Welcome everyone, I'd like to go ahead and call to order the Lexington Fayette Urban County Council Meeting of January 15th, 2026, and the first item of business is the roll call. Vice Mayor Wu? Yes. Council Member Beasley? Yes, ma'am. Council Member Boone? Yes, ma'am. Council Member Brown? Here. Council Member Curtis? Yes, ma'am. Council Member Ellinger? Yes, ma'am. Council Member Elliott-Baxter? Yes, ma'am. Council Member Hale? Yes, ma'am. Council Member Higgins-Horde? Yes, ma'am. Council Member Lynch? Present. Council Member Morton? Yes, ma'am. Council Member Reynolds? Here. Council Member Savigny? Here. And Council Member Sheehan? Here. Thank you. All right, thank you very much. We have a quorum, and the next item on our agenda is the invocation. And I want to welcome Pastor Mario Redford of Growth Point Church. Welcome. Honorable Mayor and members of the council and city staff and guests. We're gathered at a pivotal time where our community navigates a climate of great challenge and even greater opportunity. It is a time that calls for clear vision, steadfast character, and principled leadership. The decisions that are made in this chamber will echo through the lives of every citizen, shaping our city's future for years to come. The seat that you are now standing in front of is more than a chair. It is a sacred trust, a vessel of authority granted to you by the people to steward our common good. The Bible reminds us in Proverbs 8, 15 through 16, that it is through wisdom that rulers issue decrees that are just. And so today, I want to offer a simple acronym, S-E-A-T, SEAT, as a prayer and a reminder for your service this year. My hope that is that every time you take your S-E-A-T, your seat, you will be consciously supported by these four pillars. Where the S stands for supreme wisdom, the E stands for exemplary character, the A stands for alert discernment, and the T stands for tenacious strength. And I want to pray these words over your service now. Dear God, we come before you to lift up our leaders. We ask for your blessing and guidance to rest upon each member and upon the authority of this council. I pray for supreme wisdom, that in a world that is full of noise and complexity, may you grant them discernment. I pray that their decisions will be guided by an understanding that seeks the genuine long-term good of this entire city. I pray for exemplary character, that you would clothe them in integrity, humility, and righteousness. I pray that their conduct in this chamber and beyond, that they would build trust and serve as a model of public service. And I pray for alert discernment, that you give them eyes to see the truth, ears to hear the hearts of their constituents. I pray that you would protect them from deception and grant them clarity to navigate every issue with justice and compassion. I pray for tenacious strength. For the long nights and for the weight of responsibility, I pray that you would renew their resolve. I pray that you grant them resilience, courage, and the enduring fortitude to serve faithfully until the end. I pray that they may not just merely sit in the authority, but may they stand firm in these things. Bless all the deliberations, not just today, but every day to come throughout this year. I pray this prayer for some who call you many other names, but according to my faith, I pray this prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Thank you very much, Pastor Radford. Council members, we have November 19th, 2025 zone change minutes, December 2nd, 2025 regular council meeting minutes, and December 4th, 2025 regular council meeting. I'll entertain a motion to approve. Motion approved. Council member Ellinger, seconded by council member Baxter. Are there any corrections, additions, or comments? All right, all those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes, thank you. At this time, we will have presentation. All right, at this time, I would like to invite Jacobo Aragon-Torres and council member Jennifer Reynolds to join me at the podium. Okay, I'm here. Yes, thank you. Yes. Jacobo, thank you for being here tonight. Jacobo has served our community through his work and his volunteer efforts. And recently, you retired from Radio Lex. It's my second time. Your second time, where you had a very lasting impact. Jacobo, to thank you for your service to our city, I have a proclamation I'd like to present to you. And here is how it goes. Whereas, Jacobo has been a resident of Lexington for the last 40 years. And whereas, he recently retired from a career at Radio Lex. And whereas, he is a retired Spanish teacher from the Lexington School and Lexington Catholic High School. And whereas, in 1990, he co-founded the United Hispanic Association. And whereas, Jacobo serves as a court interpreter for the administrative offices of the courts in Fayette County. And whereas, in 2000, Jacobo co-founded Lexington's Day of the Dead Festival. And whereas, he has served as board member for the Lexington Arts Council, Foundation of Latin American Arts and Culture, Casa de la Catura, and Health First Bluegrass. And whereas, we thank Jacobo for his many, many contributions to our community. Now therefore, I, Linda Gorton, Mayor of Lexington, do hereby declare January 15th, 2026 Jacobo Aragon Torres Day in