Council Work Session

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Urban County Council convened on June 22, 2010, with Mayor Newberry presiding. The meeting covered 9 agenda items spanning a range of legislative and administrative business, including requested rezonings, budget amendments, new business, and both a Council Report and Mayor's Report. Over the course of the meeting, 16 motions and votes were taken, and 2 public comment periods were held — one for issues on the agenda and one for issues not on the agenda. The majority of action items, including the rezoning docket, budget amendments, new business, and the Mayor's Report, were approved, while several items were informational in nature, including continuing business and presentations.

Attendance

All members were present at the June 22, 2010 Council meeting. The following individuals were in attendance:

• Mayor Newberry
• CM Myers
• CM James
• CM Ellinger
• CM Beard
• CM Lane
• CM Gorton
• CM Stinnett
• CM Crosbie
• CM McChord
• CM Blues
• CM Crosby
• CM Lawless
• CM Martin
• CM Bush
• CM Henson

No Council members were recorded as absent or late.

Votes and Decisions

The following motions were considered at the June 22, 2010 Council meeting. No transcript timestamps are available for any of the votes below.

• Place revised resolution amending Council Rules on Thursday's docket — Moved by CM Myers, seconded by CM James. Passed unanimously.

• Approve the docket as amended — Moved by CM Ellinger, seconded by CM Myers. Passed unanimously.

• Approve the summary from June 15, 2010 — Moved by CM Beard, seconded by CM James. Passed unanimously.

• Approve budget amendments — Moved by CM Ellinger, seconded by CM Lane. Passed unanimously.

• Remove last line of the memo in item K — Moved by CM Gorton, seconded by CM Henson. Passed unanimously.

• Table item C — Moved by CM James, seconded by CM Gorton. Passed on a roll call vote of 13 ayes to 2 nays.

• Approve New Business items — Moved by CM Gorton, seconded by CM Stinnett. Passed unanimously.

• Schedule a public hearing on the tax bill issue for 8/31/10 — Moved by CM Gorton, seconded by CM Crosbie. Passed unanimously.

• Amend the NDF for Casa by decreasing it $200 — Moved by CM Gorton, seconded by CM Crosbie. Passed unanimously.

• Keep the golf issue (enterprise fund) in the Services Committee for the August meeting — Moved by CM McChord, seconded by CM Beard. Passed unanimously.

• Approve the NDF list — Moved by CM Beard, seconded by CM Blues. Passed unanimously.

• Amend the amounts of the NDF to DLC for various projects — Moved by CM Crosbie, seconded by CM Lane. Passed unanimously.

• Remove Dewitt Hisle as chairman of the Internal Audit Board — Moved by CM Myers, seconded by CM Crosby. Failed on a roll call vote of 6 ayes to 7 nays.

• Approve having a confirmation hearing on 6/24/10 for nominees for the Planning Commission — Moved by CM Gorton, seconded by CM Martin. Passed unanimously.

• Approve the Mayor's Report, without the Planning Commission — Moved by CM Lane, seconded by CM Martin. Passed unanimously.

• Adjourn the meeting — Moved by CM Gorton, seconded by CM Myers. Passed unanimously.

Budget and Financial Actions

The Council addressed one financial item during the June 22, 2010 meeting involving a capital appropriation for park improvements.

• Schedule No. 151 authorized an appropriation of $5,830 drawn from Neighborhood Development Funds and directed to the Division of Parks and Recreation for the replacement of playground equipment at Veterans Park.

This appropriation represents a targeted investment in recreational infrastructure, funding the removal and replacement of existing playground equipment at Veterans Park through the designated Neighborhood Development Funds channel. The Division of Parks and Recreation was identified as the recipient responsible for carrying out the work under this schedule.

Public Comment

Two speakers addressed the Council during the public comment portion of the June 22, 2010 meeting.

