# Council Work Session - December 5, 2023 > Auto-transcribed civic record · December 5, 2023 - **Permalink**: https://meetings.lexingtonky.news/meeting/5974 - **Source video**: https://lfucg.granicus.com/player/clip/5974?view_id=14&redirect=true - **Date**: 2023-12-05 - **Last revised**: December 5, 2023 - **Length**: 10,338 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 December 5, 2023, at 3:00 PM in the Council Chamber of the Urban County Government Center, with Mayor Linda Gorton presiding. The meeting addressed two main agenda items, focusing primarily on budget amendments and public input on agenda matters. The council heard 2 public comments during the designated public comment period for issues on the agenda. A total of 2 motions were voted on during the session, with the budget amendments receiving approval from the council. The meeting served as a focused session to address necessary budget adjustments and provide opportunity for public participation in the legislative process. ## Attendance The meeting was attended by Mayor Linda Gorton and Vice Mayor Wu, along with 13 councilmembers. **Present:** • Mayor Linda Gorton • Vice Mayor Wu • Councilmember J. Brown • Ellinger II • Fogle • Lynch • LeGris • Monarrez • Sheehan • Gray • Worley • F. Brown • Sevigny • Reynolds • Plomin **Absent:** • Councilmember Baxter No members arrived late to the meeting. With 15 of 16 members present, the council had a quorum to conduct official business. ## Votes and Decisions The council took two votes during the December 5, 2023 meeting, both of which passed by voice vote. **Docket Approval** [timestamp: 02:00] Councilmember Ellinger made a motion to approve the docket as amended, which was seconded by Councilmember Sheehan. The motion passed by voice vote with no opposition recorded. **Budget Amendments** [timestamp: 03:00] Councilmember Plomin moved to approve budget amendments excluding one item, with Councilmember Gray providing the second. This motion also passed by voice vote without recorded opposition. Both votes were conducted as voice votes rather than roll call votes, so individual member positions were not formally recorded. No abstentions or dissenting votes were noted for either motion. ## Budget and Financial Actions The meeting addressed two significant financial items totaling $773,657 in expenditures and donations. **Contract Approval - Winter Homeless Shelter** The council considered Resolution 1244-23 for a $693,657 contract with Hope Center, Inc. to operate a temporary winter warming shelter for persons experiencing homelessness. This substantial allocation represents the majority of the financial actions discussed during the meeting. **Donation Acceptance - Playground Renovation** The council reviewed an $80,000 donation from Employment Solutions, Inc. and the Lexington Fayette Urban County Housing Authority designated for the Gainesway Park Playground renovation project. This donation will support improvements to recreational facilities in the community. The combined financial actions represent nearly three-quarters of a million dollars in commitments, with the homeless shelter contract comprising approximately 89% of the total amount. Both items address important community needs - emergency housing services for vulnerable populations and recreational infrastructure improvements for residents. ## Public Comment Two residents spoke during the public comment period, both addressing the topic of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). **Steve Cats** [timestamp: 00:30] advocated for removing restrictions on ADUs to increase housing options and support aging in place. Cats emphasized how reducing regulatory barriers on ADUs could expand housing availability in the community while enabling residents to remain in their homes as they age. **Mary Schmidt** [timestamp: 01:00] also spoke in favor of expanding ADU opportunities, specifically highlighting the need for affordable housing options for seniors. Schmidt emphasized how ADUs could serve as a solution to provide cost-effective housing alternatives for older residents in the community. Both speakers focused on the potential benefits of ADU expansion, with particular attention to housing accessibility and aging-in-place solutions for community members. ## Contested Items The meeting featured one primary area of contention regarding Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), which generated community opposition and debate. **Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)** Community members voiced concerns about existing restrictions on ADUs, arguing that these limitations should be removed to better address local housing challenges. The opposition centered on the need to eliminate regulatory barriers that prevent property owners from constructing additional dwelling units on their properties. Residents advocated for ADU deregulation as a solution to two key issues: addressing housing shortages in the community and enabling aging in place for elderly residents. Supporters argued that allowing more flexible ADU development would create additional housing options while helping seniors remain in their neighborhoods by providing opportunities for rental income or housing for caregivers. The community opposition appears to have been directed at maintaining the status quo of restrictive ADU regulations, with residents pushing for policy changes to remove these barriers. However, the extracted data does not specify the final outcome of this debate or whether any formal action was taken by the governing body. The ADU discussion reflects broader housing policy tensions common in many communities, where residents seek to balance neighborhood character preservation with the practical need for increased housing options and support for aging populations. *Note: Specific transcript timestamps and detailed participant information were not available in the provided data for this contested item.* ## Public Comment - Issues on Agenda [timestamp: 00:30] During the public comment period for agenda items, two speakers addressed the council regarding Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), advocating for reduced restrictions to expand housing options in the community. **Key Speakers:** • Steve Cats • Mary Schmidt Both speakers focused their comments on the topic of Accessory Dwelling Units, presenting arguments in favor of loosening current regulatory restrictions. The speakers advocated for fewer limitations on ADU development as a means to increase available housing options within the jurisdiction. The public comments were informational in nature, providing input to council members on the ADU issue without requiring any immediate action or response from the governing body. This agenda item served as an opportunity for community members to share their perspectives on matters that would be considered during the meeting. ## Budget Amendments [timestamp: 03:00] The Council reviewed and approved budget amendments during the December 5, 2023 meeting. Councilmember Fred Brown was the key speaker addressing this agenda item. The discussion centered on budget amendments that required Council approval, with particular attention given to a correction involving a donation entry for Gainesway Park Playground. The specific details of the correction were addressed during the presentation, though the exact nature of the error and its resolution were part of the technical budget discussion. The budget amendments were presented as routine administrative adjustments necessary for proper fiscal management. Councilmember Brown provided details on the amendments and guided the Council through the approval process. Following the presentation and discussion, the Council voted to approve the budget amendments, including the corrected donation entry for Gainesway Park Playground. The approval allows the necessary budget adjustments to be implemented in accordance with the city's financial procedures. --- ## Decisions - **Motion** — passed (0-0): approve the December 5, Council Meeting Docket (as amended) - **Motion** — passed (0-0): place on the docket for the December 5, 2023 Council Meeting, a resolution authorizing the Mayor to execute agreements related to Neighborhood Development Funds, for the Office of the Urban County Council, allocating NDF funds as follows: Sisters & Supporters Working Against Gun Violence, Inc. - $800.00, Greater Gardenside Association, LLC - $750.00 - **Motion** — passed (0-0): place on the docket for the