Lexington. Thank you for all you do. Wow, you've been lovely. Thank you, Linda. Would you like to say a few words? Yes, sure. Yes, all right. Welcome. Of course, I have to say something. It's very nice to see you. Thank you very much for the invitation. Thank you, Janice, for all your support and my family. Thank you very much. I am truly honored and humbled standing here today with this recognition for service to the community. Thank you to my wife, Janice, an avid cultural promoter and a soldier for justice and human rights. Thank you, council members, in particular, Jennifer, for your great work in the Hispanic community and Mr. Wood as well. Thank you very much and all of you for the great job that you have doing in Lexington, which is a great city. Lexington was different 40 years ago. Serving our community, it's about seeing a need and doing what we can do to meet that need. Immigrants are no strangers to our community. They are our neighbors, our co-workers, our classmates, and our friends. They bring with them stories of resilience, skills that enrich our economy, and traditions that deepen our cultural tapestry. Every dish shared, every business opened, every hand extended in friendship is a reminder that diversity is not a challenge to overcome, it is a gift to embrace. We must ensure that our laws, our policies, and our attitudes reflect the dignity and humanity of every person in our community and every person in our community. We must reject fear and replace it with understanding. Opportunity to build a future that is richer and more united. Let me say a quote from Audre Lorde, a writer and a civil rights activist. It is not our difference that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those difference. I accept this recognition, and I promise to keep working to make our community stronger, kinder, and more connected. Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart. Thank you so much, thank you very much. Hang on, hang on. I have this, so it's the quote for Android, so you can put it in the registration, in the lobby. So everybody can see it. Thank you. No, you can put it anywhere you want. Yes, thank you very much. Thank you. We're not quite finished. I'd like to invite Council Member Reynolds to say a few words. Thank you so much, Mayor. So I have had the pleasure of knowing Jacobo and his work in the community for over 20 years. We met through a mutual friend in the arts, and I am just so impressed. You all are familiar now with the festival of Day of the Dead, and it is because of Jacobo that Lexington first knew that it existed. They have brought so much rich culture and tradition. Jacobo is from Oaxaca, and he used to have a store on Southland Drive where they would sell things from Oaxaca. And so I just think that he has brought so much rich culture from Mexico to Lexington, and I think it's really important that we all learn about other cultures and traditions. And so I really want to thank him for that, in addition to all his other work in the community and with Radio Lex, which is now Media Lex. That is such important work, and I really appreciate you, and I'm glad that we could celebrate you today. So thank you. At this time, we want to get a picture with the Council, a photo, and I'd like to invite your family, if they'd like to join us. All right. Thank you so much. Next we have public comment for issues on the agenda, and we have one person signed up. And, oh, excuse me, this person is signed up to speak for items not on the agenda. So we'll move right along, and this brings us to first reading of ordinances. Item one, an ordinance changing the zone from an agricultural rural AR zone to a medium density residential R4 zone, and a light industrial I-1 zone for 65.69 net 63.73.72 gross acres for property located at 200-201-250-251-301 Cane Break Drive, Scotty Basler Council District 12. Item two, an ordinance amending some of the budgets of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government to reflect current requirements for municipal expenditures in appropriating repurposing funds, FY 2026, schedule number 21. Item three, an ordinance of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government authorizing the issuance of its various purpose general obligation bond series 2026-A in one or more sub-series in an aggregate principal amount of $18,040,000, which amount may be increased by an amount up to 10% or decreased by an unlimited amount, approving a form of series 2026-A bonds, authorizing designated officers to execute and deliver the series 2026-A bonds, authorizing and directing the filing of notice with the state local debt officer, providing for any payment and security of these series 2026-A bonds, maintaining a sinking fund, and creating a bond payment fund for the series 2026-A bonds, authorizing acceptance of the bids of the bond purchaser of the series 2026-A bonds, and repealing inconsistent ordinances. Item four, an ordinance amending the authorized grant by abolishing six classified positions of refuse and recycling collector, formerly a resource recovery operator, grade 518 in, and creating six classified positions of refuse and recycling worker senior, formerly public service worker senior, grade 510 in, all individual waste management effective upon