Urban County Council Meeting

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Council convened on January 28, 2010, at 7:00 P.M., with Mayor Newberry presiding. The meeting included 4 agenda items, beginning with an invocation before moving into substantive business. The Council approved three items during the session: the minutes from the January 14, 2010 meeting, an ordinance regarding fines and penalties, and a resolution related to an Occupational Wellness Administrator and Services Agreement. Over the course of the meeting, 5 motions and votes were taken and 1 public comment was heard.

Attendance

All 16 members of the Council were present at the January 28, 2010 meeting. No members were absent or late.

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

Votes and Decisions

The Council took action on five items during the January 28, 2010 meeting.

• Approval of January 14, 2010 Meeting Minutes 0:01: Moved by Crosbie, seconded by Gorton. The minutes were approved by voice vote.

• Amendment to Ordinance Regarding Fines and Penalties 0:17: Moved by Martin, seconded by Feigel. The amendment passed unanimously, 15–0. All members voted in favor: Crosbie, Ellinger, Feigel, Gorton, Gray, Henson, James, Lane, Lawless, Martin, McChord, Myers, Stinnett, Beard, and Blues.

• Approval of Ordinances Entitled to Second Reading 0:21: Moved by Beard, seconded by Gorton. The motion passed by roll call vote, 15–0. All members voted in favor: Crosbie, Ellinger, Feigel, Gorton, Gray, Henson, James, Lane, Lawless, Martin, McChord, Myers, Stinnett, Beard, and Blues.

• Resolution Accepting Bid for Submersible Sewage Pump and Electrical Motor Repairs 0:24: Moved by Gorton, seconded by Ellinger. The resolution was not acted upon at this meeting; the Council voted by voice to postpone the item, moving it to the February 11, 2010 docket.

• Resolution Authorizing Occupational Wellness Administrator and Services Agreement 0:33: Moved by Crosbie, seconded by Stinnett. The resolution passed by roll call vote, 14–0, with one abstention. Members voting in favor: Crosbie, Ellinger, Feigel, Gorton, Gray, Henson, James, Lane, Lawless, McChord, Myers, Stinnett, Beard, and Blues. Martin was the abstaining member, as Martin does not appear in the votes-for list.

Budget and Financial Actions

The Council addressed several financial items at the January 28, 2010 meeting, including one purchase authorization and three grant acceptances spanning public safety, transportation, and environmental programs.

• Mobile Surveillance Tower: The Council considered a purchase of a Mobile Surveillance Tower for the Division of Police from ICX Tactical Platforms at a cost of $123,024.25. This represented the meeting's largest single expenditure authorization.

• LexVan Fleet Expansion Grant: The Council took action on a $105,600 grant from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to support the expansion of the LexVan fleet, funding additional public transportation capacity for the community.

• Litter Control Program Grant: A grant of $141,451.69 from the Kentucky Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet was presented for the Litter Control Program. This was the largest grant amount considered at the meeting.

• Technical Rescue Team Equipment Grant: The Council addressed a $3,215 grant from the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management to provide equipment for the Division of Fire and Emergency Services Technical Rescue Team.

No resolution numbers were recorded in the available meeting data for these items. Combined, the four financial actions represented approximately $373,290.94 in funding activity, with three of the four items drawing on state-level grant sources rather than local appropriations.

Public Comment

One member of the public addressed the Council during the public comment period at this meeting.

• Mr. McCarthy spoke on the topics of code enforcement and property owner responsibility 1:04:47. He raised concerns about the practice of holding property owners accountable for issues such as trash and sidewalk maintenance in cases where the property owners are not directly at fault for the problems in question.

No additional public comments were recorded for this meeting.

Appointments

The Council approved the following appointments at the January 28, 2010 meeting:

• Bonnie R. Adkisson was appointed to the Carnegie Literacy Center Board of Directors.

• M. Vitalle Buford was appointed to the Downtown Development Authority Board of Directors.

• Tom Harris was appointed to the Downtown Development Authority Board of Directors.

• Ronald P. van Haaren was appointed to the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Tourist and Convention Commission.

• Karen A. Deprey was appointed to the Vacant Property Review Commission.

• Martina Y. Ockerman was appointed to the Vacant Property Review Commission.

In total, six individuals were appointed across four separate boards and commissions. The Downtown Development Authority Board of Directors and the Vacant Property Review Commission each received two new appointees, while the Carnegie Literacy Center Board of Directors and the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Tourist and Convention Commission each received one new member.

Contested Items

• Council Member Budget Reserves Resolution: A resolution requiring council members to reserve $5,000 in their individual cost center budgets prompted disagreement during the meeting. Council Member Lawless raised concerns about the measure, citing a lack of clear financial information as the basis for opposition. The item was decided by a split vote, though the final tally is not detailed in the available record.

Invocation

1:03

The meeting opened with an invocation delivered by Arty Greene, Administrative Aide to the Mayor. No debate or discussion was associated with this item.

Approval of January 14, 2010 Meeting Minutes

1:34

The Council took up the approval of the minutes from its January 14, 2010 meeting. Crosbie and Gorton were the key speakers during this portion of the proceedings. The discussion was brief, with no significant concerns or objections noted in the record. The Council voted to approve the minutes as presented.

Ordinance regarding fines and penalties

17:13

The Council took up an ordinance amending fines and penalties related to code violations, with discussion focusing on changes to administrative fees and notice requirements.

Key speakers on this item were Martin and Feigel, who led the presentation and discussion of the proposed amendments. The ordinance addressed updates to the structure of fines and penalties applied to code violations, as well as modifications to the associated administrative fee schedule and the procedures governing notice requirements.

The Council ultimately approved the ordinance.

Resolution for Occupational Wellness Administrator and Services Agreement

33:17

The Council took up a resolution authorizing an agreement for occupational health services. The item was presented and discussed with Crosbie and Stinnett identified as the key speakers during deliberations.

The resolution centered on establishing an occupational wellness administrator and formalizing a services agreement to support occupational health functions. No additional details regarding the specific terms of the agreement, the name of the administrator or vendor, the contract value, or the duration of the agreement are available from the meeting record.

The Council approved the resolution.