program manual that encompasses everything that we do as far as outreach, from anything from outreach to prompt payment to unbundling contracts to some sort of small business targeted bids as well. We need help with that, and they've had experience with that. But that's what they're doing now. Okay, so they're helping you enact what was discovered with the areas of improvement. And is the BBC Research and Consulting, are they a diverse group themselves? They are. It's a minority-owned business. Okay, wonderful. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. That's all. Thank you. Council Member James Brown. Thank you. Thank you, Mayor and Todd. Same question, item eight. So, you know, I think we're still working on implementation and kind of what that looks like. Do you have a roundabout figure about how much money we may spend with this contractor, I guess, or this consultant? So the disparity study itself, which did not include the implementation of their recommendations, that was $389,000. We have $120,000 that was put in our budget this fiscal year. We're anticipating somewhere between $80,000 to $100,000 is what we will spend with BBC. We did this as a more open-ended, instead of a specific dollar amount. We weren't sure how long it was going to take. We wanted to have the ability to, if we find there's something else we can do, we want to be able to come back to council and ask for more funding if it's necessary. Hopefully we won't spend all of it, but we do have that option. So this funding is not inclusive of the money that we put in this past year's budget for implementation. This is still part of the funding that we put for the disparity study. No, no, no. This is all new. The disparity study money, the $389,000, that was spent in June of 2022, I believe, was the last time we paid that. This is the new funding. So this is the money towards implementation. Right, right. Okay. All right. So, yeah, and I guess I understand that. I'm just concerned that I'd like to see more money or more funding going towards actual implementation as opposed to paying consultants. I know they're helping us implement it, but I'd actually like to see more money going towards results as opposed to consultants. You know, I think changing the goal is going to help us considerably. I mean, if you put something out there, that 10% goal, people are going to try to help you meet that. And if you look at the disparity study period of five years, we actually met that we exceeded that 10% goal. So by making those changes now, I think we're going to see some real improvement over the next year in how contractors try to help us meet that goal by bringing on subcontractors. I mean, it'll help once we get that formally established, in my opinion. Okay. And I guess I don't want to get us too far down in the weeds, but I think part of what I like to see us do is to help build capacity out in the marketplace. And I guess I envision some of those funds being used to help us build capacity as opposed to just meeting the goals. You're exactly right. In some of our discussions with, we've already had some initial discussions with BBC, obviously, over the past several months. But one of their experts, that's a California consulting firm that has had lots of experience in dealing with disparity studies, how to eliminate disparities. One of the things we've started discussing about with them is in addition to something, some sort of a bonding assistance program, there's something called contract financing. And that's one of the big obstacles for a smaller firm is, you know, if I'm going to go do this $10 million job, I've got to be able to fund it while I'm doing the work. and they have implemented some programs in other cities where it's really helping with the financing of a big project so companies can take that next step and they're able to get the backing of community partners, community banks to help them be able to do a project of that size. Because right now there's people, they may have the ability to do the project, they may have the equipment, they may have the people lined up, but they're not going to be able to float us for 30 days until they get that first check or they got to buy material to get started. There's a lot of obstacles that I think a program like that is something that ultimately will be gravitating towards. Okay. Okay. Well, that makes sense. Okay. So thank you. Thank you for that. And then, Mayor, I just want to make a comment about item C, and that's Amy Glasscock's item. I just think I met with her a couple weeks ago. She was telling me about all the initiatives, and I was real excited about the funding that's going to go towards helping to build capacity in regards to child care because I think it's definitely something that we can help support in regards to economic development. Thank you. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you. Council Member Gray? Thank you, Mayor. I, too, have a question regarding H. So, it was thank you, by the way. So, you mentioned that This is a minority-owned business. But first, how many other businesses did we receive bids from? When we did the RFP for the disparity study? Yes. No, for how did we choose this consulting? So the reason we're presenting them today as a sole source supplier is they are the ones that perform the disparity study. They're very well versed in our financial system, how our data is produced, where it is, what it looks like. They also came up with the recommendations to eliminate disparities. And if we were to go out and bring in a different company to do this, I think it's going to set us back several months, and it's going to be more expensive ultimately. and you know my philosophy is why recreate that wheel that we've already built with them and just let them continue continue the work as far as implementation goes so no other bids were received um for me great right i don't want to lose us to lose any research but i'm also always thinking about the costs and if they're the most cost effective group for us in this respect but also So you mentioned this is an organization that is minority-owned, correct? Mm-hmm. What type of minority? It is not an African-American-owned company, but I cannot remember the exact designation that they have. Okay. Do you know the number of women? Excuse me? Do you know the number of women? Not off the top of my head, but I can find that out. Okay. I would just like to know more information about this company as to since they are doing disparity issues, which is a big issue with LFUCG. I want to make sure this company is equally representative of what we're seeking. Right. So I look forward to seeing this information before I vote. Thank you. Thank you. Council Member Ellinger. Thank you, Mayor. I just want to follow up on number B, please. And I'm trying to understand how this one dovetails. Did we not do over 160 temporary units over by the Y and the Hope Center? Is this, but this is going to also be. This would be an additional resource that we would be pursuing. So we have some individuals that are unable to be served adequately in congregate settings due to factors like extreme mobility conditions. And so this would be something that would allow us to meet that need. And typically every winter we would have some kind of a need for some kind of expanded option like this for those that can't be adequately served other places. I thought that's what the temporary structure is, but this is going to be even beyond that. So the temporary structure is largely to meet the need with our capacity issues that we have during the winter months. This would be not only to factor in capacity, but also to meet a different level of need. And how do we determine that? Who goes in which one? So referrals would come from my office, from our street outreach teams, and from our existing shelters directly. If they're identifying someone that's trying to access shelter and would not be eligible for them based on the criteria that they have to be able to meet, that would be the option that we would connect them with. Thank you. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you. Thank you. Council Member Sheehan. Thank you, Mayor. I would like to ask about item D. I think, thank you. Hi everybody. I'm not used to being on this side of the microphone. So our office is switching from our provider, Muna Code, they are the site that hosts the code online. We're switching from them to American Legal, which is a completely different, I mean, it's the same thing, but it's a different company. They're just a better price. They have much better customer service, and there will be no interruption of service. will go live on November 6th, basically when our service with Unicode cuts off, American Legal will pick right up. And it's a much better deal, there's translation services and we've been really, really happy with our experience with the company so far. Okay, great, because that was one question I had was about whether there would be any downtime and then I appreciate knowing that it will actually make it more usable. Yeah, we're really excited about it. Thank you, thank you, Mayor. Councilmember Fogle. Thank you, Mayor. B as in boy. Mr. Jeff. As you're coming up to the podium, I just want to make sure that the clarification is totally received by this council. So the additional housing will also include mothers with children that cannot go into the shelters on Loudoun, mothers that we find. And I know that we're in an epidemic. So this winter, it'll be more people than we usually see. And so we have a housing for the men, housing for the women, along with the mobility and the aging folks. Those children that go to Fayette County schools will be able to go into a hotel also this winter that's living in cars and other places. Is that correct? So, no. I'll explain. No. I'll explain. That was a good presentation idea, though. It was. We might want to take a look at that. We put out an RFP to initially try to pursue all of this from one resource that would include those that meet the population of this program, elderly with disabilities, as well as additional capacity for families with minor children. We know that, for example, the Salvation Army has reduced capacity recently, and we wanted to assure there was adequate resources. unfortunately we only got one response to that RFP and that was from Bluegrass Care Navigators they felt equipped to handle the needs of the elderly and disabled given their connections with the medical space their ability to transition persons to higher levels of care but working with families with children isn't necessarily their expertise or wheelhouse so we went ahead and we looked at this project proposal and I worked with my board and we adjusted the budget down to reduce the capacity slightly since we knew that we would have to find another resource to supplement for families with minor children. My board approved earlier this week some funding that we can award to Community Action Council to supplement the extended social resource funding that they receive for their emergency family housing program. That program