Music Thank you. Thank you. I'll go ahead and it's three o'clock so we'll call to order the Lexington Fayette Urban County Council work session. Today is May the 7th, 2024 and first up is public comment issues on the agenda and we do not have anyone signed up for that. We have a couple people for later in the meeting. And that brings us to the docket, if I could have a motion to approve. Motion to approve. Thank you, Council Member Ellinger and second by Council Member Baxter. And if you have questions about the docket or additions, please log in. Council Member Reynolds. Thank you, Mayor. I have just some questions on item R. I don't know if that's Commissioner Albrey or- This is the docket. I'm sorry. This is the docket. I'm way ahead. No worries. Forgive me. Forgive me. You're just trying to move us along. I appreciate that. Anything for the docket? All right. All those in favor, please say aye. Is anyone opposed? All right. That motion passes. And we have an April 30th, 2024 work session table of motions. Could I have a motion to approve? Vice Mayor Wu moves. Council Member Gray seconds. Any questions or corrections or additions? All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, thank you. That passes. And I'll entertain a motion to approve budget amendments. Council Member Fogle moves. Council Member Plumman seconds. Please log in with your questions. All right, I see no questions. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. Council for your information only, you have a few pages of budget adjustments. And then that moves us to new business. Is there a motion to approve? Second. Council Member Plumman moves. Second is by Council Member Legree. member Reynolds thank you mayor I had a question on item R and I appreciate you all being ready to go so I know that there's a fairly large adjustment here and then also was curious as to where we are with the rest of the sections of this trail so section 6 which is what this funding was for is complete pending some minor punch list items so and that's the reason we do a final change order which basically zeros out and allows us to close the grant that's associated with it the difference that wasn't spent correct okay and then from here what are what's the next section that's what's long term for the trail section five which is directly adjacent this ends just in front of the fire training center and we're working on plans for that hopefully we'll get to construction later this summer this fall or probably this fall and then four continues on from there we'll likely put section four and five together they're really married as one set of plans five involves us going by the over the old landfill across the railroad tracks with a large structure and then under New Circle Road which is where we connect to section four three has a slightly heavier lift because we're still working some things out with the railroad company. So my constituents have been asking for a timeline for the rest of that. You said maybe start in the fall and end when? So sections four and five, again, knock on some wood here because we finally got an agreement from the railroad company that hopefully we can put that out to construction later this year. We've still got state approval on all the plans, etc. But we'll put that out for construction this summer, this fall you know latest start is probably next spring at the latest and that'll be a at least a two-year project because we have to build a large three or four span bridge over the railroad which is going to require a lot of coordination with them and then section three we're still waiting on some agreements with the railroad company we'll hopefully get that out to construction next year as well but i don't that timeline's harder to nail down just because we still have some coordination with the railroads okay thank you very much i appreciate it thank you mayor thank you council member fred brown thank you mayor uh l if somebody speak to that i'm a commissioner um that's what we're currently leasing this space here for our training center right yes sir that's our current space we've been doing it for several years yes sir we uh originally started that lease in 2013. Okay I got two questions I think one of them is it says for the first year it's going to be 131 is so we don't we're not locked in for three years? We are locked for this lease council member and council members it's going to be an escalating lead rate at escalating lease rate for year one year two and year three year one actually is a sizable increase from what we're currently playing now which is roughly about $89,000 annually that we began. But we do feel fortunate that we will be able to remain on-site, on-campus for the next three years through June of 2027. What about, I don't guess it's confidential, what about we were looking for a site of our own that would take a place of this, right? Yes, sir, and this actually times well, Councilmember. We currently are still looking at a property that we believe will fit the needs of a new police training academy. We actually have a feasibility study underway just now. It started in early March and it's set to conclude the 1st of June. And so that will allow us to then be able to have all the final information that we will need to determine whether or not we should proceed in seeking acquisition and redevelopment of that site. So this lease allowing us to have three additional years actually works really well with our current end. You're probably going to need that two to three years on that. Okay, thank you. The other item is O. It has to do with the authorization to accept the award from FEMA. I guess just run me through that. Did we make any money off this? no we did not we're not supposed to but uh but it does it did relieve some of our general fund didn't it yes so what will happen is we will recognize the revenue that we're being reimbursed um over in a grant we will move those expenses over to match that reimbursement and so then you'll have some payroll savings that'll show up like on your monthly report just like the other the other payroll savings. Okay, okay. So you don't know the net savings on this instead of us making money, but we did have a net savings, I guess. 