You You You You Hello everyone, it's three o'clock So I'll go ahead and call to order the meeting of the Lexington Fayette Urban County Council work session Today is October 13th 2026 and the first item on The agenda is public comment for issues on the agenda and there's no one signed up for that and we do not have a docket Today so that brings us to our October 6th Council work session table of motions Thank you. Councilmember Ellinger vice mayor Wu seconded. Are there any corrections or additions? All those in favor say aye Is anyone opposed? All right that motion passes. Thank you. No budget amendments today and No budget Adjustments for your information today. So that brings us to new business. Could I have a motion? Councilmember Reynolds moves councilmember Curtis seconds, and if you have questions, please log in councilmember Reynolds Thank You mayor. I'm not sure who's here to speak on item D Try to see if one of the chiefs is here. I just had a question about the the contract for counseling In the past have we used this same Agency, I thought we had used a different agency. I was just clarifying. Hi battalion chief Jessica Bowman on behalf of fire we have used thin line counseling for Within our peer support program, but we haven't used them in this capacity in a full time Okay, so you decided to switch and go this route for full time? Yeah, we're grateful to to mayor Gordon and the council for investing in fire and I'm on one in this way This will allow us to have a full-time embedded clinician for fire any number one Wonderful. Thank you. Yes, that was it. Thank you mayor. All right. Thank you as does anyone else have a question councilmembers All right, all those in favor of approval, please say aye Is anyone opposed? All right that passes we have Communications from the mayor there are no appointments. No donations no procurements and that brings us to continuing business and Presentations and first up is our environmental quality and Public Works Committee and that's councilmember Savigna. Thank you mayor The environmental quality and Public Works Committee met on September 15th and unanimously approved the August 18th committee summary The committee received three updates traffic engineering reviewed how data analytics and signal technology improved traffic flow and safety Including pilot programs and Lexington's participation in Google's green project green light Staff also outlined efforts to incorporate maintenance needs earlier in capital roadway projects clarifying Division responsibilities and standardizing the transition from construction to ongoing operations Finally the committee heard an update on vision zero and complete streets education and outreach Including coordinated messaging staff training walk audit school programming and community safety events No actions were taken during this meeting the meeting adjourned at 2 23 p.m. And that concludes my report out. Thank you mayor Thank you very much. Does anyone have any questions for councilmember Savigna? All right. Thank you again Next up our final presentation is our The mayor's task force on homelessness and I'll invite Commissioner Charlie Lantern to kick us off. Welcome Thank You mayor All right. Thanks everybody Appreciate you all having us out to present this. I really want to thank the mayor as well as councilmembers Beasley and Morton and she hand and Brown who were on the task force. This was no easy lift. Sorry councilmember Ellinger. I didn't intentionally forget you. I promise It was no easy lift and I can't believe I would miss customer elder because he never misses a meeting he was there for everything but we We got through this and I'm here to talk about the mayor's task force on homelessness, so We got started in summer of 25 after the homeless study that was done by EHI that looked at our system and Found that there was concern that we were basically at capacity and growing With with a need for particularly capacity for specific populations We have got you know, our shelter system right now is really anchored by the Hope Center, which is for men Salvation Army, which is for women and women with children greenhouse intimate partner violence Arbor youth which is very small and serves young children community Catholic Action Center, which is a little more general But there are certain populations that you can notice are missing from that seniors Couples families people with pets and so that's that's where we saw a lot of gaps in our system that we needed to look at So we convened this task force Very diverse group from across the city with council members representatives from city government As well as fake high schools UK. We had a various service providers that were part of this as well some downtown business representation We had a person who is currently experiencing homelessness who participated in a number of the meetings And so it really was a representative And it was a diverse group of opinions and worldviews Which was important for this work because everybody has kind of comes to this work with a different perspective So from 2005 we began meeting there were several committees we met and either visited or had like a team's meeting a online meeting with providers in Louisville in Nashville I think there was one in Austin a couple of others that we talked to just looking at best practice from other communities And then we had these committees that would meet and discuss this and independently report back to the full task force on their work So we got Started wrapping up this summer The committee recommendations were complete We and we began with the community engagement process, which some of that was taking place as we went along We were holding these sessions, but all of that's wrapped up in one place here You can see we had a session for people who were experiencing homelessness We've had one for the business community both of those are very well attended We've met with faith leaders neighborhood associations specifically we had a Internal one with public and mental health professionals including our own public safety folks And then just a general community forum So there was there was a lot of opportunities to participate and a lot of things to be heard and we've collected a lot of information That informs this so here's what everybody's really here to hear about which are the priority recommendations So the five priority recommendations of the mayor's task force are First to maintain our current seasonal shelter at 1306 for sales Road That's our LF UCG campus where we began operating a shelter there last season The work to begin that has to do that for this year has already begun The and we are planning to be there again this year the recommendation is to continue with that and then as you move to recommendation to Begin the process of transitioning that site to a more permanent facility as we begin that transition We will bring in the transition the population that is focused on at that site Which will transition it from a more general population to families with children adults age 55 and older Persons with disabilities. The reason for that is it's a lower acuity population It's an attempt to respond to concerns about the location concerns about the impact on surrounding area That is a