• Don Blevins, Jr., Fayette County Clerk, presented to the Council on the tax bill preparation process. His remarks covered relevant deadlines associated with tax bill preparation as well as the need for a public hearing related to that process.

• Becky Locknane, President of the Realtor Community Housing Foundation, addressed the Council to thank them for their partnership and funding support for housing repair projects. Her remarks acknowledged the Council's role in supporting the Foundation's work in the community.

No transcript timestamps are available for either speaker's remarks.

Appointments

The Council took action on two appointments to the Planning Commission during the meeting.

• Ms. Beatty was appointed to the Planning Commission.
• Mr. Cravens was reappointed to the Planning Commission.

Contested Items

Removal of Dewitt Hisle as Chairman of the Internal Audit Board

The Council considered a motion to remove Dewitt Hisle from his position as chairman of the Internal Audit Board. The item generated significant division among Council members, with discussions centering on potential conflicts of interest related to Hisle's role. The motion ultimately failed by a narrow vote of 6–7, meaning Hisle retained his chairmanship. The close vote reflects the degree of disagreement among Council members over whether the conflict of interest concerns raised were sufficient grounds for removal.

Public Comment — Issues on Agenda

No members of the public offered comments on issues on the agenda during this portion of the June 22, 2010 Council meeting.

Requested Rezonings / Docket Approval

The Council took up the matter of a revised resolution amending Council Rules, with discussion led by CM Myers and CM James. The item centered on whether to place the revised resolution on Thursday's docket for further consideration.

Following the discussion, the Council approved moving the revised resolution amending Council Rules to Thursday's docket.

Approval of Summary

The Council took up the approval of the summary from the previous meeting held on June 15, 2010. CM Beard and CM James were the key speakers on this item. The summary was approved by the Council without noted objection.

Budget Amendments

The Council took up a resolution on budget amendments during the meeting. CM Ellinger and CM Lane were the key speakers on this item. Following discussion, the Council approved the budget amendments.

*Note: No additional details regarding the specific contents of the amendments, the amounts involved, concerns raised, or the nature of the debate are available in the meeting record for this item.*

New Business

During the New Business portion of the June 22, 2010 Council meeting, the Council took up several items involving authorizations for agreements and amendments. Key speakers on these matters included CM Gorton and CM Stinnett.

The Council considered and acted upon multiple resolutions covering various authorizations. While the specific details of each individual agreement or amendment are not enumerated in the available record, the items presented fell within the category of formal authorizations requiring Council approval.

All New Business items were approved by the Council.

Continuing Business / Presentations

During this portion of the meeting, two presentations were delivered to the Council covering tax bills and housing-related community initiatives.

Don Blevins, Jr. delivered a presentation on tax bills, providing the Council with information on this topic. Becky Locknane presented on behalf of the Realtor Community Housing Foundation, offering the Council details about the foundation's work and mission.

Both presentations were informational in nature, and no votes or formal actions were taken as a result of either presentation.

Council Report

Council members provided updates on a range of topics during the Council Report portion of the meeting.

CM Gorton, CM McChord, and CM Blues were among the key speakers who reported on various matters, including neighborhood meetings and amendments to the NDF (Neighborhood Development Fund).

The reports were informational in nature, with no formal action taken as a result of the discussion. Specific details shared by each council member regarding the neighborhood meetings and the NDF amendments were not further elaborated in the available record.

*Note: No transcript timestamp is available for this agenda item.*

Mayor's Report

During this agenda item, the Council discussed the process for handling nominees to the Planning Commission. The discussion centered on whether to hold a confirmation hearing for the Planning Commission nominees.

Council Members Gorton and Martin were the key speakers in this discussion. The Council ultimately voted to approve holding a confirmation hearing for the Planning Commission nominees.

No additional details regarding the specific nominees, the nature of any debate, or concerns raised during the discussion are available in the meeting record for this item.

Public Comment — Issues not on the agenda

No members of the public came forward to offer comments on issues not on the agenda during this portion of the June 22, 2010 Council meeting.