723,787.97. Does that go to general fund? It will drop at the end of the year as part of the fund balance. Okay, all right, thank you. Yes, sir. Council Member Lynch. Thank you, Mayor. I would just like it to be noted that I need to recuse from item A, please. Item A. All right, thank you. Vice Mayor Wu. Thank you, Mayor. I have a question about item N for Commissioner Lanter. A couple of questions. One, just kind of generally, I'd love for you to talk a little bit more about what this grant does and how AVOL uses it to develop housing for people with AIDS. And then kind of a details question. the federal grant amount of 1.5 million is different than the other dollar figure at the bottom that's 1.46 can you tell me why there's a discrepancy there first the simplest question which is the discrepancy is the amount we keep for admin here so we get the award from hud for the total we because we administrate it here we keep a small percentage of that and then pass through the rest to a ball so that's you know one amounts the amount we're receiving the other amounts the amount we're passing to a ball the other answer your other question hopla is housing opportunities for persons with AIDS it's a longtime HUD program that we receive in three-year allocations from HUD a ball uses that to operate a couple of their major programs that provides operating funds for them as well as rental assistance and housing assistance for clients does any of that money go to creating housing or is it just kind of giving people more access to housing no it's more about access to housing there are some use of sort of a voucher type of work rapid rehousing kind of a environment but it doesn't create a unit it would use an existing unit been a longtime supporter of a ball and I really appreciate our partnership with them and all the good work they're an excellent partner they've operated this program for us for many years yeah thank you commissioner thank you mayor thank you councilman baxter thank you mayor i had a question about item j director stewart or cio rogers is available i just need some clarification on whether or not this is an additional agreement or if this is just our no this is this is annual maintenance or annual maintenance okay big piece of software that manages a lot of public works and planning workload. Okay, but it's what we already have in place. We're not purchasing additional licenses or anything like that. That's correct. All right, that's all I needed. Thank you. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you. Are there any other questions about new business? All right, all those in favor of approving, say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. Vice Mayor has a motion. Thank you, Mayor. Under continuing business and presentations, I move to remove the item for the spoke award presentation. So moved. Is there a second? Second. Council Member Ellinger seconds. Any questions? We'll reschedule it another time. All right, all those in favor say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. And that brings us to Council Member Worley and committee report. Thank you, Mayor. uh to start the uh april 16th general government and planning committee the february 13th committee summary was approved unanimously the next item on the agenda was the annual pdr update director beth overman presented the pdr annual update director overman explained how pdr easements function and how they're issued the pdr program has preserved 286 farms and over 32 000 acres which is roughly two-thirds of the way to the 50,000 acre goal. The program recently acquired the largest easement in its history. PDR staff and the Rural Land Management Board are currently working with 27 different PDR applicants in stewarding easements on nearly 300 farms. No action was needed nor taken on that item. The next item was the short-term rental recommendations from the Rural Land Management Board. That item was postponed due to time constraints after an amendment to the agenda. The next item on the agenda was the consent agenda discussion. Council research analyst Jennifer Sutton presented on the consent agenda. She gave an overview of what a consent agenda is and a brief history of the item. The Urban County Council started implementing pieces of the consent agenda model in 2021. The actions to date include change orders and contract modifications, grants, budgets, price contracts, and budget amendments. the new proposed changes including amending the code of ordinances to allow for the council capital projects to move as budget amendments instead of requiring a budget budget adjustments excuse me instead of requiring a budget amendment and to allow for fixed price bid recommendations and sole source vendors to move forward on the mayor's report the proposed changes include amending the council rules to reflect some formatting changes the benefits of the changes include preparation time for savings for the staff and council meeting time savings for reduction of readings and speeds