population that for the most part does not leave the facility they stay there if they do leave they're going to work Or school, they're not going into the neighborhood. It's a lower impact population. So that's an attempt to address that concern another Recommendation is to address the need of a central intake triage system One of the first questions someone asked in the task force was if someone is homeless in Lexington, where do they go? And the answer to that is it depends and we don't want the answer that to be it depends We want it to be go here and someone will help you And that gets tough because like I said if you're a male you need to go to Hope Center if you're female you need to Go Salvation Army if you're a child you go to the Arbor you services We don't really have a single point of entry for our system where you can come in be assessed And get to the right place. And the reason that's important is actually Recommendation number four which is diversion We have a lot of people who are coming into our system who maybe shelter isn't where they need to be Maybe we need to get them back to where they came from. Maybe they need help returning to family. Maybe they need Medical care a lot of times the solution to someone's homelessness is not a homeless shelter But right now all we have is a homeless shelter. So it's that old adage if every If the only tool you have is a hammer every problem looks like a nail Well, if all you have is a shelter then that looks like your only solution Diversion is a very productive and cost-efficient way to address homelessness because for every person that we don't send to a shelter. That's a bed It's essentially created a bed for someone that we don't have that option for and then finally an Implementation review to oversee this for the next a little bit a small group will probably pull from the membership of the task force To me and just continue to meet with us and monitor and report back on the work to ensure implementation Those are the key recommendations. The task force also approved an additional 15, which I will not list and go through here Just for time's sake But they are very broad and they kind of go all over the place there a lot of these are more policy recommendations and so that's why they're they're a little further down but a Couple of important ones to point out one is developing a community-based case management system We think this would be really exciting in our system. So first I need to explain how it works currently Currently if you want a case worker Social worker who's going to help with you and help hold your hand and get you through the system and out of homelessness That's usually that person that employee is attached to the program or the shelter you're working with. So you're at the Hope Center It's their social worker. You're at the Salvation Army. It's their social worker a Community-based case management system would move to Once you're in the shelters Someone fruits not with that organization a third party comes into the shelter and meets with you and works with you to get you out of there we think that is valuable for a number of reasons one of which would be The person working is no longer constrained by just what that organization has to offer It's it's they're now open to the entire community now in theory that isn't necessary But in practice it is and we've seen this work in other communities. So that's one thing another Recommendation which dovetails with our affordable housing fund is to prioritize permanent supportive housing within our affordable housing fund per supportive housing is generally housing for people who are exiting homelessness and who need the support system of Additional health care mental health care case management as part of their residence. We we lack that because it's extraordinarily expensive to operate So the portable housing fund is going to work on some ways to prioritize that as they look at if we're weighing projects We maybe need to prioritize something that meets this need is how they're going to look at it So there's others there's accommodating pets Additional behavioral health supports. I'm glad to get as detailed into that as you all have questions for but In the interest of time, I will move to funding. So how do we pay for all this? The Estimated cost of this campus ever sales road is about 25 million dollars. That's a ballpark no one's done in a formal engineering or Construction documents for this that's just what we came up with but there were some developers and folks involved in that number But it doesn't recommend that we pay it outright Looking for where we have funds We have the 2.8 million councils already allocated in fund balance for the work from this group The opioid settlement process set aside 2.2 million that could be used creatively for some pieces of this that work in that area And then a couple other options our community development block grant allows us to borrow against it You could borrow 10 million dollars through the federal section 108 loan program and then repay that with your grant money So the cost of the general fund is actually zero That's a creative way. You might be able to fund it as well as seeking support from the state But the most notable thing here is we're gonna expect whoever takes this on to operate it because we do not plan for it to be LF you CG That's gonna be a nonprofit and they're gonna have a fundraising arm and part of what they're gonna do in exchange for The land potentially that we're making available for this project is they're gonna help us with the fundraising and they're gonna bring money in So that will be part of a request for proposals We're currently drafting an RFP for a master site developer A manager of this campus who will build this and grow it for us This is a model that we're sort of replicating from Louisville's community care campus that they had that's being done up there by in Smoketown neighborhood Volunteers of America the task force Linton visited that This RFP will seek one provider to come in and coordinate this work with us to build this We're gonna be looking at what's their experience their capacity and a big measure is gonna be what do they bring into the table? Are they bringing funds or the capacity to raise funds? So we hope to have that issued this fall I already have a draft in my inbox that I'm waiting to read So I will stop there and I look forward to answering your questions I will wrap up by saying that some people are gonna think that we should do more and Some people are gonna think that we should do less. We heard both some one side sometimes is louder than the other but we heard both and I Think what you've got is a set of recommendations in a process process that was a good process that engaged the community and everyone gave something and everyone is Contributed to this and also given something to it To get us to the best possible solution because homelessness is tough and there's never an easy And there's no easy button for this work And so we appreciate the support from the mayor from the council to get us here and I look forward to your support going forward All right commissioner, thank you very much and before we take questions I do want to acknowledge our brave chair Diane fleet