December 5, 2023 Council Meeting, a resolution authorizing and directing the Mayor to execute an extension of the agreement with New Vista of the Bluegrass, Inc., for offender mental health services at the Division of Community Corrections, extending the current contract through June 30, 2024, at a cost estimated not to exceed $813,096 - **Motion** — passed (0-0): place on the docket without a public hearing, an ordinance changing the zone from a Single Family Residential (R-1B) zone and Planned Neighborhood Residential (R- 3)zone to a Medium Density Residential (R-4) zone for 7.556 net (8.187 gross) acres, for property located at 2156, 2176, 2184 Liberty Road - **Motion** — passed (0-0): place on the docket without a public hearing, an ordinance changing the zone from an Expansion Area Residential 2 (EAR-2) zone to a Community Center (CC) zone, for 5.64 net and gross acres, for property located at 3320 Feliciana Lane (a portion of) and 6810 Man O’ War Boulevard - **Motion** — passed (0-0): place on the docket without a public hearing, an ordinance changing the zone from a Wholesale and Warehouse Business (B-4) zone to a Lexington Center Business (B-2b) zone, for 0.1338 net (0.1911 gross) acres, for property located at 416 and 418 W. Maxwell St. Motion passed without dissent - **Motion** — passed (0-0): place on the docket without a public hearing, an ordinance changing the zone from a Neighborhood Business (B-1) zone to a Planned Neighborhood Residential (R-3) zone, for 0.56 net (0.79 gross) acres, for property located at 220, 224, 226, 228 E. Seventh Street and 628 Maple Street - **Motion** — passed (0-0): approve the November 28, 2023, Work Session summary - **Motion** — passed (0-0): approve budget amendments - **Motion** — passed (0-0): separate out journal 144803-04 - **Motion** — passed (0-0): change Housing Authority to Employment Solutions on journal 144803-04 - **Motion** — passed (0-0): approve budget amendments, as amended - **Motion** — passed (0-0): approve New Business - **Motion** — passed (0-0): approve Council Capital Projects, December 5, 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 4:18 p.m --- ## Full transcript Music Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. ¶¶ Thank you. I'm going ahead and calling to order the December 5th, 2023 Lexington Fayette Urban County Council work session. And the first item on the agenda is public comment for issues on the agenda. And we do have some folks signed up. So the way this will work is that when I call your name, if you'll please come to the podium and you'll need to state your name again for the record and your council district and then you'll have three minutes to speak. So first up is Steve Katz, followed by Mary Schmidt. Welcome. Thank you. My name is Steve Katz. I live in the 11th district. The current housing crisis is multi-layered and demands a wide variety of incremental fixes. One such fix related to the supply of more housing options was thought to have been addressed by the council a couple of years ago when the zoning ordinance was amended to permit accessory dwelling units, ADUs, which in recent years have provided many thousands of new living spaces from coast to coast. However, the strict restrictions that were placed on ADUs have resulted in only a mere five such living spaces being permitted in Lexington under the amended ordinance. These onerous restrictions must be removed in order for the positive results intended by the amendment to be realized. Greater adoption of ADUs doesn't just increase housing supply generally. In the past, what are now called ADUs were often known as granny flats or mother-in-law suites because they also allow many elders to age in place longer, avoiding or at least delaying the need for extraordinarily expensive assisted living or home care from providers outside the family. For old folks, the cost of care must be considered along with the cost of housing, because the vast majority of people will need that help if they live long enough. Having parents or grandparents living in an ADU, which can have the accessibility features, such as no step entrances and wider doorways that may be cost prohibitive in some existing homes, make it possible for many people to take care of their loved ones when they otherwise wouldn't be able to. The complexities of the housing crisis may be dwarfed by those of the long-term caregiving crisis, and it affects way more than just low-income folks. Unless you're among the super-rich, you most likely can't afford it for very long. It's estimated that 10,000 baby boomers now turn 65 every day, and the first of those that were born after World War II are closing in on their 80th birthdays. This crisis is going to get a whole lot worse and very soon. Expanded adoption of ADUs is just one small step, but it's an absolutely necessary one to take before we fall off the demographic cliff. Thank you very much, Mary Schmidt, and she'll be followed by Darrell Baker. Welcome. Good afternoon, counsel. i'm mary crowley schmidt i live in the 10th district and today i'm representing age-friendly lexington and dementia-friendly lexington so we i want to thank this council for passing the ordinance two years ago as steve stated only five units have been built since then so we're looking forward to an expansion of the ordinance 80s are one small piece of the effort to build out affordable housing options. People overwhelmingly want to stay in their homes, which is demonstrated in study after study by AARP. People also want to stay in their community where they have their roots, know their neighbors, the cashier at the grocery store, their banker, their neighborhood pharmacist, where they can go grab their coffee or maybe a cocktail and familiar surroundings. Families also want to care for their families overwhelmingly. ADUs help address the health care worker shortage that we hear about every day and the cost of this care. The average in-home care agency must charge between $25 and $35 an hour and have a two to three hour minimum visit. That you run out of money very quickly at those prices. Having your loved one in your backyard allows families to provide the care more easily and allows for cost sharing between the generations. An ADU can also offer housing to a caregiver on the older person's property. Accessible, affordable senior housing is in short supply. You've heard hours of testimony about the need for more housing, which is the driving point for the expansion of urban service boundaries. The removal of the onerous restrictions on ADU permitting increases the viability of the ADU option right inside the existing boundaries. One of those current restrictions is the owner occupancy of one unit, which complicates financing opportunities and limits resaling opportunities. The change to allow detached units creates more opportunity to build accessibility features into the unit and to convert garages affordably. And that is one of the least expensive options for an ADU. The Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University released their 2023 report last week. For the first time in the history of this report, they linked the cost of availability of care as a major factor in where people choose to live. The rising cost of housing and care present a major challenge to older adults. A significant trend they found is that between 89 and 22, the share of homeowners with a mortgage raised from 24 to 41%. That's incredible. So as you can see, the costs facing seniors are huge for housing, for care, and they urge communities to be creative in developing options. So let's be creative, Lexington. Thank you. Next is Daryl Baker, followed by Marie Allison. Welcome. Thank you. My name is Daryl Baker, District 8. I'm an active citizen advocate and lead advocacy volunteer for the AARP Lexington volunteer community team. I'm also a proud graduate of the Lexington Fayette County senior intern program. I'm speaking today on behalf of our 31,000 ARP members in Fayette County. ARP Kentucky supports the planning Zota of 23 amendments article 1, 3, and 8. First we want to thank the council for its previous actions supporting accessory dwelling units in October of 2021. The proposed amendments before you now seek to expand the housing options by easing barriers to the construction and use of auxiliary dwelling units. I am speaking to you today to emphasize the importance of ADUs as a viable affordable housing option for all ages. ARP supports the availability of ADUs as