Urban County Council Meeting

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Council met on August 27, 2009, at 7:00 PM in Lexington, Kentucky, with Mayor Jim Newberry presiding. The meeting covered 2 agenda items, both of which were approved: an ordinance changing a zone classification from B-4 to B-3, and a measure related to the issuance of Educational Building Revenue Bonds. Over the course of the meeting, the Council conducted 3 votes and heard 2 public comments. No presentations were recorded for this session.

Attendance

All members were present at the August 27, 2009 Council meeting. No members were recorded as absent or late.

Present: - Jim Newberry - Gorton - Gray - Henson - James - Lane - Lawless - Martin - McChord - Myers - Stinnett - Beard - Blues - Crosbie - Ellinger - Feigel

Votes and Decisions

Three roll call votes were taken during the August 27, 2009 Council meeting.

• Motion to Suspend the Rules 2:44: Ms. Lawless moved, seconded by Ms. Crosbie, to suspend the rules to allow public comment out of order. The motion failed, despite receiving 9 ayes to 6 nays — apparently requiring more than a simple majority to pass. Voting in favor were Gorton, Gray, Henson, James, Lane, Lawless, McChord, Myers, and Stinnett. Voting against were Beard, Blues, Crosbie, Ellinger, Feigel, and Martin.

• Ordinance Changing the Zone for 310 Romany Rd. 6:56: Ms. Gorton moved, seconded by Ms. Crosbie, to adopt an ordinance changing the zoning designation for the property at 310 Romany Rd. The motion passed 14–0, with 1 abstention. Voting in favor were Gorton, Gray, Henson, James, Lane, Lawless, McChord, Myers, Stinnett, Beard, Blues, Crosbie, Ellinger, and Feigel. No members voted against. Martin abstained.

• Ordinance Authorizing Issuance of Bonds for Lexington Christian Academy 15:10: Ms. Gorton moved, seconded by Ms. Crosbie, to adopt an ordinance authorizing the issuance of bonds for Lexington Christian Academy. The motion passed unanimously, 15–0. All members voted in favor: Gorton, Gray, Henson, James, Lane, Lawless, Martin, McChord, Myers, Stinnett, Beard, Blues, Crosbie, Ellinger, and Feigel.

Budget and Financial Actions

The Council considered four financial items at the August 27, 2009 meeting, covering an equipment purchase and three service contracts related to sewer infrastructure work.

• Aerial Cable Placer and Truck: The Council took action on a purchase of $86,171 from Altec Industries for an Aerial Cable Placer and Truck to be used by the Division of Facilities and Fleet Management.

• SSA Group 2/3 Sewershed Field Activities – Flow Monitoring Services (Contract 2): A contract valued at $536,794 was considered with ADS, LLC for flow monitoring services as part of the SSA Group 2/3 Sewershed Field Activities program.

• SSA Group 2/3 Sewershed Field Activities – Field Services (Contract 3): The Council reviewed a contract with Woolpert in the amount of $2,933,902.20 for field services associated with the SSA Group 2/3 Sewershed Field Activities.

• SSA Group 2/3 Sewershed Field Activities – Raising Manhole Covers (Contract 4): A contract totaling $1,381,531 with Tobacco Rose Farm Construction & Development Services was presented for work involving raising manhole covers as part of the same SSA Group 2/3 Sewershed Field Activities initiative.

The three sewershed contracts together represent a combined commitment of approximately $4,852,227.20 directed toward sewer system assessment and infrastructure improvements. No resolution numbers or transcript timestamps were available for these items.

Public Comment

Two residents addressed the Council during the public comment period, both raising concerns related to neighborhood quality-of-life issues.

• Molly Davis 1:01:52 spoke about the impact of new additions to homes in the Elizabeth Street neighborhood. She highlighted several concerns affecting residents in the area, including noise, trash, and parking problems. Her comments focused on how these changes to the neighborhood's housing stock were affecting the day-to-day experience of those living nearby.

• Steve O'Shefski 1:08:42 addressed challenges facing his neighborhood stemming from student housing. He spoke to the effects of university policies on local residents, suggesting that decisions made at the institutional level were contributing to difficulties experienced by the surrounding community.

Both speakers reflected broader concerns about the relationship between housing development, student populations, and the livability of established residential neighborhoods.

Contested Items

• Motion to Allow Public Comment Out of Order: A procedural dispute arose during the meeting when a motion was made to suspend the rules in order to permit public comment to be taken out of the normal order of business. The motion failed to pass, meaning the council was unable to reach the threshold required to set aside its standard procedural rules. The structured data does not identify which specific council members brought the motion forward or which members opposed it. The outcome left the meeting's standard order of business intact, with public comment remaining in its regular sequence on the agenda.

Ordinance changing the zone from B-4 to B-3

5:52

The Council took up an ordinance to rezone property located at 1837 and 1844 Plaudit Place, changing the designation from a Wholesale & Warehouse Business (B-4) zone to a Highway Service Business (B-3) zone.

Madam Clerk was the key speaker noted during this agenda item. The ordinance was read into the record as part of the Council's consideration of the rezoning request.

The outcome of the item was approved by the Council.

Issuance of Educational Building Revenue Bonds

14:38

The Council took up Agenda Item 19, an ordinance authorizing the issuance of up to $12,800,000 in Educational Building Revenue Refunding and Improvement Bonds for The Lexington Christian Academy, Inc.

Madam Clerk was the key speaker noted during this portion of the meeting. The ordinance was presented for Council consideration without extended debate or recorded concerns in the available record.

The Council approved the ordinance.