who's with us and we have a couple of our Our task force members with us and we thank all of you very much So we'll take questions now vice mayor Wu Thank You mayor Thank You commissioner for the report and all the work that's gone into this Looking at the permanent shelter and who it serves, right? We're talking about people with families people with disabilities and folks over 55 Do we know and maybe based on our point in time count the most recent one? Do we know what percentage of our? Unhoused folks in Lexington fit into those three categories. I was hoping to go longer before I had to call on Jeff Heron to assist The Jeff knows that so I'm gonna ask you have to come up and take that question welcome Yes, so part of the reason that we did prioritize these populations was based on our system data I would have to review that just to give you specifics on each of those populations But some things I can tell you for example prioritizing older adults 55 plus We saw in this year's point-in-time count that our fastest growing population was those aged 65 and plus making up 10% of our population this year and in this year's count 55 and plus made up about 25 percent of all persons included in the count across emergency shelter transitional housing and unsheltered locations We also find that to be consistent with data from our larger shelters like the men's hope center also serving about 25 percent of individuals 55 plus annually In addition to them just making up a sizable Portion of our population we know that oftentimes older adults are going to have more complex needs and might need more intensive interventions So this is a way to kind of provide specialized support We included folks that have disabilities because that's one of the major barriers that we have for shelter is limited Accessibility within existing shelters that weren't built in a time where that level of accessibility was common our winter shelter last year for example had 70% of individuals that access that resource reporting one or more disabling conditions and Families have been a growing need within our community since about 2020 In this year's count we had a significant increase in the number of persons that were in families The number of households for families this year was slightly down But the overall number of persons in those households was up significantly We fund programs like Community Action Council to do a winter shelter program And what we're finding is there's more cost-effective ways and better ways to serve those families When we're seeing large families of eight or more that might mean multiple hotel rooms for that family until they can be permanently housed So we're not only recommending that these be the the populations but that we also look at designs that for example would be modular that could be Customized to fit the size and the needs of the persons who are there at a given time. Thank you, Mr Aaron, I appreciate those answers and You know also just to drive home that these are not three Distinct groups that don't overlap right there's gonna be a lot of overlap between those groups thinking about thinking ahead on You know when this shelter is built and you said that very likely it'll be a nonprofit that ends up managing it, right What would LFC UCG's role be? Thinking about in terms of partnership funding oversight all of those things. Yeah, it's a great question Our role would still be very similar to the role we play now with with our other providers like Hope Center Salvation Army We're providing them with operating funds The transition we're looking at financially with that is we're currently spending approximately three million dollars annually on our temporary solutions Some of that will need to remain the smaller pieces that handle Folks who just can't go into a shelter type environment however the bulk of that will be Reprogrammed once we move away from having to hire this big outside entity to do this every year and that to two and a half million Is easily enough to finance the ongoing operations of this if you look at the current operating costs of our existing shelters Okay, thank you for that and and I really like the diversion piece of this plan, too I think the more we can keep folks away from being in the house I think that's very beneficial and you know I want to hit on one point and just kind of get your overall thoughts and opinions about it Homelessness is obviously a really complex issue with a lot of facets but at its core to me. It's a housing issue It's the the lack of housing that folks can afford How do we balance This program and this focus on shelters and the money that we're putting into it How do we balance this with the need to create more housing to create more affordable housing? I know there's an element of this in there as well. But I just want to get your general thoughts I think the overlap you see is what's appropriate If you think of it Using an analogy like a medical system, you know, the shelter entry piece is the hospital it's the ER, you know, we need an emergency room and While we're out building and growing our permanent housing capacity with our affordable housing fund and we're creating homeownership opportunities But more importantly we're building that permanent supportive housing I mentioned and we're building other types of housing that these folks will be able to move into that prevents homelessness You're still gonna need the ER And I think you know that analogy works because you still need a general practice treatment and an ER There's always gonna be folks that are falling into crisis It kind of gets speaks that question people always ask are you ever going to eliminate homelessness? You're not but what you can do is build a system that exits people out of it as quickly as possible. Yeah. Thank you Thank you, mayor. Thank you. Councilmember Beasley. Thank you mayor. First of all I just want to thank everybody who had any input any help in this project. It took us a while to get here But here we are Two quick questions I'd also like to thank sorry Alicia Larimore who pulled the homeless study for me from 1990 There was a task force back then as well And I'm gonna tell y'all that this intake center was one of their recommendations 36 years ago the same as ours today They thought we needed a place where everybody could go And be shuffled out wherever they needed to be. So I'm gonna be a big proponent of making this intake center work I prefer it to be on the property, but we'll have that for further discussion I suppose and the second thing is can you Charlie Keith? Sorry commissioner? Can you tell me? Like a month when we plan to have this RFP out like you said you already have a draft of it ready Like how close are we to put it in this out for bid? Today's the 13th You're probably looking at November maybe December but probably November it's it's essentially I mean Jeff's written a draft I have to look at it We've got to run it through law and purchasing and there's some other folks that sign off and we've got a couple weeks left in October so probably November I would just like to see this go up for for bid before we switch to new council Yeah, our goal is absolutely to have it out. Okay as quickly as possible. All right. Thank you. Thank you mayor