affordable, accessible housing options for all ages. As you know, ADUs are small houses or apartments that exist on the same property lines as the single-family residents, but still provide separate living and independent quarters. And because they tend to smaller and more affordable than single-family homes, they can be a good housing option for older adults who want to downsize but still live in a neighborhood setting. ARP's 2021 Home and Community Preference Survey indicates that nearly 60% of all adults would consider living in an ADU, and nearly three-quarters of those polled said they would create an ADU for a place for a caregiver to stay. The survey also indicated that more than 80% of the respondents would consider building an ADU for their loved ones, relatives, and friends, therefore emphasizing the multifaceted use of an ADU as ADUs allow homeowners to choose where they age while also providing a path to easing a severe housing shortage. Furthermore, the COVID pandemic exposed the vulnerability of older adults that have made us realize the importance of ADUs, and they can provide a safe, comfortable alternative to housing. ADUs can fill a number of roles that you may never have needed before, like providing a place for aging parent to live instead of a nursing home. ADU can be used as a living quarters for a caregiver or for a relative who requires care. or for an adult child who may need to return home after college, has lost a job or for many other life-changing reasons, or can be used for additional income when someone on a fixed income. I want to thank the council for providing me an opportunity to address these changes and the importance of ADUs as a viable housing option on how they will provide Lexington, Fayette County more affordable and accessible housing. Thank you. you next is marie allison followed by christina espinoza welcome hello um i first of all want to thank you for uh passing the adu ordinance before would you please state your name for the record and your council district my name is marie allison and i'm in council 11. and i was here before promoting the ordinance and I had an ADU from 1996 that wasn't even called an ADU at that time and my mother had Alzheimer's and she was able to move in to our house and we had widened doors and since she had used a wheelchair she was able to live for three years with us in the ADU rather than going to a facility. I have a son who is 44 years 48 years old who has multiple disabilities and we did the ADU initially for him to live on the second floor of our house. When we went in 21 to have the ADU made an official ADU I had to pay $400 to have them do the checks on the water and utilities. And as of August of 2022, we do have an official ADU. That gives me peace of mind that once I am gone, that my son will be able to rent out his ADU and will have money in addition to his Social Security money. so the ADU has been life-changing for us you know both for my mother and for my son it will continue to be life-changing for my son when I am gone so I encourage you to reduce their to get rid of the restrictions to allow more people to have the opportunity to have the life-changing opportunity that I've had Thank you very much. Next is Christina Espinoza followed by Gail Reese. Hello. Welcome. Thank you. I'm Christina Espinoza. I live in the third district and I also work at the Human Development Institute at UK. We're the University Center on Disability for the state of Kentucky. So I've worked on accessible housing and universal design and housing for over 15 years across the state of Kentucky and I'm here to voice my support for removing the restrictions on our current ADU. on our current adu and also very grateful that we do have the ordinance now for adus just as a as a source of housing for our aging population and for a variety of people with different disability thank you thank you very much gail reese and if you'll state your name and council district for the record welcome hello my name is gail reese and i'm in council district 10. I've recently downsized there, so I'm glad to be in your district. I want to welcome the new council members who haven't heard this discussion before. A couple years ago, you would have heard a lot of stories, but we're just going to give you the nutshell now. We are so glad that it passed back in 2021, but it's too restrictive. So it hasn't given the relief that we'd hoped it would for senior living for people with disabilities and for caregiving. So I'm going to just give you two personal stories because you've heard a lot of good statistics and information. Not long ago, I was in another city and I was taking an Uber to an airport. And the Uber driver shared with me that he was a retired medical professional. And he liked to drive Uber because he loved people. His wife had been ill. She had dementia. He cared for her. then she got cancer and she passed away. So he was then living alone in this large city. He had one daughter who had a, he has a grandchild and a son-in-law. So they did allow ADUs there. They constructed a small residence for him on their property, and that's where he lives now. He continues to work. He helps with the three-year-old. And as time goes by, he's maybe a little bit older than I am. As time goes by, they'll be able to assist him. The other story is about a woman here in Lexington that I got to know through the housing efforts. She was not from Lexington. Her mother lived in another state. Her mother developed dementia, and after a period of time, she decided she would move her to Lexington into her home. This was before ADUs were legal, and she had no place to put one or to reconstruct. figure any of her home so after things got pretty difficult she went into a memory care facility and she had sold her house in the other state but as you what many of you know a memory care facility is very expensive so within like three years all of her assets were gone and she her daughter was forced to move her into a Medicare bed in a nursing home. Her mother refused to eat and she died within a month. So I just wanted to let you know these are two extreme scenarios, but what would you like for your family, for your friends, for your neighbors? And I hope that you can see a way forward to go here. I also want to say that I support the corridor node zone. I'm learning what that means, but you have a smart, smart planning staff, and I hope that you will follow what they're recommending. Thank you. Thank you very much. That concludes our public comment for issues on the agenda, and so we do have a docket. I'll entertain a motion to approve. Motion to approve. Thank you. Council Member Ellinger, second by Council Member Sheehan. Are there questions, walk-ons, anything at all? Council Member Reynolds. Thank you, Mayor. I have a walk-on motion. I move to place on the docket for the December 5th, 2023 Council Meeting a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute agreements related to neighborhood development funds for the Office of Urban County Council allocating NDF funds as follows. Sisters and Supporters Working Against Gun Violence Inc. $800 and Greater Garden Side Association LLC $750. So moved. Thank you. Is there a second? Second. Council Member Sheehan seconds. Any questions? All those in favor say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right that motion passes. Thank you. Council Member James Brown. Thank you Mayor. I also have a walk on. I move to place on the docket for the December 5, 2023 Council meeting a resolution authorizing and directing the mayor to execute an extension of the agreement with New Vista of the Bluegrass, Inc. for offender mental health services at the Division of Community Corrections, extending the current contract through June 30, 2024 at a cost estimated not to exceed $113,096. So move. Second. Thank you. Council Member Reynolds seconds. Are there any questions? All right, all those in favor say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. Councilmember Gray. Thank you, Mayor. I move to place on the docket item 16, an ordinance changing the zone from a single family residential zone and planned neighborhood residential zone to a medium density residential zone for 7.556 net acres for property located at 2156, 2176, and 2184 Liberty Road without a public hearing. All right. So moved. Second. Councilmember Fred Brown seconds. Are there any questions? All right. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. Thank you. Council Member Kloman. Thank you, Mayor. I moved to place on the docket PLNMAR 2300015, a petition for a zone map amendment from an expansion area residential to a zone to a community center, CC zone, For 5.64 net and gross acres for property located at 3320 Feliciana Lane, a portion of, and 6819 Manowar Boulevard, a portion of, without a public hearing. Thank you. Is there a second? Council Member Legree seconds. Are there any questions? All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. Are there any other items for the docket? Did all of our zone changes get what they needed? No. Commissioner? Were there still some that need? I think you still have number 12 and number 14 to perhaps put on without a hearing. Do they need to be with a hearing or without determined? Yes. So number 12 and number? 14. 14. So number 12 is in the first district and number 14 is in the 11th. I signed in again, yeah. Pardon me? Oh, you signed in again. Council Member Reynolds. I'm sorry about that I didn't say this earlier. I have an ordinance changing the zone from a wholesale and warehouse business zone to a Lexington Center business zone for 0.1338 net acres for property located at 416 and 418 West Maxwell Street. That's 214 Waller Avenue, LLC, Council District 11. Conditional approval and I move to place this on the docket without a public hearing. Thank you. Second. All right, Council Member Ellinger seconds. Is there any question? All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. Now, there is a zone change number 12 in the 1st District. Does anyone, Council Member Fogel, do you have a motion? I am so sorry. Thank you, Mayor. I turned on my mic but forgot to sign in. So I would like to move for a walk-on for number 12, 1228-23, an ordinance changing the zone from the neighborhood business B1 zone to a planned neighborhood residential R3 zone for 0.79 acres for property located at 220-224, 226 for humanities council district one that i'm over without a public hearing all right that's lexington habitat fair humanity and council member ellinger seconds are there any questions right all those in favor please say aye aye anyone opposed all right that motion passes Thank you very much. Is there anything else for the docket? All right. All those in favor of approving the docket as amended, please say aye. Anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. Thank you very much. and next we have the table of motions for work session on November 28th could I have a motion to approve that's my replacement and councilmember Baxter seconds are there any questions all those in favor please say aye is anyone opposed all right that motion passes and next we have budget Could I have a motion? Second. Second. Councilmember Plumman moved. There were many seconds. Who wants to be the seconder? Councilmember Gray. Okay, if you have an item, a question for budget amendment, will you please log in? Councilmember Fred Brown. Just for budget amendments, Mayor. Yes, sir. Go to the budget amendment, page three, four, page four. Top item there for parks and recreation. I think there's a little bit of error there, maybe the director can come up. It's to provide funds for Gainesway Park playground by recognizing a donation from the housing authority for that purpose, and it's got $50,000. There needs to be a correction on that, I think, director. Can you state which one it is again? It's journal 144803-04. That's the one that's got the 50,000 and it should be 50,000 from Employment Solutions. Council Member, let me double check with our staff. I believe you are correct. The other 30,000 was from the Housing Authority, which may have already gone through. So let me double check with our staff and with finance and then I'll get back with you. Okay. Thank you. This will look like, and then I'll be, I have a discussion on, or a comment on when we get to the other items. Okay, that's all I need. Okay. Thank you. Does anyone else have a question about budget amendments? Okay, shall we separate out the one at the top of page 4, 144803-04 until they bring us an answer? Could someone make that motion? Just separate that out. Thank you. Is there a second? Second. Thank you. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? All right, so that journal entry is separated out. and all right we have a motion if there are no other speakers to approve the rest of the entries all those in favor say aye is anyone opposed thank you that passes we will come back to that budget amendment when we have an answer and so we now have budget adjustments just for your information And that leads us to new business. Is there a motion? So, there we go. Council Member Plowman moves, Council Member Sheehan seconds. Now, please log in if you have questions or comments. Council Member Fred Brown. Thank you, Mayor. Item E, there's an authorization to accept $50,000 donation from Employment Solutions and And a 30,000 donation from Lexington Fayette Urban County Housing Authority for Gainesway Park Playground. This, and I wanted to elaborate a little bit, this playground is, as best I could do is keep the money out of the general fund budget. And we raised 150,000 from capital funds from my council district. We raised another 50,000 from three at large council members. We raised 100,000 from ARPA funds. We were able to designate that for capital structure. And with the 80,000 that I just mentioned there, we've got the amount of $382,500 that we raised and the project is fully funded. And I'm really proud that we could do that without going into your general fund, Mayor. So that is under already doing some work there and it's supposed to get that completed by early summer of 2024. And it'll be a new playground at the Gainesway Park and it'll be a pretty special playground. So I wanted to thank everybody that got involved there, especially 50,000 came from Employment Solutions. And most of you know that Employment Solutions really owns that property up there that was the old shopping center there on Center Parkway. And that the 30,000 was able to get from the Housing Authority from them. And I think that came through Austin Sims, got that. So we worked on that and got the funding and I'm satisfied that we'll go forward. Okay, thank you. Thank you for your good work on that. Other questions about new business, Council Member Baxter. Thank you, Mayor. I have a couple of questions. My first one is on item K. Just wanted a little bit of elaboration on what archeological studies we're doing. Anything exciting? development officer Kevin Adkins. So because of the streams that run through that site it's subject to the Corps of Engineers approval so on the original original site survey the phase one if you will they they saw a few items of interest to them and have requested that we find a phase two study to allow them to go in and take a closer look if you will and they're ready to start this week it probably is going to slow down our construction start by about a quarter but that's what that is okay good deal glad to see we're making progress out there my next question is on item cc i just want a little bit more clarification on this expenditure and maybe a little more clarification on what we have spent to date what money we've allocated to date and what this how this differs from that welcome commissioner lanter so when we originally set this up and did the first contract we didn't have all the funds yet we knew we always knew all along we were going to get the the rest of it from fund balance so all this does is allocate the money that y'all put from fund balance into this project into the actual contract okay and then this should be this should make the project full yeah this is this is it okay thank you thank you thank you councilmember gray well thank you mayor first question is regarding letter F it's regarding the RFP I'm just curious this is just a question going forward I will be asking of everyone because since we have been speaking about the number of minority businesses and the diverse populations of companies. I'm just curious, do we know the makeup of this company? Well, Davis HLA does a lot of work for us. I don't know details, but I don't think they're a registered minority or disadvantaged contractor. Okay. Thank you. Okay. Thank you. And let's see. And... letter P. Oh. Director Martin, the same question stands. I'll be coming to you. I mean . Welcome Director Martin. It's just the same question is there. I wasn't sure if you said P or T. So P is a sole source. So