up the general approval process for the administration items can still be questioned or removed as needed a motion by councilmember Plowman was made to approve the resolution and ordinance changes pertaining to the consent agenda seconded by councilmember Baxter that motion passed without dissent so on behalf of the committee I so move is Is there a second? Council Member Ellinger seconds. Is there discussion? All those in favor, please say aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. Thank you. Thank you, Mayor. The next item on the agenda was the disparity study, and Minority Program Coordinator Shreita Miller gave an update on the disparity study. She shared the study's accomplishments thus far and what is currently in progress. According to the study, the race and general neutral measures that are still in progress include small contract opportunities, unbundling large contracts, supportive services, comprehensive data collection and monitoring, and creating a small local business enterprise program, and the expansion of the minority business enterprise program. A revised resolution supported by the disparity study changes the goal of 5% for minority-owned business and 12% for women-owned businesses, expands goals to cover all LFUC purchases, adds language for race-conscious measures, and adds a sunset provision of five years to require a re-evaluation of the program regularly. The next steps for implementation include Council approval of this revised resolution, stakeholder meetings, bonding assistance program, RFI release, and small business enterprise sheltered bidding program development. A motion was made by Council Member James Brown to approve the resolution pertaining to the disparity study update. It was seconded by Council Member Ellinger. That motion passed without dissent, so on behalf of the committee, I so move. Is there a second? Council Member, who seconded it over here? Council Member Legree, thank you. Is there any discussion? All right, all those in favor, say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. Thank you. No action was needed or taken on items referred to the committee, and the committee adjourned at 2.48 p.m. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you. Does anyone have questions for Council Member Worley on this report? All right. Thank you very much. Next up, we have a presentation for Building Safety Month. all right bob carpenter director of building inspection will you join me how are you just Good, thank you. Okay, now we also have some of Director Carpenter's team here. Can you stand, please? Thank you very much. Building inspection rocks? Yes. Thank you. All right. May is recognized as Building Safety Month, a time to highlight our commitment to improving building safety and to acknowledge the essential services provided by our building inspection team. Each and every day, our building inspection team upholds their responsibility to protect the public's safety and welfare by enforcing the Kentucky Building Code. Earlier this year, the City's Division of Building Inspection received accreditation from the International Accreditation Service, the first building inspection department in Kentucky to do so. Bob, you and your team play a crucial part in our city, and I want to thank you and each of your employees for the work that you do every day. And now it's my pleasure to present you with this proclamation, and here's how it goes. whereas during national building safety month we renew our commitment to strengthen our buildings so our residents are safe and whereas this year's campaign theme mission impossible oh mission possible i was going to say that's a little weird right Okay, let's start this one over. Whereas this year's campaign theme, Mission Possible, recognizes that the growth and strength of our community depend on the safety of our homes, our buildings, and our infrastructure. And whereas modern building codes include safeguards to protect the public from natural disasters and hazards such as snowstorms, tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, as well as man-made disasters caused by substandard construction practices. practices, and whereas confidence in the structural integrity of the buildings that make up our community is achieved through building inspectors, code enforcement officers, fire prevention officials, architects, engineers, builders, laborers, and others in the construction industry, and whereas our local code officials assure us of safe, sustainable, affordable buildings that are essential to our prosperity. And whereas Building Safety Month encourages everyone to raise awareness about planning for safe, sustainable construction. Now, therefore, I, Linda Gorton, Mayor of Lexington, do hereby declare May of 2024 Building Safety Month in Lexington. Thank you for all you do. Congratulations. Thank you. Do you want to start a few words? I just want to thank Mayor Gordon for every year declaring May Building Safety Month. And if you want any more information, you can go online, iccsafe.org, and that lays out each week there's a different topic that they, you know, hone in on to improve building safety. Thank you. Very good. Can we get a photo with counsel? Yes, with my book, too. And the employees of? Yes. Yes. Can you come be in the photo with us? Thank you. All right, thank you very much. And council members, it's time for your reports. Council member Baxter. Thank you, Mayor. I just wanted to remind everyone that Food Truck Fridays in Shiltoe Park starts this Friday night, 6 to 9 p.m. There will be lots of food trucks and live music. And make sure