Thank you councilmember Reynolds. Thank you mayor I'm gonna try to get through all the things in my first time around but if I don't I'll sign back in First I want to say that I really appreciate this task force and the work that they did and I believe in it I believe in the recommendations. I believe that we need to Better serve the homeless community in Lexington. So I want to say that first and foremost I do have concerns in the past Locations for a homeless shelter had been looked at in different places in Lexington and some of those locations were decided not to have the the shelter there based on Businesses that said they didn't want it next to them and council members who didn't want it in their district I was not asked to be on this task force But it is being put in my district and that was decided My constituents many of them feel like their voices and concerns were not heard about this shelter Those that live and have businesses around that property had a lot of concerns because we already have so many similar Entities on Versailles Road and there's already a lot of traffic of folks sleeping different places living on the streets and it's we already have challenges that a lot of my Constituents and myself believe that even this shelter is not going to help those specific challenges so I Know that this place was chosen because it is a city property. Is that correct? And that made it a little bit easier And there were already installations there From the temporary shelter which made it easier to have a maybe a permanent shelter. Is that correct? Is it yeah presumably, yeah I mean that's why it's certainly why we're going back with the temporary shelter this year because we had already invested in the Plumbing and the electrical and all that now for permanent construction. You're probably got to tear a lot of that up Anyway, so it's really more driving the temporary location So I have constituents and business owners that didn't feel comfortable coming to speak publicly about this because of how they would be perceived but I do feel it's important as I Represent my constituents to speak on their behalf and just echo concerns That we have with that location in addition There are city services including global X that are located there right now What is the plan so that they don't end up homeless? So The the stuff that's there currently currently still remaining there is global X There's a clinic and then What what we've looked at so far and have not taken any steps to actually effectuate it because we're waiting for to see how the council feels about all this is We have got global X in there, which will be easy for us to move there's you know, that's office space we have Abby with all the records and everything we have looked at the storage place the underground storage place for that and That would be that would be something that if this goes through and where the council agrees We would put in the next year's budget Then we have a big operation with DES and we have got a lot of equipment and about 16 people and What we looked at there is that? Charlie Commissioner Martin has got two spots at Enterprise that he has rented on and One of those will be a big part of his rental will go out to his new building But there is still that one at Enterprise and we probably would use that With the council's permission to move DES And all the equipment. The only thing that's not able to move is the mulch pallet that Forestry has there now When we talked to Jennifer Carey about it, she felt that this was the best thing ever happened to her You know to go out to go out there. So we what is left that we have to deal with Especially is the What do you call it? You know, it's the Electronic recently ways. Yeah. Anyways, we have not solved where we would put that and and the idea is When the count when Metro Credit Union moved we didn't do anything with that space because we were holding to see You know what this is and we need that which somebody mentioned that RFP just find out How all this shapes out? Is that building going to be used for? Ancillary services. Is that building going to be torn down? How how does it all shake out? So that's a long answer I'm sorry, but where we are That's okay. I will sign back in to say the rest of my comment. Thank you and commit CAO Hamilton and The clinic will probably stay there for now, is that correct the clinic you didn't mention yes, we did not stay there Talk about the clinic moving because we thought the clinic would probably be a good asset if the building still stayed for it to remain We were trying basically to move out our people if we had to Thank you Councilmember Lynch Thank You mayor Commissioner my question is about the RFP for the master developer insight manager What is the price tag of that that's going to be on the RFP? We're still working on how to word the financial piece of that because you saw the slide with the finances You know where what we're seeking now is someone to coordinate all this and manage it and there will probably be additional RFPs that go out as the money is allocated So it's it's more of a development agreement kind of situation at first Again, we modeled this after Louisville. This is how they did There's the first they hire they identified the partner then they started issuing our piece for the specific buildings within that site Once as funds were available And we may have to do that way because some of our funds are gonna be attached to specific purposes For example the opioid funds we have 2.2 million Oh, but it has to be used on opioid that might need to be a specific building on the site that does that so it'll be tricky to piece it together, but That's why we want to identify someone up front who will be our partner first and then kind of layer the additional pieces on once We know who that is Okay. Thank you Thank You councilmember Savigny Thank You mayor Thank you for the presentation, so my questions are Similar to councilmember Lynch's I guess what I'm trying to figure out is A do you currently have budget for everything that you're going out for an RFP on? Or is there something specific that there will be a specific ask that comes out Of some sort of funds there will have to be an ask at some point But right now what we've got to identify is what can be done on the site And so the RFP will be seeking someone who's going to take the lead on that there say yes We're interested in operating a campus there We're probably gonna put some money behind them doing some work there to figure out what can go there And what that's really gonna cost Like I said, the 25 million is an estimate and that's you know, forever changing with the construction costs the way they are I Feel like Sorry, I lost my train of thought it's Excuse me So Mike Mike what I'm curious of so your RFP for the master developer and site manager Like are you are you basically kind of doing a skills based RFP like hey, these are the skills that we want Tell us how much you might charge hourly for projects like like are you doing something like that so you can kind of figure out? Hey, here's the resumes of the people they have to help us, right? We're evaluating experience capacity Fundraising ability fund. Okay, how much money are they bringing the table? What