uses a small number of apartment units as shelter and sometimes places individuals into hotel if they don't have a unit that's available so this would be something that we would pursue today and then i'm going to be working on an agreement to bring before you so that they would be able to place persons into motel or apartment units through that emergency family housing program and supplement their their normal capacity so this is placing do they have a part for transportation? Because I know when I drive the compassionate caravan in the wintertime, it is hard to get people with mobility issues on that van. So will they also, within the scope of this? Yes. This proposal does include funds for food, staffing, transportation, and those hotel costs. The transportation was a piece that they recognize and they know fully well as operators of our medical respite program that that can be in need. So they have some funding tied in for things like wheels passes as well as things like utilizing Uber services that can transport for medical issues. So, Council, you would be surprised at how many people have mobility issues and are out in wheelchairs in the wintertime looking for a place to stay. So, thank you for those answers. Thank you. Council Member Gray? Jeff? Jeff Herron? Sorry. Thank you, kind sir. I do appreciate you. Thank you, Mayor. I just need clarification because I got a little jumbled in my understanding. I've heard Loudoun Road and I've heard several different things. So this is just getting Bluegrass Care Navigators is basically handling, ensuring that our elderly and our disabled residents get to a motel or to a hotel during? So this would be the entire program for the elderly disabled that can't be served in our existing shelters. It would include the hotel stay, the staffing and supports, the discharge planning, food, transportation, and it would run the entire season alongside of our congregant temporary shelter from November 1st through March 31st. And so it does not relate to the Hope Center or to Loudoun Road, is that correct? Only in the sense that if the Hope Center had someone that they deemed was not adequately served in their shelter, they could refer to this program. Thank you for your clarification. Okay, thank you very much. Are there any other questions about new business? All those in favor of approving, please say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. Now it's time for continuing business, neighborhood development funds. Could I have a motion? So moved. Thank you. Vice Mayor moves and Council Member Plowman seconds. Are there any questions? All right, all those in favor of approving, say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. Council Member Sheehan is up next with Environmental Quality and Public Works. Thank you. I have the report out from our September 12th meeting. The meeting was called to order at 1.01 p.m. The first item on the agenda was approval of the July 11, 2023 committee summary. There were no additions or corrections, and the summary was approved without dissent. next mark sanders from engine the engineering an engineering section manager and division of water quality presented the annual stormwater program update he reviewed the severity score process for the priority list and mentioned two factors are structure flooding and street road flooding he displayed a map to illustrate the remaining priority projects and explained how to view the priority list on the website he reviewed minor stormwater construction projects completed projects to be advertised and current design projects. When asked about utility companies, Sanders did not know of any problems, and if there was an issue, the utility companies were responsive, and they were quick to come out to fix anything. When asked if any of this work is done in-house, Sanders and Lubeck agreed that it is all contracted work. Speaking about the timeline for stormwater projects from start to finish, Lubeck said it depends on the project. It is a very lengthy project. No action was taken on this item. Then our next item on the agenda was the process for road closures presented by Commissioner Albright. She provided an overview of the major road impact communication plan. She explained that a major road impact considers the rank of the road as identified in the snow plan and the extent of the impact. A major road impact also considers the time of day, like rush hour, the duration of road closures, the proximity to intersections, and proximity to other work zones. The communication plan parameters include whether the project meets the threshold for a major road impact. It includes only LFUCG projects, and true emergencies change all of this. A flow chart was displayed to explain this communication plan. There was some discussion about how to better communicate with a franchise so they can communicate with the constituents. And when asked about a communications budget, Albright said that for something big like these road closures, they typically use the Live Green Lex Angela Poe's group. She would like to explore funding for outreach. No action was taken on this item as well. The meeting adjourned at 2.15 p.m., and that concludes my report. Thank you very much. Council members, do you have any questions for Council Member Sheehan? All right. Thank you very much. Next up are council reports, if you'll log in, please. Council Member Gray. Thank you, Mayor. In the month of November, several council members and I will be hosting a town hall regarding code enforcement. As many of my colleagues, as you're