passage of council, item five, an ordinance amending the authorized rank aby abolishing one unclassified position of recreation specialist senior, grade 516 in, and creating one classified position of a recreation specialist senior, grade 516 in, on the division of Park Recreation effective upon passage on the passage of Council, item number six, an ordinance amending the authorized strength by abolishing one unclassified position of accountante senior, grade 524 e, in the division of accounting, effective upon passage of Council, item seven, an ordinance amending the authorized strength by abolishing one unclassified position of CSPP manager, grade 521, and the vision of emergency management, effective upon passage of Council, item eight, an ordinance amending that's authorized strength by abolishing one unclassified position of accountant, grade 518 in, and creating one classified position of accountant, grade 518 in, on the division of grants and special programs effective upon passage of Council, item nine. An ordinance amending the authorized strength by abolishing one classified position of code enforcement officer, grade 517 n, in creating one classed position of code enforcement officer senior, grade 518 n, on the division of code enforcement effective upon passage of Council, item ten. An ordinance amending the authorized strength by abolishing one classified position of ERP analyst, grade 522 e, and creating one classified position of ERP senior analyst, grade 525 e, all in the division of enterprise solutions effective upon passage of Council. And item 11, an ordinance amending the authorized strength by creating one classified position of behavioral health and wellness coordinator, grade 523 e, in the division of police effective upon passage of Council. Thank you. Thank you. Are there any walk-ons, Councilmembers? All right. Are there any motions to suspend the rules and give second reading? All right. With that, we will move right on to first reading of resolutions. Item one, a resolution in the bid of Dukes Root Control Incorporated in the amount of $172,600 for the flow monitoring for the Division of Water Quality, an authorizing mayor on behalf of the Urban County Government to execute an agreement with Dukes Root Control Incorporated related to the bid. Item two, a resolution in the bid of Chouinard Concrete and Construction in the amount of $522,422 for the Constitutional Park Concessions and Restroom Building for the Division of Parks and Recreation. An authorizing mayor on behalf of the Urban County Government to execute an agreement with Chouinard Concrete and Construction related to the bid. Item three, a resolution in the bid of Elaine Allen LLC in the amount of $216,700 for the Whitney Young Community Building Renovation for the Division of Parks and Recreation. An authorizing mayor on behalf of the Urban County Government to execute an agreement with Elaine Allen LLC related to the bid. Item four, a resolution to ratify the permanent classified civil service appointment of Tara Chenault, Revenue Compliance Auditor, grade 521N, 30.165 Arlene, Division of Revenue, effective October 21, 2025. Elaine Gilliam, Environmental Enforcement Specialist, grade 518N, 30.141 Arlene, Division of Environmental Services, effective November 26, 2025. Adeel Kazim, Environmental Program Manager, grade 522E, 2,600A, 3.12 biweekly in the Division of Environmental Services, effective December 23, 2025. Cui Shelby, Environmental Enforcement Specialist, grade 518N, 31.207 Arlene, Division of Environmental Services, effective November 26, 2025. Richard Jones, Attorney, grade 526E, 2,988.24 biweekly in the Department of Law, effective December 23, 2025. Kurt Buterbau, Emergency Planning Coordinator, grade 516E, 2,307.76 biweekly in the Division of Emergency Management, effective January 7, 2026. Joy Hamelsbach, Radio Electronics Specialist, grade 517N, 24.065 Arlene, Division of Fire and Emergency Services, effective December 16, 2025. Daniel Malk, Facilities Manager, grade 526N, 36.597 Arlene, Division of Facilities and Fleet Management, effective January 14, 2026. Callie Dickman, Recreation Supervisor, grade 514N, 22.279 Arlene, in the Division of Parks and Recreation, effective November 5, 2025, item five. A resolution authorizing the Director of the Mayor on behalf of McKenna Government to execute and submit a grant application to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Office of Local Program to provide any additional information requested in connection with this grant application to accept this grant if awarded. Which grant funds are in the amount of $4,700,000 in federal funds from the Transportation Alternative Program TAP for the town branch trail phase four and five, the acceptance of which obligates the urban county government to the expenditure of $1,175,000 as a local matching authorizing mayor to transfer other funds within the grant budget. Item six. A resolution authorizing the mayor on behalf of the county government to execute a quit claim deed and any other documents necessary to subdivide and transfer surplus trucks located adjacent to the properties of 4046 Ashgrove Road and 4050 Ashgrove Road, Nicholsville, Kentucky to the abutting property owners at a cost not to exceed $100, item seven. A resolution