B.L. Anderson is the only company that provides the materials to replace the piece of equipment that we have on site. That's a fairly common thing in the wastewater thing is that the market is narrowed so much as that there's usually one rep that reps whatever equipment you have. And so the same question, though. Well, the same question is that they are not a, we have a DBE contractor who works for us that would be likely putting in this type of equipment or otherwise. Because all this is is buying the materials, not actually doing the work. Thank you, sir. Letter O. Thank you, sir. You're enthusiastic. Could you just let us know a little bit more? Welcome. Hello. So this is the purchase service agreement for the strategic plan process that you all approved at Fund Balance for downtown Lexington Partnership. This is the best mechanism for us to be reimbursed, actually, versus another mechanic for payout. But we'll submit for reimbursement for this process. Anything else? No, sir. Thank you for your time. Thank you for being here. i'm glad to do it thank you all for your support welcome thank you that is all mayor thank you councilmember lagree uh thank you mayor i believe that um my only question is about item w um director glasscock and this is about the cloud-based online career services learning management system will you tell me a little bit more about what that looks like in practice and how people will find out about it sure it is a career services learning management system it will allow up to 10,000 individuals across Lexington the opportunity to do everything from work on their resume to mock interviewing mock applications to there's 18 different learning modules on it and there's non life skills and non professional skills it has pre and post post-test available it has a book that's available as well teachers our resource partners any of our different departments across the city can utilize this to teach you know either adults or youth and other counties that it's been used even like technical school teachers have used it as their curriculum for their students if a resident of Fayette County is is interested in getting access to these materials what steps would they take or how would they be referred and engaged with the resources so that's one of the things that we'll be working on with career team who is we procured and that's who was selected to be the provider for this and they have a whole marketing plan that they will utilize and they'll create even our own website that's like just work lexington website you won't even really know that courage is the backbone to it and we will get it out to all of our partners all of you guys all the directors across the city to really push it out market it through emails flyers websites social media all the typical ways we market things okay well this sounds like a great resource and you know my background's in thank you part in career counseling so um we'll be excited to share it out so that people can gain access to materials and i appreciate your work on it thank you thank you thank you councilmember lee lynch excuse me Thank you, Mayor. I have a question about item letter K as in Kingdom. Just a follow-up to Councilmember Baxter's question. You don't have to answer me today. This can be an email. I would love to know what the artifacts that were found, the significance that were found. We can get that to you. You can email that to me. Okay. That'd be great. Thank you. Thank you. Councilmember Ellinger. Thank you, Mayor. First, H-I-N-S, Director Walters. Welcome, Director. Thank you. I don't have a question, I just want to bring you up here, it's your last day. So I just wanted to say, we're going to miss you. Thank you. We're going to recognize you soon, but I'll give you an opportunity to be. Thank you so much. the next one is the next one is cc uh charlie you kind of answered my question but i think you answered it so was that what was was this the original amount that we had agreed upon was it 700,000 or 693? Yes, I don't recall the exact amount of the first allocation, but the two together, nothing's changed in the contract. I was thinking it was a million, so this is, it was. It's a little over a million, I think, and this makes it whole. But we're not adding anything. This is what it was already agreed to. I just want to make sure because I thought it was more than this. Yeah, it was. Okay, thank you. And it's all set up now, right, and everything going well? Yes, it's operating wonderfully. We've had a lot of success. um they're uh they've run from 70 to 120 a night um they've had 120 unique individuals and no no major problems what do we have to can you can it take up to 160 was yes max yeah okay thank you and then the last one i had was on t commissioner commissioner alan bryant welcome Can you tell me what's going on with the Palmer building? Where are we staying on that? This is the elevator, but just in general, how? That might be actually a question more for someone else, but I can say speaking to the elevators, yes, they receive funds from our office, the nonprofit capital grants last year, and then they've also received some additional funds from Councilmember Fogel's office just to help with their elevator project. In regards to the rest of the building, I know that they're working. I see, Commissioner. I know, I was going to say, that's a little bit above my purview. All right, thank you. Thank you. Commissioner. Thank you, Commissioner. Thank you, Council Member. The project is going well. I spoke to Mr. Johnson yesterday. They're installing the elevator as of yesterday. It should be installed completed next week the project is set to be completed in January and hopefully a community celebration soon thereafter the elevator costs a little more than they originally planned for and so they use their line of credit to cover the gap and they'll continue to fundraise to cover that so again we appreciate the council support throughout the project and want to thank Councilmember Fogle for helping with the elevator thank you thank you mayor Thank you. Are there any other new business questions? All right, all those in favor of approval, please say aye. Does anyone oppose? That was about four votes. Let's do this again. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Awesome. Anybody opposed? All right, that motion passes. And let's go back up to budget amendments. Top of page four, do we have the definitive answer since we passed new business with employment solutions, Councilmember Brown? Do we know the answer to the budget amendment? Should that be employment solutions? Yes, Mayor, thank you, and thank you to Councilmember Brown. It should be $50,000 from Employment Solutions, 30,000 was previously BA'd from the Housing Authority. So, thank you to Councilmember Brown for all of this wonderful playground at Gainesway. We're looking forward to it, but it has been just some paperwork error there on our side. Well you know he's a CPA and used to audit books. No, I'm glad he caught it. Yes. All need a motion to amend that journal entry. I'm sorry, who moved it? Of course, Council Member Fred Brown changed housing authority to employment solutions, correct? And Council Member Gray seconded. All right, any more discussion on that? All those in favor say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? Okay, so that was the motion to change it. now. I'd like a motion to approve it. Thank you, Councilmember Fogel and seconded by Councilmember Sevigny. Any further discussion? All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. All right, anyone opposed? That motion passes. Thank you very much to everyone. Next is continuing business. I'll entertain a motion to approve council capital projects. Council Member Legree and then second by Council Member Baxter. Are there any questions? All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. And I'll turn the mic over to Council Member Sheehan, who has her committee report. Thank you, Mayor. I have the report out for the October 24th Environmental Quality and Public Works Committee. The meeting was called to order at 1.04 p.m. The first item on our agenda was approval of the September 12, 2023 committee summary. Except for minor edits, there were no additions or corrections, and the summary was approved without dissent. Rob Allen, director of streets and roads, provided an annual snow plan update. He explained the route rankings based on street types and said the goal is to clear the roadway