Council Work Session

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Urban County Council met on March 9, 2010, with Mayor Newberry presiding over the session. The meeting covered six agenda items spanning a range of legislative and administrative matters, including rezoning requests, budget amendments, new business, and a sidewalk café ordinance. Across the course of the meeting, six votes were taken, and five of the six agenda items resulted in approvals, with one item designated as informational. Three public comments were heard during the public comment portion of the meeting.

Attendance

All members were present at the March 9, 2010 Council meeting, with no absences or late arrivals recorded.

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

Absent: None

Late: None

Votes and Decisions

The following motions were considered and decided at the March 9, 2010 Council meeting. No transcript timestamps are available for any of the votes below.

• Place federal reimbursement agreement resolutions on the docket: CM McChord moved, seconded by CM Lane, to place on the docket resolutions authorizing the Mayor to sign federal reimbursement agreements for various projects. The motion passed unanimously.

• Approve the docket: CM Stinnett moved, seconded by CM Gorton, to approve the docket. The motion passed unanimously.

• Approve the February 23, 2010 summary: CM Beard moved, seconded by CM Blues, to approve the summary from February 23, 2010. The motion passed unanimously.

• Amend budget amendment item 40941: CM James moved, seconded by CM Gorton, to amend budget amendment item 40941. The motion passed unanimously.

• Approve all new business items A–G: CM Beard moved, seconded by CM Myers, to approve all new business items A through G. The motion passed on a roll call vote. CM Crosbie and CM Lawless voted against; all other members voted in favor.

• Move sidewalk café ordinance to the docket: CM Ellinger moved, seconded by CM McChord, to move the sidewalk café ordinance to the docket. The motion passed on a roll call vote of 12 ayes to 1 nay.

Budget and Financial Actions

The Council addressed one financial item during the March 9, 2010 meeting involving a design contract for a local public art project.

• The Council approved a contract with M2D Design Group in the amount of $20,250 for the design of the Isaac Murphy Memorial Art Garden Trailhead. No resolution number or additional contract identifier was recorded in the available meeting data.

Public Comment

Three members of the public addressed the Council during the public comment period, all focusing on issues related to proposed changes to housing ordinances.

• Steve Olszewski 0:33 opened public comment by speaking in opposition to the proposed definition of family ordinance. He raised concerns about the implications for nonconforming uses and cited privacy as a key issue in his objection to the measure.

• Mike Moiser 10:44 offered a historical perspective on student housing issues in the area. Unlike the previous speaker, Moiser expressed support for the proposed ordinance changes, framing them as a necessary step toward addressing problems related to housing density.

• Ben Duncan 20:04 spoke on behalf of the University of Kentucky student government. Duncan raised concerns about the potential impact the ordinance could have on student housing availability and costs, offering the student body's perspective on how the proposed changes might affect those seeking housing near the university.

The public comment period reflected a divide in community opinion, with residents and student representatives weighing the ordinance's effects on density and neighborhood character against concerns about housing access and affordability for students.

Appointments

During the March 9, 2010 Council meeting, the Council took action on the following appointment:

• Ethics Commission: The Council appointed an individual to the Ethics Commission. The name of the appointee is not available in the meeting record.

Contested Items

• Sidewalk Café Ordinance [timestamp: N/A]: This item generated the only notable division during the meeting, resulting in a split vote of 12–1 when the council moved it to the docket. While the available data does not specify the precise nature of the disagreement or identify which council member cast the dissenting vote, the lopsided outcome indicates that one member had reservations about advancing the ordinance, while the remaining twelve were in favor of moving it forward. The ordinance was ultimately placed on the docket, meaning the single dissenting vote was not sufficient to block its progress.

Public Comment

0:33

During the Public Comment portion of the March 9, 2010 Council meeting, several citizens addressed the Council on two primary issues: a moratorium and the definition of family ordinance.

The following residents spoke during this portion of the meeting:

• Steve Olszewski
• Mike Moiser
• Ben Duncan

All three speakers directed their comments toward the moratorium issue and the definition of family ordinance, two topics that were of community concern at the time of the meeting. The public comment period served as an opportunity for residents to share their perspectives with the Council on these matters.

The session was informational in nature, with no formal action taken as a result of the public comments.

Requested Rezonings / Docket Approval

The Council discussed placing resolutions on the docket related to federal reimbursement agreements for various projects. Council Members McChord and Lane were the key speakers during this agenda item.

The discussion centered on the procedural step of docketing the resolutions to move them forward in the Council's review process. No transcript timestamp is available to pinpoint the exact moment in the meeting where this item was taken up.

The Council approved the request to place the resolutions on the docket.

Approval of Summary

The Council took up the approval of the summary from the February 23, 2010 meeting. CM Beard and CM Blues were the key speakers on this item. The summary was approved without noted objection or significant debate recorded in the available data.

Budget Amendments

The Council took up a discussion of amendments to the budget during the March 9, 2010 meeting. The item centered on proposed changes to the existing budget, including amendment item 40941.

Council Members CM James and CM Gorton were the key speakers during this portion of the meeting. The record does not detail the specific arguments or concerns raised by individual members beyond their participation in the discussion.

Following deliberation, the Council approved the budget amendments.

New Business

The Council considered and approved a series of new business items, designated A through G, during this portion of the meeting. CM Beard and CM Myers were among the key speakers during the discussion of these items.

All items A through G were ultimately approved by the Council, though the vote was not without dissent — some members opposed specific items within the series rather than the full slate of new business.

No additional detail on the individual content of items A through G, the specific nature of any concerns raised, or the precise vote tallies for each item is available in the meeting record summarized here.

Sidewalk Café Ordinance

The Council took up a proposed ordinance related to sidewalk cafés during the March 9, 2010 meeting. The item was discussed and subsequently moved to the docket for further consideration.

Council Members Ellinger and McChord were the key speakers on this agenda item. The ordinance was ultimately approved to move forward in the legislative process.

No additional details regarding the specific provisions debated, concerns raised, or the substance of the discussion are available in the meeting record for this item.