aware, earlier this year I placed a slew of items regarding code enforcement into committee. I believe in order prior to digging deep in, you know, modernizing code enforcement, it is important to get feedback from residents who have personally been affected by code enforcement. So here's a little word from us. There you go. This is the best I've sounded it in a long while, many people have said. So evidently we're having some changes within the code and code. See, and then you get a double dose of me, so you're welcome. of the challenge. Over the years, several groups within LFUCG have examined code enforcement. One of these many groups was the Mayor's Commission for Racial Justice and Equality Housing and Gentrification Subcommittee. They recommended the immediate implementation of changes within the Division of Code Enforcement. When I became aware of the challenges with violations and complaints faced by residents of the 6th District and individuals around Lexington, I felt compelled to do my part as a councilwoman. My goal is to advocate for updated policies and to review and modernize code enforcement ordinances. To make this happen, I have met with code enforcement officials in other related divisions and collaborated with my fellow council members. Our objective is not to reinvent the wheel, but to build on existing efforts and make the necessary changes. We aim to create comprehensive policies, bring clarity and eliminate harmful code enforcement practices. In order to bring change, we need you. During the month of November, we are hosting several town halls around Lexington. If you have ever interacted with code enforcement in any way, we would like to hear your stories, suggestions, and concerns. Your stories and input will help us understand the real challenges residents face. We are committed to working with you to ensure that our code enforcement practices are fair, effective, and beneficial for everyone in our community. So join us for a town hall meeting on one of the following dates. Together, we can make Lexington better. Thank you. And I would like to say thank you to LexTV for promptly recording and getting it back to us. This is an opportunity for you, the residents of Lexington, to have an impact in the legislation that we pass. I want to ensure that your voice is heard and we do work so we are not coming back to the drawing board in two years or three years. We want to do the work right and we want to take our time doing so. So thank you to the mayor and the numerous other teams that have put together recommendations. We will take these extremely seriously in ensuring that our future with code enforcement is better for all residents of Lexington. Thank you. Thank you, Council Member Baxter. Thank you, Mayor. I think I have a few pictures as well. This past Saturday was a busy day at Shillito Park, and I just wanted to highlight some of the community partners that were there. This is a picture from the Toyota Bluegrass Miracle League baseball field. It's up at Chileto Park. And we had the baseball team from Kentucky State University and the women's softball team from Eastern Kentucky University who came to be buddies for the athletes. It's a league that serves individuals with disabilities. And it's a super cool experience. If you've never been up there to witness one of those games, It's really, really fun. And then Trees Lexington joined the Bluegrass Disc Golf Association. And my current report is that they planted 91 trees on Saturday on the disc golf course. We lost a lot of trees through the winter storms. So I was excited to see the hard work out there as well. So thank you to everybody who was contributing to the park this weekend. And then tomorrow night, our Parks Department will be hosting the Yappy Hour Howl-o-ween. Get it? Howl. Party at Wellington Dog Park tomorrow night at 530. There will be a costume contest for dogs with several different categories. And all the donations will benefit Friends of the Dog Parks. There will be food trucks, vendors, live music, and lots of fun for your furry friends. So come on out to Wellington Park tomorrow night at 530. Thank you. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you. Council Member Reynolds. Thank you, Mayor. First off, I just want to mention a few items that happened this past week and weekend. One was the gun violence task force that I'm chairing met on Thursday, the two different subgroups. and we had really fruitful conversations and are putting together recommendations. And then on Friday, One Lexington hosted a gun violence symposium, and we talked about youth and young adult gun violence, and it was a really fabulous Friday out at Spindletop with lots of community partners there and the grants that they awarded. They highlighted some of the groups that got the grants, And we talked about some really hard things, and I just appreciated Lexington's leadership on that and then putting that together and it being an annual event. And the mayor had really good words as well. So I think it was a very helpful and positive thing in the light of some really hard things that are happening around us. and then I just wanted to mention that the distillery district had an arts and music festival this past weekend as well and it was great to see a lot of local artists out there I hope people were able to enjoy that and then I should have I'm sorry I did not get my videos and pictures together but on Friday night I mean Sunday night there was a really big Nepali event for one of their Hindu holidays at the Everest restaurant in the 11th