within 48 hours and clear the sidewalk within 96 hours. He explained sidewalk snow removal is executed by combined forces of Division of Environmental Services, Parks, Fire, and Facilities. And he said the clearing begins after the snow stops. Looking ahead, he mentioned the route optimization study to help drivers become more efficient, which should be implemented next year. No action was taken on this item. Next, we heard from Lindsay Nicholas, the MS4 Section Manager in Division of Water Quality. She presented the annual MS4 program update. Lexington has issued a stormwater discharge permit by the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection and the individual permit last five years. She went into detail about permit compliance, which revolves around meeting objectives of 10 program elements. She spoke about the watershed focus monitoring program and she reviewed the project scheduled by watershed. Moving forward, Nicholas said the intent is to hone the watershed vision and maintain partnerships with stormwater management stakeholders. No action was taken on this item. And finally, Commissioner Albright presented the outcome of a waste digester feasibility study, which was recommended in the May 2022 committee presentation. She explained the purpose behind the study, which is to evaluate the feasibility of an in-vessel waste composting solution for municipal solid waste. She reviewed the objectives, which included three landfill diversion options, the rotary drum system, a tunnel reactor system, and source-separated organic aerated static piles. She reviewed each of the alternatives for landfill diversion and how each of these systems would operate. She provided cost estimates for each of the systems and said the consultant recommended moving forward with source-separated organics irrigated static file. The committee discussed creating a subcommittee to examine this further. No action was taken on this item. We did establish, the vice mayor established a working group after this date. But the meeting adjourned at 2.37 p.m. and that concludes my report out. Thank you. Thank you. Does anyone have questions for Council Member Sheehan? All right. Thank you very much. At this time, we have a special recognition. Well, Tammy Walters and her great crew who came to support her. Tammy is our Director of Human Resources and after 22 years of service to our city, she is retiring and many of us are very sad to see her go. Tammy has worked in our Division of Human Resources her entire career. That alone deserves a medal. During her tenure, Tammy has helped implement many policies and guidelines that have moved our government forward. As chair of both the police and fire pension board and the city employee and pension board, I especially appreciate the expertise that she brought in terms of human resources to those two pension boards. Tammy we thank you for your dedication and service. You are definitely leaving a legacy. a long one and we wish you a happy retirement and if you follow in the steps of a few other people maybe you'll be back. So at this time it's my pleasure to read this proclamation and before I read it I have to tell you I was raised up in Ohio and we for the next day we always said Tamara. Oh yeah. And I did not know until this week that you are Tamara, not Tamara. Correct. So with that said, come up just a hair. Whereas Tamara Walters has been a dedicated public servant in Lexington for 22 years and whereas Tammy has spent the entirety of her career working for our city's division of human resources and whereas she served as the deputy director of human resources for 10 years and was promoted to director in June of 2022 and whereas Tammy has been instrumental in overseeing many initiatives that are integral to the function and structure of our government and whereas some of her note notable work includes assisting with the creation of the diversity and inclusion office making improvements to health insurance benefits, adding holidays to the employee calendar, and assisting with the initiation of paid parental leave. And whereas she has helped improve the content and expand the number of training programs offered to all employees, and whereas Tammy has been involved in many policy and ordinance implementations, changes, and updates. And whereas she has been the go-to person for questions relating to human resources, earning her internal division nickname, Tammypedia. They all know it. And whereas we thank Tammy for her many, many years of service and wish her a very happy retirement, Now therefore, I, Linda Gorton, mayor of Lexington, do hereby declare December 5, 2023, Tamara Walters Day in Lexington. Thank you. Thank you so much. And you're getting a standing ovation. I am going to have struggle with this, but I cannot say enough wonderful things about my service here with the urban county government. I wanted to thank my husband actually because he was the one who encouraged me when he saw the HR analyst position advertised so many years ago to apply for that position. And then of course my family for supporting me wholeheartedly through my entire career here. Even when my kiddos were mad that they were the last ones picked up at ESP in the afternoons when they were little. I work with just such an amazing group of talented professionals who are dedicated, as dedicated as I am to this government, and I just couldn't ask for a better place to work. It's truly been amazing and challenging, of course, at times. I was glad there wasn't anything about comp studies on here, Mayor, honestly. So after surviving a couple of those, but really, I thank all of you for your support. CAO Hamilton and her office, I know she's in here somewhere, yes. Thank you all so, so very much, I appreciate it. Thank you, should we get a photo? Sure. You want to have your fellow employees? Do you want to do one? Family or HR employees. Thank you. Thank you. All right. Now it's time for council reports. Councilmember James Brown. Thank you, Mayor. First, I just want to wish Tammy a happy retirement. Congratulations on being able to spend more time with your family and do other things that you may have interest in. I just hate to see you go. You've been a real resource. I didn't know they called you Tam-a-pedia. But I remember whenever I had an HR question, I used to just reach out to you all the time. and ask, and you gave good information and good answers. So I hate to see you go, but enjoy it while you can because you may end up back. And then next, Mayor, I just want to wish Christy Stambaugh a happy birthday. I think today is her birthday. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. All the black people are here. It's been a happy birthday. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Enjoy your birthday. It's your day. Next, just on a little sadder note, is Officer Phillips Sighar, retired police officer, Pickup Sighar. Was that on your list, Council Member Fogle? I apologize. His services were last week. He passed. And I'm really embarrassed that I missed an opportunity to ask your office for a proclamation to present at his ceremony. He's been a dedicated public servant to the city for a long time. He worked in the division of the police, our police department. He was also an employee at waste management. And then he also worked for Park and Rec as a park ambassador. I had an opportunity to work with him very closely when we did the Douglas Park Centennial. As a park ambassador, he was in the park and his relationships in the community is what helped. And continues to help bridge the gap between our police department and folks in that neighborhood. So he will be missed. And then I just, I had the opportunity to attend an event last night of the Kentucky Black Bourbon Guild. Celebrating 30 years of celebrating African Americans contribution in the bourbon industry. And they continue to work to share stories, untold stories about folks in our community and how they have contributed to that industry. And then also providing opportunities for young people to get an education, to learn more about the industry and eventually have careers in that industry as well. So I just want to say congratulations to them and that's it. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you. Councilmember Baxter. Thank you, Mayor. Tammy, I wanted to give you my well wishes as well. You made mention that we've had some very interesting and some challenges over the past few years, and I just wanted to thank you for handling all of those with grace and composure. Not everybody could have handled the adversity as you did, and it was a pleasure to walk alongside you with that. And thank you for always being such a great resource for us as well. So best wishes to you in your retirement and with your family and everything. And then I have some slides. Our new emergency management director, Rob Larkin, has asked me to share some winter preparedness tips for your home. I'm just going to start talking. Okay. so as you are thinking about preparing yourself for the winter months here are some some safety tips for your heating electrical water and your vehicles making sure one my most my most favorite thing to do when it gets to be cold like this is to make sure that all of your hoses are disconnected outside as realtor that is one of things we like to remind our clients the most so make sure that you do that and then it's really important to talk about how to keep your vehicle prepared in case you get stranded and then the next slide we have a really great resource for the community called bereadylexington.com not only does it provide weather updates and preparedness tips but it allows you to sign up for something called lex alerts and this is a text messaging program that you can opt in that will deliver time-sensitive information to you and a text alert which is really important and it also the BeReadyLexington.com also has radio information I can't think off the top of my head what our radio station is anybody anybody got that radio station calling am 1620 thank you it's really important and we we noticed this last year when we lost power for so long and nobody had access to internet and cable TV and all of the things old school radio is still a really good way to find out what's going on so I encourage everybody to sign up for Lex alerts on be ready Lexington calm and reach out to my office if you have any specific questions that's all mayor thank okay thank you council member focal thank you mayor and thank you to me your staff is a reflection of your leadership so thank you and enjoy your retirement uh... that's who was gonna honor officer cigar it was so good to see the officers that did show up that when i was a young person where my community police officers in it brought back a lot of memories Chief Beatty was there and Walker Webb and other officers that helped just mold our community as I was growing up. And on another note, I attended four funerals in five days, and the other one was a 19-year-old, Cam Dunn, who passed away. He was a Douglas football player and student that committed suicide, which leads me into the next subject of mental health. Mental health is so important, and I hope we as a council really dig into that, and we need wherever the funds are going to come from. We have to get those therapists, and we have to get those psychologists and psychiatrists and someone for people to talk to. We've got to take a look at that. And so our community has suffered some deep losses. Also, on another sad note, so many calls have come in about the property taxes and for the people who are viewing, I have taken that under consideration. Most of the folks that have called me are not even in my district, but they were given my number. And so we as a council, we hear you, we see you. And so one little lady, she was like 78 years old or 80 years old. She was talking about $10.25, but that $10.25 on a fixed income means so much. And it was almost like $10,000 for her. So I just wanted to acknowledge those calls and I'm sure we as a council will hear the city's voice in their outcries. Douglas Poo is down. The 1920 Poo has been demolished and so I see the progress. Thank you Parks and Recreation. Commissioner Albright, girl I'm shouting it out to you. My community is no longer losing axles off of their cars because you have done the job and you have told them to start paving the first district and so you go girl. I love you. We're just waiting for limestone so we can make that connection to New Circle Road. But thank you for the progress that you have made. So James Cleveland said give me my flowers while I yet live. I want to just throw you some bouquets of flowers out there with your effort. Also, Christmas is coming. Please remember COVID is on the rise, and I failed to put my mask on today, but it is serious, and so our numbers are really up, and just stay safe. And so if nobody's told you they love you today, I do. Council members, thank you for the hard work. Thank you for my first 12 months being able to be a servant and for you all to be my mentors as I grow with the city council. Thanks. Thank you. Councilmember Plumman. Thank you, Mayor. I always like to go behind Councilmember Vogel. She always has great comments there. And Tammy, thank you for everything. Happy trails, I've always enjoyed watching you because you're so calm and cool. And 22 years is a long time, so thank you for everything. One of the things I wanted to start out with today is that we had one of the best Christmas holiday parades I think we've ever had. I've gone to them since I've been in office almost eight years, and then just when our boys were growing up. But we had four bands. We had probably four or five really beautiful float floats, you know, the kind you see decorated Macy's parade. And we also had a gentleman singing out of the back of a pickup truck, which you always see in the parades. I just thought it was great. And I guess that was Heather's responsibility, Heather Lyons. I mean, everybody's, but she worked in parks to the law. But it was a really good parade. So thank you for everybody involved in it. And just a couple more activities. We've got Keeneland hosting A Taste of Keeneland from now through the 21st. And you can do your Christmas shopping. And you can buy Keeneland food classics like Therberg Goo and Maker's Mark Bread Pudding for all your holiday gatherings. And then also Southern Lights is going on. It started back around Thanksgiving, and it's going to go through December 31st. And if you've not gone recently, they add more and more things. So it's always good to go back and revisit. And the horse park is also having a celebration of song event with the UK Opera Theater this Sunday from 4 to 5.30. And then the last thing, with all these activities that we all have over the next few weeks, I wanted you to be sure to know that there's going to be a winter solstice hike. There's two of them. There's one at Raven Run. Let's see, I believe that's on the 21st. And that's from 5 to 6.30. I'm sorry, that's on the 22nd, and then the day before, you've got one at Floracliff. And this will calm everybody down before December the 25th and just take a pause and enjoy the rest of the year. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you, Councilmember Reynolds. Thank you, Mayor. I too, Tammy, just want to say thank you for your service. I think all of us can agree that the past four to five years have been very unique with all the different challenges that we have faced. And I appreciate your leadership during that time. So I wish you the best. And I hope you get to do some fun things in your next phase. I just wanted to mention that last week we had a press conference to kick off the mobile food market. And I really wanted to congratulate Tiffany Brown and the mayor's office for putting that together. it turned out totally differently than I imagined when we started talking about it in our districts over a year and a half ago. I pictured this trailer that was kind of like an outdoor farmer's market with a few baskets or something. I don't know what I was thinking, but it is a beautiful, huge trailer, thanks to Kroger helping out, as well as God's Pantry for their partnership. And it is like a mini store. And so I'm so excited that that's going to be so many different places throughout the city every month. And you can find that on the city's website of where and when. And I think there's a few kinks that we're working out, but I think it overall will be something that's really beneficial to so many of our constituents. So thank you for that, and check it out if you get the chance. Thank you. Thank you. Council Member Gray? Thank you, Mayor. first I would like to say Tamara nice to know what your name is now months in it's been a pleasure working alongside you I think I'm the I've probably met more than with you than any incoming council member we met numerous times about different issues that we we are