authorizing the mayor on behalf of the county government to execute a second amendment to the lease agreement with Ridgefield Investments LLC for approximately 1,836 square feet of office space located at 4071 Tate's Creek Center Drive. At no additional cost in fiscal year 2026 with an annual rent increase subject to sufficient funds being appropriated in future fiscal years, item eight. A resolution of the Lexington Fair Urban County Government authorizing the advertisement for the distribution of a preliminary official statement for the purpose of the principal amount of its one various purpose general obligation bond series 2026A in an aggregate principal amount of $80,040,000 which amounts may be increased by an amount of up to 10% or decreased by an unlimited amount, item nine. A resolution authorizing the mayor on behalf of the county government to execute a professional services agreement or pursuant to RFP number 43-2025 with the facilities commissioning group for commissioning services on the division of water quality facilities renovation for the Department of Environmental Quality and Public Works at a cost not to exceed $46,740, item ten. A resolution authorizing the mayor on behalf of the county government to execute any and all documentation necessary for the reallocation of a word of Kentucky Cleaner Water Grant funding, ARPA. Reallocating excess project funds from the completed grant project to grant projects not otherwise fully funded and further authorizing the mayor to transfer other funds from the grant budget, item 11. A resolution authorizing the mayor on behalf of the county government to execute amendment number five to the agreement with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet in order to alter the scope of town branch trail phase five to transfer the remaining funding from the phase four to phase five and to accept additional federal funds in the amount of $810,000 for the utility phase of the town branch trail project phase five. The acceptance of which obligates the urban county government to the expenditure of $162,000 and authorizing the mayor to transfer other funds within the grant budget, item 12. A resolution authorizing the mayor on behalf of the county government to execute agreements with Kentucky American Water and Kentucky Utilities for the relocation of utilities for the town branch trail phase four and five project at a cost estimated not to collectively exceed $768,475, item 13. A resolution authorizing the mayor on behalf of the Lexington Fair Urban County Government to execute professional services agreement with Kristen Beers, Kayla Keepen, Miranda Beasling, Megan Maxim, Angela Wallace, and Larissa Huey. To serve as sexual assault nurse examiners to provide on-call forensic examinations and services under the sexual assault nurse examiner program in 2026 at a cost not to exceed $96,667, item 14. A resolution authorizing the mayor on behalf of the McKenna government to execute a professional services agreement to award pursuant to RFP number 33-2025 with Pathmaster Incorporated for a traffic signal timing and optimization along Tate's Creek Road for the division of traffic engineering at a cost not to exceed $161,500, item 15. A resolution authorizing the mayor on behalf of McKenna government to accept an award of $10,000 from the Jesmond County Fiscal Court for support of planning activities and operating costs related to the office of the Lexington Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, NPO for Jesmond County, located within the division of planning, the acceptance of which does not obligate the urban county government to the expenditure of funds and authorizing mayor to execute any necessary agreement related to this grant and authorizing mayor to transfer other funds from the grant budget, item 16. A resolution authorizing the mayor on behalf of McKenna government to execute an amendment to the agreement with Reach Incorporated under the Home Investment Partnership Program, extending the period of performance to the December 31, 2026 at no cost to the urban county government, item 17. A resolution authorizing and direct the mayor on behalf of McKenna government to execute a professional services agreement to award pursuant to RFP number 44-2025 with Calhoun Construction Services Incorporated for the installation of a roof mounted solar photovoltaic system on police sector east at a cost not to exceed $56,067, item 18. A resolution approving the granting of an inducement to NeoGen Corporation for a successor or affiliate pursuant to Kentucky Business Investment Act KRS Subchapter 154.32, whereby the Lexington Fair Urban County Government agrees to rebate annually 1% of the company's occupational license fee for a term of no longer than ten years from the activation date subject to the limitations contained in the act and any agreement with the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority or the urban county government related to the project and taking other related action, item 19. A resolution authorizing the mayor on behalf of the county government to accept grant funds in the amount of $161,050.22 from the Kentucky Energy Environmental Cabinet for the continuation of the litter abatement grant funding program in Fayette County for calendar year 