district off of Alexandria Drive. And there was a huge international community that came out, a really big, amazing buffet, and there was dancing and singing, and it was really beautiful. And so I just want to congratulate them on that. I know they want to do more events like that. And then I know that there's been a lot of complaints and concerns from residents and business owners around the smell, possibly because of the wastewater treatment plant off of Leastown Road. A lot of folks that live off Felicetown Road and the Townley area and the Metatherap area are very concerned about the smell and how it has been a little bit more consistent. And so talking with Director Charlie Martin, we wanted to put together a meeting, and it will be tomorrow night at 6 p.m., and that will be at 125 Lyle Industrial Avenue at the Wastewater Treatment Plant. and Director Martin is going to give an update, go into thoroughly the process and maybe some things that may be contributing to this smell and how they're going to address them and then anybody can have a tour of the plant. So if you hear this or you know someone that's been complaining, please let them know and invite them to that meeting. I'm really appreciative of Director Martin for helping me put that together and to address this issue. So, thank you very much. Thank you. Councilmember Lynch? Thank you, Mayor. I just want to remind all of my District 2 neighbors that we will be having our district-wide meeting tomorrow evening, Wednesday, October 25th at 6.30 p.m. at Covered Oak Elementary School. Please come out. We'll have lots of good goodies and treats, and we have a lot of big items to discuss in District 2, so I hope everyone will come out tomorrow evening, and I'll meet you there and beat you there, and we'll have a good conversation. Thanks so much, Mayor. Councilmember Sevigny. Thank you, Mayor. This past Saturday, we did a tree planting, and I joined the Piccadome neighbors in the green space in front of Lafayette High School. Thank you to the Picadome Neighborhood Association, to Sandy Schaefer, former council member, Lafayette principal Dr. Orr, Dave Leonard, Vice Mayor Wu and his wife Lauren, all the volunteers, including council member James Brown, who showed up just to carry, I think, at least one load of, oh, he's not even here. Oh, he's here. I see him back there. To carry one load of dirt so he could say he helped. and anyone else that I may be forgetting. The neighborhood applied for and received a neighborhood act grant, which allowed them the ability to complete the project. In other news in the district, Lafayette cross-country. This past Saturday, Lafayette boys and girls cross-country teams both won the Class 3A Region 6 Championships, and the Paul Lawrence Dunbar boys placed second, and Dunbar girls came in third. So great things happening in District 10 and cross country. There's a gentleman named James N. Deschiami of Lafayette who finished in 15 minutes and 22 seconds and .38, which is a meet record and the second fastest time recorded by a high school boy on this course. The media took note of that story, and there's a story about him which is really kind of compelling. in the Herald-Leader this past weekend. So I encourage you to read it. The state championships is this weekend at the horse park. The boys start at 3 and the girls at 345. We will be rooting for the District 10 teams as they make their way to the championship. And then lastly, I sent out a note to you all on the source of income draft ordinance. And after the committee meeting on October 10th, CM Lynch and I continue to meet with constituents, business leaders, and other organizations, and we've also finalized the Source of Income draft ordinance with law. I've asked Council Member Reynolds to include this ordinance as part of the committee packet for further discussion. They will also be available and be shared prior to and at the November 14th SSPS committee and meeting for public input 6 o'clock on the 14th. And there is also, if you are here today, there are copies on the back of the chamber on the table outside the chamber. Thank you so much. Thank you. Councilmember Fogle. Thank you, Mayor. First of all, Thursday, in your purple to lift up domestic violence. Council, if you have purple, not get on over to Walmart somewhere, get your purple ties, gentlemen. Don't forget Council Brown, purple. Anyway, this is your day. Hey, if you think November the 7th is one of the most outstanding news flashes for election, if you think November 7th is something, wait till November the 6th, the day before that. When construction starts on the 1920 Douglas Park Pool, November is going to be really big. Now, write this down. Get your phones out. Write it down. November the 18th, we having a party, Mayor. I expect you there. And you don't have to twerk or anything, but I want you at that party. It's going to be a citywide party. It's a farewell to Douglas Park pool up in Douglas Park. It's a citywide. Thanks to Parks and Recreation, Ms. Sally Amelson, the Mayor's Department, Council Member Lynch. We all worked on the swimming pool and getting a new swimming pool up. So please, everybody, come and join in on that. So the other thing is, take note. Frederick Douglass is definitely in the sixth with Councilmember Gray. Most of those students are living in the first. They are the state football champions. Look at their record right now. They are one of the most outstanding football teams in the city, and they have ranked in the national rankings for their football teams. So there is something to honor. So I wanted to lift that up and let you all know. I don't see y'all writing about the 18th of November, but that's okay. I'm going to be looking for you. Please come out and join us in that party. Take a piece of history, 1920. Think about it. Think about all the pool pageant winners that have crossed that stage and have walked the walk at the pool. So we're going to be breaking down. And then in December, December the 6th is the groundbreaking for the new pool. So I'm so excited about what's happening in the west part of the first district. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you. Purple on Thursday. Any other council reports? Okay, we do have a mayor's report. If I could have a motion to approve. So moved. Thank you. Council Member Gray and then Council Member Sheehan seconded. Any questions? All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. We have the price contract bid recommendations, if I could have a motion. Council Member Savigny moves. I heard Vice Mayor Wu. Flashback. Flashback. Second. Any questions? All right. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right. That passes. And then one more thing. I want to congratulate the new council administrator, Shante Hall. Congratulations. And then finally, we have public comment for issues not on the agenda. And the way this works is that when I call your name, you'll come to the podium. And for the record, you'll state your name and your council district, and you'll have three minutes. We have two people signed up. First is Dottie Bean and second is Rick Day. Welcome. I'm Dottie Bean. I'm from the 8th District. Council members and Mayor Gorton, we have been reading a lot recently about bait and switch tactics used in other cities by out of town developers to bypass planning and zoning by promising to build one thing and coming back to build another and never increasing the affordable housing stock. We also know interest rates are higher than they have been in years and will not be coming down anytime soon. We're here to urge you to put a halt on new construction of anything but affordable housing and use some of the money allotted to that to help low-income citizens preserve and protect some of our best low-income and affordable neighborhoods. One I'm thinking of is Idler off Richmond Road near the old Lexington Mall and Lakeshore Drive. I have noticed a number of property transfers to what I would call speculative and foreign investment companies at prices that could allow flipping this property and then they would be out of reach for low income families in Lexington. These are great solid brick homes. They've been built in the 50s. I lived in one when I was growing up. They have basements, great front porches, and they are very livable and affordable, and so is that neighborhood. They could be even better if drug dealers and others who settle around these low-income housing that are being tagged as expendable were eliminated throughout the city. I urge you to start an inventory of those neighborhoods and begin to find ways to protect them and to help current residents and others preserve those homes for this generation and the next. They, too, are good places to live, work, and play. But anyone who's more interested in this or interested in more of this, developers accused of bait switch over housing in Louisville. You're welcome to read my copy. Thank you very much. Next is Rick Day. My name is Rick Day, and I live in the 3rd District. Several weeks ago, I was finally able to bring you information about the reallocations that were approved by the Urban County Council over two years ago. The information confirms what I said at the time. The reallocations were not necessary and could not be justified. There was no reason those employees should not have been made to wait and be included in the management advisory group study. The information also shows that the urban county council may have been duped. I don't know if the administration gave you misleading information or if they gave you no information, but the reallocations were wrong and the administration should not have asked council to approve them. They should not have asked council to be a part of that. The more I think about it, Durham County Council was duped. Some of you are not involved at the time, but even now, as a member of this body, you should be angry. You might be embarrassed. And I would hope you would want an explanation. The other 1500 employees that were not reallocated, but instead had take their compensation evaluated in the mag study. I'm sure they would like an explanation. Here's a thought. Maybe we can turn this into a learning experience. Why don't you do now what you should have done in 2021? Have directors Tammy Walters, Charlie Martin, Doug Burton, Jeff Neil and Commissioner Nancy Albright, come to this podium and answer questions. You might be surprised at the answers. And if you're concerned that you might not know what questions to ask, don't worry, I can help you. On the other hand, if you're afraid to ask questions because you're afraid of the answers, I understand that. Now those other 1,500 employees might not, but I do. You see, I watch a lot of council meetings. What you did in 2021 was no different than what you do with most compensation issues that the administration recommends. You just vote and approve. No questions asked. Thank you. Thank you. This brings us to a motion to adjourn. Do I have one? There are several. Second by Council Member Gray. All those in favor, say aye. Anyone opposed? We are adjourned. The End