do they think they can raise? And then we're gonna go back to you then we'll have to come back to you and say, you know We think this is 30 million. We have 17, you know, I'm just making up numbers here of it. Okay that's when we'll come back with a total and Did the task force did you guys come up with Like I I might have done it like I might have tried to create a Gantt chart to say these are These are the things that all need to get done and this is kind of the time frame it might take to get those things Done and and these are where we start need to need we need funding in these fiscal years or this actually working on something Very similar. It's more of an internal staff document. But yes, yeah I would like to like I would like to see something like that at some point because I do think it helps because it's this there's so many tentacles to making this thing work and having in and having an outcome that That is good. I just want to make sure that We get a broad picture of of where this is going and how long it takes So that future councils at least, you know understand that as well. That's an excellent point We'll be sure to share that with you. Yeah, it would be that would be helpful and Again, I thank you. Thank you for the work that you've done and You know look forward to Holding us accountable to what the next steps are and telling us when there are When there's a barrier that that as council we can break down if we if there's a barrier that we're creating I don't think we want to we don't want to be the gatekeeper on something like this We certainly appreciate that and I don't have 36 years left and I plan on seeing this Thank you so much member Beasley and I are on it, thank you Thank You councilmember Sheehan Thank You mayor. Thank you commissioner for the presentation Can you talk a little bit about this section 108 loan program for council so what is the timeline for that process? What does that look like? Do you would you come to us for approval to apply for that? What does that look like? Yeah and let me preface this by saying We still have a little bit of work to do on our end in terms of learning how that'll work because it's a big Complicated HUD process, but we have done this previously. This is probably the best way to point this out Section in 108 loan is part of how we finance the 21c project on Main Street So everyone knows we've received community development block grant funds because we're an entitlement city It's an allocation that comes from HUD every year for particular types of work for low and moderate income people in neighborhoods What HUD allows us to do is borrow against that allocation. So we receive every year approximately two million dollars We can borrow up to I believe it's four times that or five times that which would get us to ten million dollars And essentially our annual CDB CDBG allocation is the guarantee on that loan So if we ever didn't pay it They would just take away our allocation until they got made whole because there is still a lender involved It would be a third would be a bank that loans it HUD's just sort of guaranteeing the loan with our CDBG funds We can then make the payments on the loan using our grant money now That will come out of your pool of what you have available to give out But it isn't because the shelter itself is an eligible use for CDBG You can use the grant funds to pay the bank back for the loan you borrow. That's how that works With 21 C. It was a private transaction. So 21 C was paying the loan back with their money But in this case, we would use our CDBG grant funds for it Counsel I do think we need to pursue all of the options that we have For putting as much as we can towards the capital costs of this space I understand that we might want a partner to be fundraising for the operating costs But we have shown through multiple projects that we can afford to build buildings So I think this should be one that we should be investing in because it does meet the basic needs of our community Tell me a little bit also about the timeline for the RFP so if we do if we put out the RFP in November then When do you think you would have a partner selected? Well, what do you leave that out for probably four to six weeks and then a couple weeks to evaluate so that puts you around January I think we also need to be thinking about that timeline and who the partner is because I think they will be It will it will help to have them to be a part of any process where we lobby the Commonwealth of Kentucky for funding for this. They should be a part of that lobbying and for me I feel like they they operate like we operate so they're already building their budget. So if we aren't acting fast To get a partner in place Then we will potentially miss this next session for asking for this money So I do feel like we need to be timely in Pulling all of our things together and making sure that we are ready to make those asks and to apply for this These other funding opportunities as they arise Thank you again and thank you to all of the community members and Service providers that I consider experts in this field Who have provided feedback not only through the task force, but then through also the public engagement sessions I do think this was a collaborative effort from a lot of different folks giving input on these recommendations and I do Hope this is something that the future councils take seriously on making sure that all of these get implemented my last question is What is the plan on reporting back to Council about the recommendations and the progress on the recommendations? So we one of the the fifth recommendation was that we've set up that that committee that's going to meet Probably quarterly and review the process I think we could probably provide a report to council from that committee at whatever frequency the council would like we could You know do written reports every time they meet we could do an annual report Another good way to do it probably a folded into Jeff's annual OHPI report that he does that way We're not doing multiple presentations. So that might be the best way to handle it We when we first created the office of homelessness It was following a task force on homelessness and that that report becomes the strategic plan for this office And that's what will happen for Jeff This report will become his strategic plan And so then he'll be reporting both to me and to the council on that progress and I fully intend it We'll have a tracker for that. Okay, and I do think that Outside committee that was recommended should also be reporting to the HPI board the progress because they make so many they're important in the decision-making on how We operate within that system Thank you, ma'am. Thank you up commissioner and councilmember Sheehan, I think it's important to understand the reality the next Legislative session is not a budget session and the leadership has already said they are not opening up the budget They could open it, but it's a short session. It's not a budget session So I think we just all need to understand that Thank You councilmember Curtis Thank You mayor and Thank you commissioner and everybody who has put in their time their energy towards bringing this towards us I really appreciate what you said About