you bring a chair with you. And then I also wanted to follow on the appreciation bandwagon here. We've got a lot of national appreciation weeks that I want to make sure that we recognize. first of all it's correctional officers week and I just wanted to say a word of thank you to you and your staff for all of your commitment to our community and all the work you do is highly appreciated so thank you it's also National Nurses Week so mayor I want to thank you and all of your your fellow nurses for all the work that you do and then it's teacher appreciation week and I think it's really important that we acknowledge the work that our teachers put in and raising helping raise our young people i know i am super thankful for my children's teachers so that's all i have thank you mayor thank you very much councilmember shian thank you mayor um as you all know we are designated like we have a community um designation designation for dementia friendly lexington and we have had that designation since 2020 and that program works to to help businesses receive individual certifications as dementia-friendly locations. And to date, we've had 16 separate businesses go through the training. And we have been doing those trainings across LFUCG as well. The Division of Aging and Disability Services earned their designation in 2022. Our security team completed their training in 2023. And our various council offices have been working on doing our own certifications as well. So, colleagues, we have our in-person training on Thursday at five. If you want to earn that certification for your office and have not completed your online training, you have until Thursday at five to do so, to join us to be able to get that certificate for your office. If any community members want to find out more about this program, you can go to agefriendlylexington.org. And then I have three upcoming neighborhood meetings I want to make sure the community knows about. So the first is this Friday at 6 p.m. at Trinity Baptist Church. This is the Johnson Heights neighborhood meeting about the neighborhood park and some proposed changes we might want to make. And then on Monday at 6 30 at the Senior Center on Life Lane, the Idle Hour Neighbors Alliance is meeting. And then finally the next Last day on Tuesday, May 14th at 6 p.m. at the Tates Creek Christian Church, the Lansdowne Merrick Neighborhood Association is meeting to discuss some of the property evaluation changes that neighbors have experienced. They're going to talk those over at that meeting. So that is everything. Thank you, ma'am. Thank you, Councilmember Plowman. Thank you, Mayor. There's a lot going on in the 12th District with parks. And I want to thank everybody that came out to Kelly's Landing last Wednesday down on the Kentucky River. is such a a cool thing for our community to have access to that kentucky river and it was a gorgeous day very hot i thought about going into the water but did not but thank you for coming quite a few council members came and things will probably be ready to go early spring i think in the fall fall fall grab better yet okay and then also we've got this saturday and i believe uh councilmember gray and fogel and james brown will all be going out to the new mary mary todd ribbon cutting that's a new park out there by joyland and um and uh there's a lot of enhancements that have been made there as well and i know the neighborhood's really excited about that and that's a saturday at 11 o'clock thank you mayor thank you councilmember fogel thank you mayor um also in the In the first district we have 21 Century, their last day that's led by Miss Lindsey. Has an awesome program, 65 plus students have been going through that program year long. Their last day in celebration is May the ninth. So I want to lift them up and lift up Miss Lindsey for doing such a great job down at LTMS Middle School. And those students who participate. So I look forward to being with them. Also, we have video, ha ha, look at there. That is located on 6th and Pemberton. So excited that some of the McKinty-Vento families was able to move in there. A family and a guy that took part in our winter program at Hope Village. His family moved in. And so we were there yesterday with a lot of celebration going on, community was involved. Thank you community partners, thank you to Austin Sims and the Housing Authority and everyone that was engaged and made this possible. When we have dreams that come into fruition, self-esteem is built and community is built and community decides to fall in and and they feel better about themselves and we become community again and that's what took place yesterday and yes it was sprinkling and raining but we sent up some prayers and it stopped and we were able to continue and look at those families cutting that ribbon i mean i'm just in And so there is beauty from ashes and even though we have gun balance and everything, this is part of that beauty that is happening in the East End and can't wait for more development. And it is affordability to affordable housing that took place. So I wanted to announce that. Also, Council Member Lynch and I share St. Martin Village and I'm just going to leave you in suspense because she's going to tell you what's going to happen if she's on here to speak. I don't see her name. So St. Martin Village Neighborhood Association will meet tomorrow night. And for those in the community, please come out and join. Some great things that's happening over there in that St. Martin Village neighborhood. So I wanted to make an announcement with that. I had some questions, and I look forward. I'm going to