Inter Governmental Committee

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Inter-Governmental Committee met on September 15, 2009, at 1:00 p.m. at Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, with CM James presiding. The committee addressed five agenda items during the meeting, taking two votes and hearing six public comments.

The committee approved the Oath of Office and Boards & Commissions Reporting items. Two items were deferred: Ethics Act Financial Disclosure for Board/Commission and Boards & Commissions with Nominating Bodies. The committee denied the Citizens Advocate Dispute Resolution Training agenda item.

Attendance

Present: Beard, Blues, Crosbie, Feigel, Henson, Lawless, Martin, Myers, Gray, Askew, and Stinnett

Absent: Doug Martin

Late: None

Votes and Decisions

Motion to Move Draft Oath of Office Ordinance to Full Council 15:35

A motion was made by Beard and seconded by Blues to move the draft oath of office ordinance forward to the full council for review. The motion passed unanimously. All ten members voted in favor: Beard, Blues, Crosbie, Feigel, Henson, Lawless, Myers, Gray, Askew, and Stinnett. No votes were cast against the motion.

Motion to Discontinue Citizens Advocate Dispute Resolution Training 1:59:45

A motion was made by Crosbie and seconded by Blues to discontinue the Citizens Advocate Dispute Resolution Training program. The motion passed unanimously. All ten members voted in favor: Crosbie, Blues, Beard, Feigel, Henson, Lawless, Myers, Gray, Askew, and Stinnett. No votes were cast against the motion.

Public Comment

Six speakers addressed the board during the public comment period, raising concerns about financial disclosure processes, board composition, and proposed dispute resolution training.

Financial Disclosure and Reporting

Beard 1:02:06 expressed concern about the lack of a review process for financial disclosures and questioned the necessity of detailed reporting requirements, such as shareholder information.

Henson 46:22 addressed the Ethics Act Financial Disclosure topic, noting that the boards with the most serious spending issues are not included in the ordinance. Henson suggested the focus should be on special district boards.

Board Nomination Process

Crosbie 1:20:27 raised concerns about special interest groups having the power to nominate candidates to boards, suggesting that the mayor should select members directly instead.

Dispute Resolution Training

Three speakers expressed concerns about a proposed dispute resolution training program for neighborhood leaders:

Lawless 1:48:25 expressed serious concerns about liability and the dangers of training neighborhood leaders in mediation, noting that this responsibility is not part of the Citizens Advocate's job description.

Blues 1:50:37 questioned whether the training would be conducted on or off the clock and expressed concern that it was not part of the Citizens Advocate's official duties.

Baird 1:53:55 expressed concern about government involvement in neighborhood disputes and questioned the practicality of such a program.

Contested Items

Ethics Act Financial Disclosure

The meeting included debate over the scope of financial disclosure requirements under the Ethics Act. The central disagreement concerned whether disclosure obligations should apply to all boards and commissions or only those not exempted by state law. Participants raised concerns about the potential number of people who would be affected by broader disclosure requirements and questioned the adequacy of enforcement mechanisms to support such an expansion. The item resulted in a split vote, indicating that attendees were divided on how to proceed with this policy matter.

Dispute Resolution Training

A heated discussion arose regarding a dispute resolution training program. Participants expressed strong concerns about multiple aspects of the initiative, including liability issues associated with the training, questions about whether the training was appropriate for the organization, and uncertainty about whether the program fell within the Citizens Advocate's job description. Despite the intensity of the debate, the discussion concluded with a unanimous vote to discontinue the program, indicating that all participants ultimately agreed the training should be ended.

Oath of Office

Councilmember Beard introduced a draft ordinance requiring appointees to boards, agencies, and commissions covered by Article 7 of the Charter to take an oath of office within 30 days of council confirmation 3:26.

The committee discussed several aspects of the proposed ordinance, including its scope, penalties for violation, and training requirements for appointees. Key speakers in the discussion included Beard, Blues, Henson, Feigel, and Askew.

The motion to forward the ordinance to the full council passed unanimously, indicating broad support for the measure among committee members.

Ethics Act Financial Disclosure for Board/Commission

16:38

Councilmember Myers proposed expanding the Ethics Act to require financial disclosure from all boards and commissions, with the exception of those governed by state law. The discussion centered on implementing financial disclosure requirements across the city's various boards and commissions.

Key Discussion Points

The committee addressed several challenges in implementing this expansion:

• Defining regulatory authority: The committee discussed difficulties in determining which boards and commissions would be subject to the disclosure requirement and how to properly define regulatory authority for exemptions.

• State legislative requirements: Participants noted that state legislative change may be necessary to implement certain aspects of the proposal.

• Threshold consideration: The committee discussed the possibility of adopting a $5,000 threshold for financial disclosures, referencing Hopkinsville's approach as a potential model.

Speakers and Participants

The following individuals participated in the discussion: Myers, Henson, Crosbie, Askew, Feigel, and Lawless.

Outcome

The motion to send a resolution to the state legislature regarding this matter was deferred to allow for further review and consideration of the proposal's details and implementation requirements.

Boards & Commissions Reporting

17:17

Shaye Rabold presented an update on efforts to improve public access to board and commission information online, including minutes and annual reports.

Councilmember Blues raised concerns about the need for a centralized location to archive minutes from all boards and commissions. This emphasis on centralized archiving reflected a broader goal of making board records more accessible and organized for the public.

The committee discussed the importance of systematically collecting information from all boards and commissions. Following this discussion, the committee agreed to request annual reports and minutes from all boards and commissions as part of a coordinated effort to improve transparency and public access to these records.

The agenda item was approved.

Key speakers: Rabold, Blues, Feigel, and Askew

Boards & Commissions with Nominating Bodies

1:20:27

The committee discussed concerns regarding boards and commissions that utilize nominating bodies to select candidates. Councilmember Crosbie raised concerns about special interest groups having the power to nominate candidates to these boards. She requested that the administration compile a list of all boards with nominating bodies to enable further discussion on this matter.

The key speakers during this discussion included Crosbie, Feigel, Blues, and Rabold.

The committee agreed to defer action on this item and requested that the administration provide a comprehensive list of boards with nominating bodies for future consideration and review.

Citizens Advocate Dispute Resolution Training

1:48:25

The council discussed a proposed Citizens Advocate Dispute Resolution Training program during this agenda item.

Concerns Raised

Councilmember Lawless raised liability concerns regarding the training and questioned its appropriateness for neighborhood leaders. Councilmember Blues questioned whether the training aligned with the job description for the position.

Key Participants

The discussion involved Councilmembers Lawless, Blues, Beck, and Baird.

Outcome

The committee passed a motion to discontinue the training program.