some people asking for more some people asking for less Something that I heard in Frankfurt that has stuck with me from my time lobbying in the General Assembly Was that if you're pissing off both sides about equally, you're probably pretty darn close to getting it, right? So I feel very good about this I Have a first off. I want to echo councilmember Sheehan's Points. She kind of stole my thunder. She has a way of doing that sometimes but The question that remains for me when we're looking at potential sources of funding from the state and federal government With some of the Trump administration's moves towards certain requirements for or conditions for municipalities and projects to receive funding I'm just gonna say the quiet part loud. Are we going to be considering any sources of funding that would require us to Deny access or discriminatorily place Trans people who we know are disproportionately as a community more likely to experience homelessness than our sis counterparts No, in fact, we're very aware of the impact on that population And when they experience homelessness and the specific challenges and it's one of the gaps that we have And you know, we we are able to navigate the complexities of federal funding It's ever-changing Yes, there's some unpleasant things that we're working through but there's unpleasant things we've worked through with other administrations, too It's it's that's just part of navigating, you know working with federal funds What what we know is what's expected of us as a community and we know what our values are and we will apply that And and we will make it work Absolutely, and I appreciate you saying that and I'm just and I I know that you're committed to doing this and I'm making this statement Publicly just so that folks know where I stand which is that I'm not comfortable If we were to be put in a position where we were offered an exceptionally large sum of money on the condition That we house trans women with men Putting them in very real danger. I would not be comfortable accepting that funding I'm hoping that's not going to be the situation and I have every confidence In our folks and the team that Commissioner Lanter leads that will be able to navigate and avoid a situation like that But it is something that I do think we need to be conscious of when we're considering any sort of funding for homelessness prevention efforts And especially capital funding at this scale. Absolutely. Thank you mayor. Thank you council members Does anyone else who hasn't spoken? Want to ask a question. We have a few repeats coming up All right Councilmember Reynolds Thank You mayor. I have a few asks seeing that this is going to move forward First off going back to the question about relocation and Global Lex, I just wanted to state that that is a space where people walk in they hold classes and workshops It's used for meeting and gathering space, so I don't feel that it is just an office space and I feel that wherever it goes it would be really important to have parking that's accessible for this Community because a lot of times the international community that's looking for resources They they don't know how to cross a lot of different barriers So I just want to advocate that it be a space where people can easily access it and park I just that's really important to me. So I just wanted to share that and then also I Know this is not comfortable and I know that sometimes people have been unkind to staff when they've tried to engage but I do ask that moving forward that there would be engagement with the surrounding businesses and residents and agencies that have Like Nathaniel mission and others that they will be engaged in this process so that they know what to expect and that our Public safety will be able to be stepped up and and engage them as well up and down the corridor Because the reality is this is going to change The part of the corridor and so I think the more people even though sometimes People are rude and they're not uncomfortable. It's uncomfortable and hopefully we can set a tone where everybody can be respectful but I I do hope that That engagement will start sooner rather than later. So people don't feel like Something was a surprise So I just I really want to ask that of everyone in this room and then also I had a question so some communities when they build like a Homeless shelter, they have a dual use or a mixed use that benefits those that are not homeless and the community like it has a YMCA or a civics center or a food hall or a place where artists can gather So I wondered if in this conversation did it ever come up to have any sort of mixed use whether that's the building That we have there now and have something that could be a dual benefit for our community I don't recall any conversation specific to that, but I'm familiar with the concept You know when we looked at Nashville They they do a day center on the first floor and they have housing like actual apartments above it Now that's still tied to the to the services. So it's not quite what you're talking about But I think it's in it's intriguing. It's worth looking at I think there's always that particular you should have to make sure it's appropriate to mix that population with this population But I think there's ways you can do that. So I think that's a an interesting suggestion and so that we should look at Yeah I just wondered if maybe it would help the community Accept it a little more if there was some sort of benefit that they could take part in as well. I'm not exactly sure Exact what that is, but I do know other communities do it. So I appreciate you looking into that. Thank you Thank You councilmember, let's see councilmember Morton you haven't spoken yet. Have you? Okay. Will you go next? I appreciate it Thank you. So first I want to thank Commissioner Lantern actually mayor Gordon and the whole staff everyone that took part and council members everyone I'm all the working folks on the task force that took part in this It was a decent amount of time. We put a lot of effort into it I think we've coming out with some good recommendations. I will say that you know I think throughout all of our conversations. We try to be as intentional as possible Related to the recommendation of the policy related to the locations related to Even drafting and prioritizing said populations, especially specifically related to that location and we know that historically those intentional Efforts tend to not happen. So in this case, I believe this group did intentionally look to try to Address the challenge that was in front of us and you know, I speak frankly about it The first district is has a lot of centralized resources. We have a lot of things I mean we is the folks joke all the time It's like if you don't want to go anywhere else put it in the first we're dealing with data so we do everything so I understand and heed those concerns, but You know, I I have a lot of things that I can counter argue with that But within that I will emphasize that I think that the group Try to be as intentional as in pop as possible and through those recommendations you you almost see those at that intentionality in that in that Recommendation. We also mentioned a good neighbor policy. Do you want to speak towards that a