2026, the acceptance of which does not obligate the urban county government for the expenditure of a local match and authorizing there to transfer adequate funds from the grant budget, item 20. A resolution authorizing the mayor on behalf of the county government to execute certificates of consideration and other necessary documents and accept deeds for property interest needed for the Southview Drive storm water improvement project for the Division of Water Quality at a cost of $2,500, item 21. A resolution authorizing the mayor on behalf of the county government to enter into an agreement with Health First Blue Grass Incorporated authorizing the use and disclosure of protected health information consistent with HIPAA regulations at no cost to the urban county government, in item 22. A resolution authorizing the mayor on behalf of the county government to execute an agreement in order pursuant to RFP number 46-2025 with Davis H. Construction Company Incorporated for underground utility locating services for the Division of Traffic Engineering at a cost not exceed $150,000, thank you. Thank you, now's the time for walk-ons, and Vice Mayor Wu. Thank you, Mayor. I move to place on the docket under resolutions first reading a resolution ratifying the unclassified civil service appointment of David Barbary, Commissioner of Law Grade 538E, $6,846.16 bi-weekly in the Department of Law. Effective January 19th, 2026. Second. Thank you. Council Member Reynolds seconded. Any questions? All right, all those in favor of putting the walk-on on, please say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, thank you. Are there any other walk-ons? All right, if you'll go ahead and give that first reading, please. Item 23, a resolution ratifying the unclassified civil service appointment of David Barbary, Commissioner of Law Grade 538E, $6,846.16 bi-weekly, effective January 19th, 2026, thank you. Thank you, are there any motions to suspend the rules and give second reading? Vice Mayor Wu. Thank you, Mayor. I move to suspend the rules and give second reading to item number 23, the one we just walked on, so moved. Thank you. Second. Council Member Ellinger seconds. Any discussion? All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, Council Member Reynolds. Thank you, Mayor. I move to suspend the rules and give second reading to item five. This is about the town branch trail phase four and five and a grant. Thank you, is there a second? Second. Council Member Sheehan, is there any discussion? All right, all those in favor, say aye. Aye. Is there anyone opposed? All right, any other motions to suspend the rules? So we have number five and number 23. All right, when you're ready, if you will give second reading to those two items, please. Item five, a resolution authorizing the mayor on behalf of the urban county government to execute and submit a grant application to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Office of Local Programs to provide an additional information requested in connection with this grant application. And to accept this grant if awarded, which grant funds are in the amount of $4,700,000 in federal funds from the Transportation Alternative Program, TAP, for the town branch trail phase four and five, the acceptance of which obligates the urban county government to the expenditure of $1,175,000 as a local match. An authorizing mayor to transfer adequate funds from the grant budget. And item 23, a resolution ratifying the unclassified civil service appointment of David Barbary, commissioner of law, grade 538E, 6,846.16 bi-weekly, effective January 19th, 2026, thank you. Thank you very much. Is there a motion to approve? Thank you. And when you're ready, if you will take a roll call vote, please. Vice Mayor Wu? Yes. Council Member Beasley? Yes, ma'am. Council Member Boone? Yes, ma'am. Council Member Brown? Yes. Council Member Curtis? Yes, ma'am. Council Member Ellinger? Yes, ma'am. Council Member Elliot Baxter? No. Council Member Hale? Yes. Council Member Higgins-Horde? No. Council Member Lynch? Yes. Council Member Morton? Yes, ma'am. Council Member Reynolds? Yes. Council Member Savigny? Yes. Council Member Sheehan? Yes. Thank you. All right. Thank you. Those both pass. Now it is time for communications from the mayor. First is appointments. And first, I'd like to ask for a motion to approve. Move to approve. Thank you. Council Member Baxter seconded. Council Member Reynolds moved. Council Member Savigny? Thank you, Mayor. I just need to recuse from item number 10, as my wife is being appointed to the board. Thank you. All right. Thank you. Anything else about the motion? All right. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right. That motion passes with one recusal. And next, we have procurements. I'll entertain a motion to approve. Move to approve. Vice Mayor Wu? Second. Second by Council Member Hale. Any questions or comments about this motion? All right. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. Thank you. And that leads us to communications from the mayor for your information only. And then, that leads us to police and fire disciplines. We have one each. And I will first welcome Chief Wells, our fire chief, to the podium. Welcome. Thank you, Mayor. Good evening, Council. I have one for you this evening. On Sunday, October 12th, 2025, an internal allegation was made that Firefighter Wesley Kimball 63027 violated UDG 1.11, Late Tardy AWOL. At the conclusion of the investigation, the employee met with me and accepted a written reprimand. This is Firefighter Kimball's first documented offense of UDG 1.11 since his employment in October of 2023 and stems from the failure to report on time to a scheduled shift. Thank you. Is there a motion to approve? So moved. Council Member Reynolds, Council Member Curtis seconds. Now, Council Members, do you have any questions for Chief Wells? All right, all those in favor of approval, please say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, thank you, that passes. Thank you all. Thank you. Now, I'll invite Chief Lawrence Weathers to the podium. And this is the police discipline. Welcome, Chief. Hello, everybody. How are you doing? All right. I'll just start if that's okay. Please. On October 29th, an internal formal complaint was made against Officer Mackenzie Mowick. She violated general order 1973-02K, disciplinary procedures. Appendix B, operational rule 1.40, preventable collisions. At the conclusion of the investigation, the employee met with me and accepted a written reprimand and two weeks suspension of home fleet. Officer Mackenzie Mowick has been involved in three at fault collisions within a 12 month period. The collisions occurred on January 3rd, 2025, May 9th, 2025, and October 7th, 2025. There were no injuries reported at the scene of the collisions. This is Officer Mowick's first formal complaint since being hired March 25, 2024. Thank you, Chief. Is there a motion to approve? Second. Council Member Baxter, seconded by Council Member Reynolds. Council Members, do you have questions for Chief Weathers? Council Member Morton. Thank you. I just had a couple quick questions. First one, did these take place on duty or off duty? They were all on duty. All three of them? Yes, sir. Okay, cool. And then, will there be any retrainings for the officers specifically tied to driving a pod? It's standard for collisions. We try to ascertain what the issue was and then we'll provide appropriate training once we determine what that issue was. Okay, and y'all still determining that? Are y'all still determining? No, she was provided the training. Okay, so she's been retrained then? Okay, thank you. All right, thank you. Any other questions for Chief Weathers? All right, all those in favor of approval, please say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. Thank you very much. Thank you all. All right, council, that brings us to council announcements. Council Member Brown. Thank you, Mayor. I just want to take an opportunity, and I think the Vice Mayor said it on Tuesday, that I just want to congratulate former Council Member Hannah Legria on her new position with the city. It was great working with her as a council member. She was always well prepared, open minded to talk through issues, and I think represented her district well, and just wish her the best of luck in her new position. And then I'd also like to congratulate the new formerly acting Commissioner of Law, now Commissioner of Law, Dave Barbary, for his confirmation. I didn't ask any questions because I talk to the Commissioner so often. I pretty much think I know what the answer's going to be. He's always been straight up, honest, blunt, shares his legal opinion as well as his personal opinion, and I think he represents the law department well, and look forward to his work in that role. And then I'd also like to just invite folks in the community to come out this coming Monday, January the 19th, to celebrate the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday celebration we started here locally with the Alpha's Unity Breakfast, which I don't know if most people know, but they have pushed their start time back to 7.30. The door is open at 7.30, and then after that, there's opportunity for you to go do something else and then come back downtown for the Unity for the march at 1 PM, and then come back to the program at 2 PM after the march. This year's theme is Health, Ballot, and the Beloved Community. Our keynote speaker is going to be Reverend Devon Jerome Crawford, who is from San Francisco. We're looking forward to the message that he's going to deliver. And then there's also a photo exhibition, Witness to History, that's going to be part of the activities and the celebration this year. This is a photography exhibit from Monetta Sleet Jr., a Pulitzer Prize winner from Orensboro, Kentucky. If anybody remembers that famous photo of Coretta at the funeral, that was taken by him. So there's going to be 50 other pieces of his work on display, and that's in partnership with the Alpha's. So it should be a pretty motivating experience and celebration this year. So I invite everybody to come out and attend. So thank you, thank you Mayor. Thank you, Council Member Morton. Thank you. Well, first I'll start off by actually thanking Council Member Brown for his leadership and leading the MLK Committee and all those that are on the MLK Committee for preparing us for Monday. It's always a great breakfast, a great march, and then always a great program, so I look forward to attending. But with that, Monday we will pause