whisper this one. I drove by Douglas Park, and there's big machineries, and there's a gated fence, and there's digging, and there's movement on the swimming pool that's coming to Douglas Park. So no matter how that sounded, if you lived on the north side, you would know about the excitement that we are having. Don't forget, Parks and Recreation is providing pool passes. Thank you Parks and Recreation, Monica, everybody, Commissioner, whoever's sitting out there. They're providing pool passes for the children and families over in the north in the town to go to. And thank you, Mayor, and Sally's not here, but thank you for everyone that made that happen for our kids to still be able to go in the water this coming summer. And that is my report for right now. All right, thank you. Councilmember Legree. Thank you, Mayor. Council Member Fogel, the new apartments at Pemberton are really beautiful. They look so great. So thank you for sharing photos from the event. We're excited. I just want to remind everybody that May is bike month. So as you all may already know and you may already be sharing, but this coming weekend is our annual Street Fest. It's a little bit shorter this week, and sorry Councilmember Reynolds, you may have wanted to plug it as well, the more the merrier. But we're going to be at Street Fest on Saturday, May 11th from 10 AM until noon. And that's on Oliver Lewis Way between High Street and Broadway. And if people want to try out some bikes, bikes and helmets will be available to rent. And food vendors are going to be there and there are going to be games, competitions, and plenty of fun. So Street Fest is great, gets people out moving and enjoying the street in a different way. I also want to let everybody know about another celebration at Ashland Terrace. And that is the Garden Gathering and Cookout, which is happening a week from tomorrow, so May 15th from 530 to 730. Everybody's welcome to come by Ashland Terrace on the 15th. They can tour Rick's Garden. They can check out the Ashland Terrace house and home and they can grab a bite to eat and meet the ladies and get to know their community. So that's it, Mayor. Thank you very much. Okay, thank you. Council Member Reynolds. Thank you, Mayor. I'm gonna wait to show some photos about our fun ribbon cutting this morning on Thursday. And I was gonna mention Street Fest, but I think I did not hear you mention that you could also hula hoop. And so if you're not a runner or a walker or a biker, you can hula hoop and there's even a hula hoop contest. So hopefully people will come out. And I just wanted to mention Garden Side Park Workday for the stream buffer is going to be in Garden Side Park this Saturday 9 to 12. Also, the Dia de las Madres Festival is in Masterson Station Park and that will be from 3 to 7 p.m. This is a wonderful festival by Casa de la Cultura. There's going to be dance performances, food, and community partners. So please check that out. And then I too wanted to say congratulations because this week is National Correctional Officers Week. And we have a little promotional video. They have done several amazing, very high quality promotional videos. And so I'm going to share one today and one on Thursday. But I think that today when we went there was a wreath laying ceremony this morning for to remember officers That have lost their lives and I just want to thank all of our corrections Staff From the top to the bottom they do hard work for our community every day And I hope that this video will give you a little glimpse into what they do. Thank you I'm here to serve a purpose I I want to be able to offer my kids what I didn't have. Not all jobs offer you a pension, health insurance, benefits. And at the end of the day, after 25 years, I can retire and become a stay-at-home grandma. That's my goal. I consider my coworkers family. They're the people that motivate me. and a big part of the reason I've been here as long as I have. My kids love to go places to experience new things. We stay busy. When I first started working here, I was a single mom. I was able to buy my first house, my first brand-new car. It's an important career. It's not that you just get sworn in, get a badge. It's about setting a standard and being seen as that example. You are going to be a role model to someone to help people become better, to do better. Once you put on that uniform, you know that you're serving a greater purpose. Join Lexington Division of Community Corrections. your potential thank you thank you councilmember Savigny thank you mayor this Thursday I just wanted to say the open gates neighborhood association is having their meeting at 630 at community Montessori this is a newly elected board and they are young and energetic and they are ready to revamp this association and they've got lots of great ideas so i hope some of the neighbors and open gates can join them and we'll be at our meeting so i may have to cut out a little early to attend it and i wanted to uh this is this sunday is mother's day and so i wanted to make sure that all of you mothers or people who act like mothers or grandmothers you all I just want you all to know that you hold a special place in many sons' hearts, and my mom did too. My mom ruled with the wooden paddle, and she was a great mom, though, and I love the hell out of her, and I'm sorry that she's not with us anymore. But please give them a hug, give them a phone call, do what you can for your mom. All right. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you. Anyone else have a council report? All right. That brings us to the mayor's report. I'll ask for a motion to approve. Thank you. Council Member Fogel, second vice mayor. Any questions? All those in favor, please say aye. Anyone opposed? All right. That passes. I also want to thank Chief Colvin. That was a wonderful, meaningful ceremony this morning out at corrections. And I appreciate your leadership and all that you're doing for our corrections. You know, this month is public safety month. And so it's wonderful to honor you and those who work out there. and the changes that you and our deputy have made since you have arrived have been phenomenal. So thank you very much for your good work. And the other thing I want to just remind people is that everyone keep your eyes on the weather tonight and early tomorrow morning especially. We're expecting some real weather tomorrow. and with that that brings us to the price contract bids and I'll entertain a motion council member Gray and then council member Plowman seconded are there questions all those in favor say aye is anyone opposed all right that motion passes now we are to our public comment for issues not on the agenda and we have three people signed up and the way this will work is when i call your name if you'll come to the podium please and you'll need to restate your name as well as your council district for the record and you'll have three minutes so um excuse me our third is jimmy ross here jimmy are you giving your time to mr day okay so um you will have six minutes when it's your turn all right first up is bob babbage and then followed by rick day welcome mayor gorton vice mayor wu members of the council happy 50th anniversary of the merged government a remarkable continuing achievement i'm bob babbage of bapage co-founder our firm represents petland a company with pet stores around the country including lexington as you prepare your formal meeting agenda in the coming days you will certainly note the ordinance that has been worked on regarding pet sales and pet stores petland was not included in the formative process or discussions for improvements and advancements or the council committee hearing on this new development council voting to approve this proposed pet ordinance as it stands in its current form would result in the closing of pet land here in Lexington before you vote on whether to close a business a more thoughtful and inclusive conversation is what the company is respectfully requesting of the council the simple ask is that you give additional conversation on this subject informally over the next week then perhaps later in May or June as an appropriate in an appropriate setting where the company can fully participate prior to the creation of the new ordinance there are valuable practical and substantial options used by cities like ours to address important concerns like those noted by the council sponsor a chair Reynolds and additional council members and others. This would mean leaving the business, those options and ideas would mean leaving the business and jobs in place. Petland is strongly committed to our community and strongly committed to continuous improvement. We, our firm, would be glad to connect each of you, all of you, with company experts who can be helpful. I thank you very much for your consideration your time today thank you mayor thank you all right next up is rick day and you will have six minutes welcome my name is rick day and i live in the third district yesterday i sent you a summary of information it took over two years to obtain through open records I have been telling you that your county government's compensation system is a mess I can now tell you that truth and transparency also are not doing well with Durham County government I did not get a lot of information through the open records and surely did not get everything I requested but I got enough the summary I I sent you proves what I have told you numerous times Everything about the reallocations was wrong and everyone involved knew it was wrong Several directors a commissioner and a CAO all knew it was wrong HR news wrong and still the administration sent it to council for approval You should have a problem with that Over the last few years I wondered why they would not give me the requested information now. I know I Wondered why they would ask dr. Campbell to come from out of town to answer questions about the mag study But would not ask Nancy Albright to come from the back of the room to answer questions about the reallocations now I know Most of the time when there is an HR issue Sally Hamilton comes to the podium to explain She has not been here yet now. I know why You should be angry you should want an explanation and you deserve an explanation Other employees also want and deserve an explanation Do you realize that there was no information submitted with the blue sheet We still don't know who and why the allocations were requested. We do know that at the same time the reallocations were being approved, council was also approving funding for the mag study. The administration knew that within a few months the mag study would start. So what was the rush for the reallocations? the mag study was good enough for all the other employees you now know that it was wrong everyone knows that you know it was wrong so how long are you going to continue to ignore the problem. And listen, it's not going to get any easier. We're going to move on from this to the MAG study and various other compensation and employee issues. I suggest you get up to speed. Thank you. All right, that concludes our public comment, and so that brings us to adjournment. Thank you. All those in favor say aye. Aye. We are adjourned. Thank you all for coming.