little bit? Yeah, that was something that came out as we develop it and it kind of answers to councilmember Reynolds concern, which is being more assertive in reaching out proactively with neighbors and and sitting down with them and Sort of try to change expectations and come to agreements and with without taking too much of your time customer We're not apologize, but we have met with The owners of the large buildings next door and that campus they actually you met them too They participated in some of the task force meetings and we've had some preliminary conversations with them as well I'm actually working with them to hopefully set up a meeting with some of their tenants And you know Figure back on actually councilman Beasley, you know, we actually had split discussions related to that campus specifically regarding You know phased out approaches and I'm in the space that I believe that when you have a challenge of this nature I think you put wraparound services and wraparound support systems around that challenge So that if there are needs whether it be mental health needs whether it be economic Financial needs economic stability needs any needs that come within this challenge that they're in one location So you can have access to that rather than having to go all these different places knowing that transportation is the issue knowing that There's many other challenges that are interfold within this challenge So I I agree that you know as we look at this area I think it needs to be looked at exactly as how you're saying it a campus that has multiple avenues whether it be affordable housing transitional housing intake center at that location The whole nine yards of wraparound services so we can help our brothers and sisters Get the resources they need and hope to get out of home with this and move them towards Temporary transitional housing moving towards permanent housing. So I would really challenge that was a split discussion at the task force and I would challenge that even in that RFP we look at Possible proposals say how can you make it so that you're not we're not having mixed populations But that we can get to the ultimate goal of providing our brothers and sisters with the resource they need And you know as mentioned as city property, so it's it's it could There's an advantage there. Let's put it like that whether it be affordable housing temporary housing intake center wraparound services Emergency shelter, it's a campus and I think it can take it. I'm just needs to be done intentionally It just needs to be done responsibly, but then last I think Another piece that that was just was mentioned throughout That was emphasized was that the accountability piece And I think it was one angle was from that, you know We do provide a decent amount of funding towards some of our nonprofits that we want to make sure that In certain cases, we may increase that cut funding But in second place that those that funding is used being used To reach the impact that we want to see and that the challenges possibly of certain said areas or said Locations that they're addressing some of those challenges in the community neighborhood concern challenges But then as well making sure that our brothers and sisters who need those resources making sure they have access to those resources while also emphasizing, you know follow-up commitment to trying to get to the next step and I think through the case management recommendations and And other recommendations that we can start getting towards that accountability piece and making sure that folks Are not falling through gaps because the resource is not available or because they don't have access to the resources or because they don't know Where the resources are so I would as my 18 seconds run out, I think you know, it's mentioned as a campus That's exactly what we should look at it I don't think it should be done, you know phase one as a campus But I think we should really look at phasing that out and making a campus that works for the citizens of Lexington needed Thank you. Thank you councilmember Sheehan. Thank you mayor. I do want to Say that I appreciate you clarifying that the state works on a two-year cycle They are on a shortened schedule this year But I do think that this is a significant need for our community and we should be asking every time You know We kind of say even to our own staff that if you don't ask you can't get a yes, right? And so if this is a priority for us, then we should be asking every time so I would like to see us in our when we are putting together a list of what we are going to be lobbying the State for and what our city lobbyists are going to be working on that this be one of the items so that even if we don't Get it this time. They know we will continually ask for it in future times as well So I appreciate that your consideration. We did ask for it during the budget year. Yes. No, I know that So I'm saying we need to continue that Thank you. Thank you vice mayor Wu. Thank you mayor I'll for a second councilmember Sheehan sentiments on making the ask sometimes it will take multiple times I also want to make sure and these comments might be for CEO Hamilton Thinking about the relocation of those existing agencies in there I just want to make sure that it's not too much of an afterthought and I want to echo councilmember Reynolds concerns and thoughts For global X if we're thinking about this permanent homeless shelter as a resource for marginalized communities I think we need to look at global X is also a resource for Marginalized communities some of whom overlap with this as well So the thing that I'm thinking about is I would love this for this Potential relocation of global X to be an opportunity for us to find and make even a better space I think in this past year, we've seen global X kind of start really punching above its weight and Engaging with the community in new and really exciting ways bringing in You know dignitaries and folks from other countries and making all these connections. So I would love you know that Global X does have to move they're gonna move into a much better space where they can do that kind of engagement performance space all those things Right, and I appreciate your correcting me I was so concentrated on moving equipment and people that global X was not my issue I mean it was going to be easier to deal with but we've already had talks and they were just basic conversations about maybe Cardinal Valley would be the spot and And So we're gonna really talk to global X to see because I'm talking about something that they need to have input on Because I do agree and I think we all agree with exactly what councilmember Reynolds says It needs to be something that has real access for people and is is not isolated It's pretty isolated there. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I'm glad to hear that. Thank you. No, and I appreciate your bringing that to my attention Thank you. Thank you mayor. Thank you vice mayor. All right Are there any other questions? Commissioner madam chairwoman Members of the task force. Thank you very much for all your good work. Thank you for thanking Chairperson Diane, I forgot to thank Diane fleet Diane was a absolute joy to work with she was a game changer on this and we can't thank her enough for her help And when her co-chair Co-chair became chair real fast So, thank you all very much All right, it's time for council reports Councilmember Sheehan Thank You mayor. I just wanted to let everyone know that the Lansdowne Merrick Neighborhood Association is meeting this Thursday October 15th at the Tate's Creek Christian Church at 6 30 p.m So hope to see you there and I wanted to highlight especially because it is Tree week that we have new Lakeview Park signs that are identifying the different Trees and significant trees within that park I want to thank our park staff and our environmental services staff that have worked on putting those in place It is a nice little walk back there in into the woods on the paths and There are several different locations where you can learn about trees. So I encourage all the neighbors to go and check it out. Thank you Thank You councilmember Baxter Thank You mayor. I just wanted to invite My ninth district residents out to Waverly Park with me to walk with me this Friday morning 930 I took a page out of council members of Vickney's book and we are doing walks with Whitney at all of my W parks in the ninth district. So this week is Waverly Park It's a really cool little neighborhood park that a lot of people don't know about so I'm excited to show that off And then finally, I just wanted to thank a group of people we had our snow and ice plan presentation earlier in committee and we failed to thank the Individuals who play the biggest part in our plan and that is our drivers that are out on the front lines doing the work and Not only did they participate in the process and tell us what was working and what wasn't working for them but they are I feel like they are engaged and Even to the point where we've had a lot of people In other departments who have CDLs volunteer to help with the plan, so I want to say thank you to those individuals who are helping our community and Sacrificing their their time with their families and and helping to really make our community a great place So I just didn't want the day to to end without sending a debt of gratitude to those individuals. So, thank you Thank You councilmember Lynch Thank You mayor as always district 2 is bustling this weekend, so just a few reminders for my neighbors Gleaning's housing will be hosting their running pumpkin 5k and cold stream this Saturday at 9 a.m Also, the share Center is hosting a day of sharing at the black and white neighborhood Center on Saturday at 10 a.m That is a free event and open to the community Nami walks is having their walk at Masterson Station Park this Saturday at 10 a.m Please come out to celebrate with Nami. Our tree week event is happening In cold stream as well. It starts at 1 p.m On Saturday and it's called restoration in the bluegrass and then this week in McConnell's trace neighborhood is having several Neighborhood events their yard sale will be happening Saturday from 8 a.m. To 2 p.m Their annual HOA meeting is from 5 p.m. To 5 30 p.m And then trunk or treat is from 5 30 to 7 30 p.m. All on Saturday. So neighbors come on out There's tons of fun events going on in the in the second district and most of them are free. See you there Thank You councilmember Reynolds Thank You mayor. We had a great tree week kickoff on Friday in Davis Park And I joined the mayor and councilmember Brown and a lot of our employees And folks from the Lexington Community Land Trust, so we had a great time Planting trees and seeing different organizations out there So that was a lot of fun and tonight if you're interested, there is an at-large and mayoral debate at meadow Thorpe neighborhood associations Meeting it will start at 630 with a meet-and-greet and then at 715 The fun will start so head on now if you did I say something wrong y'all are laughing at me The fun will start Well, it'll be fun because I don't have to beat it. No, I'm just kidding Good luck to everybody in that and then on Saturday Carnivales having its annual fall festival. It's always a lot of fun with pumpkin painting and costume contests and Lots of activities for the family, so that is one to four in Valley Park by the neighborhood association So check it out. Thank you. Thank you very much councilmember Morton Thank you So over the fall break Our office was happy to stop by and hang out with the Williams or Brown neighborhood association for their annual fall break program Where they provided free lunches and activities to children at Charles Young Community Center It was great to see young people enjoying a safe welcoming space while school was out Thank you to the Williams or Brown neighborhood association and everyone who made this possible Our youth deserve access to meals safe spaces and positive activities year-round in the heart of their communities And then also at Charles Young, we're just in the the heart of the East End Also attended the street fest at Charles Young Park hosted by live green Lexington and our division of planning They've been highlighted how we can make our streets safer and more accessible And more welcoming for everyone whether walking biking or driving every resident deserves safe streets and connected neighborhoods events like this help us envision a and build a better Lexington and We'll keep going on so y'all can see them We'll keep going And I can't leave it out. You know Seeing me myself and councilmember Brown had a great bike race, and I'll let him tell you how that ended but Let's just say that we're not number one for any old reason But no, thank you to live green Lexington planning everyone who made this event possible safer streets means safer communities and stronger communities So then lastly join us Friday. I mean, that's a great photo. You see that. I mean that's live-action right there I mean, that's that's a photo shot. You see I'm right behind me I'm Anyways And then moving on to this this this Friday join us Friday October 16th from 5 to 7 p.m At West 6 brewery to launch our cardiac cats initiative and cardiac crusade campaign Our goal is simple, but potentially life-saving identify and map a DS across Lexington So these devices can be located quickly during cardiac emergencies through the post point ad app residents can help register ad Locations and become part of the solution. You don't have to be a medical professional to save a life You just have to get involved. So thank you to everyone supporting this effort I look forward to sharing the outcomes of potential impacts in a future formal presentation And I hope you'll join us Friday and become a cardiac crusader. Thank you Thank you very much. There is no one here for public comment for issues not on the agenda councilmembers, I would like to Take a point right now to thank Both of our Charlie's Commissioner Charlie Lanter and acting commissioner Charlie Martin who both presented to you very important Plans today that will really I think help our city tremendously So thank you to both of you for your leadership and I'll ask for a motion to adjourn All right, all those in favor say aye We are adjourned, thank you all for coming You You Thank for the memories I usually see Until I hear you at the door Until you're in my arms once more Saturday night is the loneliest night of the week You