to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., not just as a historical figure, but as a moral compass for our time. Dr. King reminds us that democracy is not passive. It requires participation, courage, and a willingness to listen across differences. In today's political climate marked by division, mistrust, and growing polarization, his message is more relevant than ever. Dr. King spoke plainly about the danger of silence when he said, in the end we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. That warning challenges each to lead with courage, to speak up with justice, even when it's uncomfortable or politically inconvenient. We believe disagreements does not require dehumanization and that justice is the strongest when it is pursued through empathy, nonviolence, and collective responsibility. He called on leaders to govern, not for ease, but for fairness and dignity, especially for those whose voices are too often unheard. As public servants, honoring Dr. King means more than reflection. It means action. It means recommitting ourselves to policy and practices that expand opportunity, that protect civil rights, and strengthen the trust in our institutions. So may MLK Day remind us that progress is possible when we choose unity over division, truth over fear, and service over self, while loving everyone because we are all human. And I'll leave it at that. Thank you. Thank you very much. Does anyone else have an announcement? All right, thank you. That brings us to public comment for issues not on the agenda. And since we've been away for a while, I'll reiterate the way that the council does this. I'll state the name of the person who's speaking and you'll come to the podium and state your name for the record and state your council district for the record. And then you'll have three minutes. And this first person and the only speaker is CE Huffman. Welcome. Hello Mayor, I am CE Huffman. I am from Councilman Morton's District, District 1, representing Oakwood. I've been watching you all now for, it's been about three years. And it's been an interesting experience for me. Because as I sit in the back, I started this because I'm an old news anchor. I graduated from EKU back in 2006 and started my career and traveled all over the country and I covered government. Government and making sure and being a watchdog was what I did for a living. And it brought me back here to the UK, which was a shock to me as an EKU graduate. I thought I would never in my life work at UK. But it has become actually the greatest job, professional career I've ever had. The people I work with have supported me thoroughly. And I want to go on record for the Herald later because it was not known correctly. I'm at the University of Kentucky and I work in Central Public Relations. And my position at the university is I actually handle the media relations for the Martin Gatton College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment, for the J. David Rosenberg College of Law, for the University of Kentucky Libraries, and the University of Kentucky Graduate School, which encompasses the Patterson School and the Martin School. And all of that comes, the media comes through me, and it's been a fun job to be on the other side of this. But I was kind of bored and I wanted to just come down here and start seeing how my government worked. Because it's odd when I've gone to other counties and I find out that that separate county and the county city thing is very different when you leave, but this is special. And I started talking to people and folks said, well, maybe you've got some big ideas and you should run for mayor. And I said, not me, not me, I've been a journalist, there's no way that I could do politics. And I didn't want to get involved, but I started coming down here and I thought, yes, it's time for some big ideas and some bold moves. And I've got some, and as I was canvassing, I found out that there were four things that people are really concerned with. Housing is an emergency. Sorry to interrupt. I'm going to make a point of order. Michael or Commissioner Barbary, can you reiterate our public input or public comment policies when it comes to campaigning? Welcome, Commissioner Barbary. I can read your rule and your rule for public participation in your public comment rule states, public comment period will not be used to make political endorsements or for political campaign purposes. So, that's your rule. Thank you. Thank you for that. Just wanted to clarify that. Thank you. Thank you. Can I get my time back? Yes, you have 28 seconds, and as long as you're not talking about campaign. Absolutely. So, I just wanted to say to you all, I respect all of you immensely. I feel like some of you actually are leaving prematurely. I hope that you fight for, we really deserve a full time legislative body as well. And I've gotten a grand, a lot of respect for you. And I hope that you know that I've worked hard, I've learned what's going on. And I hope to exchange that conversation with you all and a great debate with you, Mayor. Good deal of respect for you as well. Thank you all. Thank you. There is no one else signed up, so I'll ask for a motion to adjourn. All right, all those in favor, say aye. Aye. We are adjourned. Thank you all for coming.