working on it's been a pleasure working alongside you and listening to your feedback I wish you well I wish you relaxation and I wish you peace on this next chapter thank you for all that you've done next I just want to say tomorrow at one more time there it is all this time I've been mispronouncing your name on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the the Lyric Theater there is a free showing of and I want to make sure I pronounce this correct a night of of night and light the story of abogal and abogaine abogaine is actually a medication that that is used around the world unlike the United States to help individuals who are dealing with with post-traumatic stress syndrome and with opioid addiction to recover. This is an opportunity for anyone who has been touched by the opioid crisis to learn more about this medication that we don't talk about in the United States that is actually curing and helping to heal thousands or more of individuals who have been struggling. This is actually an option to save lives going forward. So if you're interested, go to the Lyric website and reserve your free ticket. I hope to see you there so that you can learn more. And please share this information about this movie because I just want everyone to learn what I've learned about this medication as we work forward in the opioid crisis that we've been dealing with here in the United States and especially in the Commonwealth. Next I would like to say you know what let me just close my eyes you know the 6th District we're known for great things right one of those great things sits in the north it's called the pride of the north side it's It's called Bryan Station High School. This past week, no, it's not Station Nation. It's Defender Kingdom. It's in our fight song. This weekend, our Bryan Station football team played in the semifinal state championship. We came up short, but we were runners-up. But let me tell you, one thing is so special about the Bryan Station is that the alumni show up. They show up and show out. I looked up. This is individuals from before I was even in high school, not to date them, in the 80s. We had individuals from the 70s, 60s that were showing up to support our young people who were playing in the game. We filled up the side of Commonwealth or what's it called? Kroger Field. Yeah, whatever. Kroger Field. It was just beautiful to see the green and gold and navy. So right there we had even the principal of Mary Todd that was there just to support his former students who are now in high school at Bryan Station High School. We had numerous others. My former students from Booker T. Washington, Crawford Middle School, were there cheering on their school right now as seniors. I even had my old cheerleaders at Bryan Station High School who wore their warm-ups from back in the day when I coached them. I was going to put them out on the field. It was just a glorious evening. Even in the rain, they showed up. And to, even though that does say Station Nation, huh? They don't know. it's defender kingdom everybody if you're watching um i just want to say to the bryan station football team and staff we are so proud of you you made us proud you gave you played with your heart and we were there to hold you hold you up as you were there so congratulations to you and thank thank you for showing us what teamwork and what not giving up looks like defender kingdom Thank you. Councilmember Fred Brown. Thank you, Mayor. I just wanted to give a shout out to the accessory dwelling units, the ordinance that's being amended. Just a little background there, I happen to be on committee, the senior committee council, and we discussed this thoroughly about three years ago and really vetted everything and looked at the situation and I really, being a senior citizen, I can see the advantages of having ADUs in this community. And I think what this ordinance is doing is just tweaking it to get it a little better shape. And it's number 13, it's going to be a first reading today, number 13 on the ordinances, and it will be a second reading this Thursday night. That's my understanding of the way it works. So I just wanted to get that information out. Thank you. Thank you. Council Member Savigny? Thank you, Mayor. I want to also congratulate Tamara, and best to you. You were much too young to retire. Take it from someone who did, like you will find. I know you've got another gig that you may be doing, and I wish you good luck. Small business is the greatest thing in the world. Dig into it. And then you might even want to run for office someday. So good luck with that. Anyway, I don't know what district she is. What district are you in? That didn't exactly sound right. Good luck with that. No. And I wanted to, I've got a few pictures, I wanted to do a thank you. We did the station 12 Christmas tree lighting and I wanted to thank Donut Days and Good Foods Co-op. They brought some treats and drinks. The Lafayette High School and the Scapa Orchestra and Magical Singers for festive musical entertainment. As you know, District 10 is the music capital of Lexington. I also wanted to, we had the cast members of Bluegrass Youth Ballet there. We had the Nutcracker, the Grinch, and Santa as well. The Lexington Fire Department and Fraternal Order Firefighters did hours of planning, setting up, and cleaning up. We had folks, we had the Parks folks there with the show mobile, which really made the event really special. My friends and neighbors showed up and they brought toys for the toy program and the evening was just great. I wanted to thank my colleagues, Vice Mayor Wu, Councilwoman Gray, and Mayor Gordon for joining us in the countdown for the tree lighting. And I look forward to an even better event next year. Remember, you can still purchase gifts for the Firefighters Toy Program at LFDFOF.org. Thank you very much. Thank you. Anything else for council reports? All right, I do have a couple things for mayor's report. There's an official mayor's report. If I could have a motion to approve. So moved. Council member Gray, council member Savigni seconds. Are there any questions about it? All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. We have the price contract bid recommendations. If I could have a motion. Thank you. Council Member Plowman. Second. Thank you, Council Member Gray. Are there any questions about that? All right. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? All right. That passes. And then I did want to formally introduce our new director of emergency management. Rob, will you come to the podium for a second? Rob Larkin, who many of you have known as Assistant Fire Chief and all the way back to Firefighter. Yes, ma'am. I didn't mean all the way back, but all the way back. It wasn't really that long ago. No, it was not. Thank you. And we're really excited to welcome you as our Director of Emergency Management. and as all of you know former director Pat Duggar retired. So I didn't know if you want to say a few things. When I met with Rob after we had selected him, I was very impressed about his list. His to-do list was very full and included a lot of really good things for the department. So for the, yes. Well, ma'am, if I could, I just really would just like to thank you and Commissioner Armstrong for your confidence and allow me to continue to serve the residents of Lexington Fayette County. I look forward to working with our fantastic council members I've gotten to know here over the last year or two years or four, and all the commissioners and directors and the rest of the public safety team. So, you know, really my goal was to keep Lexington safe, keep it prepared, ready, and resilient in case anything should happen. But I'm kind of a better written person than a speaking person. So, again, I just thank you all, and I look forward to the challenge and working with a great team we've already got out there in emergency management. Thank you so much. Rob not only brings his experience with fire, he is now a retired general officer with the Kentucky National Guard. So he's really had fantastic experience to bring to this specific position. So thank you very much. And no snow in December, right? I'll do my best. Thank you, ma'am. Thank you. Thank you all. Welcome aboard. All right. Now it's time for public comment for issues not on the agenda, and we have no one signed up. So that brings us to adjournment. Thank you. All those in favor, say aye. We are adjourned, and at 5 o'clock is the council meeting. you